Perhaps the coolest thing about the battles is how free-flowing and chaotic they feel, with characters running all over the place to strike at enemies, defend, and all that other fighty stuff. (This is particularly true if you make use of the optional AI feature, which controls your characters according to certain rules that you set beforehand.) It's a far cry from the structured good guy / bad guy columns of a Final Fantasy, and along with all the other elements helps keep the battles fresh, fast, and most importantly, fun.
...And the Rest Ain't Bad, Either
Grandia III looks about as good as you'd expect a high-budget PS2 RPG to look toward the end of the system's lifespan, which is to say rather pretty. The graphics are colorful and attractive; though they run at 30 frames per second, the level of detail is quite good. Battle scenes run at 60 frames per second with just a little slowdown during heated bits of action. The load times are impressively short. In fact, the field/battle transitions are more or less instantaneous, which is good news for a game that is packed to its gills with combat. As for the audio, the music is nice enough so far... typical Grandia stuff, with the electric guitar and slight 70's flair that fans have come to expect. (You'll hear hints of a few classic themes and fanfares, too.) Voices are fine as well. They're maybe B-level anime quality, which is typical for an English-dubbed RPG.
All told, Grandia III is shaping up to be another very good, if not over-achieving, entry in Game Arts' slightly eclectic RPG series. The battle system should provide plenty of entertainment, backed up by good technical aspects and a somewhat light-hearted story. It's due to hit stores just five weeks from now, on March 1st, so wrap up that Dragon Quest VIII adventure while you can.
