Its not super well regarded but I really like it. Battle system is controversial. Leveling system is as well (i think they tweaked it in the remaster and that was better recieved). Plot is good to me but the playable cast is a mixed bag. But Ashe and Balthier are awesome.

Id say give Zodiac Edition a try.

It's got a great aesthetic and is honestly my favorite battle system, though I wish they'd gone further.

You get to "program" the AI of your party members using simple conditionals.

The remastered version has a much needed fast forward.

I do t like the battle system, it's like playing an mmo offline.

12 is my favorite out of all of them. Really enjoyed the setting and voice, and I think the graphics are charming. Great music too

I found the story of the game to be lackluster which was disappointing because it's a series known for telling some good pop fantasy stories. Gameplay is fun though setting up your characters to fight, it's like an online turn based rpgs fighting is, like XI, like someone else pointed out. If you like that sort of thing you could check out XI too since there's private servers now that emulate the game's trust system that lets npcs fight alongside you.

Don't listen to Ondore's lies!

Yasumi Matsuno (of Tactics Ogre, Final Fantasy Tactics, and Vagrant Story directing fame) was originally going to direct it, but had to drop out due to health issues. If you like his stuff, you'll probably enjoy it enough.

I really enjoy it. Story isn't that great, and it feels more in the background compared to the exploration and combat. That said Balthier is one of the best FF characters ever.