I really liked running around the world in this game. I know most things in a JRPG are abstractions. I'm OK with turn-based combat and armor changes that don't show on the characters, but I get disappointed when I play an RPG and it's just a static map of the world with a bunch of interconnected small areas with a lot of loading in between.

Even back on the first FF game, once you had the airship, you could freely navigate the entire world. I'm playing Lost Odyssey now and you can't even do that on a 4 disk large XBOB 360 game? Even an abstracted world map like Suikoden V was better, but I can't think of a JRPG where I felt more "down in" a huge, connected world than in DQVIII.

I don't expect GTA from my RPGs, but it's noce to explore. I 'd like to see a game like SMT: Nocturne or the Suikoden games that felt as open as Fallout 3.

Even back on the first FF game, once you had the airship, you could freely navigate the entire world. I'm playing Lost Odyssey now and you can't even do that on a 4 disk large XBOB 360 game?