Well from the demo, I found out that FFXII battle system is a lot like FFXI. I also like that monsters can fight each other and you can see all the mobs so it is not random battles anymore. That adds new stealth missions and suck into this game. I have a lot of hopes for it.
Why do people dis FF9? Sure, it didn't seem as serious as some of the others, but it was cool and fun. The storyline was pretty interesting too, though not as convoluted as 7 or anything. Looking forward to 12, but need a PS2