I'm going try to be as objective as possible, but honestly, it's impossible. But I will say that I am a Japanese RPG fan, and a longtime one at that. I've played tons of them, some Japanese-only, and as such have a wide selection of RPGs to compare each other to. I have my own idea of what is good and what is bad based on my experiences.
The difference is, judging from the RPGs you've played in the other thread (pretty much only the FFs and Symphonia), you do not have that basis of comparison. So in all honesty, you probably don't know/care about the flaws I see. For example, if FF is your primary RPG of choice, then you really are not exposed to good RPG gameplay. FF has a lot of other qualities, but gameplay really isn't their emphasis.
So without further ado:
Pros:
Visuals - were great for Dreamcast, but I don't know how much they updated for GC. still, there's a very cohesive and consistent feel with the visuals for the entire game
Music - it has a very nice soundtrack
Customization - you're able to build your own town in the game, and even its citizens
Atmosphere - it's immersive in the way the world becomes a very believable place
Story execution - plot progression is also very natural and never will you get into "WTF that was so random... and stupid" points (*cough* FFIX)
Battle system - contrary to what others believe, I think that Skies' battle system is one of its strongest points. It is a very standard turn-based RPG system, but it does have one twist: most spells require SP points to cast, and SP points are shared by the entire party. SP points automatically charge up after every turn, but you can forfeit a party member's turn in order to also charge it up. This leads to an interesting dynamic when you face difficult battles. It's strategic and not as mindless as always pushing the Attack command. It can be slow, but on the more difficult fights, it totally engages your mind.
Cons:
Plot - if ever there was a game that pulled out all the Japanese cliches, Arcadia is it. Utterly predicable throughout. But this con only applies if you're familiar with Japanese cliches (other RPGs, anime, tv shows, movies). The execution of the story was well done, as i stated in my pros. But the actual plot points are all rehash.
Imbalance of Difficulty - depending on what spells/specials you choose to acquire, the game can be challenging all the way through, or a total walk in the park. Assuming you have any kind of attack-all spell, by the beginning of disc 2, you can probably kill all overworld enemies in one turn. Also, although I had a fun time through the game, a friend of mine who acquired the resurrect spell early in the game said the game was so easy cuz he could never die. So the freedom they give you to choose spells has a profound impact on game difficulty.
Random Battles - should not be in RPGs at all. Honestly. Go play some more non-random battle RPGs like Chrono Trigger, Grandia or the Lunar remakes. They are artificial game-length extenders, offer no additional challenge, and only seem to exist because that's what jRPGs did 15 years ago.
Frequent Encounters - coupled with Random Battles, this flaw hurts really bad. I found myself at many points wanting to throw the controller at the TV because the encounter rate was so high. Oops, you traveled 2 seconds... we have to give you another battle! I don't believe I've played any other RPG with as many battles. The actual battle system isn't poor, but because they throw many unchallenging battles at you, fighting becomes a tedious chore that sucks the joy out of playing it.
Ship battles - and as much as people tend to like the ship battles, which are different from normal battles, I thought they were horrible. They are very long and drawn-out, but not very strategic at all. Therefore, they weren't very challenging. These battles play out basically with a action/reaction type of mentality. Problem is, the game shows you exactly what the enemy will do this turn and next. There is little element of risk. You just see what the enemy will do and adjust your turn accordingly. Honestly, I did not think these types of battles had much value to them and don't understand why people like them. It was an attempt to do something similar to Panzer Dragoon Saga's system, but fails.
Honestly, I can sorta identify with both camps - those who worship Arcadia and those who say it's horrible. My own personal view is that although the game excels at the positives, ultimately it was the frequent random encounters which ruined the game for me. It made the game more of a chore than enjoyment.
Depending on how much you value the points in my pros/cons, you should be able to make your own decision of how much you think you'd like the game.
