I have played final fantasy since final fantasy IV. Recently I have played final fantasy XII, which is real time combat. What i like about final fantasy is the artistic of character design and great 3d rendering. The story is well written, but most of the theme is about love, passion and war. There are also side game such as hunt, which player would look for the comissioner to kill monster and earn reward. Beside the strong fantasy storyline there is small task, which you could choose to do it or not.
Final fantasy 12 is different from other final fantasy, but similar to final fantasy 11 (online) in a way it have real time combat.

http://media.ps2.ign.com/media/488/488222/img_4028613.html
Gameplay and Gambit system
"Final fantasy gameplay features include the Active Dimension Battle system enabling players to move seamlessly between exploration and combat. Characters act according to an intricate "gambit" system of actions and reactions that you determine. As they fight, characters earn license points that can be spent to broaden their knowledge of magic, arms and armor."
http://ps2.ign.com/objects/488/488222.html
What I like about final fantasy the most is their artwork and architectural design. It is fantasy but it base upon some construction factor. Beside cool architecture, there always cool skyship.

Final Fantasy Xii official website
http://www.finalfantasyxii.com/