Picking up from where this part of the topic started, I figured Ys Seven was deserving of its own thread.  Just bought the game off of PSN myself, and gave it a good hour's play. 

It was a toss-up between starting on Normal or Hard, but I chose the latter.  I'm digging it so far, though there's quite a bit more drawn-out dialogue than what I'm used to in an Ys game.  (I haven't played much of Ys VI, admittedly -- how does it compare story-wise?)  I did get a chuckle out of Dogi's series reference to Adol's bad luck with boats and ships. ;)  Also, there doesn't appear to be any voice acting in the game, save for the shout phrases whenever you're swapping out your lead character.  They gave Adol a voice, and I'm fairly certain I don't like it.  Did they have to make him so, I dunno..... aggressive sounding?

The game's maneuverability is FAST.  Everything about the game is, actually; even traversing around towns feels streamlined due to the quickened pace.  (Though perhaps a necessity - Altago City is freaken HUGE.)  As Zealboy stated, the combat is swift and enjoyable.  I was tempted to just hack away at every enemy I encounter, but I've begun to show restraint and gone about trying to master flash-guarding.  It really is a handy way to increase your SP meter.  Beating the corpses of your fallen enemies for additional loot is strangely compelling as well. 

But the best part of the experience is the soundtrack.  I've developed a real fondness to the score these past couple of months, and as Pedrith says, it's great to finally hear the music in context.  I've been battling in the fields, and lovingly soaking up "Mother Earth Altago."  Really digging Raud's theme "Loud".  (Was his name actually 'Loud' in the Japanese original, or are they simply referring to the character's demeanor?)  I can't wait to get to "Desert of Despair" and "Place of Reticent Lava."

this is my personal game of the year, i'm glad you enjoy it!

there wasn't as much dialogue in Ys VI since adol travels alone, but the regular NPCs could ramble on for hours if you let them. the english version had a ton of voice acting, but it was very average as you would expect.

Been playing this off and on the past two months. I'm about to finish off the Wind Shrine dungeon.

Totally love the combat. It's quick and your AI teammates don't get in the way. I know this is blasphemy, since Ys has always been a single player experience, but I couldn't help but think how awesome it'd be if the game had a co-op play like Secret of Mana.

Look forward to playing The Oath in Felghana next month!

Oh hey, they give you the option to turn his voice on or off.  And..... OFF it goes.

Just got past the Earth Shrine dungeon.  Love Shannoa Village's theme, "Land of Fertility".  The boss was a BEAST, a giant leap up in challenge after the first boss -- and I'm glad Dogi actually acknowledged that.

Did anyone else catch the cute nod to Symphony of the Night?

Segram!  "Desert of Despair"!  Yes!

Picked up the LE version of this, but only had time to watch the intro.  Hoping I'll get some time to play it for real later this year or early next.