When the Game Boy Advance SP launched in Japan earlier this year, there was one game that got all the attention. Square released Final Fantasy Tactics Advance on the same day as Nintendo's juggernaut, and there was even a collector's version containing a Pearl White GBA SP and the game. Now, under the guiding hand of Square Enix and Nintendo, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance has made its way to the showfloors of E3 in English, and we can finally give the game a go.

The build at the show is a demo of the full game, but it gives an accurate portrayal of what the finished product is going to look like. Visually, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance is far and away the best looking Game Boy Advance game out there. The sprites are crisp and colorful, and the art style, which is reminiscent of the original Final Fantasy Tactics on the PlayStation, is simply gorgeous. Character designs leap out with fresh looks, and the character animation looks good too.

Four soundtracks have already been released for the game in Japan, and it's not hard to hear why. Even competing with the non-stop din of E3, it's still possible to hear how suited the soundtrack is to the game. The songs are light in tone, which epitomizes the feeling that the game oozes.

The game starts with Marche, a kid living in present times. He's a big fan of video games, especially--unsurprisingly--Final Fantasy games. It's a kick to see the franchise appear next to cars and skateboards and other items of normality. One night he is whisked away to a faraway land that, to him, resembles the world in his Final Fantasy games. He meets up with a moogle named Montblanc, who serves as your guide in this new world. You join Montblanc and several other characters, who are in a clan.

The battle system will be immediately familiar to those that have played tactical RPGs, but there are a couple innovations as well. Unlike in the previous installment, characters killed during battle do not die outright. Rather, they are knocked unconscious and return once the battle has ended. There are missions games where it is possible for party members to die, but these are not mandatory.

The biggest new addition is the much-discussed "Law" system. Each battle is moderated by a Judge, who makes laws that are applicable to that particular battle. For instance, the judge could decree that Items are forbidden during battle. For each Law forbidding items/magic/types of weapon, there is a complementary skill/weapon, recommended by the game, that can be used. If you do feel the need to flout the law, you will be punished, either by a Yellow Card or a Red Card, which then appears on your record. A Red Card instantly lands you in jail, meaning that someone has to come bail you out. Yellow Cards are accrued until you're sent to jail, too.

When enemies are knocked out, the judge awards the winning character a "Judge Point." These can then be used to perform Combo Attacks, which do significantly more damage.

After battles, you're awarded with a location piece, meaning that you get to decide the layout of the land. After your first battle, you're awarded with the prison town, which can then be placed at any junction point of the pre-layed paths. Pubs, shops and bestiaries are contained within the towns. Pubs are especially important, since this is where you'll acquire missions to go on with your clan.

There is another piece of good news for those that are itching to get their hands on this title. While at Square Enix's booth, an unnamed representative informed me that the localized version of Final Fantasy Tactics Advance has been completed. Right now, the decision of when to release is entirely up to Nintendo, the game's North American publisher. Hopefully we'll hear more about this soon, as Final Fantasy Tactics Advance is one game that everyone should try out.