More of the same, though in this case, it's not a bad thing at all.
The storyline is similar to the original. A young kid, Luso, finds a magic book that sucks him into the Final Fantasy world of Ivalice. The aim of this story is to find his way home. Supporting Luso are Cid, the leader of the Clan Luso joins, Adelle, a young thief with more power than she knows and Hurdy, a moogle minstrel and brother to Montblanc, Marche's companion from the original Tactics Advance. Just to make sure we know we're in the real Ivalice, Vaan, Penelo and Al-Cid, all from the Ivalice of FFXII, drop by to lend a hand.
The main differences from the first Tactics Advance are the Judge system and the job choices. The law system of the original was one that every player had a love-hate relationship with. It made sense, but boy it was a pain if you forgot the law. Characters got sent to jail, which hammered your party, especially in the early game. In this game, the law system rewards rather than punishes. If you break a law during battle, all you lose is a few items at the end and your clan privledge, which aren't huge losses at all. I dislike the dumbing down of the law system, but it's a minor thing. FFTA2 has been bettered by the huge addition of jobs for your characters. With over 50 jobs for the 7 races, customisation gives you the ability to do what you like. Ever wanted a team of quarterstave weilding Bangaa, you've got it. What about a Seeq who can set traps around the battlefield, again, it can be done. It's great! Although some of the jobs are to be avoided, you can customise a character and team any way you like.
The gameplay is very similar to the original, with characters placed on a grid where they have turns depending on their speed, move around and attack with various weapons and abilities. Just think of it as chess, but with far more violence and magic. The graphics and sound have improved from the original, with magic spells both looking and sounding impressive and melee attacks given audio that actually makes the hits sound painful. Battlefield tracks are both new and reused from both the original Tactics Advance and FFXII. They all do very well to get the scene of such an entertaining game.
If you enjoyed the original Tactics Advance, you're in for more of the same. Not that I'm complaining at all. If you've never played one before, give yourself a chance and play it, you won't regret it. Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2 is the best strategy RPG you can buy and is a worthwile addition to the great Final Fantasy label.