As for the ending... Just fantastic, I don't understand why some folks didn't like it, because it was definitely impressive IMO. Some thoughts:

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- Ashe.... and Basch? Where the hell did that come from? Unless I'm misunderstanding this. Where did the ring come from? Rasler? Did Basch have it all along?

- Balthier was absolutely hilarious, the scene in the collapsing Bahamut was real nice. Amazingly, for a stoic and tough gal, Fran doesn't seem afraid to accept help/be helpless.

- Basch's ending was, how shall I say, bittersweet. His brother dies on top of everything else he's lost. Larsa probably realized the instant Basch took off the helmet that it was him, and not Gabranth.

- Vaan and Penelo's ending was actually great, though simple. Vaan essentially became a sky pirate, after freaking out over the Strahl's theft, and Penelo seems happy to tag along with him. I wouldn't be surprised if meet up with Fran and Balthier or at least keep in touch (pupil and mentor, etc..). The scene on the Strahl hints at this at least.

Even with the above questions, that whole endgame was very well done. I would've liked a little extra after the credits to show a bit more (or maybe give us a sneak peek at things in Revenant Wings).

One last thing:
Penelo's new look. I can already hear thousands of fanboys adding her to their favorite FF heroine lists. IMO, it looks fine and fits with the ornate/revealing clothes that many Dalmascans wear.

Yes, I like how the ending basically wraps everything up and that everyone basically goes back with their own lives. I was disappointed that Balthier never shows up, but yes, his scene in the 'Bahamoot' (XD) definitely made up for his absence. I love his lines there, especially "You know what they say about the leading man. He never dies." He and Fran are so cool together.

My favorite exchange in the ending was when Fran suggested that Balthier was more of a supporting role type. His response was priceless. I loved the music in that movie as well, how it was building up to the final statement of the main theme just as the Bahamut was sinking. Very appropriate how the game began and ended with that melody.

They should've established them a bit more, but the gist was that they had been persuing Balthier (Fframan Bunansa) for 6 years, since that's when his pops went kind of wacko.

Interesting how Venat merged with Vayne. Perhaps she wasn't all bad. She moved to protect Cid even as he lay dying, his purpose fufilled, and when he thanked her for the past six years, I was expecting her to say something like "You fool" or "Now my plans will come to fruition" or something like that. But instead she said "The pleasure was all mine." And honestly, I think she meant it. And then she gave her power to Vayne, even though she knew that she could die. Perhaps she truly did want to put the reins of history back in the hands of man. After all, even after Vayne's second form was defeated, and he felt that he had failed her, she said that it was okay, because their plans had already been fufilled. (That is, taking control away from the other Occuria by destroying the Sun-Cryst). I still don't think that other Occuria are bad, either. At least, not evil per se. They just have an extreme arrogance and superiority complex. But then again, when you've been accumulating wisdom for eons, you tend to become that way. Manipulative, yes, and merciless, but not truly evil, at least, not to me. After all, they were the ones responsible for the golden age of the Galtean Alliance. That was good, right?

So, what happened to the rest of the Occuria? I guess they're still out there, watching. They are gods, after all. It's not like they'd just disappear. Although watching is all they can do now, because they can't directly manipulate the events of the world. And now that the Sun-Cryst is destroyed, there is no more nethicite for them to tempt people with. Good riddance to bad rubbish, I say, nethicite is bad news plain and simple, and nothing good can come of it in the end. Like Reddas said, the only thing you should do with it, is pick it up, and throw it away.

Balthier took her ring toward the beginning of the game.

Vann and Penelo are definitely an item. Also, Penelo is incredibly cute in her new outfit. She really is quite pretty. Bathier's lines aboard the Bahamut were truly awesome.

Judge Magister Zecht a.k.a. Reddas, was ordered by Cid to use Nabradia's' Nethicite shard (The Midlight Shard), and, not knowing what he was doing, the Nabreus deadlands were the result.