I have - I’ve played all 3 Grandia games. The second is really good, and it refines the battle system in some nice ways, but it’s a (slightly) smaller, more character driven story that loses a bit of the grand, somewhat naive, adventurous spirit that makes the first game so unique and satisfying.
There’s a large number of people who prefer Grandia 2, and for good reason, but I prefer the characters and story of Grandia 1. If you haven’t played either, I recommend playing both in order. Grandia 3 is a bit of a letdown in comparison, but I still really enjoyed it and think it gets a bit more hate than it deserves.
As long as the game is balanced and there are enough counterplays to camping, I’m fine with it.