>>46432143Because in most ATB games you have a party of characters to give commands to. You are commanding one guy to use Steal while the ATB gauge of your White Mage is filling up. This means you are almost(though it does happens sometimes) just waiting to make a move.
In a 1v1 situation it's different. Then it's just waiting for a turn, in which case it might as well be straight up turn based.
There's a moment in FF9 where you control Zidane(the main character) alone, and everytime you run into a battle it fucking sucks. You are just standing there waiting for your turn*. I think it might have been something they tried but eventually scrapped as it would male slower Pokemon pretty much unusable.
Just imagine going up against a Gallade with your Snorlax. Gallade will get off multiple moves before you can even act.
*
Now that I think about that moment in FF9 it actually drives the point of Zidane trying to do things alone even more home. 
