This should probably be its own thread. Jeremy will do it if he sees it fit.
So I just finished the game and read through the story debate and I had this great long post but of course it got deleted. So forgive me for being terse.
This game was the best experience of the entire Final Fantasy series, and I've been there for every single installment. I think the introduction of MMO elements threw some people for a loop that they didn't like. This includes the idea of fully experiencing the story through extensive gameplay exploration rather than following a series of chained events.
Yes, if you follow the main plot events in the story you end up with a fairly straightforward plot: rebel against the evil Empire. What you miss are so many of the elements that people seem to be complaining about. What you get when you explore the game in full is what makes a simple story rich in detail. Someone mentioned reading the pillars in Pharos and I think that is a prime example. Bestiary entries and mark-hunts also make the history of Ivalice more colorful and that is what brings this otherwise plain story to life.
Of course, that means you have to play the game. God forbid should you explore the multiverse SE has spent ages to create with one of the most engaging battle engines ever. God forbid should SE remind you they make videogames, not movies with a fancy controller like Xenosaga. Gameplay in XII is deliciously intertwined with the story, and how much story you see is directly related with how much effort you put in the game.
I think this ends up being a clear slap in the face to anybody who thinks they can talk about story and gameplay in a video game separately (MONOLITHSOFT). Perhaps we can thank Sakaguchi for this: Thank you for leaving the series and making room for a more integrated gaming experience. Thank you for leaving the series and not putting so much emphasis on the game being a linear experience of your storyline ideas. And of course, thank you for the amazing games you have delivered in the past. I'm not that irreverent.
XII is, at heart, an amazingly successful effort to "catch up" (I put it in quotes because I'm not sure who's really catching up to whom at times) to other storytelling media without turning its fans into MMO zombies. The popular TV show "Heroes" did not present its story in full in its episodes; other critical story aspects like character background and motivation (sound familiar?) were released in the form of interactive websites and comic books for viewers to actively explore the Heroes world. The creators of "The Matrix" pioneered this somewhat by creating a set of movies, a videogame, a series of short animations, and releasing philosophical essays on their website. Some consider it gimmicky; I consider it a more thorough presentation of a world that is too rich to be presented in just one medium. Final Fantasy XII embodied and internalized these ideas.
So while I haven't really endorsed a particular position, I am offering an explanation as to why people feel left with an incomplete experience after completing the game, or why they might feel the story was inadequately presented, or why they are complete turds. Pick the one that applies to you, if you apply to this. If not, well congratulations! I am not repulsed by you.
