Wow, this brings back memories of my debates with Timerk and Renmiri (Renmiri even had a Rikku avatar at that time!) I'm happy to hear you are at least playing the game and I mostly ask that you remain patient, and keep playing.
Like many before, I suggest you play it on Active mode. This is one of the few FF's where the difference in modes is obvious. Wait, really destroys the point in having the Gambit System. Oddly enough, if you really watch it, the system is basically the ATB system it just put's into account the 3D enviroment.For one, the gameplay is tedious to the finest degree. To pause the action around you to attack, use items or whatnot is irratating. Unlike in FFX or other installments that keeps the action around you going. To pause, then wait for an action bar to fill up, only to pause the game again is aggravating. In other Final Fantasy games, when you defeat an enemy, you get exp. and gil at the same time, in Twelve; this is forgotten. I ask you why? It was practical and logical.
I didn't care for the combat system when I first played, but once you get a fully controllable party, it becomes a little more fun. Later when you finally get more Gambits, you can begin to experiment. Not to mention by this point you should have a wide variety of weapons which actually change how you should manage them. The systems fun it just takes a while to kick in.
The change is not nearly as drastic as VII's Chocobos to VIII's but that's just my opinion. Well the "Star Wars feel" continues through I'm afraid but it's actually easy to forget about. LOTR disappears quickly though. The SW/LOTR feel is mostly felt in the action CG cutscenes though (the opening and the ending are the worse offenders). The story is actually quite different so don't worry about playing a clone of someone else's work.Another thing I was greatly dissapointed in was the appearence of the game. For a second there, I thought it was a Lord of the Rings, Star Wars crossover! I really was infuriated when I saw my beloved chocobos decorated in heavy armor. Chocobos in Ten were decorated in armor as well, but not to the extent of the ones in Twelve. Chocobo's are supposed to be realistic, but adorable. In Twelve, they lose their trademark cuteness. So have the moogles. Moogles have a cat-like appearence, but in Twelve, they take the shape of a rabbit! Way to break tradition Square!
The series is about change and innovation so you have to just either accept or suffer through it I'm afraid.
That's completely untrue. As Bolivar pointed out, only half the series actually had a main character (You forgot IX though ) Telling a story with no central main character is challenging but eventually the story does begin to focus mostly on Lady Ashe (seriously, am I the only person who feels she technically qualifies for role of lead?). It's difficult to tell a story by it's first few moments. The story really begins to pick up once you finish the Leviathan. To be honest, the story mostly focuses on Lady Ashe, Balthier, and Basch. Though the others have their moments.Another failure in Twelve is the shoddy storyline. Like I said before, the beginning of the whole thing looks like a Lord of the Rings clone. The story makes it seem out of place with the rest of the Final Fantasies. Although, I haven't gotten that far in the story yet, it seems to me, based by other posts here, that we don't have a specific main character. If that is true, then it's a failure. In a story, you must have a specific main character.
I'll admit the storytelling is very different from the rest of the FF series, it's actually closer to the team's earlier works (FFT, FFTA, and Vagrant Story) XII focuses mainly on politics and the conflict about the impending war. XII's greatest charm though is in it's fleshed out world. Though the area of Ivalice is only a small part of the world, there is more detail and history in this place than most of the FFs combined.
Definetly explore and enjoy the world. The game doesn't guide your hand anymore and you are allowed to go where you wish (until you accidentally wander into the Feywoods at Lv. 20 and get totally owned by a vegetable man that looks like an extra on the Nightmare Before Christmas.)
It's the little details and the nuances of this game that make it impressive. I also feel it's story is very powerful, even if the cast is a little subdued at times. Either stick with it, (btw the game is LOOOONG, borrow it from a friend or you'll never make it far enough to enjoy the story.) or just stop now if it seems like too much of a hassle. I'm personally a masochist when it comes to gaming but I don't feel others need to be.
For me, X is the low point in the series. But we are allowed to each hold our own opinions. No one ever said that every game in the series would appeal to everyone unquestionably. Sometimes the games fail to meet our expectations.All in all, I'm very dissapointed in this latest installment of Final Fantasy. I was blown away by Final Fantasy Ten, but this game, doesn't make a dent.
Sorry to fans of Twelve, but this is Final Fantasies low point.