Alright...I will admit that, at the moment, I'm not very interested in Final Fantasy XII either. I have loved FF X, VII, VI, and even, to an extent, X-2. I have also played FF VIII, IX, and IV, and though I have not finished any of these, I have really enjoyed what I have seen in them.
Now, I can't remember how far I got in XII before I lost interest...perhaps maybe an hour or two after you go to the Viera village...This game has yet to pique my interest. I understand that we all have different tastes when it comes to games, and since I see that many people in this thread are comparing X and XII, I will admit that my tastes are probably closer to the sentimentality of X.

Now, I know that I am not as well-versed in FFs as many of you here. I have not really played any of the earlier ones, nor have I played any of the Tactics titles (which I hear are similar to XII). Yet, every single FF that I have played, IV-X has had charm. The most important aspect of a FF to me is attachment to the characters. After all, you're controlling these people for 40-60 hours! In every game I have grown to love the characters. One grows to know them as fictional people. Even in FF IV, which I didn't get far in AT ALL (I think I just had to find a black chocobo),I was very abruptly drawn in by its characters. I symphathized with Tellah over Anna, and I pitied poor Edward after she was killed. Kain and Cecil are fascinating! Yes, I'm playing to see how the overall plot will be solved, but I'm also playing to see what happens to these characters. XII's characters, IMO, leave something to be desired. As a result of what seems to be underdeveloped characterization, XII's overall story seems to fall flat. I feel no desire to play because I do not care about what happens to these characters. I feel as though I don't know much about them! It seems to me that, since FF XII is attempting a political storyline, it has fewer opportunities to realistically link its characters to the action. But I keep finding myself wishing that Vaan, Penelo, Fran, etc. were doing more than just observing political strife. Eh...this is post is getting long and garbled.
Yes, I could be very wrong...maybe the XII will get better. I'm hoping it will. I also have to say: why all the vitriol against FF X and FF VII?