I thought that the Espers were handled better in this game than in any other. Excellent back story, great boss battles and really cool and original designs. But they were simply not worth using in battle. I thought it was a pretty good idea, to have you fight alone with your Esper, but it could've been handled much better; such as having the Espers be actually beneficial in battle. I got them all because I'd be annoyed if I didn't. But beyond trying them out for the first time, I never really used them. Pity.