^The problem with FFXIII's design choices (and every other RPG the uses the same ones) is that if you don't happen to like the story and characters then the game is ruined.
I didn't liked the characters in FFXII but because of its open ended design the game let me enjoy its other strong points (exploration,battle system,atmosphere) and i ended up liking it.My first playthrough was more than 300 hours (i didn't use a guide while trying to complete everything) and i still have lots of things left to do for my second paythrough.
I think a lot of developers today are getting too much inspiration by movies when they should be looking at the strengths of the video game format instead.
