I thought it had a habit of making you think one of the "missing" elements was there, or just getting to something cool, and then snatching it away like a big tease.

In detail, a few examples:
(SPOILER)
You reach that chocobo place with Sazh and Vanille and think "ooh.... I can see a chocobo breeding or racing game appearing here later!" - but you never return. The best (cough) that you get is 'chase the chick'.

OMG AIRSHIP! Then it crashes.

Pulse. Just as you're getting into it and hoping to see more cities, maybe even some civilisation somewhere: it's off back to Cocoon we go! Like the developers got bored when they got to the bridge and said "right, let's wrap it up".

Pretty much everything about Cid and the Cavalry. That should've been the game's Al Bhed, but no...


Those were the big ones. I think there were lots of smaller ones that I can't recall well enough to specify right now.