FFX seemed really big the first time you played it. After that you have to agree that it has just as much to do that XIII does. And nothing compared to XIII-2. Don't let the past change your perception of the present!

Honestly, I really enjoyed the XIII characters. I spent half the game going "Come on, make me care" and then by chapter 7, I did. By the very end I was crying when I watched everyone walk into the sunset. ]

We have Lightning - Hope (Mother and Son, Hope lost his mother, Lightning lost her Sister, Hope can't get his mother back, Lightning is trying desperately to save her sister. Their entire storyline is actually quite amazing if you read into the actual metaphors behind their connection)

Snow - Everyone (Him against the world, including himself -His dear love is missing, and he is powerless to save her. He realizes Lightning doesn't believe in him, and he begins to doubt himself. But it's this doubt that fortify's his resolve, a "shock" to his system that he needed. He wants to protect everyone,but he has to learn to protect his dearly beloved first, yet in his current life, he has to figure out how to do both. Another amazing conflict.)

Vanille and Hope (Vanille provides the hope that Hope needs to keep himself alive as a person. She knows he lost his mother, and she knows his need to kill Snow is wrong, but she comforts him and has his back emotionally. She knows her ultimate fate, and the futility in all their actions, but it's actually Hope's determination that begins with hate that makes her realize that everything doesn't have to be hopeless. She provides hope and love to him to counter his anger, and he provides her with a sense of determination and faith.)

I'd keep going about Sazh, but everyone seems to love him, for obvious reasons.

Fang, even though she was awsome, came too late in the story in my opinion. She is my only gripe. I cried when she died, and it was awsome seeing her near the end of XIII-2, but still. She didn't become a part of the group early enough to become to close to me. However,she replaces Hope as Vanille's emotional rock, and Lightning fortifies Hope where Vanille was no longer needed.

All in all, this game was more a psychological and emotional roller coaster than a bland hero driven "let's save the world" story. The inner turmoil each character has is VERY real, and very relate able.

I think XIII had one of the best stories to date.