Playing through FFXII again, I think I maintained the hype by remembering that Basch was supposed to be the main character, not Vaan. So instead of feeling frustrated that I was doing menial trout as Vaan while in town, I instead imagined that he was just the errand boy while all the other party members plotted their next movement against the Empire. This is kinda backed up by how many cutscenes Vaan isn't important in.

And yeah, that opening is one of the best I've seen in an RPG. While it's sad that the whole game didn't take place during the War it depicted, it's also understandable why, given the game's nature as an RPG. Regardless, I've always enjoyed the game more for being a tour of Ivalice rather than the game's actual narrative.