It was the fourth FF game I played. After X, X-2 and XII.

I don't really understand all the vitriol towards it. It really doesn't 'play itself' any more than XII does, it was less linear than X, the story took off a lot more quickly than X or XII, and the characters were more interesting than in X or X-2.

I gather that some people think that the sci-fi setting isn't Final Fantasy enough. But, I love sci-fi, so that wasn't an issue for me. Plus, isn't the beloved VII quite sci-fi?