I enjoyed FFXIII. Of the trilogy, I would say it had arguably the better contained story, but probably the worst game-play of the three. The system itself isn't bad at all, and it does allow for tactical consideration.

However, the execution was flawed. By the end game, a party of Lightning, Hope and Fang is essentially mandatory due to them three being the best team in the game. Sazh has below average stats, which cripples him. Snow is your best tank (and is worth swapping for the hardest bosses) but his selection of magic is limited. Vanille is also useful at times where de-buffs rule the strategy, but those type of fights are few and far between and Fang is enough of a saboteur to do the job in most respects.

It is a shame, because everyone can learn every job eventually, and they all vary in what moves they can learn in that pool, but ultimately LHF is the best all-round party. Balance issues is a factor hampering the game play.

The crystarium is flashy and cool-looking, if not exactly providing depth. A system that might have been more useful is if there were choices in the crystarium, where you were forced to select one upgrade over another. FFXIII-2 did this to great effect with the role bonuses, and the crystarium, like the game, is linear.

I also feel as if you should have been given greater access earlier on to different paradigms. While I enjoyed the different viewpoints offered by changing teams, I feel as if it came at the cost of experimentation.

Exploration was another issue. Very minor Chapter 8 spoliersNautilus is the worst example. Come! Explore a fantastical theme park! Walk around a constrained path with no diversions, mini-games, side-quests or anything! Most of this is down to the cast being fugitives, which is a valid point, but the sheer lack of exploration was grating.

Again, the story is what saved the game. Minor Chapter 8 spoilersNautilus's story was actually pretty good thematically: the two of them at the end of the road, enjoying a last moment of respite and calm before the storm which occurs at the end of the chapter. It was hard hitting and impactful. But the game play didn't quite live up to it.

Fortunately, I enjoyed the story enough that I played FFXIII-2 and LR, which were much better games to play.