I really enjoyed the first half of the game. Even if the story was sparse, there was enough to do in the world to keep things interesting, and the characters had great dialogue. The second half of the game streamlines the experience massively, to the point where I actually felt very deflated upon realizing that the rest of the game was going to feel rushed. It also feels like there were a lot of cut scenes from the game (some of them are in the supposedly "supplemental" material, but some feel missing altogether). That being said, they've since patched in more cutscenes since I stopped playing, so idk if that criticism holds weight.

I guess what I'll say is that despite the ten years of hype, keep in mind that Final Fantasy XV as we know it today is a different type of beast with a different team, different mythos, and a heavily modified cast (see Stella vs Lunafreya)