Don't compare them to older games in the series.

I recently picked up XIII-2 and found myself utterly disappointed (as I expected after X, X-2, XII, and XIII - you would think I would learn by now). By this point, I was so desperate for a final fantasy fix that I decided to go back and play FF 9, which reminded me that FF 9 wasn't as well received as it's predecessors.

Then I remembered that FF 9 was my first final fantasy, after which I went back and played all of the earlier ones in order. This meant that most of the criticisms that plagued 9 were irrelevant to me. I didn't mind it going back to the old school formula since I had never known the new formula. I didn't find the battles slow paced or the story less epic. I didn't mind it's lighthearted approach and fantasy setting because I hadn't yet experienced the more serious and realistic tone of 6, 7 and 8.

This made me realize that all of my complaints about XIII and XIII-2 would have never existed if I had never played any of the previous titles. I wouldn't have minded the removal of turn-based battles, or that they removed most of the traditional spells and summons. I wouldn't have minded the absence of sidequests and overally linearity.

Thinking back, XIII and XIII-2 are likely good games in their own respect. They are certainly not without their flaws, nor are any of the other final fantasies that I remember with fondness. Square is still a talented company (though one with poor management and customer appreciation). Honestly, I think the best thing Square could have done for the game was to simply title it by a different name so it would be judged on its own merits.

So thoughts? Would your opinion change on XIII if it wasn't a part of the final fantasy series? Would you have enjoyed it more?

I will say it. I hated Final Fantasy 9 but loved Final Fantasy XIII

Fair enough. Was 9 or 13 your first in the series? Would it have changed anything?

10 was my first one and 8 my second 9 was the third and 13 the last one. I have played the first final fantasy on iOS but I don´t count that.

The dialogue, characters, narrative and linear progression are bad by absolute standards, never mind the other games in the series.

''Don't compare them to older games in the series.''

i stopped there but not for bad ;) - For someone like me there's no thing that will make me enjoy a mediocre game, and what lies behind the cute graphics and 'good(?)' combat system (thou i personally prefer traditional/oldschool turn based) of Final Fantasy XIII it's nothing more than a mediocre and poor excuse of a JRPG. I didn't dare to play XIII-2 so i can't say anything about it :)

VII and X were my first ones but I never finised them

XII was the first one I finished ( i actually have about 120 hours) and i do consider it one of the best games ever made

then finished Crisis core, went back to VII, finished X and played VI on an SNES emulator

then I played XIII, i was totally alienated by the fact it was not really an rpg but had an action game overtone, the story was very deferent from the previous ones, it was not really centered around personal grunges with the antagonists

since i've played IX and VIII

I came to appreciate all the deferent things XIII had to offer since I realized the 90s rpgs were dead. im sorry but as big scale productions they are

I believe XV will move on to XII-like gameplay

when you're completely negative (or completely positive) about something, you will come across as either a hater (or a fanboy)

i've said it before, some of you reacted to XIII like 8 year olds who got clothes for Christmas, FF games had to move on

I can't really say it's a mediocre game. I'll agree that I don't like it; however, I can't ignore that there were elements that made for a decent game. I did enjoy the battle system, it was just limited in expansion and repetitive. I do feel the graphics do play a certain part in immersion. The characters I will agree were atrocious outside of Lightning (who was only bearable). I'm not saying it was a great game by any standards but to say it's mediocre or bad is to either not give enough credit or too much credit to games that truly are mediocre.

My secret to enjoying FF XIII and XIII-2 was just to play them lol. I absolutely loved them both, and that's after playing 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9.

I came in terms with these things  after i realized they were going for an action / rpg game.

But the thing I really disliked was the difficulty, Square said themselves they had no time to test the game and it's pretty obvious. It's really boring for a long time with no challenges at all and then huge difficulty spikes show up ! Comparing it to previous games, it seriouly lacked.

Exactly ! I've come to realise that most people actually have a pretty faint idea of what XIII was, it's been two and a half years, and only bitch based an that faint impression of how different it was and how alienated they were.

My suggestion is try it again with an open mind like I did with IX.