@mattbfg and arcturus
IMO, FFXIII didn't really get good until about 30 hours in when you reach Gran Pulse at Chapter 11 where you finally get the freedom to explore a huge area instead of just running down straight paths. That's the same point when monster hunter marks become available which I enjoyed trying to defeat and 5 star them all. The battle system does contain a lot of strategy once you get the hang of it.