I'm not that far in the game at the moment. I spent maybe 6hrs or more on side quests and running around exploring things. Total playtime is like 13hrs or so. Game is fun. I love it. The only gripe I could ever have with the game would be the character model textures. Seriously so much fun. I really don't think I've enjoyed an RPG this much since Persona 4.
Though since I did so many quests, my dudes are a bit higher level than the story mode. But it's fun running into lv70+s and getting owned, I just like attacking them for some reason :P
Just thought I'd share my game play experiences. I hope you guys are having as much fun as I am. Definitely worth Operation Rainfall's effort, to say the least :D.
Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward = best game ever made.
Essay Pro