I disagree.

FFXII is the best FF after FFVI.

PS. I don't play FFXIII yet.

As long as they leave the flawed and horrifying battle system from FF XIII behind and never use it again i am happy!!

I can understand many FF fans not liking the battle system in FFXIII, but how was it flawed? It had one of the most strategic approaches in recent FFs.

Is it really a good idea to put the two most argued games in the series against each other? Because I didn't like XII that much but I loved XIII. And there's lots of other people who didn't like XII that much either. And XIII divided opinions too.

Anyway, XII's story was pretty boring, too little cutscenes. And there wasn't much other way to tell the story in that game. It was boring. Also, battle system was pretty good but only until I had enough gambit slots so I didn't have to redo them constantly. And about XIII, while I loved it, I could easily have hated it. I don't know why but instead of hating it I loved it. There was so much wrong with that game.

Only being able to control one character per battle, which (on several occassions) makes an instant game over when the character you are 'controlling' dies is just not a good battle mechanic!

The turn-based battles of the old FF games or even the battle system in XII are MUCH better since you have the ability to control all characters per battle, i frequently felt that in XIII i wasn't even playing the game really...

unfortunately FF12 was JUST as bad as 13 was, just for different reasons. Sure, 12's open world was cool, but the battle system was TERRIBLE (I like to be in control, thank you), the characters were uninteresting or annoying (even ones that had potential like Basch, Balthier, and Fran), the dialogue was snooze-worthy, the character design was some of Yoshida's worst, and the plot was a mess. I will say it was mostly due to the game's messed up development in which Matsuno left halfway through because one half of the team threw a hissy fit for no good reason.

13 on the other hand, well, I know story-based games are linear in a BROAD sense, but turning the whole damn game into hamster tubes was NOT a good idea (as well as having some of the WORST characters in the history of the series). I still think believe the only guy with the talent to really put FF into a bold new direction it needs is Matsuno, but he's working on Tactics Ogre right now and thank god for that.

Well, a lot of JRPG's have you controlling just one character, or having instant game over when the main character dies. I agree that it was a bit strange to the usual FF formula, but it was only a matter of getting used to it. 

I loved the battle system on FFXII since it's my favourite in the whole series, but FFXIII was far from being an automatic game like you're trying to imply. 

Same thing has been pointed against FFXII as well, when people complained over and over again that the Gambit system made the game play for itself, while always disregarding the fact that you could turn the gambits off (oddly enough, every time I issued the challenge of completing Yiazmat or Omega Mk.II without gambit to those naysayers, I wouldn't get a reply ).

FFXIII was far from being an automatic game, especially in the later chapter boss battles. I would love to see a video of people beating Barthandelus with the game playing for itself

your absolutly right, there should not be 1 direction for FF.

but this is my problem, Kitases used the same direction for the series for the last 10 years. FF8, 10, 10-2, and FF7 Compliation (Advent Children, Dirge of Cerberus) have been the going in the same direction because of him, Nojima and Nomura. the problem i have is that they've become increasingly reliant on using cutscenes and less gameplay, until this point: FF13. and when FF12 went in a different direction the developers could not fulfil its potential because of the direction that Kitase has taken.

i agree with what you've said. on some levels FF12 was boring, there were far too many expanses at the beginning. FF13 team got it partly right with linear design, it  allows you to have more focus on the story and characters. and again, the beginning of the game shouldnt have been based around Vaan and Penelo, that was not the orignal vision of the game, which is why the story never had much or anything to them.

i know you dont like it akibafan, you dont have to, but maybe if you saw all the cutscenes on youtube, or vgheaven (i think) you would appreciate the way the game was made.

Bold - FF12 has the best FF battle system ever IMO.

And it has the WORST battle system ever in MY honest opinion. When you've reduced every character to auto pilot, and clunkily implemented an ATB gauge then things get mucked up. It would have been better as a full on real time system (like Infinite Undiscovery which was indeed 12's system done RIGHT)