I can't believe all the hate that VIII and XII are getting! VII and Tactics were my favorite, but after those, XII and VIII are next.
XII not only succeeded greatly in using a completely unique FF battle system, but the story was deep, the game was hella long, offering a lot of gameplay including innovative side quests, and the characters weren't cartoonishly annoying. Given, Vaan and Penelo were a bit annoying, but even as your "primary" character, Vaan often feels like he is a spectator loosely involved in the greater plot of the game rather than being the nexus of the wartime events in Ivalice, making him a tolerable presence in the game. XII even had complex villains and believable NPC's like Vayne, Gabranth, Larsa, Vossler. The characters all seem to have believable motives, not Deus-Ex'ed appearances like Jecht in X or the freaking out-of-nowhere final boss of IX, Necron.
As for VIII, the junction/draw system was very unique, but intricate. I too hated it at first, esp after coming off VII's flawless materia system, but I learned how to use it and ended up loving it. It was different, and I think people hate it because as a rule, people refuse that with which they are not familiar. And I hear the legit complaints about Ultimecia's lack of development in the story, but I think so many other elements of the plot are very well thought out, the Laguna backstory is original, and ties in great at the end. The characters, again, are a strong point among FF's with the brooding Squall, and the relationship developed with Rinoa that he will only admit once she is jeopardized. Not to mention, this game probably has the best final dungeon (Ultimecia's Mansion) of any FF.
So you guys wanna ramp up the hate for these games, you better start providing some legit excuses. Maybe they didn't have enough girls changing clothes mid-battle (X-2) for everyone here, but if you're asking me, that might actually indicate that the game is selling plot, not sex-appeal.
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