Both 12 and 13 have their flaws, but they're completely different flaws. 12 is trying too hard to be a WoW-style engine, is too open-ended, half the lead characters are anonymous ciphers with no real connection to the main story, and the grinding takes forever even by Final Fantasy standards. 13 has practically no open-endedness, is literally one straight line until far too near the end of the game, seems to be trying to revive FF X-2's combat engine, and even though it's trying for a somewhat smaller, more personal plot than the last couple of games the story is still ludicrously overcomplex. I bought both of 'em, basically because of brand loyalty, but rarely play 'em.
Strange semi-related note: I happened to boot up ol' Secret of Evermore for the first time since the 90s. Wow, that game is incredibly underrated in one aspect: it's got GREAT graphics for the time, seriously the best and most detailed that Square ever did on the SNES. But then I start the actual game, and yeah, it's still a half-assed Secret of Mana knockoff once the action begins.
