This is my first ever FFXIII playthrough. Compared to the other games I've played in the series, this entry feels refreshing and unique, and at the same time, monotonous and agonizing.

The Good/OK
- Amazing wonderful soundtrack from Masashi Hamauzu
- Pretty decent graphics, for a game originally released in 2009
- Great cutscene action
- New Command Synergy Battle and Paradigm Shift system provides a refreshing and unique style of play
- Simplified stat management focusing only on the essentials (HP, Strength, Magic) allows you to invest most of your time on strategizing roles and paradigms.
- HP gets automatically restored after every battle. Less restorative items, no inns required.

The Bad
- The Crystarium leveling system is very linear (compared to X's sphere grid or XII's license board)
- Gil is earned by selling rare loot, and getting them involves loads of farming
- Unable to flee battles. Enemies can be avoided in the overworld map, only if you have ninja reflexes.
- Efficient farming and grinding can only be done once you've cleared ~75% of the game.
- Personally, Eidolons (summons) are not really that useful or a game-changer in battles.
- Non-controllable team members sometimes have terrible AI
- No voice acting and subtitle language selection.

The Terrible
- The flow of the game is completely linear for the first 3 quarters of the game. No side quests, detours. Just walk, fight, rinse and repeat. FFX is somewhat a straight line too, but XIII is on a whole new level of bore.
- The game does a pretty bad job at storytelling, instead dumping most of the useful information and lore in the datalog.
- Your whole party "dies" when your party leader dies. So far this is the lamest mechanic I've seen in the entire series.
- Somewhat unrelatable, dull and unmemorable characters
- Unlike most other entries in the series, there is no town or city for you to explore, no shops for you to browse, no NPCs for you to interact with and no strangers' homes for you to rummage into.

So, did I enjoy this game? Yes and no. I loved the fast-paced battles, the superb music and the lovely art style. I detest the flow and structure of the game. And really, I personally felt the storytelling could have been executed much better. JRPGs and Final Fantasy games are built on the story and its world, which is one of the main reasons people dive into such games, to immerse oneself in the story, and to live in the richness and vastness of the world together with its inhabitants. Sadly, I leave FFXIII feeling very little of that. Had a great time nonetheless.

Would I still recommend this game? Yes. For long-time die-hard fans, there's no reason to skip a main numbered entry in the series. Give it a try if you haven't done so. Perhaps you might find it even more enjoyable than I did. For not-so-die-hard casual fans and first timers, give it a go and see if it tickles your fancy. Once you've survived the borefest that is FFXIII, many more amazing (and less boring) FF games await you. Good luck.

(There is a postgame section after beating the game, but I omitted it since it offers nothing new story-wise and its just grinding and farming routines reserved for the most dedicated players. If you plan to achieve 100% completion, postgame is mandatory)