I totally agree with you on X-2, though I didn't think XII was that bad. And when I think about, you have to admit, it's better than FFX-2.
The shift of power never really confused me, though I was never truly clear as to what side Vayne's father was on. The battle system can be annoying, since a boss can completely change its strategy and make you go "Alright, your old Gambit setup won't beat me now, enjoy another 5 minutes of customizing Gambits and hoping that it'll work and you won't have to spend another 5 minutes retweaking again." Another annoying aspect: Yizmat. WTF is up with 65 million HP with a 9999 damage cap!? I've heard that the boss fight with it can take up about 6+ hours...@_@
Vaan did seem kind of uselsess in the game though. As for humor, I was never 100% aware that FF had humor except in 7, and that was sometimes in ill taste. Don't get me wrong though, RPG can be good wihtout humor, unless it's a Tales game, then it's kind of a must-have.
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