Am I the only one who absolutely hates all things Final Fantasy? I'm not trying to troll, here, but I think it's an amazement that the series is this popular. Maybe it's just my time period; I didn't grow up with the games, but I've played three of these games, two considered to be some of the best in the series, and STILL can't see the point.
Now, I don't have a hate-on for Square. Kingdom Hearts? Love it. Some really novel gameplay/plot there.
Chrono Trigger? Brought tears to my eyes with its majesty!
The World Ends With You? Absolutely, hands-down, no exceptions, my favorite game. Of all time. Ever created.
I have Final Fantasy VII. I have X. I have III (The DS remake. It was a birthday present). Have not enjoyed any of them. VII I mildly liked, but I can't sit down and play it for hours. It frustrates me, with its snail-pace. And X is kind of like "Go on... go on... go on... SURPRISE! This boss has an "own your face into little bitty pieces for no reason other than we felt like it move!"
Don't get me started on frigging III.
Why does the gameplay appeal? I mean, the plot seems to get by on cheap "make absolutely no sense whatsoever, so you want to see how it all adds up in the end" plotlines (Ok, Kingdom Hearts is rather guilty of this too...but it's fun to play) and the gameplay is groan-worthy. I guess, if you really like FF's game play, and consider it "strategic" it would really float your boat, but as for me... loathe it.
One of the few things I DO enjoy about FF is the puzzles. Puzzling out how to get Odin in FFVII... that was awesome. But if it kept away from the god-awful battle system/world traveling/ grinding-ness, it could be fun. I dunno. I just can't truly enjoy it.