It is a fact that there is tons more to do in VIII and X compared with XII and XIII. There is more gameplay... by far. There is more story... by far. The rot started with XII, and it was made 1 better with 2 AI characters in XIII.
there are lots of things that can be done, and are not required for gameplay.
most ff games had sidequests as a pretext for achieving ultimate weapons or some power ups. this game has many optional areas and things to do, that won't get you any super weapons or some ultimate skills, but will provide a nice challenge.
also, there are no real ultimate weapons locked to each character. it all depends on the job/style of gameplay. that's probably what is annoying to many people, as it breaks the "tradition".
I don't know how people can argue that XII is a better game when you look at the basic gameplay and story that it is completely lacking. All you do in XII is watch hoards of creatures being dispatched, with nothing at all to break it up. The dungeons are drab and boring. No puzzles like Cloister of Trials, nothing intelligent at all. No Ultimecias castle with tons of secrets or Tomb of Unknown King with another puzzle to solve.
hmm i wonder. there are few riddles here and there, there are a few elite marks to hunt. and the biggest puzzle is figuring out the right setup of jobs and gambits for your party.
as for story - i admit, it fells unfinished.
XII's Summons are worthless in battle, the skill grid is boring and unengaging, you cannot find best weapons at all without a guide. There really is NOTHING in this game to redeem it.
as i stated before, there are no "best" weapons in ff12. it all depends on the style and one setup challenges one another. fomalhaut gun, for instance, is pretty easy to find, even without a guide.
and the way random battles are implemented, allows to plan ahead and possibly avoid them.
as for summons, i agree. as far as classic ff12 is concerned. ZJS version is a whole different story.
All XII is, is a game with good graphics. Nothing else. The gameplay is basic, the story is basic, the battle system is dumbed down.
actually i think the battle system is the best thing about the game. you can micromanage your equipment to react to your enemies attacks (e.g. equip anti-poison accessory as enemy starts casting poison spell), and you can specifically order your allies what to do, by pretty much programming their AI. and this is also how enemies and summons behave - they also have their gambits.
you bet i was pissed at ff12 at first, but once i learned to use the gambit system, i instantly loved it. this is how every ff should be like. i don't find ff12 visuals that fancy, but i love the game for the battle system and that weird vagrant-story-feel that it has to it.