I'm going to give this game another shot. Played it on PS2, didn't enjoy it at the time.
I know I was wanting something more like FF1-10, the combat was slow and off-putting to me, the license board felt like a step back from the sphere grid, Vaan and his awful abs made for a poor protagonist, the game suffered from stupid esoteric rules like precognition to know NOT to open certain chests to get the best weapons, lots of dead space, voices that sounded like they were recorded in a tin can, a bland soundtrack, and a story that really lacked comraderie and bonding between its cast.
Not all of that can be fixed, but my expectations have shifted and the game is bringing much improvements to the table. Higher quality voices, re-recorded OST that sounds richer and more vibrant, reworked and faster gameplay, more player options, better save system, etc.
The story is what it is. I still think it's strong on lore and weak on building friendships, especially after FF9 and FF10's very personal cast, but it's a Matsuno game and I've grown more accustomed to this type of storytelling.