There are mixed feelings with this game, it is looked rather harshly just because it's a FF game and had a long development time since it was officially announced. Although it also has its fair share of flaws and missing content that warrant some of the backlash.
When I went through the Japanese version, I enjoyed the early parts of the game so much and ended up being disappointed by the time the credits came. No towns, no quests, no mini-games. And the story that started so well, it got worse near the end. And so, everytime I tried to look back at the game, it was in a disappointing light.
Fastforward last month, I started another playthrough in time for FFXIII-2 and playing the English version this time (made it to chapter 9!). My expectations are tempered along with having a better perspective since it was released. Despite all the mentioned negatives, what the game does, it does well. The graphics simply looks gorgeous, it's still the best looking RPG this gen and it can easily stand next to the best ones from other genres as well. The soundtrack sounds solid and great throughout, I pretty much enjoyed every single one. The gameplay is incredibly fun and yet it feels refreshing from its different take on the battle system, where you're more like directing the flow as a manager instead of having full control of every party member. The game has created an interesting setting that is pretty fleshed out when you read all the datalogs. And this is more personal than all the other positives, but I always liked most of the characters and their developments. They had good interactions together and they felt like a solid group as a whole.
The game gets more hate than it deserves by now, as if it's a popular thing to do lately. The RPG haters, FF haters, and bro lovers come to forums to cut this game to pieces. It deserves backlash for some design choices and missing content, but not with how it was made out to be the worst RPG ever. It's a solid game worth playing and it is enjoyable and fun if you take it for what it is instead of what it should be.