I'd read all the reviews that say FF13 really is slow to develop.   
 
But I can't really say that I was prepared for how slow it was to develop.  I looked at the game clock when i started to get experience points....Experience points, not some complex concept--3:01 into play.  Mostly due to me reading every single codex entry since the world of Cocoon-Pulse is pretty alien and new.    More than 2 hours of literally pushing straight and mashing circle.  
 
3 hours is half of a shooter, so that's a bit weird. One wonders why they  take so long to introduce the games core mechanics to the player?  I don't understand how they could weigh the risk of confusing the player with mechanics and put that on a scale with the risk of boring the player taking hours to find itself. 
 
That said I knew what I was in for.  I really like the story so far, the characters all seem pretty interesting and have okay motivations.   And oh yeah it's incredibly gorgeous and looks so different from Western games.  And I mean that in a good way.  
 
I trust the battle system will come along, but  I wonder if I'll have the patience to wait on it. 

I'd read all the reviews that say FF13 really is slow to develop.   
 
But I can't really say that I was prepared for how slow it was to develop.  I looked at the game clock when i started to get experience points....Experience points, not some complex concept--3:01 into play.  Mostly due to me reading every single codex entry since the world of Cocoon-Pulse is pretty alien and new.    More than 2 hours of literally pushing straight and mashing circle.  
 
3 hours is half of a shooter, so that's a bit weird. One wonders why they  take so long to introduce the games core mechanics to the player?  I don't understand how they could weigh the risk of confusing the player with mechanics and put that on a scale with the risk of boring the player taking hours to find itself. 
 
That said I knew what I was in for.  I really like the story so far, the characters all seem pretty interesting and have okay motivations.   And oh yeah it's incredibly gorgeous and looks so different from Western games.  And I mean that in a good way.  
 
I trust the battle system will come along, but  I wonder if I'll have the patience to wait on it. 

That is why I have yet to pick it up. Maybe Ill buy it this summer, but that's a huge investment of time.

You'll have the patiences.
 
Just need to chip away the hours a few times a day or so. If you're trying to play through it all on a few days you'll probably bore yourself to death.

" You'll have the patiences.  Just need to chip away the hours a few times a day or so. If you're trying to play through it all on a few days you'll probably bore yourself to death. "

It gets better. You do not get your first summon or the ability to level up weapons before you hit the 7/8 hour mark. 
 
10 hours in is where you first do anything other than run forward to the next enemy or cutscene. It is a very short (3min) scene where you get to run around a beach and talk to people. Then its back to running forward to the next enemy/cutscene.
 

Wait, your complaining it took 3 hours to get xp even though it was by your own choice? I mean seriously I made it to the "xp part" in half that time, around the 1:30 mark. Seems a bit silly to me to complain about how long it took you to reach there because you wanted to read all the datalogs.

The game becomes open when you reach Gran Pulse, which is half way through.

" Wait, your complaining it took 3 hours to get xp even though it was by your own choice? I mean seriously I made it to the "xp part" in half that time, around the 1:30 mark. Seems a bit silly to me to complain about how long it took you to reach there because you wanted to read all the datalogs. "

Here is something to consider: I reached the more open part of the game at 33 hours, and I'm still playing at 91 hours.

" @Zenaxzd said:

" Wait, your complaining it took 3 hours to get xp even though it was by your own choice? I mean seriously I made it to the "xp part" in half that time, around the 1:30 mark. Seems a bit silly to me to complain about how long it took you to reach there because you wanted to read all the datalogs. "

I wasn't even really complaining so much  is it just felt remarkable to me how measured the pace of this game is.  I knew what i was getting in for and it's still disjarring.     And to be honest I don't think reading the datalog is something that should be seen as optional,  the game throws a lot of information at you right away and it would be a lot to take in without the datalog.    "

I've had FF13 for a week now and I've already logged 10hours, which is saying a lot for me. ><

" Much like the linearity the lack of experience for fights at the beginning is part of the story.  You don't earn xp at the start because you are just people trying to survive, you aren't L'Cie and don't have any powers so there is nothing to power up by spending xp.  The same goes for the lack of towns/linearity, you are on the run from a government that wants to kill you, it kind of kills the suspense and tension when you stop your escape to wander around a town, visit some shops, talk to people.    Sure it is unusual but in context it all fits with the feeling and the story they are going for. "

Just stop wasting your time with this piece of shit game. It is really pathetic how the apologists defend this horribly designed game.

Reading codecs and stuff burns a lot of time. I am almost at Odin with approximately 4:30 on the clock, IIRC.

My little brother got a PS3 not long before FFXIII came out.  Of course he picked it up for the nostalgia factor.  I told him it would take a long time to get going and he said yeah that it was slow.  I asked him why he kept playing and he just said the story was worth it.  I'll have to take his word for it because I'm never going to play this game with all that I've heard.  There are 10 year old games that handle it better.