Yeah FFXIII's (I think FFXIII-2's battle system is similar) isn't dull at all! spam the auto thing while using the shoulder buttons to mode switch? I attempted to replay FFXIII the other day because I love the story but I couldn't because the combat just felt so dull. They look sort of flashy but there isn't really a lot of subtance there.

As for battles being slower...think the fact we can chain 2-3 WS off of 1k TP thanks to combos makes it seem a bit more lively. Added to the fact combos need certain criteria fullfilled in order to be executed makes me feel like I'm taking a much more active role during combat.