This has been on my mind since launch.
So the Garlean Empire had been depicted as unstoppable and unbeatable, dispatching Ala Mhigo with ease.
Their ships... weapons... soldiers... Gaius... Even the almighty Ultimate weapon.

Then you infiltrate their base and they become as inept as storm troopers fighting ewoks. The guards stand still and don't notice enemy troops running directly behind them. Guns are conveniently placed to destroy the Garleans who built them.

Really?

You could argue that the great crystal is helping you... but thats really only at the end, when it's honestly over anyway.

How do you perform this magnificent feat? With the Amazing power to see peoples conversations in the past.

For those who say they story is so good... You're welcome to your opinion, I just disagree. (I'm sure the white knights wont extend me the same courtesy, but C'est la vie)

It plays out like Final Fantasy fan fiction, appropriating (and even plagiarizing) specific plot elements from FF III, IV, VI, VII, X, XII and even kingdom hearts (Can you say Organization XIII?).

The pacing is horrendously slow. The plot twists are mildly surprising but ultimately contrived and cheap.

It's like someone made a list of all the most beloved Final Fantasy games and systematically determined the best parts, so they could be amateurishly recreated in the most unoriginal way possible.

I promise this wasn't supposed to be a rant about the many shortcomings of the story... Instead I really just wanted to highlight and even discuss why the grand empire was such a let down.