Awfully weak story... or is it? [WARNING:SPOILERS]

[BlueMage]

Stopped genocide? Rubbish! Tell that to the people of Ala Mhigo he continues to stomp under his jackboot. ><

And the Resistance were trying to free their homeland - from HIS oppression!

Ala Mhigo was known as a belligerent military power who conquered their neighbors. The last time the Grand Companies were formed was to stop Ala Mhigo because they were trying to stomp Gridania under their jackboot. The "rightful government" of Ala Mhigo wiped out an entire religious order and made worshiping Rhalgr illegal and making the worship of The Spinner the state religion. Ala Mhigo was no better than Garlemald - they're just sore losers that someone bigger finally came along and did to them what they did to others. And even if Garlemald left, who would rule Ala Mhigo? The Ala Mhigans were slaughtering each other in the streets with their civil war before the Garleans arrived. And if you have a problem with killing Ala Mhigans, then you should hate your character, because all non-armored Garleans are Ala Mhigans. Gaius took over Ala Mhigo about 20 years ago. All those young soldiers are Ala Mhigans who were born and raised as Garleans.

You don't seem to have a problem either with the atrocities committed by Ishgard to it's own people (a brutal religious dictatorship that regularly executes people in brutal ways under false pretenses), or Ul'dah (where the soldiers regularly brutalize and extort their own people, a cartel rules the city, and their past of wiping out the nation of Sil'dah and seizing its land and wealth), or Limsa Lominsa (Admiral turned it into a police state and they've attempted genocide on the peaceful Kobolds to steal their land).

The Garleans aren't innocent or perfect, but they aren't any more evil than the people the players are fighting for.

[Linkan]

Not only that.

((spoilers))
When titan was threating a whole city some old veterans decided they had the right to test people and make you go through a whole banquet quest before seeing you were worthy it because "they didnt want send noobs to slaughter". So lets test people for days and let primals slaughter a whole city.

That banquet guy should be placed under custody.

[ashikenshin]

I want to be part of the empire. I wish this game was released with a empire faction. I would have joined that in a heartbeat, don't care if it loses in the end.

[BlueMage]

I want to be part of the empire. I wish this game was released with a empire faction. I would have joined that in a heartbeat, don't care if it loses in the end.

Better to fight and lose for a cause and leader you believe in, than win and ensure the status-quot rule of a bunch of dictator-nobles in the city states.

[yukikaze_yanagi]

Better to fight and lose for a cause and leader you believe in, than win and ensure the status-quot rule of a bunch of dictator-nobles in the city states.

A dictator vs another dictator, but one you BELIEVE IN ! Cool. You have a bit of confusion in your head.

[BlueMage]

A dictator vs another dictator, but one you BELIEVE IN ! Cool. You have a bit of confusion in your head.

Its always better to fight for the leader you choose than the leader you don't - but I guess that's CrAzY tAlK!

[yukikaze_yanagi]

Its always better to fight for the leader you choose than the leader you don't - but I guess that's CrAzY tAlK!

No. It's crazy beliveing in a dictator to begin with.
Side note: the admiral use the iron fist not because it's a tyrant per se, but because it's the only way to organize a bunch of cut throats who until yesterday did all the fuck they wanted without any control. Limsa it's a cove of pirates, don't forget it. The maelstrom it's there to give them order.

The dark mothercrystal is Zodiark.

This is stated where ? In turn 5 ? If so, i have still to clear it.

[Zezlar]

It's awful until level 43. I was terribly disappointed given they promised something much more. Leveling should not be apart of the main storyline in my opinion. Give exp and rewards yes, but don't design it around leveling.

[BlueMage]

At least Toriyama wasn't in charge. >_>

[Borfin]

Hey, FFX wasn't bad. The story was quite touching actually, if convoluted.

I'd speak to 13, but I hate 13.