I never really thought of Xenoblade in the same sort of context as FF XII but now that you mention it the similarities are uncanny. The battle system is largely automated like FF XII but I feel there is a greater degree of control. And yes, it is definitely a huge open world with so much to do. I would still consider FF XII marginally the better game but I would say that the completely different atmosphere and dynamic(near vertical difficulty curve) would render any comparisons outside of gameplay and the open ended nature of the world obsolete.