I just got done playing FFXIII for the first time Saturday. I was about 20 minutes from Orphan and I had to get off of my roommates 360. I was at 38 hours.

Anyways. I find the characters and the story well thought of. The whole concept of the story progression was great. It was linear but it was supposed to be. If your cast of characters has no idea what exactly is going on...why should you.

It's all on the players views. Everyone tells me Hope stays the same throughout the entire game. (which I found to be semi true)

All in all, just give it a try and don't think it's going to be a repeat of a previous installment. You think like that and the game is a disappointment. It's something new, so enjoy it.