Final Fantasy XIII/XIII-2

Has anyone played these games for PS3/360? I'm currently doing a playthrough of XIII and honestly, I don't see why fans were so upset with it. Of course, that's just my opinion, but I'm loving the story and the linearity actually makes sense given what's happening.

The game feels more like I'm watching it rather than playing it, so obviously an RPG is doing something wrong if it feels like you're a spectator in the game.