I can't get into XIII. The battle system kills it for me. Somewhere around 2 or 3 hrs in, I'll probably finish it at some point. Who knows maybe I'll grow to love it.
the battle system is really boring early on...they add more to it over a very long time, the last major gameplay change happened around 30 hours for me. the fundamentals don't change much (you still just press X until you win), but the strategy comes in with the paradigm shifts and how you setup your party. the bosses definitely need more skill, but the majority of the random mobs don't need much more than just the auto attack option.
i can definitely understand not liking it for that, but i'd say play at least 10 hours before you really decide...it just starts so slow gameplay wise, but it does get better.