I don't know why you brought this up all of a sudden but okay. 

[quote=@Dynamo Frokane]
[@Fabricant451]


1) X still has towns, NPCs, and various areas that let you slow down, relax, take in the sights, and learn more about the culture, world, and backstory in an organic way. XIII has you on the run for most of the game and [b]does the bulk of its worldbuilding through datalog entries.[/b][/quote]

This is untrue. Also, FFX has a total of [i]two[/i] towns that aren't fucked to shit and you're hardly there to relax. FFX moves at a constant forward pace, pausing only so you can do bad pushy block puzzles.

[quote]2) Many areas in X have multiple or branching paths, whether or not they all lead to the same exit (ex: Kilika Island), as well as more open areas (ex: Thunder Plains) so even if you only have one direction to ultimately go, it's not just one constant tunnel. Most of XIII suffers from hallway syndrome, and almost all deviations from the narrow main path are dead ends.[/quote] 

Just because a tunnel has the circumference of a pipe doesn't make it any less a tunnel. 

[quote]3) X gives you control over your whole party within the first few hours of the game, as well as a fairly open-ended leveling system that becomes totally open by the end of the game. Every play through can be different if you want. XIII locks you into who you play as, what they can do, and how much you can level up till like 30 hours into the game. Every play through is essentially the exact same.[/quote]

Except without the benefit of the open grid added later every character except for Kimahri was locked into set roles until damn near the end of the game. The game was literally designed around this which is why even in the end game you're still fighting dogs, birds, and flans all coordinated to the individual character that is meant to kill them most effectively. FF13 has much more customization in terms of party and ability because every character takes to the roles differently as opposed to FFX having everyone on a long enough timeline being exactly the same. 

[quote]4) X spreads its optional content across the game. Finding Al Bhed primers, playing Blitzball, fighting Belgemine, nabbing extra aeons, finding spheres left by Braska's party, unlocking legendary weapons, etc. XIII throws all its optional content into one area near the end of the game.[/quote] 

Literally all of those except for the Blitzball and some of the primers are either done on the straight path to the end or else after all you do is select where to go from a drop down list. Because you reach the end of the line and then decide to just go back over and skip it all. Which is to say the optional content of FFX is relegated largely to the endgame, discounting Blitzball because once you get the two useful things out of that who wants to bother. 

[quote]I hear this "X is linear so why do people complain about XIII" argument all the time, but it frankly feels rather disingenuous to me if you've played both games.
[/quote]

Both games are linear. FFX is a worse game in almost every way; the excuse it can have is it being the first outing for the series on new hardware.