Below is a very funny video review of Final Fantasy XIII. The video review was done by Zero Punctuation. I agree with him that it can be difficult to play through the entire game. I cannot express how much I also hate overly long menu driven turn based combat as well. The interface is certainly a problem as is the slow introduction of plot and characters all designed to force excruciatingly long gameplay just to get some closure. Proponents of the game claim that the game gets really good about 20 hours in but that just seems like a terrible trick.
The video is about 5 minutes long. Check it out below. Below that is some high definition gameplay video.
Funny Final Fantasy XIII Video Review:
Final Fantasy 13 HD Gameplay Video: