I know what you mean, Dinc, but that's why I just...did everything for them. Since it actually gives you the option to turn off most functions that they might otherwise screw up, plus you can switch characters just by pressing the bumpers/L1/R1. Again, it's more than just the battle system that was good in my opinion, there were a lot of QoL things that a lot of RPGs could benefit from, and helped make focusing on the gameplay elements feel more rewarding, at least for me. Then again, I'm one of those who thought Final Fantasy XIII-2 was a great game so long as you ignored the story.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that I think Star Ocean: The Last Hope should be approached more like a B-Movie in game form. I know when I played, I usually went one planet at a time, and so I viewed each adventure in a more self-contained manner. That gave it more of a sense that I was experiencing an Episodic Sci-fi adventure, and a few parts even felt like they wouldn't have been out of place in a cheesy Sci-Fi channel series. Couldple that with good gameplay, and I think that it can at least be a fun game, if you're in the right mood.
So I agree that it's not great, but I disagree that it's not worth experiencing.