Nonsie, you haven't played FFVII? I assume if you're getting XIII, you have a PS3 and VII is $10. There is no reason you should not buy it. Despite the fanboys lauding it as the Second Coming and people like Nightie overreacting and calling it crap, it's overall a decent game.
That said, a helpful tip. Don't keep Balthier with guns. He's actually the slowest with them because of his badass flourish.
Also, (keep in mind this is my personal bias) stick someone with a good Pole. They do damage based on the target's MDEF, but you can get in a good number of hits with them (we're talking an average of 4-hit combos). Plus, Balthier looks badass with one. I can't say whether he's necessarily good with them, but it looked so awesome I didn't care.
