I personally find it strange that a "professional" reviewer is saying that the game is a "bad RPG" or even worse, a "bad Final Fantasy game", as if there was a single, 'very' specific characteristic that made a Final Fantasy game a good game, and a game lacking that characteristic, a bad game.
That is a very, very subjective approach seeing how each person may enjoy a Final Fantasy game for different reasons, like for example one would appreciate the production values and high quality cinematic presentation while other would focus on the intricate battle system and exploration.
There is, of course, 'some' degree of connection between all the FF games, but generally each game in the series takes the design and overall focus to different directions, which makes it more or less unique.
From what i can tell, FFXIII seems to focus on presentation and smoothness of the battle system, while leaving the exploration and side quests to bare minimum. Seeing how i rarely do exploring outside the main story in a FF game, I guess it'll feel right at home with this one ^_^
"You have the right to the remains of a silent attorney"
Essay Pro