Will get the original version: PS3... Or if the 360 version runs technically better by a long shot, I'll get it on 360.
1.) Because of the 360? I don't know, the devs probably just wanted to make the story more comprehensible by cutting the not important gameplay parts? About the sidequests talk, it's not FFXII. It seems to play more like FFX in terms of balance between battles and story. About the question, the average consumer is not the kind of person that look for video game news. If they see the Final Fantasy name somewhere, they'll get it no matter what.
2.) It's probably misinterpreted, so a bit of truth and some spin added for the meltdowns or something.
3.) Does not apply.
Random game thought :
Why is Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 getting so much hate? We finally get a real game and they're not even satisfied... I'm starting to hate the gaming community so f****** much...
