"World of Balance was pretty linear"
Hang on. I mean linear here in the context of exploration. If you mean linear as on "the story is linear", that applies to almost any RPG. I mean the exploration is almost gone in FFXIII, and the flow is to rush you to the next cutscene, which is not the case with other FF games.
A flashy-first game is awesome when it comes out. A great-first game is awesome forever.
Plus, just for the hell of it: Kelly Brook at the 2008 BAFTAs