Wow, great read as usual.
No orcs, elves, or aliens = no play 
The fact that you say it has more aspects like 12 make me think it sounds like a lot more fun than it's this game's predecessor and freedom to go anywhere you want is exactly what I ask for in an RPG. So it sounds very promising. Being able to more freely customize the characters fighting style early on also sounds good because the beginnings job of any story or game is to hook the person right away so they do not give up on it.
By the way, this is a long read with a lot to talk about, but my main question is, would a person that only beat about `1/3 of XIII like me enjoy the story without knowing the end of the 1st one?
Also, I would say you are a hardcore gamer you just play your style. That hardcore player word is a horrible description of game players anyways because everyone has such subjective thoughts on what it means.
