To those defending this game, it's okay to like a bad game, as every game has its merits, but you shouldn't ignore the flaws. I love the Metroid series, and enjoyed Other M to a degree, but ignoring the flaws helps no one. It was the worst Metroid in the series. XIII is a bad Final Fantasy game. And yes, I can say that as though it was objective. There's no accounting for taste, but design can be objectively critiqued. This means you can't say a game is bad because the story is bad, but you can say a game is bad because the story was poorly designed, full of plotholes, didn't make sense, left too much unexplained, etc. Due to the applicability of logic to these situations, there is an objective answer. You can't say the game design choices were boring and thus the game was bad, but you can say that the mechanics were poorly explained, unnecessarily complicated, or simplified to the point of being unengaging. Such things are measureable flaws, not subjective ones. Characters are harder to criticize, but it can be done. Criticizing characters because you hate their personality is subjective. Criticizing them because there's little evidence of any development or depth is defendable. On the other hand, people criticizing the music and art direction need to shut up, because that's all taste. Trust me, I get this plenty as a Zelda fan, and I get sick of it. Objective viewpoints can be defended, while subjective viewpoints can merely be justified. Unfortunately for FFXIII fans, the game is pretty objectively bad. But again, that doesn't mean you can't enjoy it. Games are art, and while all art has elements that can be critiqued, there is no accounting for subjective taste, and all art has elements of that as well.
Edit: To clarify, since all art has elements that can be critiqued, this would mean that the music and art direction can be critiqued, but I maintain that most people in this thread, and in my example of people who criticize Zelda art directions and music, don't use legitimate, non-subjective criticisms, and end up lauding their personal taste as objective fact.
