Sananku Complex is shit. People should stop taking trolls seriously.

Optimistically, linear also mean they can put effort into other path of game.Like battle system, graphic, sound etc. etc.

Difference made consumer have chance to play many type of games, which is good for industry.

So no need to angry or feel like teased when someone said about linear RPG. :)

This. Sankaku does nothing but troll in their articles.

Also, the famitsu review mentioned that the first half of the game was very linear, but it's not in the latter half.

i hoped the map were like FFXII with the storytelling of X, its a bad thing for me i feel this like a backstep in that regard, howeber if the story is good enough to cover for that it doesnt matter

Linear or not the game is going to be awesome.

But i do think that Japanese devs should learn from WRPG designers a thing or two about non linearty it would make their games much better.

*looks at most recent WRPGs*

I'm confused. Non-Bethesda WRPGs are usually very linear. Look at Dragon Age.

I like how they laid out all the maps end to end to form a line, even when some of them clearly branch off to the sides and don't connect they way they want them to for their little news article.

(Look at the seventh and eighth pictures down in the first dungeon, for example. There's no way those three paths all connect to that middle one in the next picture.)

Even FFXII had a few really linear dungeons to start the game off. And if the first one they posted is the long highway dungeon from the demo, we've all already seen footage of it anyway. No one cared back then, but I guess now we should all care

Really, I never noticed, I was too busy getting my ass kicked by the greatest RPG story ever.  I guess you didn't understand it, you might need to play it again.  And last I checked, there was quite a lot I could do in Xenogears before going back the the main story.  I don't call that linear, but that depends on your own personal definition of "quite a lot" and "linear".

And how are they both linear?  FFXIII hasn't even been out for more than a day.  Let's wait until someone finishes the game before we come to a conclusion. 

I don't get why "linear" has become code for "the game sucks."

That's bad , i really want to play DA:O (but im broke)

 if you look at bioware's  (and Black Isle/Obsidian) titles they always had a lot of freedom. KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Planescape Torment, Neverwinter Nights , even Mass Effect Gives you enough.

Im not even in favour of massive changes, but it frustrates me when the role playing aspect in JRPG's is sometimes so limited.