Nik

Wait a moment... are you actually complaining that the game is too long?! Whatever happened to value for money from a gamer's perspective? Since when has an eight hour game from start to finish become a good thing? The 30+ hours which I hope to extend to 100+ hours playing this game in detail will be time spent having fun. I consider myself a gamer and as such I actually consider time playing games rather enjoyable, rather than a chore which is what you seem to convey in your review.

As far as linearity goes, it is true that the first X instalments had a rather narrow path with the odd few branches, but out of all the Final Fantasies, in my personal opinion and the opinion of many fans, XII just does not seem to deliver. Now this might be due to the shallow heroes or the new system, but going up against a level 99 monster when you just start the game is something I personally never really found fun. I mean do not get me wrong, I like breaking the game and creating godly characters from the start on consecutive play-throughs as much as the next guy, but the strongest element of the Final Fantasy alongside the graphics has always been the story (with character development and music coming in close) and excuse me for not being a mindless drone who just looks for fast paced action. I like the RPG genre due to the story aspect and I like to get involved. If I wanted free-form roaming, I'd be playing World of Warcraft or other MMOs which personally I believe will never leave the same feeling of nostalgia fans of 80s and 90s RPG games have... which can be said to be the true imprint of the game quality over time. If you want fast paced action, go with an action or a fighter game. Those are also good options for you to pick up and put down within mere minutes.

You write professional game reviews, yet you dig on a game for not doing what it was never intended to do in the first place. I do not mean to be rude and I do apologize if I have offended you, but you sir, need to rethink why it is exactly you play games and more so than that, if the RPG genre is the one for you.