Final Fantasy XIII director comments on linearity, early reviews
If you're an avid follower of pre-release review scores for super anticipated titles, you've probably noticed the scattershot scores garnered by Final Fantasy XIII. Most critics' biggest complaint with the game is its linearity -- a qualm which the game's director, Motomu Toriyama, claims to be a hang-up that's native to Western audiences and reviewers.
During a recent interview with Xbox World 360 magazine (via CVG), Toriyama explained, "we think many reviewers are looking at Final Fantasy XIII from a western point of view." He later added, "when you look at most Western RPGs, they just dump you in a big open world, and let you do whatever you like... it becomes very difficult to tell a compelling story when you're given that much freedom." We'd advise Toriyama to take caution when badmouthing freedom, lest he wants to become the subject of a scathing Toby Keith song.
