[quote name='Thongsy']
Part of the joy for me in rpgs is just running around the towns and talking to random npcs. Or "exploring" the map though it always just leads to the next town with nothing else in between the last zone and the next town. If those elements are gone from the game it's definitely a pass for me. I don't need or want a strict linear game like that, part of the reason I hate action games. Also if they do really have as many CS and movies that will probably be what stops me from buying it if half the game is just CS like MGS4.[/QUOTE]
I think I disagree. I have been playing RPGs for a long time and recently when I was playing Last Remnant from the steam sale, I realized just how damn boring towns are. Seriously, what are towns? They are places to put shops. Unlike MMO's, they aren't quest hubs, excluding open world games like fallout or Oblivion. In JRPGs they are really just shops and 99% of the people you meet don't say anything interesting at all. You sometimes have to wander around till you find the right NPC, talk to them and advance the story. It is an method that works, but in FFXIII, it just looks like they knocked out some of the boring stuff. I don't know why Towns are important to people, other than if they think it is a tradition.
Another thing that bothers me is the complaint of being linear. Fact of the matter is that all games are linear. Dragon Age is a linear game with an illusion of choice in what you do. There isn't an option to say

it and walk away from the whole thing. Being linear is important to creating a certain kind of experience. Oblivion makes it hard to do things that you see in other games because of how open it is on every angle. I would say that for what Final Fantasy does, being linear is a STRENGTH and not a bad thing.
Final Fantasy has always tried to present a strong story using cinematic elements. Remember Final Fantasy 6's famous Opera Scene? That is essentially a Cut-Scene and they have been doing it for a long time, technology just lets them do more and better. They might go over the top I admit, but Metal Gear 4 didn't bother me too much with it, nor did Xenosaga, they were cool and interesting.
Now I am not trying to attack you, I adore action games and movies like Transformers are a fun rollercoaster ride. I view FFXIII like I do Transformers from what I have heard. Pretty, fast, action packed and entertaining, however I expect more from an overall story and character design than Transformers gave. I don't expect a deep look into the nature of being human from gaming, that isn't what gaming is about to me, though throwing that in there to create an interesting story is hardly a negative if done well.
My only concern now, is that there is a real game to bite into, though from what I understand there isn't much challenge in the game.