IGN says that it puts all of it's efforts into combat and character development like that is a bad thing. As for the story suffering as a result, I don't see it. Sure, some of the characters have some funny animations, but the voice acting is more than solid and you are left wondering what being the Arisen means and what is behind it all.
As far as fantasy games go, I would say it's pretty cool if you are into this sort of thing. I think it will pan out to be much deeper than being the Dragonborn, and it is a hell of a lot more fun to play. For that matter, what about games like Dark Souls that put all of the focus on atmosphere, growth and gameplay? Does it get slammed for it's lack of compelling story? There is definitely much more of one in Dragon's Dogma, that is for sure. Just sayin'.
In my experience, reviewers only criticize the story when they're out of other things to criticize. It's seemingly random what games are allowed to pass unscathed with their shitty stories unmentioned, and which games are not. DD was not so fortunate, it seems, if indeed its story is shit (though I don't think it is, and can't imagine how it could be any worse than Skyrim's or Amalur's).
In some instances, a bad story will be handwaved with a comment like "this game is all about rewarding gameplay, and doesn't waste the player's time with a rudimentary story"...a sentiment that gets pulled out by both critics and fans in equal measure. But other times a reviewer will actively count a game's story against it. It's totally arbitrary and I've learned to ignore it. In fact I've known I was going to get this game before any of the reviews dropped, so there's that.
...
Regarding the concept of the "Chosen One", which has been exceedingly popular in open-world RPGs lately: it's very easy to fuck up. I love Skyrim to death, but I think
Skyrim fucked up. It's never made exactly clear what a Dragonborn is, what they're supposed to do, and how they can be recognized as a Nordic culture hero while being a hated Altmer, for example. You're supposed to be the greatest Dragon Slayer in the world, but the thing that makes you special (your Shouts) aren't particularly effective against dragons to begin with. You're effectively the "Chosen One" for the sake of being the "Chosen One". It felt hollow, and restricted my roleplaying possibilities.
Amalur did a much better job of this. It's very obvious
why you're special, and you can grasp the implications of it quite easily. In a world governed by fate, you are
not. You can be anyone, of any race, of any gender, and it makes sense. You're not special for who you are, but for what happened to you.
It's my hope for DD's story that it errs on the Amalur side of things. I don't mind being the "Chosen One", but it has to make sense in the world I'm in. I want to feel special while not feeling legendary and godlike, as is the case in Skyrim. If DD can explain what has happened to me, explains why I should care, and resolves my journey in a satisfying way, then DD's story will be aces in my book.
Tomorrow can not come soon enough! Oh, and count me in the camp that doesn't notice PS3's consistently lower framerate through all the awesome that's occuring on-screen. Game looks gorgeous.
i hope they patch it in
