I was a little tentative after reading the low ratings, but I bought the game and can honestly say this game seems decent. I've played several hours so far(I can't recall the chapter specifically) and while it's not an amazing shooter, it does a nice job of being entertaining and has the added bonus of high production value and instant familiarity with an intriguing story and characters. There have been a few noticeable flaws(load times, pacing, close quarters camera), but also some serious positives(customization, depth of story content, consistent atmosphere, sniping mechanic) and overall I'm enjoying the experience.

Much like many others have said, if you expect to buy this game and get Unreal Tournament meets Final Fantasy, you'll be disappointed. If you go in with an open mind, hoping for a decent shooter with more depth of story and character than usual, you'll be rewarded with an entertaining experience. At least, that is my impression from the first several hours(which is supposedly the 'worse' part of the game). My impression may change depending on what direction this game goes in. Either way, I'm interested enough to pack up my Ps2 and take it with me where I'm going this weekend.

Ultimately, I wish'd they'd taken a Final Fantasy meets 'Stealth shooter' route, as opposed to 'Action shooter', but this is fine.

About reviews...I found it interesting that IGN's review was a 7.0, but the reviewer seemed to have more positives than negatives to say about it. Conversely, I remember back when IGN gave Civilization4 a 9.4, yet they had a roughly even amount of negatives and positives. I ended up dropping Civ4 after 15 hours(and I was a huge Civ fan prior to that point). Sometimes I wonder exactly how reviewers generate specific numbers.