alright here's how it is. both zircon and phoenix are right (actually i havent read any of zircon's posts they're not emotional enough)
They're both right, I'm guessing, based upon the sides of the argument that they represent. The critics loved it, yes, and the user score is pretty high too, as well. However, the whole thing with people returning the game and the price dropping really fast clearly means something. As you guys might remember, FF13 sold shit tons the day it came out in Japan. If many people shortly thereafter sold the game, then it's not like Squeenix lost any money from that, a sold unit is a sold unit (Unless they had to recall it, which they didn't, therefore irrelevant). But it does represent consumer dissatisfaction.
So yeah the critics loved it, but there's a reason why many of us hear people complain about the game, and it's not just because fans are a bunch of whiny bastards. And really anything could be used to explain the high critic score, maybe they appreciate non-absolute shit games more than we do. Or maybe they were "bought off". Or maybe they're otakus. Or maybe. With the user score though, think about how much effort it takes to make an account and then vote on something. I actually think there'd be less of an incentive to make one as a person who hated the game versus someone who loved it.