Here's a factoid: I was up to my neck in Final Fantasy XII when Dragon Age: Origins came out.* The culture shock of traveling from Ivalice to Ferelden was like jumping into a frozen lake. It's not surprising then, that Drs. Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk, CEO and vie-president of BioWare, don't seem particularly stoked about Square Enix' most recent behemoth.

"I've been reading some reviews [of Final Fantasy XIII]," Muzyka said. "That may be on the bottom of my list right now. It's kind of a question mark. It would have been right up there before I read about it, but some of this other stuff is probably more pressing."

And Zeschuk chimed in with his own reservations about the game's development time: "It's really interesting. They're trying to do something different, which is admirable, but it's hard. They also had a very long development cycle. They may have been aiming at a real interesting spot at one point, but then too much time goes by. Not only are there a lot of games, but they are coming out fast."

I don't want to suggest that the Good Doctors are being malicious or dishonest; but, in terms of how role-playing fans will spend their time and money this month, I doubt Dragon Age: Awakenings really appreciates the stiff competition from Final Fantasy XIII.

For what it's worth, what I've been reading about Final Fantasy XIII makes me want to play it (Jim's rather scathing review notwithstanding). But Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk make some of the most popular and acclaimed videogames of all time, and I'm probably going to eat a ham sandwich for dinner, so you pick whose advice to take. And I haven't even trashed any of my competitors in, like, the past half hour.

BioWare Head: FF XIII "On the Bottom Of My List" [GameInformer]