People always judge a game bfore they play it. I've done it countless times, but only when I'm trying to convert someone over to Nintendo.
I remember when I was in Year 8 (1998), I read a review of Turok 2 in NMS (Nintendo Magazine System - An old NIntendo mag in Australia), and it got 100%. I saw things like the cerebral bore, and I instantly said how cool this game to other people. "Look! There's this thing called the crebral bore and you can....", "This game is the coolest!".
I finally rented the game, and it just sucked big time. PLaying Goldeneye for so long put me off this game. The frame suced, the fog was too great, and the sound was muffled like a speaker wrapped in 40 feet of sponges.
ANd that is my story of judging a game before playing it.
So I'm sure Xenosaga is a great game, as is MGS2, despite the numerous cutscenes in both.