Honestly I think it was the long last second delay that really soured most reviewers on the game. If it had come out on time then people might have been more forgiving of its flaws.
FFXIII was one of those weird games where while most official outlets gave it the benefit of the doubt and graded it on its own terms, every other Average Joe or Super Pretentious RPG fan on both sides of the pond ripped it a new one based on its legacy. It was sort of the Dragon Age 2 of 2010.
That said, Sterling can't really be used as a barometer as I swear he grades games based on the amount of controversy hits it'll get him. Witness Sonic Colors, a wonderful game he gave a 4.5 to for no other reason than because he utterly sucked at it.