So, the structure of XCX is different from the other Xenoblade games. It's not that it's bad, it's just different, and those who like that difference love the game.
I may have ranked it much higher if I had played the game after playing just one game in the series (how it was originally released), but after playing 3 games this just wasn't what I wanted from a Xenoblade game. It's possible if you play other XC games after this you won't like them as much because they aren't like XCX.
Still, even as my least favourite in the series, it's still a very good game. My least favourite game in one of my favourite series still ranks above most other games for me.