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The times, they are a-changin'.
I should never read forums about Final Fantasy games. They just make me angry.
The series has been going downhill since VII, because they've been changing things up and such. Guess what? They've *always* been changing things up. The first game was a whole new type of RPG and brought way more story to the table than ever before seen, and for II? Gave characters backstory and tried a brand new way of levelling. III? Introduced jobs for the first time. IV? Focused on story, improved visuals, and brought in the idea of ATB. V? Refined jobs and established ATB. VI? Drastically increased cast, introduced "Death Blows" (Strong attacks related to low HP), and expanded customization capabilities. VII? Took on a non-fantasy setting and reinvented character customization. VIII? Eliminated MP and changed customization *again*. IX? Blended old-school aesthetics with new school battle systems. X? Operated on a fully turn-based system and heightened the fun of a minigame. XI? For better or worse, it went online. XII? Took the online gameplay style and merged it with traditional RPG fare.
My point here is, the series has *always* been about changing things. Yes, I was and still am angry about XI being an online game. That's really too much of a change, in my eyes, because it alters not just the battle system, but the entire dynamics of the game, and eliminates the plot and character focus I've come to love from them. Still reeling from the shock of XI, I was skeptical about XII, but you know what? It's amazing, and feels just like a Final Fantasy should. You can't criticize Square just for switching things up, because that's what the series was founded on. Those who thinks it's "gone downhill since VI" just because the new games are different really shouldn't be playing Final Fantasy at all, I think. It's just not their sort of game.
On a slightly related note, everyone should play more Dragon Quest. The game's so popular in Japan that it's against the law to release new ones on weekdays (to avoid people skipping school/work), but over here? Most have no idea who Enix is. PLAY MORE DQ!
The series has been going downhill since VII, because they've been changing things up and such. Guess what? They've *always* been changing things up. The first game was a whole new type of RPG and brought way more story to the table than ever before seen, and for II? Gave characters backstory and tried a brand new way of levelling. III? Introduced jobs for the first time. IV? Focused on story, improved visuals, and brought in the idea of ATB. V? Refined jobs and established ATB. VI? Drastically increased cast, introduced "Death Blows" (Strong attacks related to low HP), and expanded customization capabilities. VII? Took on a non-fantasy setting and reinvented character customization. VIII? Eliminated MP and changed customization *again*. IX? Blended old-school aesthetics with new school battle systems. X? Operated on a fully turn-based system and heightened the fun of a minigame. XI? For better or worse, it went online. XII? Took the online gameplay style and merged it with traditional RPG fare.
My point here is, the series has *always* been about changing things. Yes, I was and still am angry about XI being an online game. That's really too much of a change, in my eyes, because it alters not just the battle system, but the entire dynamics of the game, and eliminates the plot and character focus I've come to love from them. Still reeling from the shock of XI, I was skeptical about XII, but you know what? It's amazing, and feels just like a Final Fantasy should. You can't criticize Square just for switching things up, because that's what the series was founded on. Those who thinks it's "gone downhill since VI" just because the new games are different really shouldn't be playing Final Fantasy at all, I think. It's just not their sort of game.
On a slightly related note, everyone should play more Dragon Quest. The game's so popular in Japan that it's against the law to release new ones on weekdays (to avoid people skipping school/work), but over here? Most have no idea who Enix is. PLAY MORE DQ!