>>5 When final fantasy first came out, the story was blatantly different from the other games of it's time. It was created, as the name implies, as the creator's Final Fantasy. His last attempt to make a game that sold - all his other creations had failed miserably.
He accidentally hit upon a successful formula. Get crystals - Save world. They kept that, then started adding trademarks. Moogles, chocobos, etc.
At this point, Final Fantasy is a game for the ages in the same way that classic literature is reading the ages. As we build experience, it becomes less and less amazing to us - However, Final Fantasy isn't being created to appease it's fans. You can argue that each new release is to grab the next generation of gamer who has yet to amass the experience to compare it to.
Winning formula is winning. The result speak for themselves - It is bladder bustingly popular, even with what can sometimes be called a terrible storyline or gameplay. Not because it's new or innovative, but because it's aiming for a crowd that doesn't know any better and will forever relate it to nostalgia.
On that note, FF:T/FFVI are the best ever.
And games I don't like... I have to say sports games. Not only do I dislike them, I don't understand their fanbase. The people who tend to like sports enough to play the game... are people who would be playing the game - Or outside in general.
Each new addition to the sport game franchise is almost literally the same game, maybe with different controls, and the same jerseys with different stats. At least with the terribly generic final fantasies you're getting awesome new animations and aesthetic differences... In sports games you're running the same plays, with the same teams...
I don't understand it.