Square usually has slow years when an FF or DQ title isn't released. I'm certain if you did a sales chart of 98 and 99 you would see a major difference, Despite 98 giving us Xenogears and Final Fantasy Tactics I doubt they equaled (at the time) the sheer volume of sales FFVIII did.

I never found XII to be a "western RPG" and offline MMO most certainly but hardly a western style RPG. Of anything it reminded me of FFV. Of anything, I feel XII reintroduces alot of elements that have gone missing in the franchise in the last few years. What I've seen and heard of Last Remnant has never given me the idea of a western RPG either but then again the project doesn't suit my taste to begin with so I know very little about it outside of the fact that a major character is being tailored made for western audiences (the brain dead ones anyway :rolleyes2) so I can't really comment.

Does SE have any major IPs coming out this year? I thought XIII and DQIX were still a year off?