Why do people like the Final Fantasy franchise?

[The Fat Bioware Nerd]

I have no doubt that the Final Fantasy series isn't without it's charm, (My favorite female character is Selphie for God Sake!!) but honestly, as an American gamer, in a world of full western RPG's the Final Fantasy franchise as a whole is quaint by today's standards.

And it's all because when you're playing Western RPG's you're given a certain degree of freedom. The story changes depending on your actions. You almost feel like you're shaping your own destiny, whenever you make a choice and you watch the consequences and repercussions play out....But when you're playing a Final Fantasy game you have NO control over your own destiny, you don't even have any control over the main character's personality traits! You're simply watching a story play out in a very cinematic way and you're just a spectator, watching an interactive movie with little to no interactivity!

And if you're a Japanese Anime hater, you have to endure all the little poorly written, poorly acted, Anime elements to get through a self-contained story that you might not care THAT much about to begin with.

its not just Final fantasy..
there are more 'railed' story's .... loads of them

but where do u want to go with this topic?
are u saying u hate FF?

No I don't hate it. I'm just asking why do people like it, while stating that it's a series that hasn't evolved in years because you're still watching stories play out that you have no control over.

His motives are totally off topic here!

No my motives are not off-topic. I'm just asking why do people like playing Final Fantasy when it's not actually a game! You're just sitting there watching some weird Japanese Anime play out more often than you're actually playing a God damn game. And when you get to that point why play a Final Fantasy game at all? Why not read some Final Fantasy manga or watch an Anime series?

Apples and oranges, I guess. I personally like any kind of fruit. True, you get more freedom in WRPGs, but that doesn't mean it's better. It is definitely a positive trait. But being a spectator is not that bad a thing, in JRPGs. I like that they're story-driven, character-oriented. You could not get that engrossed if you got to create your character. Just to set an example: imagine a Xenogears where you create your own character and get to do what you want. The story would lose all point were it not for Fei and his complex existence and interactions.

Is watching some Japanese pseudo Medieval or pseudo Science-Fiction story really THAT interesting and engaging when you're just seeing a long drawn out story that you can't change even if you wanted to? Do you really take THAT much pleasure in watching and playing something that's essentially a movie in video game form? Why play something that you're not controlling all that much? What's the point?