Ah, you mean dilution as in all the spinoffs. In which case I agree. I love FFTA, so it's hard to see that as a bad thing (I see it as a game that would more appropriately be named FFT2, with FFT being a series in it's own right), but the sheer number of spinoffs such as chocobo racing, dirge of cerberus, X-2, XIII-2, etc... it can be annoying. Still, for the most part I ignore spinoffs and it doesn't bother me. I only invest in spinoffs where I really, really, really liked the original game. Because anything that gives me more lore is something I'm interested in. =] I can't heeeeelp it, I'm an addict.

Vivi22: Surely they can avoid that problem by putting together more simple graphics initially, sort of like a skeleton game (think 3D stick figures) and then, once they are happy with the gameplay, they can work on the graphics and FMVs before releasing the game. I mean, I just can't really comprehend the idea that they would do the things they can't change before they do the things that they expect they might want to change. I'll reiterate that with FFXIII, they intended on the lack of gameplay options. It wasn't poor abilities or anything that they need to take time out to work on or anything - it was just, put simply, a stupid decision made by management.

Speaking of management, if XIV has shown us anything, it's that the likes of Tanaka who have been around since day one may not be the people to turn to when it comes to pushing FF to the future. Sometimes you need a newer more open minded person leading in order to get the best results. The people who are considered geniuses when it comes to the retro games have not always done so well in recent times, and a changing of the guard is a healthy thing. It's not always that SE have lost their way, it's sometimes a simple case of SE's top dogs being around too long and not moving with the times or having a good understanding of what makes people enjoy a game. You don't fix this by putting out a retro game. You fix it by changing the producers/directors, the people who control the direction of the game, the key decision makers. Or, you change it by simply changing. You note the things that people didn't like and you adjust accordingly. Bad experiences can be a good thing if people are capable of learning from mistakes. We can only really wait and see, though.

Quote Originally Posted by Bastian View Post
In my opinion, the brand was destroyed by all games post FF6.
Ah, and thus everything is explained. You don't just want nostalgia, you have it in your head that everything that is a 3D Final Fantasy is somehow a destroyer of all things FF. I don't think we can help you there. You're definitely in the minority. I mean, some people might prefer the retro games but I've yet to find many people at EoFF over the past 12 or so years that have insisted that every FF from VII onwards was bad.

For you to say that the SNES was the golden era would be a matter of personal preference, as there would be nothing to back up your claims when you consider ratings and sales. If you go by ratings, the golden era began with FFVI and ended with FFXII - all single player games in this period got metacritic ratings above 90. For me, there is no true golden era, every game is judged on it's own merits.