Story-wise the Final Fantasy series died for me the moment the "Square Enix" logo popped up at the start instead of Squaresoft. XII is still a good game, as are XIII and XIII-2, but they can never live up to the expectations some have from a game called Final Fantasy.
The games may not be as good as they once were, but they're still enjoyable experiences. Just don't get your expectations too high. If you enjoy them for what they are and don't hate them for what they're not, they're fun to play.