Ah, so that is what they were going for. I had a feeling they were trying to make XIII the next Final Fantasy VII in how much time and effort they sank into the franchise but I wasn't 100% sure that was the case or if I was reading too much into it, or if it was connected to the arguments I've been seeing. That makes sense.

I take issue with any developer or creator in anything setting out to make anything 'iconic'. You can't plan greatness. It's something that just happens from a well crafted story and fleshed out characters. I don't think anyone going into Final Fantasy VII expected that to become the staple of the entire franchise.

Wait a minute, "This is the first strong female protagonist we've ever had in Lightning." Did they forget about Terra?