They absolutely are not equal. Like FFNut said, some series that make a name for themselves are expected to hold to the standard of quality that they've been able to show in the past. That isn't to say that every game has to be a knockout home run masterpiece-- that's just not possible.

I'm really jaded when it comes to Final Fantasy (and that's a big reason why I haven't been around for the past few years). I played the entire series of the games (that were released by that point) through my adolescence and they were a HUGE part of my life. The stories captivated me, the characters entertained me, the music enchanted me, and the gameplay was fun enough to want to keep making them stronger. But the FFXII came along, and while I can't call it a BAD game, it didn't resonate with me much-- it felt very slow and I couldn't stay interested. But that's opinion. Then the the FFXIII trifecta came along and it took me YEARS to finally break down and buy just the first one, because I simply could not be assed to get it. It didn't appeal at all to me. The departure from what Final Fantasy felt like to me was just too much. Once I did pick it up, I did play about 70% of the way through it, trying to like it, but beyond the music and the graphics, I just wasn't feeling it much. It did not help that I found myself disliking over half of the cast too.

So, would Final Fantasy XV be a better game, in my eyes, if it didn't have the Final Fantasy label? I genuinely think it would be. In fact, I'd prefer it to be. FFXV so far, to me, feels so hollow, like it's trying to be something it isn't. It's such a massive departure from what made Final Fantasy what it has been for nearly 30 years. It doesn't feel like Final Fantasy to me. It feels like its own game with some Final Fantasy references injected into it. I'm not saying that changes are a bad thing-- they're necessary to keep players coming back. But in my eyes, the game is so far removed from what the series has made itself out to be that it just may as well not be a Final Fantasy game at all. And I'd be okay with that! If it didn't try to be something it wasn't and made a new name for itself instead, I'd be far more forgiving. It'd be a new IP that they would be working the kinks out of. That would be totally fine. But since they decided to say "Hey, this is the next big installment in one of the longest-running and most deeply loved RPG series in history", expectations are way higher-- especially since it's been trapped in development hell for so long. There's only so many excuses that can be made for it!

As far as prices go, the degree of standard I hold for a game definitely influences how much I'm willing to pay. I agree that Pokemon is more of the same ad nauseam, but I find myself getting each new release on release date, too. I feel that while every game hasn't been a hit (Generation 4 was completely unmemorable to me, I hated Black/White 2 and felt it was so unnecessary, and thought the story of XY was dumb), what matters to me in the games is the gameplay. Sure, it's samey, but it's a good kind of samey, I feel. It hits all of the nostalgia feelings while still feeling new each generation without being TOO different. And each generation has improved on what the game really sells itself on: interacting with other players. It used to be impossible to play or trade with anyone if you didn't have a link cable or if no one near you had the game. Now, the games have made it so much more accessible-- you can easily play with anyone LITERALLY AROUND THE WORLD, whether you know them or not-- and it's so much easier to play competitively too with all the new ways the game lets you breed and train your Pokemon to your liking. I also feel that for that reason, your point about "making them buy the game twice" is moot, because you're not expected to do that. The version system was flawed and forced commercialization, I agree, but only up until Generation 4, where it became far, FAR easier to interact with other people to collect the Pokemon you didn't have access to. While there's a point to be made that it's still overall unnecessary, it's a very, very small issue now, since only a very small number of Pokemon are exclusive to each version these days, relatively. It's an encouragement to interact with other players. It's not the BEST method of doing it, I feel, but it works. So for all of that, I'm willing to pay $39.99 every couple years. I'm cool with that. And it's because my standards for Pokemon aren't really that high-- I know what to expect when I'm buying the game, which is a tried-and-true formula with a new story, new environment, and new Pokemon to collect, while improving on the experience overall. I don't expect the game to blow me away or be Game of the Year material.

I do, however, have that standard for Final Fantasy, and that's why my general dissatisfaction with the series over the past decade has left a bad taste in my mouth. (Except FFXIV. FFXIV is great.)