Alright, here goes

>WORLD MAP!!!<
I want to fly my dam airship around. Not too much more to add to this one that hasn't already been said.

>Reduction in 'pansy' and 'wimpy' characters<
I don't play video games to see people I would look down upon if I met in real life, I want to see really badass characters up there wrecking whatever they come against. Obviously they can be complex and no one dimensional, but I shouldn't be left wondering how on earth they could manage to put up a decent fight based on their story established personality. There is no way we should have Random Kid #54 in the same party as Legendary Hero and Warrior Trained From Young Age. At least give me some reason they are so amazing (genetic experiments, son of hero, chosen one, less cliché example, the list goes on....)

>Epic Storyline<
I should notice earth-shattering changes in the world as the game progresses. These aren't supposed to be random adventures of a few people in a kingdom (I'm looking at you XII); they should be an epic team of heroes fighting a legendary struggle. The SNES FF's were amazing in this regard. I should hear random NPCs talking about the effects of some huge event and think 'I was there'.

>Skill System<
I have really disliked the skill development systems in X and XII, as you can basically have everyone get everything. There is no character set up, tweaking or even customization. This is exceedingly lame. I want to have to make choices as to how to set up my party for battle, and I want there to be a multitude of viable options.

>Battle System<
Real time is a horrible idea to introduce into Final Fantasy. So some people enjoy real-time, that is probably why a multitude of non-FF games have been created. Gambits are a HORRIBLE idea. If you are making fights so repetitive and un-enjoyable that you think it is a good idea to automate them, think again. I want to have to think every battle.