with the way i view it, there's only one major mistake that final fantasy has done (maybe 2). some people have different spots where final fantasy has started it's downfall. some do say as long ago as the ps1 games, but it usually starts at the ps2 era. a lot say xii, some like me say x, some say x-2, and course people say xiii.
x, no matter how much i dislike the game, i can't say it was a sign of final fantasy dying. i do think it was a sign of things to come, for me personally. it was the first jrpg to highlight things i would come to dislike about the genre. but despite all that, it's one of the most beloved entries of the series. x-2, despite overall not being a fan of that game, i can see why they made the sequel. they made some style decisions that didn't go over well, and that was that. a series doesn't start dying from a not so well received sequel.
xii seemed to disappoint a hell of a lot of people. i remember getting dragon quest 8 and playing the xii demo day 1, loving it. going online finding hating on the demo hardcore, and just having my mind blown. overall this game underperformed for what matsuno had in store. but despite that, i still consider it one of the better games in the series. and by the looks of the essential rpg list, so do a lot of folks here. and it's in a higher place than x, as well. that was a surprise. so with that, i don't consider xii as a sign of the series dying.
xiii is the one big mistake that, if any entry would make me worry, it would be this. i think square is allowed to make a game and it turns out not as great as they hoped. not every game will please. but for them to keep making sequels to it that weren't asked for, putting lightning and her costumes in other games that had nothing to do with her, as well as costumes from other games that make it into her games...just makes me think they are trying too hard to make us like her andher games. just let it go. i wouldn't put it past se to put her in ffxv, as she's appearing in a game that makes less sense for her to be in with xiv. did they ever come out with those xiii novels/novellas? i remember them announcing something like that.
just...be done with her, please. there are some fans of her, but just be done. end it. for the love of god.
i can see why people would consider xiv another sign. 1.0 sucked, and pretty much no one disagrees. however they are making a lot of people happy with a realm reborn, me included. there will always be that original 1.0 reputation, but if arr delivers i will consider it reversed, for me.
some people are already doom and gloom about xv, but those people do not matter to me. xv looks super fun, and i'm used to the idea that final fantasy is always an envolving series. i do not wish the series to stay action based, but we'll have to wait and see how this game and the nest one turns out to see if we should be worried about that or not.
so yeah, that's how i see it. plenty of mistakes can be pointed out. but me i just see it as one big...generation-long mistake. final fantasy for me is not at that dead point, yet.