The Final Fantasy series has always been known for trying new things with each installment, but from its Playstation 2 installments forward, I've felt that the series has been having an identity crisis. Final Fantasies IV through IX all use active turn based systems, with wait times for action gauges to fill before you can use an action while monsters attack you. X used a more old school, purely turn based system, which I thought worked really well. XI took the form of an online MMORPG, cutting me off from any interest in playing it. XII eliminated random battles and allowed players to fight monsters directly as they encounter them, but still uses menus, focusing largely on constructing strategies for your AI partners to follow. Final Fantasy XIII continues along a similar line, but features a more simplified battle system, a far more linear world, and fewer options for players. It's nice to have variety between titles, but I don't really understand what the Final Fantasy series wants to be right now, and I don't believe Square does either. That said; I had fun playing through XIII, though its problems are more than evident.
