Final Fantasy - simply uttering those words used to bring with it fond memories of sitting in front of a Super Nintendo for hours on end, controller covered in junk food and sweat as you moved your way from town to town, dungeon to dungeon, talking and strategising your way through a world that was new and a storyline that had you hooked with characters that were memorable and rich. Not anymore. Final Fantasy is anything but a fine wine - in fact it's the exact opposite: the older the franchise becomes, the worse it gets - and instead the taste of the nostalgia left swimming in our mouths, we are left with something bitter and acrid, something that leaves more and more fans disheartened at the once great title. What happened? Final Fantasy (along with Dragon Warrior/Quest) defined the RPG genre. And now? Over the years, the title has, frankly, dug its own grave, and we as fans and gamers alike are ready to bury the franchise and leave it to rest, never to be unearthed again.
