:D *Dusk grins*

WW for sure, but SS is now giving it a run. FFX seems to divide as well. Personally, I love the game.

SM3DW is a good recent example.

Any series where change is part of the intended dynamic will become divisive by default and even more divisive over time.  The more games released, the more changes, the more you'll have people arguing over how it should be.

Final Fantasy and Zelda fit the pattern perfectly.

Series that have a "turning point" game also have this effect, as with Resident Evil.

Honestly, though I hate to say it, If I were planning a game series now, I'd make sure that it remain as static as possible in terms of game-play, atmosphere, and aesthetic.  If something works well, fans really just want more of the same.

You know, I really don't understand that.  The game was basically FF7.  It really should be one of the least divisive Final Fantasy games ever made.  They both had convoluted and nonsensical story-lines, unlikable main characters, and the heavy emphasis on style that FF7 first brought to the series.  FF8 just looked a whole lot better.

Damn, people already mentioned Skyward Sword and FF13.

Focusing on games with both fans and detractors:

Super Smash Bros Brawl - Is it a big step up from Melee, with far more content and modes, not to mention a more diverse roster? Or is it a slow and unbalanced mess that alienates the biggest fans of the series? And which new character is worse: Captain Falcon: Gerudo Edition or Dark Pit?

Sonic Heroes - A decent Sonic game before everything went south, or the beginning of the Dark Age? Fans generally like Adventure 2, at least in retrospect, while Shadow the Hedgehog is generally disliked, but Heroes is up in the air.

Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops - A major entry along the lines of Peace Walker, or just Konami cashing in on their big series prior to their going batshit insane?

Chrono Cross - Is it actually the sequel to Chrono Trigger? Did you remember it existed an received tons of praise at one point?

Mario Kart Wii - Most expansive incarnation of the series yet, complete with online play and retro tracks, or a mess with too many powerful items, babies, and a broken Battle Mode?

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days - A fine spinoff with worthwhile gameplay and story, as well as multiplayer, or an unnecessary stopgap before Birth by Sleep?

Super Mario Sunshine - Miyamoto's Magnus Opus, or Lame Pachinko Physics sim?

Civilization 5 - Everything

Thats what the tiny minority, that enjoys the game, wants to believe because they don't want to think they have bad taste. I like FFXIII and have played it twice, with 80+ hours on the steam version. But im not going to lie, among the Final Fantasy games, XIII is by far the weakest entry. The game is the Britney Spears of video games, a prime example of Spectacle over Substance.

There is nothing divisible about FFXIII. The truth is simply out there.

I don't get how the Zelda franchise can be divisive ...

More often than not, a large portion of the harshest of the critics can agree that it's a good game despite having different art styles or whatever not to their liking ...

Majora's Mask use to have lots of criticisms against it but later on with the remake, tons of critics came to appreciate it in the end ...

While I agree that both are crap characters, the games don't play the same, and 8 is instantly unnecessarily craptastic on the character front. They likely did this because 7 was such a hit, but for me, Cloud is by far one of the worst parts of the game and is another reason to keep it from being the best.

I actually think that many enjoy 7 so much because it was the introduction to the series since it is still the best selling FF game on a single console. It played simplistic enough that it opened to a wide audience, the steam punk style was new and interesting, plus the FMV in it was mind blowing at the time. All points that helped it reach a larger audience. It's amazing how things from the past often seem better than they actually were. This will likely be recognised with the new updated version of 7 coming up.

Yet more than a third of the buyers completed the game ... 

That's a higher portion than quite a few games out there that are deemed execellent by critics ...