Well, I'd like to say I don't think the characters in all FF games are the same.  In fact, I think the characters in FFVIII were very different than those of FFVII.  I mean, there's no way that you could say Zell was like Barret.  And Rinoa was totally different from Tifa.  That said however, there are some obvious similarities between the characters from FFVII on.  Heck, Nomura has even stated many of his characters were built based on him first looking back on previous characters, such as Squall was originally modeled after Cloud....as was Lightning.  Thankfully in the case of Squall, many other people, such as series director Yoshinori Kitase and overseer Sakaguchi stepped up and influenced the design away from Cloud more.  However it does show that, at least at some level, the series does seem to have a type of archetype for the characters going.  Even on the non-Nomura designed FFXII.

But I agree, many games have done quite well sticking to a formula.  And partially I'm advocating Final Fantasy get into a type of formula, much like a series such as Zelda.  However, I feel the major problems lie elsewhere beyond even reoccouring character archetypes and state plot points.  More along the lines of them throwing out what was popular and good in previous games and remaking almost everything in the next game.

That, and the fact that they're trying to transmit complicated, emotionally-engaging stories using terrible dialog and atrocious voice acting. It's much more difficult to take a game like XIII seriously than it was to take VIII seriously back before the dawn of voice acting.

The disappointing thing is that Square figured out how to do dialog right with XII, but they seem not to have realized it.

I will agree with that completely actually

I actually thought that even though Nomura didn't design 12, Vaan=Tidus, Ashe=Yuna... like not their personality but how they looked, kinda was extremely to similar more than any 2 other FF characters or hell JRPG characters ever. My problem with 12 is it didn't have bickering, and in games I get bored unless people talk to you... or banter that kinda thing. If I remember, with squall, Nomura also felt pressure to create another cloud, not (like the same character but you know the pressure you get when you have to repeat success)

I think that is a problem with JRPG's, is Boss you think is end boss but not, then boss. Or chase kill bad guy. I think FFXIII tried to pull it off, as there were really no bad guys... and the ones their were I thought were forced. It was more of trying to make you feel like your trapped and lost, whcih I enjoyed. FFX kinda did both, and it's my favorite cause I thought it worked

But that's just me you could think differently but thats why I think JRPG games are having more trouble now. Is it's harder to creater newer better villains, and newer better protagonists. Granted Shooters and Western RPG's normally have even worst stories but they dont play

And the other good JRPG's Like Dragon Quest, Besides Japan... are more hardcore, and more gameplay based and that gameplay doesn't seem popular here anymore... just my thinking sorry for the ramble

A better example would have been bioshock, then I'd agree

I disagree, ME1's story was better than ME2's story anyways, Just everything else is better in ME2

ME2, was a generic Sci-Fi Tale... the story was like 3 missions... The character development was theinteresting part

FFXIII was a convuluted anime story.

Depending on your tastes. is which one you like more. I pick bioshock

yeah they need to fix the dialogue... Square wrote good dialogure for crisis core which is more in line with how FF characters usually talk whether you like it or not...

the voice acting wasn't bad, it was the dialouge

Do you like star wars? Terrible Dialogue good fun story - Same thing. Some can handle it, some can't

And that's the thing.  SquareEnix has been focusing 99% of its marketing on two series.  FF and Kingdom Hearts.  And almost all of that has gone to focusing on the graphics and storyline.  Its no wonder people were putting so much pressure on FFXIII to be the 'end all' of JRPGs this gen.  Becuase frankly, games like Dragon Quest, Persona, Tales, Disgaea, Phantasy Star, etc don't get anywhere near the advertising (if any) that just one Final Fantasy game gets.

The reason JRPGs are 'in decline' is because the companies who produce and distribute them aren't working to advertise them.  They've gone entire generations riding hype and free publicity on systems such as SNES, PSX and PS2.  Now they need to step up and start advertising the games on the level of such titles as Fallout 3, Mass Effect 2 and Fable.

At the same time, Final Fantasy itself has a second problem.  Whereas JRPGs are less popular in gameplay (due to a lack of marketing), Final Fantasy focuses even less on gameplay than many JRPGs, opting to focus on storyline and graphics.  Its not necessary a negative, and its helped the series for its 20+ year run.  But it may not keep it going forever.  In this day in age where 'good graphics' and 'deep storyline' are about as common as peanut butter and jelly, Final Fantasy games no longer have the upper hand.  They are no longer one of the 1% of games with the best graphics and 60+ hours of content.  They are one of many.  So perhaps its time they focus on something else.  Say....balancing good graphics with gameplay content.

See this is the part where i'm going to disagree with you, I thought this FF had the best gameplay (as I actually did the sidequests because I wanted to than any other FF) because of the combat system... I thought it was by far the best, and for sure the most entertaining. I think they need to put minigames back though

I think graphics wise, they need to concentrate more on it artisticly beautiful. Rather than Polygons which they did for the most part. As I think FFX, and FFVIII are still gorgeous cause of the pre rendered backgrounds

ehh, Good Graphics Yes everyone has those, Good storyline... like well scripted Uncharted, Mass Effect, Valkyria Chronicles (Which no one bought)

innovative Idea storylines. (Bioshock, Heavy Rain though it's plot had more holes than FFXIII lets just put that here)  But this is the kinda the FF's that had good storylines kinda fell into     

most games to last 60 hours unless you include multiplayer... the only ones I can think of that dont, is Borderlands (might have multiplayer), Oblivion and Fallout, and other JRPGS.

So they still have those strenghts just less than before    

Interestingly enough XIII's battle system has been almost universally well-received. It just wasn't enough to redeem a game compromised in so many other ways. Just like Square to take one step forward and two steps back.

true, but the fact that people are still trying to say it was a not a floop (and missing the sarcasm) means that

1. it was apparently needed

2. no one reads more than three sentences before posting their nerd rage

it is however fun to watch