FF will always be the exception to the rule and while it remains a viable franchise, there is no arguing its decline in quality. If you can only pull up two games to claim a genre isn't dead then you've just made my argument for me. RPGs are not what they used to be and the market is making sure it stays that way. In fact they've only been able to survive by going to the handhelds.

ARPGs are not bad as a whole, it is just some of the games in the genre i.e. KUF:CoD, Dawn of Mana

The Kingdom Hearts series proves that ARPGs can be good IMO

 @Onimusha12

How are RPGs huge sellers on hendhelds?  TWEWY sold like 200K in Japan, that is not exactly stellar. 

Let me tell you a story. A story of about one of the biggest incentives for Onimusha12 to buy a PS2 last generation. Final Fantasy. I adored FF7-FF9 and even conceded to liking the much anticipated FF10 after some dissapointment. However FFX2, FF11, FF12, FF7: Dirge of Cerberus all painted the picture rather clearly that Final Fantasy was dead in the water and not getting any better. When I see the trailers of FF13, I see everything that has become formulaic, generic and repetitive with these latest instalments amplified and celebrated while any vestige of what once could have been considered Final Fantasy is cleanly polished away. How can you even call something a Final Fantasy game without Yoshitaka Amano's Art or Nobuo Uematsu's Music? Final Fantasy has been an emptying shell evern since FF10 and its only getting worse. I'll also have you know I'm just as dissapointed with all the Final Fantasy games released on Nintendo consoles with moderate exception to the remakes for the DS, then again, when a good game had already been made, it doesn't take alot of effort now does it?

And you presume that Darth has no harrowing story about how he's loved every FF game and can't wait for the new one?

Personally the only disappointment I've had in FF was FFXI because it went a whole 'nother direction and was an MMO. Other than that I've thoroughly enjoyed them all.

You ever view the Pokemon sales, and DQ, FF remakes on DS?

You know what is a RPG?

the jrpg genre is slowly dying. Truthfully its not like it was ever a hug genre outside of japan. Final Fantasy was the only blockbluster franchise in the u.s. and europe. now in japan they are still pretty big, but its more or less just final fantasy, dragon quest, and tales

also the trailer for iu was pretty bad, but i remember when they were talking about the game it would be a lot less linear than most jrpg and give a lot of choices to the player. wonder if they took that out or it just wasn't shown in the trailer. character models were crap, but the plot of the main hero is pretty unique he just happened to look identical to a famous hero, but watch it just turn out to be his twin brother. lets see what they show at tgs

 I love it when people state opinion as fact.  I've played a little bit of every Final Fantasy and I see no "decline."  The only decline there could be is if they tried to keep everything exactly the same as it was 10 years ago or 20 years ago.

Hrmmm... Opinion eh? Square-Enix has lost so much talent that an entire studio has been able to form from the defecters, Mystwalker. Not to mention the copious amounts of individuals who have left Square-Enix to work for other companies like Nintendo who has recently acquire even the director of FFXII who left Square-Enix after his dissapointment with FFXII.

They've lost all desire to explore any unique or creative artistic direction in their mainstay franchises. They've lost Nobuo Uematsu and Yoshitaka Amano whose music and concept Art were Final Fantasy definitively. All the main characters in every game are now just variant clones of Tidus and Yuna from FFX. Instead of exploring new game designs they're simply refining pre-existing ones making lazier and lazier game models. I mean first a Final Fantasy )(FFXI) as an MMORPG then FFXII using an even more simplified MMO battle system to succeed it? They've literally found a way to make the gameplay something that you now sit through as well like watching a cut scene.

The ship is sinking and the beginning of such things as direct sequels (FFX 2) and the pilleging of FF7's corpse should've been the first clue. Final Fantasy games are no longer the experience they used to be, they're just games now that people, like yourself, convince yourselves are still good because academically they're technically not flawed or broken and have plenty of polish to spare. What you are missing though is the gaping void of artistic talent and creativity in Square Enix's ranks which is now reflected starkly in their games. I don't think anyone would call them terrible games but make no mistake they are shadows of their former glory.

In addition if you're only argument is the hypothetical that an "opinion" can't go hand in hand with a fact, then you paint yourself quite convincingly as the well-wisher who simply can't accept one of the greatest bastions of gaming is now just another hack developer and a shell of its former glory.