I agree w/ you Reaper. Before the FF series became widely popular, it was easier for them to meet their deadlines. But once the pressure was on them, they probably started thinking, "who/what do the fans want to really see?" Some of them might have actually played the games again to check some things and reintroduce mini-games or scenarios that they probably thought were fun. Think about the FFX series. A lot of mini-games and crap were re-introduced since the character didn't get much time to do them with the crisis' that were going on around them. Recently, though, Shinra Company and the SOLDIERS have become a main focus. Which, I can understand since a lot of people are like, "I want to see Zack, Cloud, and Sephiroth back when everything was good." I'll even admit to being one of those people. Though, my reasoning sprouted from a fan picture a guy I knew in middle school showed me. It had Zack, Cloud, and General Sephiroth taking a candid photo before a mission. From memory, though, I've only played (not beaten) 3, 10, 10-2, 12, Dirge or Cerberus, and Crisis Core.
And lastly, am I the only one who's curious about how it got from the near apocalytic end in Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, skipped 2, and went to a whole new approach in 3? If I missed something, please tell me, for I am definitely lost in a worm-hole on this side of Rogue Galaxy. Somewhere near the Gurhal System I think...
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"Stupidity is Ignorance, Ignorance is Bliss, and Bliss is Endless. Therefore humans are infinitly stupid." -My Chaos Theory