I have gone away and thought about this a lot since I saw this thread originally. I just returned to FFXV after dropping it in chapter 8 because I just couldn't gel with it anymore... (Truth be told, I purchased the soundtrack and had a few songs on repeat that dragged me back into the world) and finished the game. (For the record, it might be my tastes in games at the moment, but I thoroughly enjoyed the game once it had streamlined itself and focussed on the story instead of wanting to be open world. I agree, its completely disjointed but I would go as far to say that from the moment you meet a particular serpent in Altissa, the game felt more like an FF game... anyway I digress).
So, where do I feel FF stands now?
I genuinely believe FF is stuck in between wanting to be appealing to all the fans that have made it the series it is, and gathering new fans. I feel sorry for the series in a way, as it is having to evolve when older fans don't want it to. I remember when I started playing FFVI (FFIII US Import) when I was younger, and even then, fans were slating the random battles... "We don't want them, they are rubbish... totally breaking immersion etc."... and Square were hounded for years over it, until they gave in, and now these same people slate them for changing.
Final Fantasy should be whatever RPG Square or their teams want to make. It should have hallmarks of other FF games (crystals, names, themes, ideologies etc.) but think of all the other 'long running series' not just in games but movies and books. James Bond has evolved, we have our favourite movies/actors but the general feel is the same. Looking at Zelda, the games have not changed much and yet it won GOTY last year. The beauty of these series is that they all retain their core beliefs and aims while tweaking here and there... not much has changed in these series so why is FF trying to appease everyone?
I have fallen more and more out of love with FF since they introduced voice acting, not because I have anything against it, but I feel as a Japanese company, they have a vision of how the game should play out, and it ties in with how Japanese filming/anime is portrayed which as a Westerner feels somehow... off... it follows different traits which are completely foreign. Something which was far less noticeable when characters couldn't talk or be directed due to hardware limitations.
So for me? I feel Final Fantasy is stuck trying to please everyone. I feel the company could do with having a Final Fantasy chief who oversees the series as a whole (Y'know, someone like Sakaguchi? - because lets not kid ourselves here and say that since he left the series has gone downhill) but has different directors working underneath who make the game they want while staying within certain constraints.
Hey... it works for Marvel!
Right, that's my rant for the day!