That is completely false the story is NOT broad overview, there is an actual plot that you actually take part in.
The plot IS intricate, There are tons of main characters(some of my all time favorite FF characters). Even your character is made an important part of all the plots. FFXI does not = WoW.
The one thing that makes it most unique as a MMO is the fact that it has a very involving storyline.

And while MMOs dont really have an ending, all of the story arcs sure do. There are real endings. Sure you continue playing after, but it still has a start and finish like any FF does. Credits dont roll, that is the only difference.

::edit::
I'd also love to know what "love subplot" you are refering to.
sounds hot... XD

VII has no announced long-term plans. XIII is the one announced to be spread out over the next 10 years.

As for the subject, I can see Cerrwiden's boyfriend's point, but only to a degree. Yes, there was a definite change in business strategy once the merger occurred and Sakaguchi was ousted (not confirmed, just my suspicion after the Spirits Within financial disaster).

As for the direction of the numbered series, I'm not so sure much has changed. Square (even as Squaresoft) changed the series from game to game quite a bit--VIII's junction system is only one example of that. And FFXII is hardly the first game with a somewhat lame story--Final Fantasy V beat XII to it by over a decade.

But as for XII itself, I had quite a few reservations when it was announced that the team from Tactics would be handling the game. It was obvious the battle system would be quite different, and I suspected that the story would have a vastly different feel to it (and would probably be weaker) than previous entries because of that fact. Turns out I was right. That said, for what it is, it's still enjoyable, and does have its moments of the "Final Fantasy Feel." Also, it's rife with references to past FFs. The airship names, summons (old bosses), and the mob hunts are particularly chock full of past enemies, characters, and so on.

So, I tend to just look at it as a new chapter in the series. Things change. Hardly end of the world. If they want to do a few sequels and spin-offs, what's the point in taking it so seriously as to get upset about it? I don't have to buy it. If others decide to drop off, I'm not about to lose any sleep over that either.

I disagree... although I didn't get a feel for the characters either, I never seem to with the later Final Fantasy games (3D). They all seem to revolve around some stupid blond guy who doesn't know what's going on.
I definitely prefer the 2D games, but I'd still say FFXII was true to the series. I agree that FFXIII isn't looking too good... It was the one thing holding me back from buying a Wii instead of a PS3, but after I saw the trailers, there was no going back.

Yeah, XIII is the only one I've read any official announcement concerning prolonged plans. But I can definitely agree you're right...there's no chance in hell they're done with FFVII.

Ah, I see. Well theres a few scenes where your character might get hit on by a key NPC, but its up to you to take it to the next level XD. The relationship between your fellow partner and you develops a lot which is probably as close to a love story as it gets. Prishe and Aphmau also come to mind.

You do save the world, many times... dont know why you'd just assume you dont. Most people just assume FFXI is like every other MMO storywise( a broad overview). Its not, heres how it works.
Its online sure, but to all the NPCs in game its just you and them. Just imagine the last RPG you played with a silent lead, its exactly like that. There are lots.. i mean lots of cutscenes that push the story forward.
Theres are 6 major arcs and they are all related to each other in some way, all the quest also have some relation to the main story. Imagine playing an FF thats 100x as long as any other where the story is consistant all the way through and only through finishing all the missions and sidequest can you even start to understand exactly what happened/is happening.

The Great War 20 years ago is something that FFXI has been refering to for 5 years in every storyline, Its pretty much only the backbone of the story, and game its the reason things are the way they are. Trust me when I say that FFXI is 100x more complex storywise than X ever was(its ongoing while X was the standard 50hr game, so it should be). While the storylines do have endings, they all connect in some way and SE keeps building the game off of its own history which is pretty amazing to see. Vana'diel feels like a real world, because of all of its history(which you take part in creating!).

The next expansion will take you back to the war(yes, time travel! XD) and fill in even more blanks about exactly how things came to be, while letting you take part in some of the epic events of the war you've heard about for 4-5years. I'm pumped!

I do agree that SE is out to make money more than ever though. Even with FFXI, the way they release the expansions is like 10% at a time(story and gameplay content) over a year or so. I know the development time would be much longer if they released it all at once, but I also know they do this to keep people playing. I do love Kingdom Hearts (1 and 2) and am glad it came to be, but I'm not a fan of all the VII spinoffs or the original VII even >.>