Back when I was more of an avid gamer, I noticed that some of the RPGs that had the FF format were more interesting than some of the FF entries, which got to be repetetive with the same feel and style. Anyone remember Chronotrigger, Shining Force III, Shining the Holy Ark, Xenogears, and Lunar: Silver Star Story? Same format but totally different styles, that was the key.
I'm not much of an online gamer. My favorite games (though playable online) don't generate the big following that Unreal, Warcraft and FFXXI do.