I've played all the FF games (and I mean all, SNES included) and I tink I can safely say, they are, and will always be the greatest gaming series I've ever played. VII alone is the greatest game ever made, and bar a few hiccups (VIII anyone?) they're all quite brilliant.
Definitely agree with the greatest series ever. And VII certainly has a claim on the best game. It's a bit dated these days and the newer games are superior in most things you can put your finger on, but there's just something magical about VII. The others, as good as they are (and they all have a decent claim on the best game released for that year) all kind of blend into each other if you've played them all. I can kind of remember bits and pieces of each one but I've got no idea what the characters names were or what the main storylines were. Whereas VII instantly conjures up images of Cloud and Sephiroth - the storyline just dragged you in and didn't let go.
Personally I'd say that the old Shining Force II on the Megadrive is the only competitor it has as the best RPG/Fantasy game ever made. Once again it's very dated (14 years old now), but I've played that damn game so many times I know it off by heart. When I was young I even used to start writing novels about it (although never got more than a couple of chapters into it before getting bored
), and drawing maps of its towns and castles. Nowhere near as successful as the FF series, but god damn I loved that game.
Anyways, back to XIII, this is the first I've heard of them doing XIII and a vs XIII. Did a bit of a google search about what it's about and it certainly sounds interesting. Will probably tip my hand to finally get a PS3 when it does come out (although GTA 4 might beat it to that).