[quote name='youruglyclone']well Halo is a relatively new IP, the FF franchise traditionally don't use the same protagonists. (not every FF game has cloud on the cover...)
I mean until a publisher has the balls to put out 2 identical games, 1 with an established character as the main, the other a generic character, we'll never know if this theory hold water.[/quote]
That's really splitting hairs, it doesn't matter if Halo is a newer franchise, it still has the name "Halo" on the cover and "Final Fantasy" on its cover.
I don't think people go "Hmm... I'll only buy Halo if it has Master Chief in it." Nintendo could release a game called "Super Happy Mario Adventures 3" and not even have Mario in it and people would still buy it. I thought his theory was that reviewers will be more lenient on review scores when it comes to an established franchise, meaning whatever name is on the box; not about which characters are in it.
Unless I'm totally wrong here?