This Fantasy Ain’t So Final, Is It?

Today I was introduced to Final Fantasy. Okay, I wasn't introduced to it; I was aware of its existence. But I had never played any of the games or involved myself in its related media. Nor was I aware really of its storyline or general concept, other than the fact that it is a fantasy (duh) and there is fighting involved. But today I had my first exposure to it, watching Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, a CGI film based on one of the games... the seventh one I presume. Surprisingly I quote enjoyed it, despite not understanding much of the background story (and the fact that most non-Pixar and non-Dreamworks CGI films--to put it simply--suck). And then I discovered there are currently 14 different Final Fantasies. That's quite a lot, even though it's fifty less than Mario 64 (somewhere out there, a nerd is crying at my ignorance). This...