monolithic

This is totally the heavy metal costume, full-on Judas Priest style. I fail to see the mix-up.

All I'm going to add to this conversation is that the concern with RPGs being "too linear" is WAY overstated here. If anything, the Final Fantasy series (and JRPGs in general) has gone out of step because it has essentially been recycling the same gameplay, character design, production methods, and plotlines over and over again since FFVII. (I actually liked FFXII, if only because it sidestepped this problem somewhat.)

Linear games can be great when that linearity leads to compelling pacing and structure (see BioShock, Call of Duty 4, and many others). Conversely, a stale game is just that, regardless of how open-ended it is.

Eh, I'm willing to be that PopCap made more than $4.6 million doing distro themselves instead of going through MumboJumbo. Either that or they need to fire every last lawyer they have representing them.

Casual gamers are casual, news at 11.