Well now, This is interesting! 4-1 saying they're getting better.
First of all, let me say I'm the one vote (currently) for "decrease". I will admit that the later sequels have been generally more *entertaining* (more action, prettier effects, fewer dull moments) but there seems to be generally less care in handling dialog and character behaviour and less focus on what was the essense of the LBT sequels (mainly in 2-4). It's difficult to pinpoint but I just don't feel the same things toward the later sequels as I do for the earlier ones. I won't usually say to myself "Do I want to watch LBT 2 or LBT 8?" Instead I'll say to myself "Do I want to watch an old LBT (1-4) or a new LBT (5-12)?" then I'll break it down from there.
To keep this relatively short (I've mentioned a few points comparing the sequels in other threads such as
this one...), I think the sequels are in such different eras that comparing them is like comparing apples to oranges. LBT 2-4 and 5-12 (currently) were developed using completely different styles. I just feel that LBT 2-4 felt more genuinely true to the LBT I felt had developed throughout the series' progression. As of LBT 5, the rules began to change and LBT became not "LBT" but "NEW LBT". "LBT" as I knew and loved had disappeared. Enter "New LBT" with its own set of rules, which it seems to make up as it goes along (earlier sequels contradict later sequels and vice versa), and everything changes. A Good change? I think it's less structured and less organized, so
No. That's the basics behind why I'm saying "decrease".
Don't get me wrong; I like the new ones. I just miss the old ones.