JaegerDice
The mark of my dignity shall scar thy DNA
- Dec 26, 2014
- 25,099
- 9,304
Rank the Final Fantasy games you've played
- Thread starter JaegerDice
- Start date
Unholy
kesbae
This might get merged with the all purpose thread below but here are mine.
Tier 1
9
Tier 2
4
7
15 (Still thinking about how I rank this one)
10
Tier 3
6
13
Tier 4
3
5
8
12
Won't include 1, 2, 10-2 or 13-2.
9 was my first FF right when it came out. Played 7 after that. Can't get into 8's battle system at all. Was late on 6 obviously so it's just okay for me.
4 is just really good for me and what I want as far as the older ones.
Tier 1
9
Tier 2
4
7
15 (Still thinking about how I rank this one)
10
Tier 3
6
13
Tier 4
3
5
8
12
Won't include 1, 2, 10-2 or 13-2.
9 was my first FF right when it came out. Played 7 after that. Can't get into 8's battle system at all. Was late on 6 obviously so it's just okay for me.
4 is just really good for me and what I want as far as the older ones.
TheDoldrums
Registered User
I haven't played the NES or MMO games so I can't comment on them. I do have III on my DS but never really got around to it. Anyways, my rankings:
1. VII - 12 completions
There's no question that nostalgia plays a huge part here. This was the game that made me love games. Before VII, I just casually played sports games and platformers. I saw commercials for a badass guy on a motorcycle jumping onto a highway and wanted to try the game. RPG's have been my favourite games ever since. My obviously very cool friends and I would read the strategy guide at recess. We'd debate conspiracy theories on ways to revive Aerith (The locked dresser in Kalm clearly holds a second different type of underwater materia to allow the party to recover the dropped white materia and revive her...or something) or more secret bosses (Onyx Weapon might be under the marsh!). I was so proud of myself for finding a Ribbon in Gaea's Cliff the official guide missed. But even acknowledging the emotional aspect, I still think it has the best gameplay in the series.
The minigames are paced nicely throughout the game for short breaks. I think it has the best iteration of the ATB battle system. The materia system is easy to manage but can get pretty deep with combinations in the later in the game. The eccentric and weird nature of the game is just a joy. It's tough to imagine the Wall Market surviving intact in the remake, but it's amazing. Midgar is so greatly realized, you can feel the sadness in the slums. Great characters, interesting towns, Gold Saucer, overworld music that made you feel that sense of adventure. I've beaten it a dozen times and will play it again, it's a masterpiece.
Fav party: Cloud, Yuffie, Cid
2. IX - 4 completions
First off the ATB bar moves way too slow. Some of the minigames/sidequests are terrible. I hate having to run along the background waiting for an exclamation point to pop up to find loot. I think the game drags a bit on Disc 3. And yet...it's the most charming of them all in my eyes. The art direction is great. It holds up graphically way better than a PS1 title should. Another great cast of characters. The story resonated with me in a way none of the other games did, particularly Vivi's arc. The setting was just the perfect palate cleanse after VIII. Thankful we got this one last classic FF before things started to go sideways.
Fav party: Zidane, Steiner, Eiko, Amarant
3. VI - 2 completions
Messy, complicated, obtuse at times. Too many characters, too little attachment to any of them with a rotating party. But it works. I never had a SNES but I'm in the process of creating a way to play SNES games with the official controller on my TV instead of having to play on my laptop. Looking forward to a playthrough of this once that's done.
Fav party: Terra, Sabin, Locke, Setzer
4. X - 3 completions
Tidus is thoroughly unlikeable. I absolutely loathe the way EXP is doled out. Because you have the option to swap characters in battle, everyone can gain EXP in every fight. But they have to do something. So since I wanted everyone to level up, that meant I was swapping in characters just to defend a turn before killing the baddies in every random encounter. The sidequests...my god, some of the most frustrating experiences of my life. The chocobo race alone is enough to break a man, to say nothing of dodging lightning or catching butterflies. But the music is incredible. The setting is great. I always enjoy blitzball for awhile before my team is overpowered and boring. With the international version, this is the first FF to really bring in lengthy and challenging endgame content and it works pretty well.
Fav party: Everyone
5. V - 2 completions
I found this to be the toughest game in the series, you can really find yourself in trouble if your jobs don't match up well against the boss. But the job system gives so much creativity to the player. The gameplay makes up for a plot that can be a little thin.
Fav party: Too complicated with jobs stacked on top of each other
6. XIII - 2 completions
I know I just lost the audience here. I'm aware I'm on sort of an island by not thinking this is a horrible, awful game. I hated it the first time I played it. The second time...maybe expectations were low, but I actually really enjoyed myself. The music is the best in the series, bar none. The endgame is spectacular. It became sort of a meme that defenders of the game said it gets really good after 30 hours...but it does. It has my favourite non-ATB battle system. I think every game after my top 3 has flaws but the positives of XIII stick out to me a lot more readily than they do for the below games.
Fav party: Lightning, Fang, Hope
7. IV - 0 completions
I just can't get into it enough. I've started about 4 playthroughs, on both the SNES version through emulation and the DS remake version I bought. Maybe it's because I only tried playing it so late, but it just doesn't sink its hooks into me. I want to like it more than I do. I feel like I'm a bad fan for not appreciating it enough, but I can't lie to myself. It's just okay, and that has never been enough to keep me going to the end.
Fav party: not qualified to answer
8. VIII - 3 completions
There are so many cool parts to this game. The SEED test is awesome. Really, all the SEED missions are fun and I loved being paid a salary. The Castle is the best FF dungeon song ever. Triple Triad is incredible and I'll fight anyone who disagrees. People get frustrated with the rule changes, you can prevent them from ever happening if you're smart. While the "realistic" look aged horribly, at the time it was good. But...the draw system. How. Why. I'll never understand what Square was thinking. Let's concoct a system where the best way to improve is to spend 10 minutes using the draw command every time an enemy has a new type of magic. Then make using magic a dubious proposition since every cast takes away from your stats. I mean Squall is unlikeable, the story is just really stupid at times (the "GF's made us forget!" twist is maybe the worst in series history). But problems like these pale in comparison to the gameplay being completely undermined by the draw system. If this game was released today, it would have been patched out quickly.
Fav party: Squall, Zell, Quistis
9. XII - 0 completions
Why do I keep buying this game? I've bought it three times. Once recently with the PS4 remaster, because I was convinced I would get into it. Nope. I keep forgetting how infuriating I find the battle system. The gambit system sucks. Most of the time I feel like I have so little control. You just walk up to enemies and let the algorithm fight for you. What fun. The story seems like it could be cool, political and somewhat subtle. I just can never stick with the game long enough to see it through. But why does it seem like Vaan is entirely inconsequential to the plot? Really cool PS4 theme came with the game though, it's my go-to.
Fav party: N/A
10. XV - 1 completion
Like a game put together after playing every AAA title for the past few years and combining them. Craven and shallow. An ultimately pointless money grab trying to cash in on what's expected of a modern AAA open world game. The story actually has good bones but was told so haphazardly and briefly that it was impossible to feel a connection. The game as it launched was an embarrassment from a franchise that was once the clear leader in cinematic storytelling. I know they've made updates since then and have a new "Royal Edition." Great! I bought the game Day 1 so it's really cool I have to buy a DLC pack if I want the full plot. Nomura had a compelling vision and setting with Versus XIII, I feel like Tabata was brought in to get the thing actually made at the cost of it's soul. So we get Final Fantasy: Far Cry, another forgettable open world borefest instead of a unique work of art.
Fav party: Throw yourself a party by getting Persona 5 or Xenoblade 2 if you want a modern JRPG
1. VII - 12 completions
There's no question that nostalgia plays a huge part here. This was the game that made me love games. Before VII, I just casually played sports games and platformers. I saw commercials for a badass guy on a motorcycle jumping onto a highway and wanted to try the game. RPG's have been my favourite games ever since. My obviously very cool friends and I would read the strategy guide at recess. We'd debate conspiracy theories on ways to revive Aerith (The locked dresser in Kalm clearly holds a second different type of underwater materia to allow the party to recover the dropped white materia and revive her...or something) or more secret bosses (Onyx Weapon might be under the marsh!). I was so proud of myself for finding a Ribbon in Gaea's Cliff the official guide missed. But even acknowledging the emotional aspect, I still think it has the best gameplay in the series.
The minigames are paced nicely throughout the game for short breaks. I think it has the best iteration of the ATB battle system. The materia system is easy to manage but can get pretty deep with combinations in the later in the game. The eccentric and weird nature of the game is just a joy. It's tough to imagine the Wall Market surviving intact in the remake, but it's amazing. Midgar is so greatly realized, you can feel the sadness in the slums. Great characters, interesting towns, Gold Saucer, overworld music that made you feel that sense of adventure. I've beaten it a dozen times and will play it again, it's a masterpiece.
Fav party: Cloud, Yuffie, Cid
2. IX - 4 completions
First off the ATB bar moves way too slow. Some of the minigames/sidequests are terrible. I hate having to run along the background waiting for an exclamation point to pop up to find loot. I think the game drags a bit on Disc 3. And yet...it's the most charming of them all in my eyes. The art direction is great. It holds up graphically way better than a PS1 title should. Another great cast of characters. The story resonated with me in a way none of the other games did, particularly Vivi's arc. The setting was just the perfect palate cleanse after VIII. Thankful we got this one last classic FF before things started to go sideways.
Fav party: Zidane, Steiner, Eiko, Amarant
3. VI - 2 completions
Messy, complicated, obtuse at times. Too many characters, too little attachment to any of them with a rotating party. But it works. I never had a SNES but I'm in the process of creating a way to play SNES games with the official controller on my TV instead of having to play on my laptop. Looking forward to a playthrough of this once that's done.
Fav party: Terra, Sabin, Locke, Setzer
4. X - 3 completions
Tidus is thoroughly unlikeable. I absolutely loathe the way EXP is doled out. Because you have the option to swap characters in battle, everyone can gain EXP in every fight. But they have to do something. So since I wanted everyone to level up, that meant I was swapping in characters just to defend a turn before killing the baddies in every random encounter. The sidequests...my god, some of the most frustrating experiences of my life. The chocobo race alone is enough to break a man, to say nothing of dodging lightning or catching butterflies. But the music is incredible. The setting is great. I always enjoy blitzball for awhile before my team is overpowered and boring. With the international version, this is the first FF to really bring in lengthy and challenging endgame content and it works pretty well.
Fav party: Everyone
5. V - 2 completions
I found this to be the toughest game in the series, you can really find yourself in trouble if your jobs don't match up well against the boss. But the job system gives so much creativity to the player. The gameplay makes up for a plot that can be a little thin.
Fav party: Too complicated with jobs stacked on top of each other
6. XIII - 2 completions
I know I just lost the audience here. I'm aware I'm on sort of an island by not thinking this is a horrible, awful game. I hated it the first time I played it. The second time...maybe expectations were low, but I actually really enjoyed myself. The music is the best in the series, bar none. The endgame is spectacular. It became sort of a meme that defenders of the game said it gets really good after 30 hours...but it does. It has my favourite non-ATB battle system. I think every game after my top 3 has flaws but the positives of XIII stick out to me a lot more readily than they do for the below games.
Fav party: Lightning, Fang, Hope
7. IV - 0 completions
I just can't get into it enough. I've started about 4 playthroughs, on both the SNES version through emulation and the DS remake version I bought. Maybe it's because I only tried playing it so late, but it just doesn't sink its hooks into me. I want to like it more than I do. I feel like I'm a bad fan for not appreciating it enough, but I can't lie to myself. It's just okay, and that has never been enough to keep me going to the end.
Fav party: not qualified to answer
8. VIII - 3 completions
There are so many cool parts to this game. The SEED test is awesome. Really, all the SEED missions are fun and I loved being paid a salary. The Castle is the best FF dungeon song ever. Triple Triad is incredible and I'll fight anyone who disagrees. People get frustrated with the rule changes, you can prevent them from ever happening if you're smart. While the "realistic" look aged horribly, at the time it was good. But...the draw system. How. Why. I'll never understand what Square was thinking. Let's concoct a system where the best way to improve is to spend 10 minutes using the draw command every time an enemy has a new type of magic. Then make using magic a dubious proposition since every cast takes away from your stats. I mean Squall is unlikeable, the story is just really stupid at times (the "GF's made us forget!" twist is maybe the worst in series history). But problems like these pale in comparison to the gameplay being completely undermined by the draw system. If this game was released today, it would have been patched out quickly.
Fav party: Squall, Zell, Quistis
9. XII - 0 completions
Why do I keep buying this game? I've bought it three times. Once recently with the PS4 remaster, because I was convinced I would get into it. Nope. I keep forgetting how infuriating I find the battle system. The gambit system sucks. Most of the time I feel like I have so little control. You just walk up to enemies and let the algorithm fight for you. What fun. The story seems like it could be cool, political and somewhat subtle. I just can never stick with the game long enough to see it through. But why does it seem like Vaan is entirely inconsequential to the plot? Really cool PS4 theme came with the game though, it's my go-to.
Fav party: N/A
10. XV - 1 completion
Like a game put together after playing every AAA title for the past few years and combining them. Craven and shallow. An ultimately pointless money grab trying to cash in on what's expected of a modern AAA open world game. The story actually has good bones but was told so haphazardly and briefly that it was impossible to feel a connection. The game as it launched was an embarrassment from a franchise that was once the clear leader in cinematic storytelling. I know they've made updates since then and have a new "Royal Edition." Great! I bought the game Day 1 so it's really cool I have to buy a DLC pack if I want the full plot. Nomura had a compelling vision and setting with Versus XIII, I feel like Tabata was brought in to get the thing actually made at the cost of it's soul. So we get Final Fantasy: Far Cry, another forgettable open world borefest instead of a unique work of art.
Fav party: Throw yourself a party by getting Persona 5 or Xenoblade 2 if you want a modern JRPG
syz
[1, 5, 6, 14]
- Jul 13, 2007
- 29,113
- 12,600
Tactics
Chrono Trigger
6
(Granblue Fantasy)
8
9
7
4
14 (Realm Reborn)
13-2
12
Tactics Advance
10
Tactics A2
5
13
15
3
Lightning Returns
Type-0
10-2
1
2
14 (Launch)
Chrono Trigger
6
(Granblue Fantasy)
8
9
7
4
14 (Realm Reborn)
13-2
12
Tactics Advance
10
Tactics A2
5
13
15
3
Lightning Returns
Type-0
10-2
1
2
14 (Launch)
Shareefruck
Registered User
1. Final Fantasy VI (completed) - 5.0 (Masterpiece)
Everything about this game is brilliant. The music might be the series' best (and that's saying a whole lot), the characters and character development are perfect and charming, the setting, world-building, and storytelling is excellent, the individual moments and set pieces are brilliant, the battle system is deep, balanced, and interesting, the balance of focuses in the narrative is perfect (love how almost every character convincingly feels like the lead protagonist at times), there's a ton of charm, mood, and personality everywhere in the game, the secrets add a whole lot to the narrative (that Shadow thing is super cool) and the sprite-work is great. The only possible nitpick I can think of is that it tries to do a little too much and feels slightly more bloated/forced/melodramatic than something like Chrono Trigger, but who cares when it nails everything? One of those landmark games that make me feel inspired about video games.
Also, there are a ton of these types of moments throughout the game, but the opening credit sequence is one of my favorite things ever.
... and of course there's this
2. Final Fantasy Tactics (completed) - 4.0 (Flawless)
I love Matsuno's style and sensibilities. Tight, interesting, deep, and inherently satisfying battle system (I wish more games would do it this way), perfectly told mature story, amazing sprite-work and presentation/framing that is able to communicate a whole lot with very little. The difficulty curve right at the beginning is nuts, and you can break the game after exploring the mechanics and getting creative with them, but I'm okay with that. Also one of the rare instances where the updated port improves on the original.
3. Final Fantasy IV (completed) - 4.0 (Flawless)
One of those games that may underwhelm because of how bare bones and minimalistic it is, but it seems to nail everything that matters and that makes Final Fantasy what it is and leave out anything else. There's just something about the mood and way this game all comes together that feels magical and perfect. My only nitpick is that I hate how
4. Final Fantasy VII (completed) - 3.0 (Very Good)
All of the little touches and polish of this game are terrible, which leads everyone to call it overrated. Its localization is terrible, the mini games are terrible and forced, the character models are limited, balance is broken (there's even a stat that you can obtain items to slowly improve that literally does nothing), there are some very questionable moments peppered throughout, and it does a terrible job of communicating how the story all fits together. But the core spirit of what it is is still excellent and holds up-- The characters and character development are interesting (even Cloud, who is often misunderstood), the overall story beats are fantastic, leading to frequent incredible moments, the music is again brilliant (recurring theme here, music is easily the best thing about Final Fantasy), the character/set designs and background visuals are fantastic, and the buildup to Sephiroth is perfect.
5. Final Fantasy IX (completed) - 2.5 (Good)
Easily my pick for the best looking of the mainline Final Fantasies in terms of style and presentation-- Does everything well, but it's also missing an extra spark, IMO.
6. Final Fantasy V (completed) - 2.5 (Good)
Only the fact that its simplistic narrative feels like it's meant for children holds it back. For what it is, it has a really well done, polished, has solid progression/likeable characters, and its battle system is among the deepest and most interesting in the series.
7. Final Fantasy XII (partially completed) - 2.0 (Positive)
Everything related to Yasumi Matsuno's involvement was fantastic, but everything else related to the meddling and his departure caused the game to completely nose-dive.
8. Final Fantasy VIII (completed) - 1.5 (Neutral)
I can't completely deny the production values, the brilliant/timeless music, fantastic direction/design, the sense of ambition and risk-taking, and the fact that the swing and a miss concepts in mechanics were cool ideas in theory but not in practice (I'd like to see someone try to fix them rather than throw them away altogether). But the characters are terrible and the story is a mess.
9. Final Fantasy III (sampled) - 1.5 (Neutral)
Easily the best of the NES games, which I was never big on
10. Final Fantasy I (sampled) - 1.0 (Negative)
Doesn't hold up well anymore, but still a lot of inspiration involved, especially that bridge/opening crawl moment, which to this day still feels amazing.
11. Final Fantasy X (sampled) - 0.5 (Bad)
The beginning of the end-- Cringey as hell, and FF games start to suck after this point.
12. Final Fantasy XV (sampled) - 0.5 (Bad)
Pretty similar reaction to X
13. Final Fantasy II (sampled) - 0.5 (Bad)
Pretty damn close to unplayable.
14. Final Fantasy XI & XIV (sampled) - 0.0 (Terrible)
I'm biased and being a little unfair to it-- whether or not it's polished is irrelevant to me, because I despise most endless addictiveness-driven online games in general, particularly MMORPGs.
15. Final Fantasy XIII (sampled) - 0.0 (Terrible)
I feel dumb just thinking about it.
Everything about this game is brilliant. The music might be the series' best (and that's saying a whole lot), the characters and character development are perfect and charming, the setting, world-building, and storytelling is excellent, the individual moments and set pieces are brilliant, the battle system is deep, balanced, and interesting, the balance of focuses in the narrative is perfect (love how almost every character convincingly feels like the lead protagonist at times), there's a ton of charm, mood, and personality everywhere in the game, the secrets add a whole lot to the narrative (that Shadow thing is super cool) and the sprite-work is great. The only possible nitpick I can think of is that it tries to do a little too much and feels slightly more bloated/forced/melodramatic than something like Chrono Trigger, but who cares when it nails everything? One of those landmark games that make me feel inspired about video games.
Also, there are a ton of these types of moments throughout the game, but the opening credit sequence is one of my favorite things ever.
... and of course there's this
2. Final Fantasy Tactics (completed) - 4.0 (Flawless)
I love Matsuno's style and sensibilities. Tight, interesting, deep, and inherently satisfying battle system (I wish more games would do it this way), perfectly told mature story, amazing sprite-work and presentation/framing that is able to communicate a whole lot with very little. The difficulty curve right at the beginning is nuts, and you can break the game after exploring the mechanics and getting creative with them, but I'm okay with that. Also one of the rare instances where the updated port improves on the original.
3. Final Fantasy IV (completed) - 4.0 (Flawless)
One of those games that may underwhelm because of how bare bones and minimalistic it is, but it seems to nail everything that matters and that makes Final Fantasy what it is and leave out anything else. There's just something about the mood and way this game all comes together that feels magical and perfect. My only nitpick is that I hate how
the game completely bails on the sacrifices and takes it all back at the last minute for a happy ending.
4. Final Fantasy VII (completed) - 3.0 (Very Good)
All of the little touches and polish of this game are terrible, which leads everyone to call it overrated. Its localization is terrible, the mini games are terrible and forced, the character models are limited, balance is broken (there's even a stat that you can obtain items to slowly improve that literally does nothing), there are some very questionable moments peppered throughout, and it does a terrible job of communicating how the story all fits together. But the core spirit of what it is is still excellent and holds up-- The characters and character development are interesting (even Cloud, who is often misunderstood), the overall story beats are fantastic, leading to frequent incredible moments, the music is again brilliant (recurring theme here, music is easily the best thing about Final Fantasy), the character/set designs and background visuals are fantastic, and the buildup to Sephiroth is perfect.
5. Final Fantasy IX (completed) - 2.5 (Good)
Easily my pick for the best looking of the mainline Final Fantasies in terms of style and presentation-- Does everything well, but it's also missing an extra spark, IMO.
6. Final Fantasy V (completed) - 2.5 (Good)
Only the fact that its simplistic narrative feels like it's meant for children holds it back. For what it is, it has a really well done, polished, has solid progression/likeable characters, and its battle system is among the deepest and most interesting in the series.
7. Final Fantasy XII (partially completed) - 2.0 (Positive)
Everything related to Yasumi Matsuno's involvement was fantastic, but everything else related to the meddling and his departure caused the game to completely nose-dive.
8. Final Fantasy VIII (completed) - 1.5 (Neutral)
I can't completely deny the production values, the brilliant/timeless music, fantastic direction/design, the sense of ambition and risk-taking, and the fact that the swing and a miss concepts in mechanics were cool ideas in theory but not in practice (I'd like to see someone try to fix them rather than throw them away altogether). But the characters are terrible and the story is a mess.
9. Final Fantasy III (sampled) - 1.5 (Neutral)
Easily the best of the NES games, which I was never big on
10. Final Fantasy I (sampled) - 1.0 (Negative)
Doesn't hold up well anymore, but still a lot of inspiration involved, especially that bridge/opening crawl moment, which to this day still feels amazing.
11. Final Fantasy X (sampled) - 0.5 (Bad)
The beginning of the end-- Cringey as hell, and FF games start to suck after this point.
12. Final Fantasy XV (sampled) - 0.5 (Bad)
Pretty similar reaction to X
13. Final Fantasy II (sampled) - 0.5 (Bad)
Pretty damn close to unplayable.
14. Final Fantasy XI & XIV (sampled) - 0.0 (Terrible)
I'm biased and being a little unfair to it-- whether or not it's polished is irrelevant to me, because I despise most endless addictiveness-driven online games in general, particularly MMORPGs.
15. Final Fantasy XIII (sampled) - 0.0 (Terrible)
I feel dumb just thinking about it.
Last edited:
Shareefruck
Registered User
misterchainsaw
Preparing PHASE TWO!
From the FF thread:
Of the single player main entries super NES era or later: (Never played X-2 so I'm leaving out the sequels too....thought XIII-2 was about the same quality as XIII for what it's worth).
ALL TIME CLASSICS:
FFVII
FFIV
GREAT RPGS:
FFVI
FFXII
FFIX
FLAWED BUT STILL FUN:
FFV
FFX
FFXIII
WASTE OF MY TIME:
FFVIII
FFXV
I always felt both X and VI were rather overrated while XII and IV were underrated by the general consensus of where these games get placed. Debated leaving FFVII as the only game in the classic tier (as it is the only one in the series that reaches my top 5 JRPG's), but decided to move IV up into it.
Also enjoyed a lot of the other non main-line entries. World of Final Fantasy fits pretty neatly into the "Flawed but still fun" category (which sure as hell beats XV), while Tactics was a masterpiece and yes, I enjoyed Mystic Quest as well.
Of the single player main entries super NES era or later: (Never played X-2 so I'm leaving out the sequels too....thought XIII-2 was about the same quality as XIII for what it's worth).
ALL TIME CLASSICS:
FFVII
FFIV
GREAT RPGS:
FFVI
FFXII
FFIX
FLAWED BUT STILL FUN:
FFV
FFX
FFXIII
WASTE OF MY TIME:
FFVIII
FFXV
I always felt both X and VI were rather overrated while XII and IV were underrated by the general consensus of where these games get placed. Debated leaving FFVII as the only game in the classic tier (as it is the only one in the series that reaches my top 5 JRPG's), but decided to move IV up into it.
Also enjoyed a lot of the other non main-line entries. World of Final Fantasy fits pretty neatly into the "Flawed but still fun" category (which sure as hell beats XV), while Tactics was a masterpiece and yes, I enjoyed Mystic Quest as well.
God King Fudge
Championship Swag
- Oct 13, 2017
- 6,308
- 6,793
FF Mystic Quest >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> the rest, since Americans are obviously too stupid to understand JRPG's and incapable of putting one virtual foot in front of the other.
For your sake I really hope you mean 4 and 6 at top (those two games originally came to North America titled as 2 and 3 on the SNES, respectively) and not the "real" 2 and 3.
The real Final Fantasy 2 is as fun as putting your groin over a belt sander.
The Crypto Guy
Registered User
- Jun 26, 2017
- 26,352
- 33,472
My fav from best to worst:
FFX
FFVII
FFIX
FFVIII
FFVI
FFXIII
FFXII
FFXV
Don't even remember anything before 6 so i'm not going to rate them and somehow I don't remember ever playing Tactics, i should probably play that at some point.
FFX
FFVII
FFIX
FFVIII
FFVI
FFXIII
FFXII
FFXV
Don't even remember anything before 6 so i'm not going to rate them and somehow I don't remember ever playing Tactics, i should probably play that at some point.
JaegerDice
The mark of my dignity shall scar thy DNA
- Dec 26, 2014
- 25,099
- 9,304
Ugh, I'm an idiot, I completely forgot about that thread. If mods want to merge this one, feel free.
Lol this is gonna be a very short list for me.
FF2
FF3
FF Brave Exvius (mobile)
I could never get into FF. I've played games in a very similar style but for some reason I never gave FF a try. Part of the reason was bitterness that FF spin offs were delaying the KH3 release (or so it seemed)
FF2
FF3
FF Brave Exvius (mobile)
I could never get into FF. I've played games in a very similar style but for some reason I never gave FF a try. Part of the reason was bitterness that FF spin offs were delaying the KH3 release (or so it seemed)
Papa Francouz
Registered User
I haven't played all of them, but of the ones I have tried:
VI
Tactics Advance
IV
XIV: Realm Reborn/Heavensward/Stormblood
VII
XII: The Zodiac Age
Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time
Crisis Core: FFVII
X
VI
Tactics Advance
IV
XIV: Realm Reborn/Heavensward/Stormblood
VII
XII: The Zodiac Age
Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time
Crisis Core: FFVII
X
No Fun Shogun
34-38-61-10-13-15
6 > 9 > 7 > 4 > 10 > 8 > 1 > 10-2
Or, to tier them:
Phenomenal
6
Great
9
Good
7
4
Okay
10
8
1
Bad
10-2
Or, to tier them:
Phenomenal
6
Great
9
Good
7
4
Okay
10
8
1
Bad
10-2
Commander Clueless
Hiya, hiya. Pleased to meetcha.
- Sep 10, 2008
- 15,265
- 2,957
Do Make Say Think
& Yet & Yet
- Jun 26, 2007
- 51,166
- 9,908
FFVI
FFIX
FFV
FFIV
FFXII
FFVII
FFXV
The other ones go from "meh" (VIII and III) to "unmitigated disaster" (X and XIII). I don't play online games so XI and XIV are no shows on my list but I have played and completed all the main line ones (I have not played any of the spinoff titles however).
Props to the original FF being one of the games that forced me to learn English.
FFIX
FFV
FFIV
FFXII
FFVII
FFXV
The other ones go from "meh" (VIII and III) to "unmitigated disaster" (X and XIII). I don't play online games so XI and XIV are no shows on my list but I have played and completed all the main line ones (I have not played any of the spinoff titles however).
Props to the original FF being one of the games that forced me to learn English.
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Saturated Fats
This is water
Absolutely jamming on these write-ups. Love, love, love seeing people who've invested as much time and feeling into the series as I feel I have. Great or disappointing, 8-bit or one-million, Uematsu or... otherwise, Final Fantasy will always be my favourite video game experience.
1. VIII
Okay, don't throw things at me. I've put a lot of thought into this, and debated this til I'm blue in the face with fans on Subreddits/old Eyes of FF message boards/etc. FF8 is the flawed genius of the series - the Einstein/Maradona/Billy Martin. To get it out of the way - Squall is silly, the Draw system is a b*tch, and the final boss has extremely little emotional investment built in. But I think, at the root of all video game experiences, is the personal connection you form with a game. And I forged an indescribable relationship with 8 - in a very real sense, it saved my life. It came along at a time when I needed it, and it gave me something to invest in; something to feel.
To speak to the mechanics of the game, it has the single best soundtrack of any art medium that I have ever experienced. It is Uematsu at his mad genius-peak. The set pieces - the beach landing at Dollet, the Battle of the Gardens, the Edea assassination attempt, the disorienting transitions to Laguna & Co - are magnificent, the best built-in set pieces of the Playstation era (excluding stuff involving Sephiroth). It was aesthetically astonishing for the time, starting from the breathtaking opening cinematic, on through to the warm and satisfying conclusion, mixed in with beautiful art and tremendous pre-rendered backdrops. It features some of the best and most fully-realized cities and locales of the series. And yeah, most of the lead-six characters are flawed or two-dimensional or whiny or stereotypical... but they kind of play into each other in that way. They make a perfect troupe for the story being told - one of growth from adolescence into adulthood, of kids helping each other discover the world.
I always feel the need to defend my love of the game, which is fine - it's an unpopular opinion, and the game has obvious flaws. But to me, it's exquisite - wonderfully over-complicated, perfectly contrived, and everything that a video game experience should be.
2. IX - the greatest characters and plot arc of the entire series. Excellent story pacing, locales. Fun and relevant minigames. Replayability factor (for whatever reason) that some of the series lacks.
3. VI - the greatest villain in the series, the best battle system, ground-breaking presentation and story-telling.
4. VII - the localization and dialogue bothered me, as did some of the weird plot quirks and unnecessary sidetracking of the story... but how can you not love 7 for everything it is?
5. X - Too linear, main character is unlikeable; Auron and Yuna are fantastic, though, and the IDEA of the story (if not always the actualization) is great
6. XV - Gets hated on too hard. The battle system is exciting and engaging, the non-linearity of the world was a refreshing joy, and the new style and approach to the world and aesthetic works for me. The story definitely sags.
7. IV - Perhaps I came to it at the wrong time - felt slow, predictable, lazier in storytelling. Hard not to love Cecil and Kain, though
8. XII - Could've been so much more. Felt drab, colourless. Battle system irritated me. Virtually no characters to emotionally invest in
9. XIII - Music is excellent. Some great characters. That's about it. Only one I haven't fully completed.
1. VIII
Okay, don't throw things at me. I've put a lot of thought into this, and debated this til I'm blue in the face with fans on Subreddits/old Eyes of FF message boards/etc. FF8 is the flawed genius of the series - the Einstein/Maradona/Billy Martin. To get it out of the way - Squall is silly, the Draw system is a b*tch, and the final boss has extremely little emotional investment built in. But I think, at the root of all video game experiences, is the personal connection you form with a game. And I forged an indescribable relationship with 8 - in a very real sense, it saved my life. It came along at a time when I needed it, and it gave me something to invest in; something to feel.
To speak to the mechanics of the game, it has the single best soundtrack of any art medium that I have ever experienced. It is Uematsu at his mad genius-peak. The set pieces - the beach landing at Dollet, the Battle of the Gardens, the Edea assassination attempt, the disorienting transitions to Laguna & Co - are magnificent, the best built-in set pieces of the Playstation era (excluding stuff involving Sephiroth). It was aesthetically astonishing for the time, starting from the breathtaking opening cinematic, on through to the warm and satisfying conclusion, mixed in with beautiful art and tremendous pre-rendered backdrops. It features some of the best and most fully-realized cities and locales of the series. And yeah, most of the lead-six characters are flawed or two-dimensional or whiny or stereotypical... but they kind of play into each other in that way. They make a perfect troupe for the story being told - one of growth from adolescence into adulthood, of kids helping each other discover the world.
I always feel the need to defend my love of the game, which is fine - it's an unpopular opinion, and the game has obvious flaws. But to me, it's exquisite - wonderfully over-complicated, perfectly contrived, and everything that a video game experience should be.
2. IX - the greatest characters and plot arc of the entire series. Excellent story pacing, locales. Fun and relevant minigames. Replayability factor (for whatever reason) that some of the series lacks.
3. VI - the greatest villain in the series, the best battle system, ground-breaking presentation and story-telling.
4. VII - the localization and dialogue bothered me, as did some of the weird plot quirks and unnecessary sidetracking of the story... but how can you not love 7 for everything it is?
5. X - Too linear, main character is unlikeable; Auron and Yuna are fantastic, though, and the IDEA of the story (if not always the actualization) is great
6. XV - Gets hated on too hard. The battle system is exciting and engaging, the non-linearity of the world was a refreshing joy, and the new style and approach to the world and aesthetic works for me. The story definitely sags.
7. IV - Perhaps I came to it at the wrong time - felt slow, predictable, lazier in storytelling. Hard not to love Cecil and Kain, though
8. XII - Could've been so much more. Felt drab, colourless. Battle system irritated me. Virtually no characters to emotionally invest in
9. XIII - Music is excellent. Some great characters. That's about it. Only one I haven't fully completed.
Shareefruck
Registered User
I can respect considering VIII a great game just on music/aesthetic/art direction/ballsiness alone. I have much less understanding/tolerance of the love that X and XV gets.
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Me after playing FFVIII: Squall is the worst lead character in a FF game ever.
Square: Hold my beer.
Rodgerwilco
Entertainment boards w/ some Hockey mixed in.
- Feb 6, 2014
- 7,337
- 6,643
1 . Final Fantasy VII - Probably my favorite video game of all time, I probably play through it once a year/other year. I literally have this game tattooed on my body (I have my avatar tattooed on my back). This game means so much more to me than I could have thought a video game ever could. I can trace my maturity parallel to this game, in terms of understanding the storyline of Shinra sucking the lifestream of the planet and especially the relationship between Aerith and Cloud and understanding his pain at her death. The game has aged beautifully, in my opinion, and has some of the best side-games/missions in the series. I love the Chocobo breeding/racing system a LOT. The rest of the Golden Saucer was enjoyable as well, especially the battle square. Having two optional characters with their own backstories was pretty awesome as well. The fights were the Weapons are some of the most iconic boss fights in the series.
2. Final Fantasy X - This game was the first Final Fantasy that I was old enough to understand at launch. The game certainly has its flaws, and Square's inexperience with voice acting was evident in this game, with a lot of cringe-worthy moments throughout the game (the infamous 'laughing' episode in Luca comes to might). The Sphere Grid idea was absolutely wonderful, especially the Expert Sphere grid for re-plays. The soundtrack is amazing, maybe the best of the series, for my money. Nobuo Uematsu really hit the mark here. Blitzball was a fun side-game that does get fairly repetitive, but it has good rewards. The monster arena was a great addition and provides so much depth and time to dump into the game. I'm not crazy about the storyline, but it does have a few interesting twists throughout it. Tidus is not one of my favorite main characters, but I really do enjoy the mix of characters in the game and each one as individuals. I understand that a lot of people highly dislike this game, and my emotional attachment to it may be making me a bit biased, but I really enjoyed this game.
3. Final Fantasy Tactics- I really really enjoyed the foray into the true turn-based strategic gameplay of this game. The linear manner of moving around the map is a good change of pace from some other FF games that have open world maps. The storyline itself was enjoyable and I like the medieval time setting a lot. The Job system was implemented beautifully. I enjoyed the optional characters, especially getting Cloud. Overall, it's a slower paced game, but I find that enjoyable.
4. Final Fantasy VI (FF III in NA) - Really enjoyed this game a lot. The storyline was gripping, the combat system was enjoyable. I really enjoyed the way that magic and summoning worked in this game and the combat system doesn't seem to have glaring flaws. Nobuo Uematsu does another great job on a sound track.
5. Final Fantasy VIII- I'm not really sure where to start with this game it had some glowing moments which i'll begin with, but also some crippling set-backs... The soundtrack was beautiful, Nobuo Uematsu crushes it again with this game. Triple Triad is one of the best mini-games of the series and everything surrounding it was pretty awesome. I enjoyed the GF and Junction system as well, increasing stats and having different compatibility with GF's and party members. Now... The draw system was absolute shit. Drawing itself was painstakingly slow, and actually discouraged players from using magic, since your stats would go down if it was a junctioned magic. The characters were almost like watching an episode of Young the The Restless, they were essentially high school kids with a ton of angst. The end of the storyline was horrid and seemed like they threw it together at the last minute. "GF's made us forget" is a horrible cop-out.
6. FF IX - I liked the time period of the setting but for some reason this game just never really gripped me. The 4-member party was interesting, but none of the characters really struck me that well. I was not a fan of the Tetra Master card game. For some reason this game just never really grabbed me the way that the other ones did. I don't have any complaints really, as I haven't spent much time on the game.
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164234. FF X-2 - Kill it with fire. Please. Horrible sell-out game banking on a bunch of horny teens-20 somethings. The combat system was cool with being able to stack attacks onto one another and the girls looked good, but basically everything else about this game sucked.
2. Final Fantasy X - This game was the first Final Fantasy that I was old enough to understand at launch. The game certainly has its flaws, and Square's inexperience with voice acting was evident in this game, with a lot of cringe-worthy moments throughout the game (the infamous 'laughing' episode in Luca comes to might). The Sphere Grid idea was absolutely wonderful, especially the Expert Sphere grid for re-plays. The soundtrack is amazing, maybe the best of the series, for my money. Nobuo Uematsu really hit the mark here. Blitzball was a fun side-game that does get fairly repetitive, but it has good rewards. The monster arena was a great addition and provides so much depth and time to dump into the game. I'm not crazy about the storyline, but it does have a few interesting twists throughout it. Tidus is not one of my favorite main characters, but I really do enjoy the mix of characters in the game and each one as individuals. I understand that a lot of people highly dislike this game, and my emotional attachment to it may be making me a bit biased, but I really enjoyed this game.
3. Final Fantasy Tactics- I really really enjoyed the foray into the true turn-based strategic gameplay of this game. The linear manner of moving around the map is a good change of pace from some other FF games that have open world maps. The storyline itself was enjoyable and I like the medieval time setting a lot. The Job system was implemented beautifully. I enjoyed the optional characters, especially getting Cloud. Overall, it's a slower paced game, but I find that enjoyable.
4. Final Fantasy VI (FF III in NA) - Really enjoyed this game a lot. The storyline was gripping, the combat system was enjoyable. I really enjoyed the way that magic and summoning worked in this game and the combat system doesn't seem to have glaring flaws. Nobuo Uematsu does another great job on a sound track.
5. Final Fantasy VIII- I'm not really sure where to start with this game it had some glowing moments which i'll begin with, but also some crippling set-backs... The soundtrack was beautiful, Nobuo Uematsu crushes it again with this game. Triple Triad is one of the best mini-games of the series and everything surrounding it was pretty awesome. I enjoyed the GF and Junction system as well, increasing stats and having different compatibility with GF's and party members. Now... The draw system was absolute shit. Drawing itself was painstakingly slow, and actually discouraged players from using magic, since your stats would go down if it was a junctioned magic. The characters were almost like watching an episode of Young the The Restless, they were essentially high school kids with a ton of angst. The end of the storyline was horrid and seemed like they threw it together at the last minute. "GF's made us forget" is a horrible cop-out.
6. FF IX - I liked the time period of the setting but for some reason this game just never really gripped me. The 4-member party was interesting, but none of the characters really struck me that well. I was not a fan of the Tetra Master card game. For some reason this game just never really grabbed me the way that the other ones did. I don't have any complaints really, as I haven't spent much time on the game.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
164234. FF X-2 - Kill it with fire. Please. Horrible sell-out game banking on a bunch of horny teens-20 somethings. The combat system was cool with being able to stack attacks onto one another and the girls looked good, but basically everything else about this game sucked.
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