Final Fantasy versus The Legend of Zelda

Here are two long term game franchises that has nothing to do with each other, but are two of the most beloved series on this site, so I'm pitting them against each other. If you had to choose do you lie in the Final Fantasy camp (ignores the fact he's asking on a Final Fantasy forum), or the Legend of Zelda?

When it comes to their first game, I choose Final Fantasy because I got father on it. When it comes to the second I choose Final Fantasy again. Now with the third I have to go with Zelda because Link to the Past is great. Fourth game I go with Final Fantasy again. Fifth game is Ocarina of Time, so Zelda. Sixth? Final Fantasy again. And it gets muddy from there.

I guess I'll be predictable and vote Final Fantasy.

Discuss.

Statistically speaking, Zelda has a higher volume of good titles in percentage. FF is a bit like the band KISS and has slapped the moniker on anything they can make a profit on with varying results. So FF has had more opportunity to fail. I'll have to think about this.

They're not even the same genre. Apples and oranges.

It all depends on my mood, honestly, considering how different they are.

I'm with Fynn and Scotty, tbh. Not sure you can truly compare them at the end of the day.

Legend of Zelda is an overrated series. It's fun, but not top tier. The best Zelda games may be better than the worst FF games, but that's about it. Anything in the top half or so of numbered FFs (I'm not counting just any piece of garbage that bears the moniker) is better than any Zelda game.

As has been stated, the series are way too different to really garner a fair match up. Not to mention that you really can't match up the series in a clean timeline either since FF has way higher volume of titles.

I'd argue the original Legend of Zelda is better than all of the NES FF titles, but would turn around and say all three NES era FFs are better than Zelda II. Link to the Past is better than FFIV and V in my opinion, but not as strong as FFVI for me. Likewise, Link's Awakening is better than FFV but not FFIV. Ocarina of Time isn't as good as the four major FF titles released on the PS1, but I would concede that Majora's Mask is better than VII and VIII for me. Wind Waker is better than FFX and XI for me, but nowhere near as good as FFXII. Twilight Princess is better than any FF game released from the PS2 period onward. Skyward Sword isn't as good as any of them though. I have not played Breath of the Wild so I can't judge that one, and I'm unsure of where a lot of the handheld entries would fall though I would safely say that most FFs beat Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks. I'm still debating on where I would place Link Between Worlds among the actual Zelda titles, so I couldn't even begin to figure out where it would land among the FFs, but going by its time frame, it's competing with XIII and I hate that game, but both titles have different standards as well.

Again, there is just different criteria for what makes both franchises appealing. If you only care about character and story then Zelda will almost always lose. Yet, if you're looking for a stronger gameplay that focuses on exploration and solving problems, then FF really doesn't hold a candle to Zelda. Zelda bosses tend to be more interesting and memorable due to a puzzle aspect to them, but FF bosses can be just as memorable for production values alone. The franchises are too different to make a fair choice and it really would come down to which style of game you prefer over which one is objectively better.

The only comparison I agree on there that favors Zelda is the original is better than the first three FFs, but then I consider the original one of the best Zelda games whereas I wouldn't put any of the first three FFs in the top half of numbered FFs. Ocarina I consider worse than any SNES or PSX FF and probably worse than some of the NES FFs. Heck, I consider it worse than FFXII, which is not a game I have any particular fondness for. Zelda II is worse even than FFII and you probably have a good idea of my opinion of that game by now.
Link to the Past is good. One of the best in the series, but it also does not compare to any of the SNES or PSX FFs. Breath of the Wild is probably my favorite. Maybe it beats out FFV. Barely. Maybe.

I don't particularly care that they're different games. I can compare FF with Katamari or Punch Out (FF is better than both) which are more dramatically different than Zelda games or apples and oranges (oranges usually but it may vary depending on type of each).

I just want to play with their love child.

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Originally Posted by Fynn

They're not even the same genre. Apples and oranges.

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Doesn't mean you can't vote :shrug:

Apples.

After a lot of thought, I still don’t think I can vote. I like both series a lot, and which I prefer playing just depends on my mood.

Final Fantasy VIII is basically my favorite game of all time, and I admit nostalgia plays a big role in that. I used to play through the whole game once a year at least. That being said, I spent an embarrassing number of hours fishing in Ocarina of Time as a kid, and I probably played that game almost as much as VIII when it’s all said and done.

I feel I also struggle more to enjoy newer final fantasy games whereas I haven’t hit that yet with Zelda.

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Originally Posted by Lord Golbez

The only comparison I agree on there that favors Zelda is the original is better than the first three FFs, but then I consider the original one of the best Zelda games whereas I wouldn't put any of the first three FFs in the top half of numbered FFs. Ocarina I consider worse than any SNES or PSX FF and probably worse than some of the NES FFs. Heck, I consider it worse than FFXII, which is not a game I have any particular fondness for. Zelda II is worse even than FFII and you probably have a good idea of my opinion of that game by now.

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Honestly, my only beef with Ocarina of Time, besides aging poorly in some places, is the fact the fans treat it as perfection. OoT is a mid-tier Zelda title for me, but I still get a kick out of playing from time to time. Whereas my love of the PSX generation of FFs has always been divisive for FF fans. I actually feel many of Squares non-FF titles were the real gems of that generation. Most of my issues with the franchise as a whole either began or were further exasperated that particular generation. The one element I can hand OoT over the PSX generation FFs is that the plot was more sound in execution.

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Link to the Past is good. One of the best in the series, but it also does not compare to any of the SNES or PSX FFs. Breath of the Wild is probably my favorite. Maybe it beats out FFV. Barely. Maybe.

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The one thing LttP has going for it over even the SNES FFs for me is that it's a game I'm still compelled to finish whenever I start it. Whereas the SNES FFs are games I can start, reach a certain point, and then never return to it again.

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I don't particularly care that they're different games. I can compare FF with Katamari or Punch Out (FF is better than both) which are more dramatically different than Zelda games or apples and oranges (oranges usually but it may vary depending on type of each).

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As I stated before, it's difficult for me to choose because I play both series for different reasons, so which is better really comes down to my mood at the time. I can see how some can do so because they like certain types of games more than others.

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Originally Posted by Bubba

Doesn't mean you can't vote :shrug:

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You can't tell me what I can or can't do :stare:

To be fair, Link to the Past is shorter than any of the SNES FFs, so it's a bit easier to follow through on completing it. That said, I do not share the same experience. I often get bummed by the dull colors of the dark world and quit soon after. Also, there are only so many times I can deal with getting knocked off a ledge by Ganon, so sometimes I'll quit right at the end just because I don't want to go back and start over.

As for Ocarina's plot. Well, I suppose it's not too difficult to execute a plot "well" when there are like what? Three plot points? I mean, let's be honest. There's more plot in some single scenes of the PSX FFs than the entire game of Ocarina.

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Originally Posted by Lord Golbez

To be fair, Link to the Past is shorter than any of the SNES FFs, so it's a bit easier to follow through on completing it. That said, I do not share the same experience. I often get bummed by the dull colors of the dark world and quit soon after. Also, there are only so many times I can deal with getting knocked off a ledge by Ganon, so sometimes I'll quit right at the end just because I don't want to go back and start over.

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Color palettes never bother me unless they are really atrocious. Of anything, I feel the Dark World is too bright and vibrant. Ganon can be annoying with the ledge thing, but I honestly had a bigger issue with that mechanic in OoT because of the clumsy lock on mechanic. Honestly, his pattern is pretty predictable and as long as you don't stray far during his darkness technique to light the lanterns, you can mostly avoid the ledge trap.

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As for Ocarina's plot. Well, I suppose it's not too difficult to execute a plot "well" when there are like what? Three plot points? I mean, let's be honest. There's more plot in some single scenes of the PSX FFs than the entire game of Ocarina.

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There is a bit more to the plot and story of OoT than three points, but it is certainly not as expansive as an FF. The issue for me is that FF plots started to get too unwieldy in the PSX era and beyond. It's annoying seeing how most of them can't do a decent job to tie up loose ends or coming up with some outrageous premise as a plot twist just to keep the story going. OoT has a lot of problems, but I wouldn't say the story is one of them outside of the first half being a Shaggy Dog story, and the overall plot was already known to anyone who read the manual for Link to the Past. I'll take the Hero of Time screwing up the space time continuum of Hyrule and damning three timelines over having to deal with all the red herrings about Cloud's past perpetuated by his lying "childhood friend", amnesiac orphans fighting time traveling witches, and dealing with the bat trout insane troll logic of the Alexandrian Royal family that is the crutch of IX's plot for the first half of the game. Zelda plots may never rise up to be a real page turner in the narrative department, but at least most of them have a sound story

There may have been some missteps in the PSX era FF plots, but I'll take the ambition of them over more minimalist plots any day.

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Originally Posted by Bubba

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Originally Posted by Fynn

They're not even the same genre. Apples and oranges.

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Doesn't mean you can't vote :shrug:

Apples.

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That should be my next poll.

LTTP is the best Zelda game, but there are several FF's I'd player over it.

So FF.

Aaaahhh . . . not really a LoZ fan, honestly. I mean, I enjoy the games well enough, but I haven't been excited for an upcoming entry since . . . ever? Like, maybe Twilight Princess, just so I'd have something to play on my Gamecube? The series has been solid and all, but outside LoZ, Awakening, BS LoZ, and LttP, the series does nothing for me. :shrug:

You all know if Zelda and Final Fantasy did a crossover game you'd buy it day one and then complain that the series aren't comparable enough to do a crossover.

Man, I've still yet to play Breath of the Wild. I haven't played either series in I don't know how long. I've been slippin.

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Originally Posted by Fynn

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Originally Posted by Bubba

Doesn't mean you can't vote :shrug:

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You can't tell me what I can or can't do :stare:

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Yes I can.

Nah, I get it, both are beloved series with roots in the very beginning of Nintendo, started out a bit similar then branched off into entirely different types of games. I had to vote Final Fantasy because I love the content of the older games and enjoy the story driven aspect of the games.
That being said I think Ive played Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask more than any Final Fantasy game, simply because they are more playable. I don't like most active battle games, but these are the exception as they are just plain fun.

However with both franchises I have no interest in playing any new releases. That is, until FF7 remake, which is like a new game in of itself but still a remake of an older game. I feel like with Zelda the story of played out and past it's point. Whereas with FF I just wasn't able to get into any of the stories as much as I was with the older ones. Plus active time battles scare me :ohdear:

I didn't hesitate one second to vote for Zelda. Final Fantasy is amazing, but I've been having a love affair with Zelda for over 20 years. The excitement of learning about a new game or playing one doesn't rival the excitement of FF at all in my book.

Hell, I just finished Link's Awakening on the Switch last night and saw this poll while listening to a Zelda concert.