BEST Final Fantasy?

[Kasou]

FFX. Because I'm a lazy bugger, I'll merely say that I agree with everything toad626 said.

I was a shameless FFVII fangirl for several years and I was a bit hesitant when I began playing FFX, but it blew me away and I can't say I regret playing it
So one could say FFX taught me to be more open-minded. Or one could alternatively say that I'm talking a load of bullsmurf.

FFVI has some truly beautiful scenes story-wise but it's been so long since I played the game and I never I actually completed it - only watched the ending on the internet. But I do love it.

...my post went a bit off-track, but oh well.

[solidsnake420]

I agree FF10 is a good game i liked it but its still not better then 7 because i don't like some of the charecters they seemed a littel crybaby like to me more over Tidus was the bigest crybaby of all Plus I liked the darker urban dingy look to 7 but thats just me

[Wounded Melody]

VI! I especially love all the characters that you can use, and I never really "hated" any of them *coughRinoacough* Plus, opera scene for the win!

[NeoCracker]

Why isn't Mystic Quest ever on these polls?

[Polaris]

FF7, no matter what people say! When the other games were all yy and with boring stories, FF7 popped-up and revelutionized the games Honestly no FF is good before ff7, ff7 is just perfect! Everything is perfect, MP system, the battles, the music, the story, the events

[leilei]

FFIV, but i'm surprised FFV hasn't gotten any love in this poll.

[Rantz]

My favourite is FFIX.

[Relapse]

i chose vii, because of crisis core.

[Alucard von Elru]

Whoa, I thought I posted in here, at least briefly. I didn't see myself, though. :P

First off, I'd just like to say that this thread has been, for the most part, a very enjoyable read. I've really been loving the discussion between toad and Wolf.

As for me, I cast my vote for FFXII as my absolute favourite in the series, although Matsuno's Tactics is absolutely sublime and always deserves mention. I've always been a big fan of Yasumi Matsuno and Akihiko Yoshida's distinctly baroque edge, and it really works when applied to various FF elements. I enjoyed immensely their more mature, subtle, politically-driven storylines, their incredible worlds, and most of all, the play mechanics. All I really need offer is this: my current hour count in XII is over 380 hours, and I still have a solid amount of things left that I need to do. It took me nearly an entire year of fairly consistent play (and ignoring all other games save Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria) to finally finish the core storyline, and I've been taking a bit of a break ever since. Soon, however, I want to dive back in and finish up with getting 100% completion.

As far as non-Matsuno FF titles are concerned, Final Fantasy IX is just about perfect, combining the best elements of every single main entry that came before it. Of special note is the game's wonderful art/world design. The game has a wonderfully whimsical, autumn-like vibe to it, but at the same time it has this strong, dark undercurrent running through it all. The overall effect is one that oftentimes gets me nostalgic for halloween. This unique combination of darkness and whimsy really gives the game a strong personality, and the characters in the game are incredible. Others have said it better than me, particularly in the lovely "IX vs VII and VIII" thread.

EDIT: It has to be said: Kuja is the greatest antagonist in the entire damn series. If it weren't for Vagrant Story's Sydney Lostarrot, Kuja would have taken the cake for my favourite antagonist of the entire 32/64-bit generation, even besting Panzer Dragoon Saga's Craymen and the many wonderful antagonists of games like Final Fantasy Tactics, Xenogears, and Suikoden II.

I also wanted to mention that, on the whole, there really aren't many FF titles that I don't like. I very much enjoyed both FFVIII and FFX. I think both have very unique play elements and leveling systems, and I really enjoyed the story and general worlds of both. VIII, in particular, is one of the very few games of the era in which I felt like the CG was kind of necessary, as opposed to being almost completely superfluous like in many games of even the previous, 128-bit generation. My only real issue with VIII is that the only character I really loved was Squall (well, and Laguna, but I'm trying to speak primarily of the main cast here). I thought he was an amazingly written character, and I really enjoyed the view we got into his deepest, even most random thoughts. I understand that this is an issue with which many take offense. I feel that if we knew every thought that other, more well-loved characters had, they'd be pretty commonly hated as well. I think it was a rather unique narrative device and that it, alongside the fact that I still found the rest of the primary cast to be highly likable, allows me to forgive its flaws. Overall, depending upon the size of a favourite games of all time list, VIII would most likely work its way in there somewhere.

As for X, that game is a bit iffy for me. To be blunt, I am absolutely unable to judge the game with a clear head, which makes me somewhat uncomfortable talking about it. Basically, I played it when I was decently young and not yet mature. The problem lies with the fact that this is the ONLY time in which I have experienced it. For example, I played VIII and IX when I wasn't yet very mature, but I have since re-experienced them and can still appreciate them; in other words, I can fully confirm that they have aged phenomenally well. This is something I may never be able to confirm with FFX. I am literally incapable of replaying it. Back when it first came out, it was all I played for about a year or so. o.O I had played it and replayed it so many times that when I load it up now, I'm just disgusted with it. I can't stand to play it and thus, I cannot tell whether or not my memories of it are accurate or misguided. A big part of a game's appeal, to me, is how well it has aged. This is the reason why, under usual circumstances, I require a game to age at least seven years (preferably a full decade) before allowing it to hold a spot in my favourites list. It has to prove that it can still provide an awesome experience, years after its release. In rare exceptions, I allow younger games in (Beyond Good & Evil, Shadow of the Colossus, Final Fantasy XII), but they have to really, really floor me. I have to be just disturbingly enraptured by them to allow a game of such a young age into my list.

And that's the problem with FFX: I can't accurately judge it. Because I cannot stand to play it anymore, one might say that it hasn't aged well and that I shouldn't allow it, but I haven't given it a full replay to see if that is not the case. At the same time, on paper the idea of replaying a game so many times you get sick of it sounds wonderful. But again, it prevents me from being an accurate judge of the game's overall quality. So FFX is certainly not on my list, but at the same time it's probably about the only game I'm undecided on. Essentially, it's in a type of limbo. :/

I also wanted to mention FFVII. This is a game that I feel is above average, and has moments of brilliance, but it gets bogged down in various flaws. I don't love it, I don't hate it, I just like it. It's not enough for me to consider it a favourite, but I have always enjoyed myself with it and I appreciate the fact that it opened the floodgates for RPGs outside of Japan. One thing I do like to note about the game, however, is that for all of its storytelling faults I rather appreciate the fact that it is one of precious few examples of the "unreliable narrator" device in gaming. The fact that Cloud is not what he claims to be, and that much of the player's perspective for the better part of the experience ends up being something of a lie, is quite fascinating. That game actually does need a more current replay out of me before I really say anything more, however.

Also, I just wanted to do a little confession: I have not yet completed FFVI, after all these years. I missed out on it during the 16-bit generation, the PS1 port is too load-time heavy to bother with, and I don't have a GBA or NDS. Before anyone mentions, I DO plan to rectify this by ordering an SNES copy at some point in the near future. My only major experience with FFVI was with an emulation of the GBA version: I enjoyed it immensely, and it felt like it could really hold its own against the greats of the era that I loved, like Chrono Trigger and both Lunar games. However, that was my first and only experience with emulation, as I ended up feeling quite guilty about the methods I was using to experience it, and ended up deleting it all off of my computer. So there. *breathes deeply*

[Bolivar]

^It's cool to see XII get some love because it is underappreciated and a little misunderstood.

[Crossblades]

What I would like to know is why XI is not listed on here. Yes, it is an online game and this probably wouldn't get any votes, but it's still part of the numbered series nonetheless. If SE wanted this to be a separate game, they simply would've just called it "Final Fantasy Online". But anyways, I vote for VI, because it has great story and memorable characters

[Wolf Kanno]

FFIV, but i'm surprised FFV hasn't gotten any love in this poll.

That surprises me too. Where's the love?

As for me, I cast my vote for FFXII as my absolute favourite in the series, although Matsuno's Tactics is absolutely sublime and always deserves mention. I've always been a big fan of Yasumi Matsuno and Akihiko Yoshida's distinctly baroque edge, and it really works when applied to various FF elements. I enjoyed immensely their more mature, subtle, politically-driven storylines, their incredible worlds, and most of all, the play mechanics. All I really need offer is this: my current hour count in XII is over 380 hours, and I still have a solid amount of things left that I need to do. It took me nearly an entire year of fairly consistent play (and ignoring all other games save Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria) to finally finish the core storyline, and I've been taking a bit of a break ever since. Soon, however, I want to dive back in and finish up with getting 100% completion.

I agree, XII is a remarkable game and I've always felt it gets discriminated for rather shallow reasons. Matsuno's works have all been personal favorites of mine in the SE library. FFT, FFTA, Vagrant Story, and FFXII are all beautiful and darkly mature games. His team has transformed Ivalice from a little world based on the mythos of the FF franchise into a beautiful standalone world that is deeper and more wonderful than most game worlds out there. I'm replaying through the FFs right now (up to VII) and so far, XII is the one I look forward to the most.

As far as non-Matsuno FF titles are concerned, Final Fantasy IX is just about perfect, combining the best elements of every single main entry that came before it. Of special note is the game's wonderful art/world design. The game has a wonderfully whimsical, autumn-like vibe to it, but at the same time it has this strong, dark undercurrent running through it all. The overall effect is one that oftentimes gets me nostalgic for halloween. This unique combination of darkness and whimsy really gives the game a strong personality, and the characters in the game are incredible. Others have said it better than me, particularly in the lovely "IX vs VII and VIII" thread.

EDIT: It has to be said: Kuja is the greatest antagonist in the entire damn series. If it weren't for Vagrant Story's Sydney Lostarrot, Kuja would have taken the cake for my favourite antagonist of the entire 32/64-bit generation, even besting Panzer Dragoon Saga's Craymen and the many wonderful antagonists of games like Final Fantasy Tactics, Xenogears, and Suikoden II.

Kuja is definetly an awsome villain and its a shame many people consider him nothing more than a knock-off of Kefka and Sephiroth. Though I disagree, cause I feel Sydney is easily the best antagonist in gaming history. God I love VS...

And that's the problem with FFX: I can't accurately judge it. Because I cannot stand to play it anymore, one might say that it hasn't aged well and that I shouldn't allow it, but I haven't given it a full replay to see if that is not the case. At the same time, on paper the idea of replaying a game so many times you get sick of it sounds wonderful. But again, it prevents me from being an accurate judge of the game's overall quality. So FFX is certainly not on my list, but at the same time it's probably about the only game I'm undecided on. Essentially, it's in a type of limbo. :/

It funny what time does to things. I'm playing through VII right now, and despite its shoddy localization and archaic graphics, I feel the story and gameplay are still quite strong. I feel most FFs have aged well even games I never thought would (FFI and FFIV). Playing through the game after experiencing XII was an eye opener though... I never noticed how laughable the character movements were in cutscenes. Though some of the VA is still top-notch (except Yuna and Seymore IMHO). I remember having issues with Zelda: OoT cause despite what most people feel, that game has not aged well at all... maybe its music. Maybe its cause I noticed that most of OoT best puzzles and dungeon designs were taken straight out of A Link to the Past (a game I consider far superior to OoT) but who knows. Lord knows, Zelda fans don't like me...

I also wanted to mention FFVII. This is a game that I feel is above average, and has moments of brilliance, but it gets bogged down in various flaws. I don't love it, I don't hate it, I just like it. It's not enough for me to consider it a favourite, but I have always enjoyed myself with it and I appreciate the fact that it opened the floodgates for RPGs outside of Japan. One thing I do like to note about the game, however, is that for all of its storytelling faults I rather appreciate the fact that it is one of precious few examples of the "unreliable narrator" device in gaming. The fact that Cloud is not what he claims to be, and that much of the player's perspective for the better part of the experience ends up being something of a lie, is quite fascinating. That game actually does need a more current replay out of me before I really say anything more, however.

I completely agree and this is the closest to my true sentiments about the game that I've heard. I also enjoy the Cloud identity plot twist cause it was quite bold of Square to do that.

Also, I just wanted to do a little confession: I have not yet completed FFVI, after all these years. I missed out on it during the 16-bit generation, the PS1 port is too load-time heavy to bother with, and I don't have a GBA or NDS. Before anyone mentions, I DO plan to rectify this by ordering an SNES copy at some point in the near future. My only major experience with FFVI was with an emulation of the GBA version: I enjoyed it immensely, and it felt like it could really hold its own against the greats of the era that I loved, like Chrono Trigger and both Lunar games. However, that was my first and only experience with emulation, as I ended up feeling quite guilty about the methods I was using to experience it, and ended up deleting it all off of my computer. So there. *breathes deeply*

Its a shame you won't be playing the superior GBA version. The GBA has a wonderful localization that brought a wealth of depth to the games story (I consider VI to be the best written FF after playing the GBA version) To be honest, since the GBA version, I can't even bring myself to play the old translation anymore. It feels so childish why the new one was mature. Sorry if I'm making you regret your decision, its a fine game either way and despite my sentiments, the original script is good its just that I prefer the new one. The gameplay is still the same though and its a damn fine game so I hope you enjoy it.

^It's cool to see XII get some love because it is underappreciated and a little misunderstood.

Tell me about it. XII was a game I feel the FF series really needed. I only hope that XIII takes note of XII's awesome world design. I want a fully rotatable camera in dungeons and cities.

What I would like to know is why XI is not listed on here. Yes, it is an online game and this probably wouldn't get any votes, but it's still part of the numbered series nonetheless. If SE wanted this to be a separate game, they simply would've just called it "Final Fantasy Online". But anyways, I vote for VI, because it has great story and memorable characters

I think its a shame for it to be missing as well. Though I've only played a little, I've been quite impresses so far and despite being the most outrageous entry in the series, I do feel its quite deserving of the numbered moniker.

[Bolivar]

I want a fully rotatable camera in dungeons and cities.

I think the camera is better utilized as an additional storytelling tool. These are RPGs, after all.

[Alucard von Elru]

Kuja is definetly an awsome villain and its a shame many people consider him nothing more than a knock-off of Kefka and Sephiroth. Though I disagree, cause I feel Sydney is easily the best antagonist in gaming history. God I love VS...

I think you may have misunderstood, or perhaps I did not word myself correctly. :P Basically, what I wanted to say is: if Sydney didn't exist, Kuja would have been number one. Because Sydney does, Kuja is relegated to a solid second.

Oh, and VS= my favourite game of all time.

Its a shame you won't be playing the superior GBA version. The GBA has a wonderful localization that brought a wealth of depth to the games story (I consider VI to be the best written FF after playing the GBA version) To be honest, since the GBA version, I can't even bring myself to play the old translation anymore. It feels so childish why the new one was mature. Sorry if I'm making you regret your decision, its a fine game either way and despite my sentiments, the original script is good its just that I prefer the new one. The gameplay is still the same though and its a damn fine game so I hope you enjoy it.

The script is honestly that much of an improvement? I very much enjoyed the writing in the GBA version that I had emulated, but I obviously didn't have the original version as a point of comparison. I'm surprised, because from reviews I have read most simply say it's been polished up a bit, but I never got the impression that it's substantial. I assume it's not quite the gigantic leap that Final Fantasy Tactics ----> The War of the Lions was (that was just amazing)?

[Wolf Kanno]

I want a fully rotatable camera in dungeons and cities.

I think the camera is better utilized as an additional storytelling tool. These are RPGs, after all.

I feel the camera is better suited as a tool for gameplay. You can lose control of the camera in story sequences and combat, thats fine, but in dungeons and towns it can be better used for puzzles and exploration. Xenogears, Wild ARMS series, and the Breath of Fire series are nice examples of how a rotating camera should be used.

Kuja is definetly an awsome villain and its a shame many people consider him nothing more than a knock-off of Kefka and Sephiroth. Though I disagree, cause I feel Sydney is easily the best antagonist in gaming history. God I love VS...

I think you may have misunderstood, or perhaps I did not word myself correctly. :P Basically, what I wanted to say is: if Sydney didn't exist, Kuja would have been number one. Because Sydney does, Kuja is relegated to a solid second.

Oh, and VS= my favourite game of all time.

Glad we cleared that up. Seriously, Vagrant Story doesn't get enough love.

The script is honestly that much of an improvement? I very much enjoyed the writing in the GBA version that I had emulated, but I obviously didn't have the original version as a point of comparison. I'm surprised, because from reviews I have read most simply say it's been polished up a bit, but I never got the impression that it's substantial. I assume it's not quite the gigantic leap that Final Fantasy Tactics ----> The War of the Lions was (that was just amazing)?

I wouldn't say its as drastic as that (though the IV and V revamped scripts for GBA were that drastic). Don't get me wrong, the original script is quite good (and some like Avarice will tell you its superior), its just that you never realise its bad points until you play the GBA one. The GBA script really fleshes out the characters and makes almost the entire cast feel like real people. The story flows much better as well. The original script moves you along nicely but there are still times it feels scripted like its just moving you along to the next dungeon or story point. The GBA script flows better. Its basically just polished overall.

The characters are all given a better diversity with their dialogue which greatly affects their characterzation and the players immersion in the story. Even the extra's are better integrated into the story. The original script is charming and well done but the GBA is elegant and top-notch. Play the SNES version but if you ever get the chance, play the GBA and you will see what I mean