XII, though X comes a close second. I always felt that in most FFs, the bad guy was too blatantly obvious, I mean, come on, yes Vayne was implyed many times during the story as the villain, but i always got the nagging feeling that he wasn't. But in a way, he wasn't exactly "Evil" he had the right idea, making the world peaceful and freeing peoples destiny, just using the wrong methods.

I also thought that the politcal side to it, although some may is tedious, really gives some depth to the troubles that the actual nations feel, instead of just the heroes point of view. The inner plots of assination, controlling and power gave a subtle hint to the world we live in now.

The characters, although not one being the main, are well thought out, if a bit too thought out. it sometimes feels as though they stick too closely to their characters, however this does not stop the development being noticable. I have only one complaint in that Penelo is completely overlooked through the whole story.