Most Overrated FF game

[Wolf Kanno]

It's been awhile since we had one of these. Which FF game do you believe gets too much undeserved love and praise?

[VeloZer0]

You are on a roll with the thread creation WK.

I think each game is overrated in it's own way. I'll run down a few and my thoughts.

FF7
The first game everyone's mind jumps to when someone mentions 'overrated' and 'final fantasy', either to label it or defend it. While there is no denying it has it's extreme fans I think that at this point the hate on it for being overrated is greater than the actual overrating itself. Personaly I don't think FF7 was anything more than FF6 with better graphics, but I think the 2D->3D leap was significant enough that this made a profound difference in the overall package. And even though the game wasn't the miracle title it is sometimes made out to be you are a fool to discount the profound effect it made on the JRPG, and to lesser extent gaming, landscape.

FF9
One of the worst offenders on my list. FF9 is an excellent game. However it seems like people's disdain for FF7&8 has led them to over inflate FF9s worth to compensate. In particular I feel this game has some major problems with pacing, and everyone who is a fan of it has managed to convince themselves that there is nothing wrong with the battles. I don't have a problem with them in the least, but I don't see how they could appeal to anyone who wasn't determined to like the game from the outset.

FF12
I feel this game is both overrated and fairly rated. What I mean is, I feel the game is overrated by the people who like it. However it is a fairly divisive entry, with a large counterbalancing negative opinion. If you average the two out it comes out fairly fair.

My personal opinion is they did an outstanding job putting a game together built around poor game design and plot decisions. The overall game experience being decent, but I will viciously rip apart just about every part of it when analysed.

EDIT:

FF13
This is more a reaction to critical response than fan response. A whole bunch of review sites gave this game extremely high scores, whereas others decided to give it ridiculously low scores. It seems like game reviewers were scared to give this game a less than superb score because it was a major release, and if they disliked it strongly enough to buck the trend they felt they needed to give it a score intended to shock instead of evaluate. So I think this game isn't getting a fair shake either way, but this thread is about the over-rating part.

[Jessweeee♪]

FF13
This is more a reaction to critical response than fan response. A whole bunch of review sites gave this game extremely high scores, whereas others decided to give it ridiculously low scores. It seems like game reviewers were scared to give this game a less than superb score because it was a major release, and if they disliked it strongly enough to buck the trend they felt they needed to give it a score intended to shock instead of evaluate. So I think this game isn't getting a fair shake either way, but this thread is about the over-rating part.

I definitely agree with you here. Personally I love FFXIII so I gush on and on about how much I love it and how awesome it is, but whether I say so or not, I do see that while it's a good game, it's not for everyone.

[Jiro]

Velo's thoughts on IX are pretty valid actually.

I still think VII is the most widely overrated game but people like it for a reason. Nostalgia now, mostly.

[cloud_doll]

Yeah, even though I love FF7 it's overrated, mostly in Japan. Why on Earth they decided it was worth making so many spin-offs and sequels is beyond me. Well, more than the norm anyway.
Personally I think FF10 is overrated. The story was whatever, the gameplay was soo whack, and the characters were all fruity. I'm too tired to think up good reasons.

[WhiteStorm]

VII and IX definitely. Okay, I admit they're both good games, but I don't see why people go overboard with praises of them.

I do understand why Square did so many sequels, spin offs and movies about VII, after all, they just gave fanboys what they wanted and, of course, had their eyes on the money.

[sharkythesharkdogg]

Tactics.

It's a great game, but it's like all "hardcore gamerz" hail it and wear it as a badge of pride that they ever played the game. It's not the end all be all people, it's just a solid 3/4 over game. It's one of those cult classics that gets built up way too much.

I'm guilty of doing the same thing with Xenogears, if I'm honest with myself.

[Wolf Kanno]

Xenogears is epic, its not nostalgia, its remnants of awesomness left behind after playing.

[VeloZer0]

It was epic, but my second disk was all scratched up or something. Really ruined the gameplay experience I had been having up until that point.

[Wolf Kanno]

You were just too overwhelmed by its awesomness.

Besides, if you were an EVA fan like I was back in the day, you should have loved the second disc. :P

[Darkwolf090]

Back to the topic at hand shall we?
VII is a great game and overrated yes, however every single Final Fantasy is Over rated in its own way... well ok maybe not FF1 but thats a grind fest of a game (And I loved it) ... anyway it really is going to boil down to who you are talking to.
For me VII is overrated now I say this even though it was my first Final Fantasy and I love the game and the battle system was great! However it has alot more hype then it earned over the years cuz of the fanboys.
Hell even VI is overrated in its own way (I feel like I am going to die for saying that here) and even IV is overrated and that is my favorite of all time by far.
Sure this is a topic of what one we think is the most overrated and I am looking forward to seeing everyones answers so ill say up front what I think is the most overrated and then i will nit pick at all the other games of what i think is overrated about them.
VII is the most overrated cuz of the fanboys, good game, decent story, not the best game ever like most want me to believe.

IV i think in its own right is overrated, more so if by SE then anyone, as I do believe it has more remakes then any other FF now (I own them all too...) The story all be it good has alot of lacking elements imo.

VI is a great game i am saying that now so some people I know wont drive to my house and stab me in the night dressed up like Kefka... *Cough* WolfKanno *Cough* While it is a great game it suffers from the same thing that all great games do, Fanboys, now I am a very picky person so feel free to disagree with me but I think the Story is lacking in this one on some elements as well, now i cant say much more about it sure but it sure the heck is not the best game of all time imo just like 7 isnt.

VIII another great game but overrated, I feel the battle system is half assed in this one... cuz well it is... also the story near the end just makes me want to stab something cute....

IX was hit hard by 7 and 8 fanboys for not being as good imo really, that said they just dont know how to deal with a medieval FF if they only play 7 and 8, however the way you learn abilities was crap imo and some of the chars where lacking.

X .... well really the story was the biggest hit on this one, chopping writing imo.

XII Im not even going to start on this one but that is a personal reason that I do not wish to spend time on this game, good game to some, but not to me.

XIII Story...

Now like I said I am picky and I to nit pick at flaws but in a argument with a fanboy that thinks something is perfect, flaws are what you have to point out thus I feel that they are the argument to overrated as well, now I did say story in alot of those but mainly just some of the elements of the story, now then I think I have gone on long enough.

[Jiro]

Bagging out VI is a pretty ballsy move

[Flying Arrow]

Everyone finds things to like about each game, so I can't really fault anyone for enjoying a game because of something that makes it unique among the other titles. I have a soft-spot for FF8 because of its setting and the story it tried to tell. It was really different, and I still am a bit resentful of IX for giving us a setting more in tune with the older games. Different games have different things about them that are good, and they should all be appreciated for what they do well.

That said, I do smurfing hate fanboys, though, and VII has the worst. The VII fanbase is a stupid hype machine on par with the best (or worst) publishers hyping their products today. They drastically blow out of proportion everything that FFVII did. The worst part is that the entire terrible Compilation has resulted from this. VII was one of my favourite video games I've ever played (and still is), but even I can't help groaning every time I hear its name mentioned.

One game I'm clueless as to why it has fans is X. The game does a couple things well, but everything else I find so agonizing that I'm stunned that others can put up with it, or even enjoy it. Its worst crime, for me, is that it's the first FF game that felt small to me. I wasn't particularly huge on the world design and pacing of either VIII or IX, but X was just missing so much that made the previous games enjoyable - the simple task of moving through the game world is simply holding up on the joystick until the next cutscene. No looking around, very little exploration, and a general sense that - about a few hours in - you've already seen everything the game is going to throw at you. Sure, playing through the earlier games a zillion times made those feel small to me too, but that was because of familiarity. By the time I got to Mushroom Rock Road the first time I played X, I nearly stopped because I was so underwhelmed. I can see newcomers enjoying X, but fans of the previous games? I guess it all depends on what exactly it was they liked about the previous games. For me, I found very little of what I was looking for in X.

Also voice acting. I wish it had never been introduced to the series.

[Depression Moon]

Wait a minute IX overrated. Outside of here I hardly ever hear the game mentioned. Whenever I read a game magazine, read a website article, or watch a video if they mention an FF game that's passed its always VII, then VII, VII, I, VII, VII, I, I, VI, X, VI, VII. It's like the others don't exist.

Also about IX I don't think disliking VII or VIII has anything to do with it. I loved it before I played VII and after I played VII.

[black orb]

>>> Hard to say. FF13 is the worst but is not overrated because we all realize that the game sucks already..

I think the most overrated is FF6. Dont get me wrong, FF6 is a good FF game but it doesnt deserve all the praise and fanboyism it gets.

The most underrated is FF2 obviously..