Final Fantasy vs. Other Square RPGs

[Forsaken Lover]

As i begin to do a replay of Xenogears for the first time in a while I'm reminded how I used to visit many different forums years ago and I encountered quite a bit of resentment towards the FF franchise.
"Only noobs think Final Fantasy is the best RPG out there. There are tons better." Basically fans of other games pissing and moaning about their games not being as famous or popular.

Still, I can't help but see where they're coming from. Xenogears is better than any FF game I've ever played.

So yeah, the point of this topic. How would you rank your favorite Final Fantasy titles when compared to other Square RPGs like Xenogears or the Chrono games or whatever else?

[Del Murder]

Well, obviously this is a matter of opinion, since I for one don't think Xenogears is better. Fighting in the gears got boring quickly and the exposition near the end since apparently they ran out of time/money/disc space turned me off.

I think the only other RPG that comes close to FF is Chrono Trigger. That game is just magnificent. It really has no faults at all. Great story, great characters, fun battles, plenty of extras. Chrono Cross is good too but it doesn't hold a candle to FF.

Same with the DQ series. Only DQVIII for me comes close to rivaling the FF games, probably because it is the most similar to FF than any of the other games (which turned off a lot of DQ fans I've noticed).

KH is a great series of games but it doesn't really compare well to FF since the gameplay is a lot different. Same with Secret of Mana, another great Square game. I love those series but they still don't beat FF.

[VeloZer0]

For me the FF series trumps all others. Some games like CT are better than just about all of the FF entries, but as a whole I think FF has no contest.

If I were to take my top 5 FF titles and my top 5 RPGs FF would win hands down. Obviously this would change with your personal preferences, but I don't think FF came to dominate the JRPG world by putting out grossly inferior products.

Not that people hating something because it is popular is an undocumented effect.

Basically fans of other games pissing and moaning about their games not being as famous or popular.

Good quote, which has relevance far past the issue at hand.

[TrollHunter]

-cuddles chrono trigger-
To be honest I haven't really played any other square rpg's such as DQ or Xenogears. Next time I can though I'll see if I can pick em up.

[Wolf Kanno]

I'm actually one of those guys who likes many of Squares non-FF games more than the FF series. Chrono Trigger and Xenogears are easily two of my favorite RPGs of all time and I can't say any of the FFs ever came as close to them for me personally. Hell, I feel the majority of Squares non-FF and non-numbered FF games during the PS1 era trumped the FF series. I'll take another Front Mission 3, Parasite Eve, Chrono Cross, Xenogears, FF T, Brave Fencer Musashi, and Vagrant Story over VII-IX any day of the week.

This is probably why I'm not happy with SE, cause FF is their strongest brand right now, with very few non-FF related titles on the side that I care for. KH and DQ are nice, but I don't feel they are as good as the list I gave above, and that's not even including some of the non-Square greats like BoF and Suikoden. Course this is just my opinion, so what do I know...

[Jiro]

I haven't had a whole lot of experience with non-FF RPGs from SE but my interaction has rarely been terrible. They can do good things with other projects, it's somewhat disappointing that they don't devote as much time and effort into these non-FF titles.

[Del Murder]

When was it terrible?

[VeloZer0]

Unlimited Saga?

[Del Murder]

He was banned, so I guess we'll never know.

[Wolf Kanno]

Unlimited Saga, World of Mana compilation, Infinite Undiscovery, The Bouncer, The Last Remnant...

[Flying Arrow]

Square has a number of games that are probably better than most of the FF games, but I don't have memories fonder than those I got from FFs IV-IX. Some may not have been as downright good as the Chronos, the Seiken Densetsus, or Vagrant Story, but I never looked more forward to another game more than FF. I was always fascinated with where the series would be going next while still retaining that morsel of similarity that linked all the games together.

Unfortunately, Square went the route of X and on. But back before that it was still interesting!

[qwertysaur]

Infinite Undiscovery is fun.

Chrono trigger and Cross are love.

Seiken Densetsu 2 and 3 are Wonderful. :rabite:

[Wolf Kanno]

No Legend of Mana? :rabite:

[Forsaken Lover]

I remember back in the day a lot of people said Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars was a legitimately great RPG and one of the best on the SNES. (which is saying something)

Never played it myself and the fanfare seems to have died down.

[Jiro]

When was it terrible?

I said rarely terrible. Infinite Undiscovery was pretty fun. Nowhere near perfect (which is why my interactions are rarely terrible; it's my antonym to ALWAYS MARVELLOUS), but I think a step in the right direction.