The least important game in the series?

[Bolivar]

To be clear least important =/= worst of the series.

Double quoted for importance.

I don't think FFV is the least important in the series. As Hironobu Sakaguchi put it, V and VI were the experiments that lead up to FFVII.

My vote would go to either FFIII or FFIX. Neither of them are important to understanding how the series evolved. FFIII brought jobs back to make them a staple of the series, but not entirely since there were White Wizards and Thieves and Dragoon characters in FFII. FFIX also because not as many people played it as the other games, and it didn't contribute anything going into the next generation. It took all the advances from FFVII and FFVIII and made a game in that style with a more traditional fantasy setting and a ton of references. It was damn good and arguably the best title in the series, but it's not important.

FFII was arguably the most important game in the series. It established that every game was going to be completely different.

[Wolf Kanno]

^I can agree with IX but I felt FFIII really established the Job System as well as the skills of the jobs for future installments. Not to mention it introduced summoners which are a core element of later installments. I feel that at least gives it some props above IX in terms of impact on the series.

[Bolivar]

I would agree, since it also introduced abilities outside of Fight, Magic, Item. So I would say FFIX is the least important.

I'm actually really terrified that FFXII will become the least important game in the series. It was arguably a bigger shift in RPGs than FFX was, yet it seems Square has completely forgotten it exists or that games in that style might actually be successful in an HD, WRPG-dominated console generation.

[Weimar Pluto Knight VII]

yea FF9 maybe since it was more of a tribute but it is considered one of the best.

[Wolf Kanno]

I'm actually really terrified that FFXII will become the least important game in the series. It was arguably a bigger shift in RPGs than FFX was, yet it seems Square has completely forgotten it exists or that games in that style might actually be successful in an HD, WRPG-dominated console generation.

I would have felt the same way but I really feel like Xenoblade is a bit of XII's successor so it's nice to know the game has had some impact on the genre. Who knows, maybe they'll put Ito in charge of FFXV and he'll use the Ivalice team to help him.

[WildRaubtier]

FFIII brought jobs back to make them a staple of the series, but not entirely since there were White Wizards and Thieves and Dragoon characters in FFII.

This kind of misses the point - Job/Classes are a staple of RPGs in general. What 3 did was introduce a system of interchangeability between those classes for each individual character. Which happened to be one of the most important features of final fantasy as a whole, since it shows up in pretty much every FF since 7, even if only as a micromanagement of individual abilities.

[Bolivar]

I'm actually really terrified that FFXII will become the least important game in the series. It was arguably a bigger shift in RPGs than FFX was, yet it seems Square has completely forgotten it exists or that games in that style might actually be successful in an HD, WRPG-dominated console generation.

I would have felt the same way but I really feel like Xenoblade is a bit of XII's successor so it's nice to know the game has had some impact on the genre. Who knows, maybe they'll put Ito in charge of FFXV and he'll use the Ivalice team to help him.

White Knight Chronicles as well, which had an awesome customization and combat system, a cool world to explore as well as really fun multiplayer gameplay. Just too bad it sucked as an RPG.

This kind of misses the point - Job/Classes are a staple of RPGs in general. What 3 did was introduce a system of interchangeability between those classes for each individual character. Which happened to be one of the most important features of final fantasy as a whole, since it shows up in pretty much every FF since 7, even if only as a micromanagement of individual abilities.

If you want to count micromanagement of individual abilities, then FFII did that before III. But I can get on board that FFIII introduced a happy medium - you weren't confined to one job for the whole game, but you didn't have to worry about each individual piece of equipment and spell. These things could be grouped together, along with abilities, which was another thing FFIII introduced.

[WildRaubtier]

Well, 2 only really let you choose what magic you wanted to learn. Compare to, say, 7, where you could choose what you wanted your character to do at other times, such as cover, counter attack, increase the encounter rate, etc.

I wouldn't have counted 9 or 10 as doing that but I just now remembered that 9 had its magic stones and 10 had weapon/armour abilities.

[Wolf Kanno]

I'm actually really terrified that FFXII will become the least important game in the series. It was arguably a bigger shift in RPGs than FFX was, yet it seems Square has completely forgotten it exists or that games in that style might actually be successful in an HD, WRPG-dominated console generation.

I would have felt the same way but I really feel like Xenoblade is a bit of XII's successor so it's nice to know the game has had some impact on the genre. Who knows, maybe they'll put Ito in charge of FFXV and he'll use the Ivalice team to help him.

White Knight Chronicles as well, which had an awesome customization and combat system, a cool world to explore as well as really fun multiplayer gameplay. Just too bad it sucked as an RPG.

Yeah, I'll second that. I still need to finish that game too...

[Bolivar]

Well, 2 only really let you choose what magic you wanted to learn. Compare to, say, 7, where you could choose what you wanted your character to do at other times, such as cover, counter attack, increase the encounter rate, etc.

Well, FFII was actually pretty deep for its time because not only could you choose to have your characters learn any spell (and using those spells would then increase your base stats as well as your proficiency in that magic type), but also any piece of armor or weapon type or how you arrange those weapons. For example, you could have your character wield a sword and shield, and they'll become more proficient at both sword and shield, but you could alternatively equip them with a sword only, and they'll wield that weapon two-handed. Your character will deal more damage than normal at the cost of defense and then become more proficient at wielding weapons two-handed, in addition to better with the sword class. There weren't the abilities we mentioned III added or support skills like you mentioned in VII, but it really let you craft every part of your character from what they wore to what they did and even their statistics.

[Roogle]

It is my opinion that Final Fantasy V is not well-received in the West because it was never released originally.

There were plans to bring it over as a game called Final Fantasy Extreme or something like that, but it never panned out. Could the game have been much more popular if it had been released here, I wonder?

[Mirage]

Of the numbered ones? FF2.

FF5 wasn't heard much of because it never saw a real release until that anthology thing for the PS1, and even there it was just part of a compilation, so you wouldn't see "Final fantasy V" on some game cover in stores, either.

It is actually a very good game. You should try it.