The Best Final Fantasy game for PS2

[P4ine]

The obvious answer here is IX. As far as FF goes, that game was perfect.

[Kyros]

IX was my least favorite =/

[arcanedude34]

The obvious answer here is IX. As far as FF goes, that game was perfect.

[jammi567]

The obvious answer here is IX VIII. As far as FF goes, that game was perfect.

[Wolf Kanno]

Though I don't share Bolivar's views on VII and VIII, I do agree that IX is the best solely for being the most balanced entry between the three numbered entries.

IX does has its flaws for me but in terms of balancing gameplay with story I feel IX is the best entry in the series and really should be set as the template for how an FF should be designed exempting specialties like Battle Systems and Customization systems. Its structure just works for me.

[Shadowdust]

^ I disagree. In FFVIII, whenever I find a new spell, I have all 3 party members draw once, then transfer it to one user after battle, and move on. The game maintains the same challenge and pacing of any other FF this way.

I did more or less the same thing in my first playthrough. It was still far easier than any other FF to break the game. Yes, breaking the FFVIII battle system is the equivalent of grinding in others, but you can all but ensure that you never have a challenge in it with no more than 5-10 minutes here and there within the first few hours of the game. The other games require a much more significant time investment to break at any given point, and even if you did, the difficulty is likely to catch up to your characters strength. This never happened for me in FFVIII in any of my playthroughs. Once I had exploited the battle system, it was easily maintained with no more effort than drawing occasionally in battle or refining the right items.

It really is easier to break FFVIII than to grind to level 99 in any other FF because you never hit the point of diminishing returns where you have to spend a greater amount of time for an equivalent jump in stats.

And if I had to be honest, I think the only reason enemies level with you in the game is because Square realized the system was too easy to exploit and tried to have the game adapt as you leveled to increase the challenge. Sadly, it didn't do a good enough job in my opinion.

Also, I like how Flying Mullet thinks.

By your reasoning, that is exactly why I think FFVIII rocks. What one can consider breaking a game, I consider adjustable. As easy as it is to exploit the game, it's just as easy to make it the most difficult of all of the games simply by choosing not to take advantage of the available skills available in the game. Simply choosing not to junction magic to your stats will increase the difficulty considerably. You can say it is too easy to break the game, but isn't that really your choice whether you exploit the game to make it easier?

Anyway, out of the PSX originals, I have a difficult time choosing one. When each was released, I simply could not stop playing them over and over. At the end of the day, I have to choose FFVIII though. Mostly because it was the one Final Fantasy I was able to share with my wife completely and we had quite a good time experiencing it together. Other than that, I actually enjoyed the long summon cutscenes as well as the return to a low HP "desperation" type Limit Break. And it is also my favorite story of the three main titles.

[Rantz]

Okay, back on topic please. Deleting the pointless argument.

[Bolivar]

Though I don't share Bolivar's views on VII and VIII, I do agree that IX is the best solely for being the most balanced entry between the three numbered entries.

Thanks, I knew I was on to something.

[VeloZer0]

Well, since I am one of those FFVIII haters, it is down to a two horse race for me. (FFT doesn't count because it would win hands down)

I can certainly say my favorite of the two is FFVII, but I can also look at things objectively enough to know that just because it is my favorite doesn't mean its the best.

On the topic of which is the better over all game, I would have to say they come in very close. Breaking it down:

Characters: (FFIX)
In FFVII I liked some of the characters, disliked some, and was indifferent to others. And that didn't really change over the 100 hours of gameplay. In FFIX I was not a fan of the character art style and consequently was uninthusiastic about every character I met; however, over the course of the story I grew involved with them. Even though I ultimately liked the characters of FFVII more, I would think this indicates FFIX has a more well developed line up.

World:
Oh man, tough one....
...
After siting here thinking about this for 5 minutes I use FFIX's annoyingly slow airship as a tie breaker. FFVII wins, (though not in a meaningful way).

Plot: (FFVII)
I thoroughly enjoyed both, so I have to break it down a little more. FFVII's plot had me hooked and compelled me to play through from start to finish. I found FFIX to lag somewhat in the middle, going to the second continent (Lost Continent/Forgotten Continents, all the ones other than the Mist Continent sound the same and I don't remember which that one was called). Point FFVII.

Character Leveling/Set Up (FFVII)
My definition of a good system is something that is accessible, easy to learn/use, and once you get more involved is very fun to tinker with in much more depth. I also am a fan of the 'learn everything, equip only some' design philosophy. My main hang up with FFIX is that non active party members do not receive AP from battles, and as such I always feel it is a major chore to get them up to speed.

Combat: (FFVII)
FFIX's combat engine was just too slow, often times I had all four party members with commands input already, just waiting for something to happen.


Since I have to pick one, in the end it comes down to FFVII being the better game, although Plot and Character Leveling/Set Up were so close it came down to me nitpicking in the end. If I had written this at some other time it may very well have come up as IX being #1. (In reality I would say it is more like a tie, but I don't think I'm allowed. )

[Shiny]

I think having a game upgraded to PS2 would primarily be because the graphics were so bad they need that update. FFIX had really great graphics on PS1. I think out of the FF games that need it the most and would probably receive a lot of sales, FFVII would be the better choice. Rose of May is a beast of a tune though.


Also, I changed the thread title a bit because I think you meant PS2 right?

[Raistlin]

Also, I changed the thread title a bit because I think you meant PS2 right?

Huh? The OP is discussing FF7-9, all of which were on the PS1.

[Zeromus_X]

If we're talking about the PS1 games, then FFIX for me. Maybe it's just the nostalgic quality to it, but I find FFIX to be more colorful and fun to replay than the other two.

[Shiny]

Also, I changed the thread title a bit because I think you meant PS2 right?

Huh? The OP is discussing FF7-9, all of which were on the PS1.

I've just beaten Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and IX for the gazillionth time and I've got to say the best Final Fantasy for the PS2 is IX. Here is why.

[Bolivar]

LOL thread title change is weird.