Final Fantasy XII is obviously the forerunner here, with it initially turning me off for its lack of design and feel that usually accompanies Final Fantasy games. Once I replayed it and judged the game on its own merits, it stands as one of my favorite games of all time. There's so much content and its all designed brilliantly. Even the story redeemed itself when I played it straight through on one playthrough, finding the pacing to be just right.

Final Fantasy VIII also saved face over time. I never finished my first playthrough and always considered it to be a black sheep sandwiched between two masterpieces. Years later I appreciated how unique its setting and art design is and I find myself longing to play it when I'm on other FFs.

Final Fantasy IX lowered only slightly in my estimation. When I beat it, I felt it was a stronger game than Final Fantasy VII and probably the greatest game I ever played. I still feel it's the overall most well-rounded game but it didn't take as many risks as its PlayStation brethren, so I knock it down just a tad now in my rankings.

Final Fantasy IV has slid lower to me. I mentioned this in the ranking thread, but this was one of my favorite entries due to how genre-defining it was for its time and the art and music still hold strong. But the entirety of the gameplay holds it back. You easily get enough money to stock up multiple max stacks of potions, allowing you to just hold down the A button to get through most dungeons. On the PSP version they even had an auto function to do this quickly. It still has a special place to me but as a *game* I can't put it on the same pedestal anymore.