Favourite Final Fantasy

[Ragebrain The Enraged]

The old thread isn't valid anymore and doesn't have all the games on it, plus people might have changed their mind since then.

[Clo]

Oh, you said FFXIII! That's really interesting -- I haven't heard anyone say that's their favorite yet.

[Rantz]

Still IX!

[Fynn]

XII, for various reasons.

[Momiji]

Still FFIV.

[Depression Moon]

Still IX!

[Wolf Kanno]

Still sticking to my non-vote.

Here's my previous comment on the question...

I can't cast a vote on this. In the past I use to have a ranking system but in recent years its started to fall apart and on any given day it will fall into any one of these titles. My top FFs are the ones that had the greatest impact on me and generally changed my view in some way. The games that really inspired me and showed me the true essence of the Final Fantasy Experience.

The four titles in question are IV, VI, IX, and XII. Granted titles like I, III, and V also had an impact on me but not on the level that these four titles did.
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IV was the first FF I owned and despite having played through half of VI before touching this game, it really changed my views on gaming and fantasy. Its story was groundbreaking for its time and even today its hard to find stories about villains seeking redemption to be told this well (ignoring some of the cheese of course). Sure it pulled your heart strings a bit, only to turn around and give you a Disney style ending, but these are characters we grew to love despite not realizing it.

Seeing everyone come back for the finale filled me with emotions I didn't think I would have. I had not realized until then how much I cared about each of them. It also had so many grandiose moments. Despite technology limitations, I believe it was still easy to feel the grandiose aura of such moments as Cecil's rebirth as a Paladin, the twins sacrifice, Tellah's death, the battle with the Giant of Babil and the final battle against Zeromus. The serious weight of those moments could still be felt from such tiny pixelated sprites and over a decade later.
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VI was the first FF I had ever played and the first traditional console RPG. This game changed my life. It not only was a breathtaking adventure with wonderful ideas and a beautiful and memorable cast that still has not been beat today; but it also changed my view of what a game could be. Before VI, games were just fun entertainment. After VI, I realized that gaming could be art with as much of an impact as great literary and cinematic works.

A wonderful cast, an amazing story, beautiful designs, and excellent direction in story and gaming. VI was the first time I felt for fictional game characters. I wanted to help Terra who was lost in her own identity. I cheered for Locke as he tried to save Rachel and pursue Celes. I was understanding in regards to Sabin's desire for freedom and I admired Edgar for sacrificing his own, so his brother could have his wish. My heart wrenched as Cyan watched his family die and then see their spirits pass on. I wanted to comfort Setzer as he reminisced about Darly; and my heart dropped into despair as I watched Celes try to take her own life cause she had finally given up...

To this day, very few games can touch me on this emotional level and it happens every time I play it. Its not just nostalgia its just the games ability to draw me into its world so beautifully. An ability it has had for me for over a decade now. Its apocalyptic plot twists, its enchanting and genre defining soundtrack, its cinematic scope, and its lovable but menacing villain who showed that evil does not have to be something supernatural, it exist even now in the real world and perhaps no evil force is more terrifying and dangerous than the evil that is man. :mog:
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IX was a game I had been waiting for since VI. VII and VIII were games I appreciated more on a technological level than for story or character (with one exception in regards to VIII). They were flashy but it always felt too fake to me. Like the games were trying really hard to outdo themselves and impress me. It made for nice eye candy but I wanted something with a little less pretension.

I wanted something to combine the solid story mechanics and well thought out characters of old games but combine it with the technology and flair of recent titles. IX is not just a game that goes back to its roots; to me I agree with Hironobu Sakeguchi when he said that FF IX it the quintessential FF. The one that defines what the series really is.

Bringing together a wonderful ensemble of characters, a rich world filled with wonder and inspiration, a fantastic musical score, and a plot that was perfectly executed. It balanced nicely the need for action and the need for calm, its characters were more down to earth and though many had world shattering problems, they dealt with them in a much more down to earth way. The cast was so goofy at times that the serious moments didn't feel like some forced emotional exchange in some sad attempt at being "artsy" yet they were so likable and relatable that when those moments happen; you felt like falling down and crying right beside them. A good cast with depth is not one that has a well though out back story filled with history and intrigue, its a cast that can make you feel for their plight no matter how silly it seems or whether their motivation can be explained in a simple sentence rather than pages.

The game wonderfully tied in its theme of Meaning of Life. It never felt forced like VIIs but it was something the player was constantly aware of unlike VIIIs. Each character walked a different path and found different meanings. Yet it wasn't something that was really spelled out for the player, its just something you figure out as you play along.

Combine these elements with good gameplay and the best FMV cutscenes in the series and I feel its easy to understand how Sakeguchi could make such a bold statement for a title that is hounded for being "unoriginal" or "kiddy". Its depth is there you just need to look past the shallow aspects of perception and realize that even though it took so many elements from previous FFs unlike those FFs it did them right.

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XII restored my faith in the series. The last few SE titles had gone into a direction I really felt I couldn't support. At the time I was beginning to feel that FF could no longer be counted as the "groundbreaking innovative series that all other rpg were judged". By 2006, I felt that not only had a few different series finally pass FF in these regards but that FF itself had lowered its standards to become the formualtic filth that crowded the market. XII was a game I was waiting for, I didn't want to get my hopes up for it, but I knew it would be the title that would make or break the franchise for me. It was being designed by a team that had never let me down. Matsuno had made two other titles that to me, rank up as not only the greatest games, but some of the best stories ever written. Final Fantasy Tactics and Vagrant Story.

Yet, XII had many elements I was wary of. The gambit system sounded like a really bad idea and the first pics of pretty boy Vaan were not too inspiring. At times it seemed like XII fell right into the formula of other RPGs. Not to mention the horrendous opinions that spawned from the poorly done demo. When the game was finally released, I let my fears go away and began to play. What transpired was 160+ hours transcendence.

Ivalice is not simply a place in a game. It is a real world, it lives and breathes like us and at times feel like it really exists just over the horizon. Its filled with people you know or could easily meet on the streets, even though some have scales or pom-poms. Exploring Ivalice is exploring a real world, just around each horizon is another exotic location with cities that are bustling with people. Monsters roam and interact with each other, each person is unique from one another and every step is filled with history. Ivalice is aplace filled with wonder yet to be found and unlike other titles, by the end you know you've only seen a glimpse of what is really out there.

Its cast, though told in a more muted way has more depth and reality to them than the cardboard cut-outs of other FFs. Basch is a wonderful tragic hero not because his story is outright ghoulish or beyond understanding but because it feels more "real" than other characters. Lady Ashe's journey and characterization is not only beatifully told but it is explained and revealed in way that allowes the player to understand the gravity of her decision, to see how personal it is. We were given a cast not solely placed on the rails of archtype but genuinely broke out and showed us that they were real people.

Its story, though lacking the complexity of other Matsuno titles; still has great bearing and strength cause its not just about the events that are transpiring currently ,but its also about the weight of events that had transpired long before; with heroes we may never know the names of. Even at the end, we understand that what has transpired is not the end of the matter but another link in the chain of history. Its story and world are tied to history and created a level of realism never felt in previous titles. It even goes so far as to create a scenario where the heroes do not battle to save the world. Yet what they fight for is worth more than just the world; and I feel that the philosophical message speaks greater depth than just merely trying to stop some narcissistic madman with a god complex from destrying life on the planet. Sometimes, fighting for ideals can be just as powerful.

Though it has its flaws, XII to me was a game that took a few steps in the right direction. Though it lacks the balance of IX it plunged us into a new way of perceiving things and now its up to fate to see where we go from here.

[Vermachtnis]

Still V

[Chris]

It's a tie between FFIX, FFX and FFVI. I know, but these three all have special meaning to me, thus why I consider them to be the cream of the crop. It changes, but the order is most often: FFX, FFIX and FFVI.

[Crossblades]

Still VI

IV and IX are not too far behind though

[I Took the Red Pill]

I'll say X, though I was real close to putting IV.

[charliepanayi]

I put VIII, which just about beats IX in my book.

[Slothy]

It would take something pretty amazing to usurp FFVI for me. Plenty of other great FF games, but nothing that really matches it.

[Shin Gouken]

XII, for various reasons.

You're not alone, i gave XII my vote too

[Del Murder]

I'm still sticking with prvious vote of VI and also my previous not reading of WK's long ass comment.