WORST Final Fantasy

[dont_love_me]

ahh well i picked 10... it was too easy and too stupid >_< (meaning the ending battle) well come on i was guessing they would of made it a little harder... maybe they just concentrated on the graphics more -_-'

[Sanada Warrior]

FFX is def. my least favorite game ever.

[Hara!]

Apparently, only 86 of you voted correctly.

[Kagura]

I voted for F.F. VIII. I just dont really like it much. The way the battle system is isnt very good. I still like it though but not alot. My fav is F.F. VII

[Makunouchi]

FFIX. Sure, FFVIII had its share of faults but at least they attempted to make the Junction and Guardian Forces systems interesting. Drawing was totally lame, though. FFXI however, just had characters assigned to one specifc role which I wasn't a fan of. I thought the transformation thing was pretty generic, too.

So yeah... IX.

[Sendo Takeshi]

I don't know how anyone can really complain about FF9. It was good. Character specific roles were a lot better than the Junctioning system. Character specific roles were a staple of the early FF games. And the summons actually mattered in this game more than FF8.

GF's in FF8 only boosted up your attributes and Doomtrain was the only good GF. The game's battle system was broken and offered no really strategy. Zell and Squall were easily the two best characters in the game. Holy War and Aura broke the game in two items or less.

[Jon]

I agree Deathscythe...FFIX is by far the worst FF out there. I actually cared about the characters.

[Sendo Takeshi]

I agree Deathscythe...FFIX is by far the worst FF out there. I actually cared about the characters.


Wait...what?

[Jon]

Woops, worded that wrong. :P Basically I love the game.

[ryushe]

The game's battle system was broken and offered no really strategy. Zell and Squall were easily the two best characters in the game. Holy War and Aura broke the game in two items or less.
I actually tried to use Rinoa and Quites but they sucked so bad, but the funny thing was Squall had basically the same states as them two and was slashing everything in sight.

Funny thing thing is, I booted up my old FFIX file to beat the last boss and see the ending (Then I found out I could just youtube it :| ) and while I was watching the ending and listening to "Melodies of Life", I felt a strong sense of nostalgia befall me and then I came to an realization, FFIX is the best Final Fantasy in the series...to me.

That's why i think I love FFXII so much, I combines my two favorite FF's, FFIX and FF tactics advance.

[SMiLEYY]

FFX. I just hated it.. it was so boring!
The music was good though, haha.

[Joeshie]

The worst Final Fantasy was Final Fantasy VI.

There, I said it.

[Seraphim]

The worst Final Fantasy was Final Fantasy VI.

There, I said it.

To bad you just said it only to get a reaction. :P

[ryushe]

Haha, I voted for Final Fantasy VII.

(I'm serious about my vote too). :P
So, which one is it?


I just read some post in this thread and I gotta say us Final Fantasy fans are some of the weirdest people. We all love the same franchise, but yet we hate each other...When we don't like the same FF as one another. Come on my FF brothers and sisters, lets join hands and sing the "chocobo theme". FFIX version. Everyone knows that was the best one :P

But seriously, FFVII was "OK". It honestly didn't warrant the hype around it too me), but I just don't get why people never got into FFIX. I'm ashamed to admit this, But FFIX was the "ONLY" final fantasy, No, Game to ever make me tear up (OK, Cry) at the end. It was that good, and to see the whole plot unfold in such a way was nothing short of perfect.

Also, I'm sorry to those who've beaten FFIX and to bring up the memories of it. I didn't mean to make you cry again. :P

[Joeshie]

In all honesty, the worst Final Fantasy I have played was X-2, followed by IV. I really don't dislike VI, but I don't like it either. It was sort of a meh game for me.

[ryushe]

In all honesty, the worst Final Fantasy I have played was X-2, followed by IV.
It's a love and hate thing with that FF. I loved the main character, but I hated how some of the supporting characters was just there. For example, Some just died for no apparent reason in situations where if they took their time to think, they would still be alive.

[kittynboi]

I'm surprised people would called 4 a love-hate game. I thought it was well liked enough.

As I said elsewhere, I don't dislike 6, but I think its WAY more overrated than 7, and I get REALLY tired of seeing people use it to bash the rest of the series. Its really not the end all be all to video games like some people say, and I'm not entirely sure why people love 6 THAT much. The giant ensemble cast doesn't mean much if the characters aren't that great, and only a few of them are, and some of them I really dislike (Gau.) The story falls apart halfway through the game and the second half is just finding people, which isn't that big of a problem since the story wasn't that original to begin with.

I realize people like Kefka, and he's FUNNY, but I think he's so lacking in dimension that it comes close to violating human mathematics and euclidian geometry.

So the idea of 6 being the bet in the series is hardly universal or unassailable.

Though if you really want a flame-war I could give you my opinions on whether or not Chrono Trigger is the best RPG ever, as so many people claim.

[kittynboi]

It's a love and hate thing with that FF. I loved the main character, but I hated how some of the supporting characters was just there. For example, Some just died for no apparent reason in situations where if they took their time to think, they would still be alive.

Well, all their non-deaths were made out to be these noble self sacrifices, except Tellah, who was just consumed by his desire for vengance. Which is really ironic since he's the ONLY playable character who actually STAYS dead.

[Makunouchi]

I don't know how anyone can really complain about FF9. It was good. Character specific roles were a lot better than the Junctioning system. Character specific roles were a staple of the early FF games. And the summons actually mattered in this game more than FF8.

GF's in FF8 only boosted up your attributes and Doomtrain was the only good GF. The game's battle system was broken and offered no really strategy. Zell and Squall were easily the two best characters in the game. Holy War and Aura broke the game in two items or less.

I know that character specific roles were important, but if the Junction system was handled a bit better, you probably could have enhanced their specific roles and shape them to your play style. Plus, weren't summons the biggest damage dealing spells in FFVIII?

Agreed on Holy War and Aura... but at least FF8 tried something new. What it had in common with FFIX was that the story became crap towards the end. We destroy Kuja, everythings okay... wait, now we have to fight this blue guy with boobs? Just left a bad taste in my mouth.

[Sendo Takeshi]

I know that character specific roles were important, but if the Junction system was handled a bit better, you probably could have enhanced their specific roles and shape them to your play style. Plus, weren't summons the biggest damage dealing spells in FFVIII?


I don't think there was any possible to fix that system. It was pretty bad all around. And Squall does the highest damage in the game. Eden was alright at best. Squall can do a lot more than 100,000 with Lionheart. Hence, why he is preferred in the Omega Weapon fight.

[Makunouchi]

But you couldn't take Squall out of your party anyway. Omega Weapon was so broken that the entire fight is have Rinoa heal, Squall use Lionheart, and Zell use Eden.

[Sendo Takeshi]

But you couldn't take Squall out of your party anyway. Omega Weapon was so broken that the entire fight is have Rinoa heal, Squall use Lionheart, and Zell use Eden.



Yeah, but you can win the fight with just Lionheart. Doomtrain or Meltdown to lower defense. A Holy War for good measure and Cerebus for Haste on all characters and Omega Weapon doesn't get a hit off of you. At all. I beat Omega Weapon in 5 minutes with Squall alone. And Lionheart > Eden.

[ryushe]

But in that case "Omnislash" with "fury" was pretty cheap to.

I'm just glad the took all them multi hit attacks out of later FF's. Tidus Blitz Ace wasn't even that bad.

[Seraphim]

I'm surprised people would called 4 a love-hate game. I thought it was well liked enough.

As I said elsewhere, I don't dislike 6, but I think its WAY more overrated than 7, and I get REALLY tired of seeing people use it to bash the rest of the series. Its really not the end all be all to video games like some people say, and I'm not entirely sure why people love 6 THAT much. The giant ensemble cast doesn't mean much if the characters aren't that great, and only a few of them are, and some of them I really dislike (Gau.) The story falls apart halfway through the game and the second half is just finding people, which isn't that big of a problem since the story wasn't that original to begin with.

I realize people like Kefka, and he's FUNNY, but I think he's so lacking in dimension that it comes close to violating human mathematics and euclidian geometry.

So the idea of 6 being the bet in the series is hardly universal or unassailable.

Though if you really want a flame-war I could give you my opinions on whether or not Chrono Trigger is the best RPG ever, as so many people claim.


Its so good to hear why people have the opinions they do, as opposed to someone just posting "FFVI SUCKS DONKEYS!!!"

I dont agree with you personally, but yours is an opinion I can respect.

[Sendo Takeshi]

But in that case "Omnislash" with "fury" was pretty cheap to.

I'm just glad the took all them multi hit attacks out of later FF's. Tidus Blitz Ace wasn't even that bad.


Mime + KotR > Omnislash

Once you get that Mime chain going its GGPO to Emerald Weapon. And when you have three pieces of mastered KotR and Mime materia thats quite the dangerous combination no matter what boss in FF7. And there were other broken things in that game that didn't even involve needing Omnislash to win. Omnislash was just a plus in your strategy box. W-Item glitch and Regen glitch prevented you from dying horrible deaths in the game.

[ZeroRyoko1974]

FFII. It sucked

[Alienkid]

why are there so many 8 haters???
The cutscene with ZELL!!! ZOMG!!!! and Selphie!!?!? So kawaii!!
Junctioning was awesome if you learned how to do it. no harder than any of the other final fantasy mechanics. The Limit breaks!!! well at least Squall's limit breaks

[Nano]

why are there so many 8 haters???
The cutscene with ZELL!!! ZOMG!!!! and Selphie!!?!? So kawaii!!
Junctioning was awesome if you learned how to do it. no harder than any of the other final fantasy mechanics. The Limit breaks!!! well at least Squall's limit breaks

Yup, I became a pro with the Junctions, Squall was so fast, he would hit and then his bar would nearly be full again.

Just because the cut scenes in 8 were better quality then those of 7 doesn't make the game better.

[Sendo Takeshi]

why are there so many 8 haters???
The cutscene with ZELL!!! ZOMG!!!! and Selphie!!?!? So kawaii!!
Junctioning was awesome if you learned how to do it. no harder than any of the other final fantasy mechanics. The Limit breaks!!! well at least Squall's limit breaks


Junctioning was broken beyond broken along with Holy War and Aura. Zell was second tier next to Squall.

[Yukito Kunisaki]

The PSX ones were fine. Not the best in any way, but fine enough.

[kittynboi]

I was pretty good with the junction system.

Of course, a genius like myself can excel at anything.

[Joeshie]

The PSX ones were fine. Not the best in any way, but fine enough.

You mean "superior to the majority of the Nintendo games".

[kittynboi]

I think I would say that the only one of the SNES FF's to be better than the PS1 and 2 FF's is 5.

And as for the NES titles, 3 is the best.

4 is really good, when properly translated and the like, but it took us SO long to get a decent translation of that game. Looking back at the dialogue in the original SNES release in 92, its just atrocious.

As for 6, I think the problem I have with it is that, for the longest time, FF7 was indeed the most overrated game in the series, but the wannabe old schoolers and other people with something to prove kept saying it wasn't that great. But they didn't stop there, they had to compare it to another game in the series they thought WAS better, and they picked 6 for whatever reason.

Well, they blew that horn so loudly and so often, that I think 6 has now switched places with 7. In using it to make the point that 7 was overrated and not the best, I think many people have now made 6 the most overrated.

I like all the FF's on SNES, but storywise, 4 is better, and gameplay wise, I like 5 better. But I also like 5 just because its so demanding if you want to do everything there is to do in it. (As in mastering all the jobs.)

Its also funny that MYstic Quest and Crystal Chronicles have become to FF equivalent to what the CD-i Zelda games are to the Zelda series.

[Joeshie]

As for 6, I think the problem I have with it is that, for the longest time, FF7 was indeed the most overrated game in the series, but the wannabe old schoolers and other people with something to prove kept saying it wasn't that great. But they didn't stop there, they had to compare it to another game in the series they thought WAS better, and they picked 6 for whatever reason.

Well, I'm willing to bet that they picked VI because it is considered to be the best amongst the Nintendo Final Fantasy's.

Well, they blew that horn so loudly and so often, that I think 6 has now switched places with 7. In using it to make the point that 7 was overrated and not the best, I think many people have now made 6 the most overrated.

Well as they say, history repeats itself. You get alot of Final Fantasy fans of a certain game claiming that it is the best in the series constantly and the rest of the Final Fantasy fans are going to get pissed off. I forsee a counter-movement against Final Fantasy VI and Zelda in the near future.

[Rahxephon91]

Whats with the hate for Final Fantasy VI? Its a good game and has a good plot.

[DEMON212]

Out of the 3 that i've played, II.

I loved I, but really didn't like II.

[Joeshie]

Whats with the hate for Final Fantasy VI? Its a good game and has a good plot.

It's a decent game with a decent plot that recieves WAY too much attention, in my opinion.

[Rahxephon91]

It's a decent game with a decent plot that recieves WAY too much attention, in my opinion.

The same could be said about all the Final Fantasies. Personally I think its much better then Final Fantasy VIII.

[Sendo Takeshi]

The same could be said about all the Final Fantasies. Personally I think its much better then Final Fantasy VIII.



Well, anything is better than FFVIII. Ending was dope though.

[MightyDustLoop]

Whats with the hate for Final Fantasy VI? Its a good game and has a good plot.

VI is well liked. For a time, it seemed like you were "mainstream" if your favorite was VII, so there was this hardcore movement to VI. VI had to be your favorite, or you were a "noob". This was the eventual line of thought on the Gamefaqs boards after VII's characters won a few contests.

Now, FF's fandom is a bit of an unorganized mess in terms of support, hence the fairly weak showing it's been getting in those Gamefaqs character contests lately. Personally, I don't consider 6 or 7's fans to be any more or less mainstream or noob than the other. Assuming they of course play both before declaring another superior. However, 7 coming later, some of its fans have never tasted the greatness of 6, thus forever dooming its fans to the title of "ignorant", even though I'm sure a great deal have played both.

When it comes down to it though, you like what you like. It doesn't make you any or more or less mainstream or noob. Your opinion weighs more if you've played more, but I have friends who have played since the beginning like myself (well, whatever we got on shores), and still prefer FFVII, so illogical opinions, while they may be rational, never do apply to everyone.

VI was a solid game. Not my favorite. I hold it solely responsible for killing character's individuality in terms of abilities, and I must say I found the game atmosphere to be a bit too dreary for me to care for world's fate. But there certainly was a lot of gameplay in VI. Solid game. A little boring, and the villain was a living joke, but quite a bit of substance.

[{NG}Fidel]

I feel FF7,FF11, and FF9 are all terrible.
I love FF5 and FF8 though.

[kittynboi]

Well, I'm willing to bet that they picked VI because it is considered to be the best amongst the Nintendo Final Fantasy's.



Well as they say, history repeats itself. You get alot of Final Fantasy fans of a certain game claiming that it is the best in the series constantly and the rest of the Final Fantasy fans are going to get pissed off. I forsee a counter-movement against Final Fantasy VI and Zelda in the near future.

Yeah, I know many consider it to be the best. I didn't intend to imply that they just picked it out of a hat or anything.




Whats with the hate for Final Fantasy VI? Its a good game and has a good plot.

I don't hate it, I just think it's overrated. The gameplay is fun, it has some good music, and the visuals are the best thing about it. But I don't care too much for the story. I don't find it as engrossing as FF4 in that area, because I liked the highly personal level you get to know Cecil, Kain, and Rosa on, as well as the other characters. The characters in 6 had their development, but with a few exceptions, they didn't really seem to have the same deep relation to the events in the game that the characters in 4 had. Thats not to say its bad because of that, but I don't think it has the best story ever.

And the story, regardless of the details, falls apart halfway through the game and the other half is sidequests. There are character development events, but, I don't know. Maybe I just never felt close to the characters in 6 the way I did to those in 4. I just connected with Cecil and Kain in a way that I never did with any of the characters in 6.

I also didn't get in to Kefka the way a lot of others did.

[kittynboi]

VI is well liked. For a time, it seemed like you were "mainstream" if your favorite was VII, so there was this hardcore movement to VI. VI had to be your favorite, or you were a "noob". This was the eventual line of thought on the Gamefaqs boards after VII's characters won a few contests.

Now, FF's fandom is a bit of an unorganized mess in terms of support, hence the fairly weak showing it's been getting in those Gamefaqs character contests lately. Personally, I don't consider 6 or 7's fans to be any more or less mainstream or noob than the other. Assuming they of course play both before declaring another superior. However, 7 coming later, some of its fans have never tasted the greatness of 6, thus forever dooming its fans to the title of "ignorant", even though I'm sure a great deal have played both.

When it comes down to it though, you like what you like. It doesn't make you any or more or less mainstream or noob. Your opinion weighs more if you've played more, but I have friends who have played since the beginning like myself (well, whatever we got on shores), and still prefer FFVII, so illogical opinions, while they may be rational, never do apply to everyone.

VI was a solid game. Not my favorite. I hold it solely responsible for killing character's individuality in terms of abilities, and I must say I found the game atmosphere to be a bit too dreary for me to care for world's fate. But there certainly was a lot of gameplay in VI. Solid game. A little boring, and the villain was a living joke, but quite a bit of substance.

What about 5? By the line of reasoning you seem to be using, 5 was the end of character "individuality" in terms of abilities.

But if you really want to get specific, the only games that have character specific abilities before 6 were 4 and 1. 2 had no real "Abilities" and everyone could learn to use everything, and in 3 all you did was change your job.

So, when it comes to the final fantasy series itself, having characters with set abilities isn't quite the rule that people sometimes make it out to be.

[Gannon]

I feel FF7,FF11, and FF9 are all terrible.
I love FF5 and FF8 though.

Blasphemy.

[Raiden_]

I love it all from ff7 to ff X-2

but the least i like is definitely ff9

ffx-2 (honorable mention)

[ryushe]

but the least i like is definitely ff9

ffx-2 (honorable mention)
.....Wait, I think you made a mistake.


but the least i like is definitely ffx-2


ff9 (honorable mention)
Oh, that's better.



Edit: As for FF VI, I really like that game. The only thing that killed it was the amount of playable characters. Wasn't it like 12 or 14 or something, That waaaaay to many characters for a RPG IMO.

[SuperHiko]

FF4 was the best. It was the trend starter, and it paved the way for all future rpgs.

FF6 was nice, but it lacked one thing.

a monk who had a sneezing problem.

[Yukito Kunisaki]

I feel FF7,FF11, and FF9 are all terrible.
I love FF5 and FF8 though.

Not many love 5, but I am glad theres more of us :D. FF5 I think is genuinely my favorite for various reasons :).

You mean "superior to the majority of the Nintendo games".

To alot, but i don't think a majority. I love Nintendo games too, I go back a long way with them...I love Zelda all the way to Rygar. I am definitely someone who prefers NES-SNES Style games over the easy games today has to offer. I actually think the games of the past were the hardest ones to come out thusfar to be honest, and I like challenges.

[Rahxephon91]

Even though I don't really like Final Fantasy VIII. I gotta say it has most likely the best art design out of all the Final Fantasies. There is just something about it. Had the game continued to be awesome after disc 2, FFVIII would be my favorite FF.

[Porco Rosso]

1. FFII
2. FF: Mystic Quest
3. FFX-2
4. Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII
5. FFV
6. FF: Crystal Chronicles
7. FFX
8. FFVIII
9. FFVII

[Kagura]

I would have to say that Final Fantasy VII Dirge of Cerebrus and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles are the worst that I have played so far. Final Fantasy is the best in my opinion.

[gaijinsan]

Even though I don't really like Final Fantasy VIII. I gotta say it has most likely the best art design out of all the Final Fantasies. There is just something about it. Had the game continued to be awesome after disc 2, FFVIII would be my favorite FF.

I agree, FF8's storyline wasn't good enough to keep me immersed. I played it anyway though.

[kittynboi]

FF8 had its shortcomings, and it actually had a very unfinished feel to it. FF9 made up for it, and I thought the romance between Zidane and Garnet was much more convinving than the romance between Squall and Rinoa. Probably because Zidane had a bit more personality than Squall.

[CrimeofPassion]

FFXII, hands down. Worst story, worst battle system....just plain ugh.

[jvgklan]

FFXII, hands down. Worst story, worst battle system....just plain ugh.

I think I have to agree with you on this one. I just finished it and the ending felt a little empty. I thought...."what about the Occuria?..why can't I fight them?...I wanna fight them."......I also didn't like the battle system. If there were 4 people in your party then the animation starts to slow down when you're casting high level magicks....and the freakin' computer won't allow me to attack when it's supposedly my turn to attack....that's really frustrating...

[CrimeofPassion]

I think I'm one of the few people in the world who loves FF8. Probably because it was the first RPG and second game I ever played...

RE 2 was first. XP

[Len]

The worst Final Fantasy was Crystal Chronicals. I also believe XI was a waste of a game because there was no real game to it.

I love 8 aswell. The storyline is one of a kind. I fell in love with all of the characters, except Zell.

[Shiroiyuki]

I think I have to agree with you on this one. I just finished it and the ending felt a little empty.

Yeah, I felt it lacked a lot too. I mean, the videos were nice and all--but the game could have explored SO many more plot devices than it did. I mean, there was no love story really (although there were a few hints to Ashe and Balthier feeling strongly for each other for a while there...but even that was pretty much watered down and left unfulfilled.) which is usually a main theme in the Final Fantasy games. It isn't the ONLY theme present, but it fleshes out the game so that the overall impact is much greater and you begin to care about the characters. Without ANY romance, the game is just a battle-driven eye sore. No offense, but I really didn't care about any of the characters (except for maybe Balthier, but only because I liked his accent. That was it—not a very good reason if you ask me).

Final Fantasy XII just seemed unfinished to me. Like they started a game with high hopes and standards--to really make the gaming experience intense by throwing in massive areas and interesting side quests--but in doing so forgot about the rest of the plot. And character development. And an enjoyable storyline. I freaking didn't even care about the story at all, heck--most of the time I didn't even know (or think twice) about what actually was going on. It was boring, and a waste of my time. The entire game to me was basically just 'have goal, accomplish goal, go to next goal'. That's about it.

And Vayne, the supposed 'villain' wasn't even present for most of the game (unlike in the other Final Fantasy games where the villain is just as important--or even more so--than the main protagonists. The villain is present throughout the whole game and undergoes almost as much character development as the rest of the cast does--so at the END, it makes sense why he's the bad guy and you feel good about putting them in their place.) To me, Vayne was just a sorry placeholder for the real antagonist...who never made an appearance unfortunately. Did I care about him at all? Not even a little bit. Did I enjoy his little pissy fit at the end? Nope, it was boring—and totally random to me. There was no reason for it in my opinion.

I'm very disappointed in Final Fantasy XII. It could have been a GREAT game--if they would have just spent some time developing the other aspects of it besides just the battle system and side quests. *sigh*. And Ashe was annoying—definitely not the best choice for a heroine. I hated her.

[Len]

Resurrection. xD

Maybe you should spoiler tag the **** about Vayne.

[Shiroiyuki]

Oopsy, sorry about that. Fixed ^_^

[Rahxephon91]

FFVIII has the best art design out of all the FFs. Normura was at the top of his game as the character designs are top notch. The world is perhaps one of my favorite FF worlds, a blend of the 1920s and our modern world.

Then disc 1 ends....

and the story (which started out fine) just becomes insanely stupid. Its more then just the memories crap. Its the Evas not the main bad guy, hey lets go into space, hey lets go to this futuristic city. It was all just very crappy. Sadly the characters were kinda cool but the story sucked. I'm no fan of the draw system but it wasn't game ruining. If VIII had continued on with the same quality that Disc 1 had then the it would be my favorite FF instead of X.

Also X-2 and XI are really bad.

[Westlo]

FFX fanboys dissing FFVIII (and vice versa) are hilarious... fellas... BOTH GAMES SUCK.

Final Fantasy XII just seemed unfinished to me

Just incase you didn't know the guy who was the driving force behind it left midway through the project.

[Rahxephon91]

FFX fanboys dissing FFVIII (and vice versa) are hilarious... fellas... BOTH GAMES SUCK.



Says the person who likes Final Fantasy VII.

I don't see how saying VIII has great music, characters, art design and an ok battle system is dissing but whatever.

[Sendo Takeshi]

and the story (which started out fine) just becomes insanely stupid. Its more then just the memories crap. Its the Evas not the main bad guy, hey lets go into space, hey lets go to this futuristic city. It was all just very crappy. Sadly the characters were kinda cool but the story sucked. I'm no fan of the draw system but it wasn't game ruining. If VIII had continued on with the same quality that Disc 1 had then the it would be my favorite FF instead of X.

None of the characters in FFVIII were memorable. And if you think the Draw System didn't break the game, then you didn't spend enough time with it. You can run through that game without ever wasting a spell with just Squall, Zell and Rinoa. The game was that easy due to the Draw System. Junctioning was basically the same 7 spells for everyone.

FFVIII needed more work in it's gameplay than it did in the story department. The thing was just a huge mess. Triple Triad was the only thing that was done right in the game. It was the only real reason to own the game.

Also X-2 and XI are really bad.

The battle system in X-2 was what FFX should have had.

[Jon]

The battle system in X-2 was what FFX should have had.
QFT. If only X had lived up to its promise of "revolutionary" and used the X-2 system, it would have been perfect. While you're at it, replace Tidus's voice (or just allow an option for Japanese voices) then the game would have been perfect.

Also, I may be in a minority here, but I thought FFIX was the best FF game, with FFIV being the worst.

[Rahxephon91]

None of the characters in FFVIII were memorable. And if you think the Draw System didn't break the game, then you didn't spend enough time with it. You can run through that game without ever wasting a spell with just Squall, Zell and Rinoa. The game was that easy due to the Draw System. Junctioning was basically the same 7 spells for everyone.
I didn't even say that VIII had great gameplay. I said it was ok. I didn't like the draw system but it didn't kill the game like X-'s battle system did. FFVIII characters are likable then again the "teen angst" could get on peoples nerves. At least they are for more memorable then either XII's or IX's



The battle system in X-2 was what FFX should have had.Hardly, X-2's battle system sucked. FFX had one of the best FF battle systems. Fast and strategic, its just that the game is far to easy.

Also Tidus's voice actor is great.

[Sendo Takeshi]

I didn't even say that VIII had great gameplay. I said it was ok. I didn't like the draw system but it didn't kill the game like X-'s battle system did.


I know, but to say it's 'ok' is a stretch. The game is far too broken for it's own merit. So, yeah, it did kill the game. You can be at level 50 by the end of disc 1 and drawn Cura spells that increase your strength to 190 by the beginning of disc 2.

Hardly X-2s battle system sucked. FFX had one of the best FF battle systems. Fast and strategic, its just that the game is far to easy.



You didn't spend enough time with it, I see. It's mediocre at best. It was the same battle system as the previous and allowed almost no customization. FFX-2 had a lot more variety when you were in battle. In FFX everyone ends up feeling the same throughout. The only characters that take a backseat are Yuna and Lulu only because of their respective magics. Everyone else? Powerhouses. FFX was hardly strategic. Go play some FFT and come back to me in a year.

[ryushe]

I'm very disappointed in Final Fantasy XII. It could have been a GREAT game--if they would have just spent some time developing the other aspects of it besides just the battle system and side quests. *sigh*. And Ashe was annoying—definitely not the best choice for a heroine. I hated her.
I wanna marry you. Thank you so much.

[Sendo Takeshi]

I wanna marry you. Thank you so much.


I hate you ryushe. I really do.

Gameplay > story

[ryushe]

I hate you ryushe. I really do.
Awww, I hate you to ^_^ And you didn't even get me a valentines gift :redface:

Gameplay > story
If I preferred Gameplay than Story in my RPG's, I'd play an action game. I'm not playing a boring game for 60 hours just because it has "Great Gameplay", I'd be better of with Devil May Cry or God of War for that.

Edit:

Also, I may be in a minority here, but I thought FFIX was the best FF game...

Yes, Another IX lover. ::High fives::

[Sendo Takeshi]

Awww, I hate you to ^_^ And you didn't even get me a valentines gift :redface:

GAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYY!!!!!!!!!


If I preferred Gameplay than Story in my RPG's, I'd play an action game. I'm not playing a boring game for 60 hours just because it has "Great Gameplay", I'd be better of with Devil May Cry or God of War for that.

Did you NOT play FFT? Come on, man. Work with me. NYC. We stick together.

Edit:

Yes, Another IX lover. ::High fives::

Hey, I am too. I play that game every once in a while as well.

[Hajime Saitou]

Says the person who likes Final Fantasy VII.

I'm curious as to what you specifically meant with this. Was it a general statement that a lot of FFVII fans are fanboys, or that you thought FFVII was nowhere near as good as X(or even VIII). If it was the latter, could you explain why?

[ryushe]

I'm curious as to what you specifically meant with this. Was it a general statement that a lot of FFVII fans are fanboys, or that you thought FFVII was nowhere near as good as X(or even VIII). If it was the latter, could you explain why?
Get used to it. It always seems that if you like FFVII you're immediately pegged as a ~N00biSh FF FAnBoY~.

[Hajime Saitou]

Get used to it. It always seems that if you like FFVII you're immediately pegged as a ~N00biSh FF FAnBoY~.

I know that's probably what it was, but I was just curious as to what he meant.

And to be fair, FFVII was the first one to introduce a wave of people new to the game, or even new to gaming in general. I don't think that someone who likes it is a fanboy by default though. I usually wait to see what that person thinks about it before I make such a statement.

[HitokiriShadow]

I know, but to say it's 'ok' is a stretch. The game is far too broken for it's own merit. So, yeah, it did kill the game. You can be at level 50 by the end of disc 1 and drawn Cura spells that increase your strength to 190 by the beginning of disc 2.

Levels only really mattered if one character was significantly higher than everyone else since the enemies more or less matched the highest level character. Sure, you could have Squall at level 99 before you fight Ifrit. Everyone else is still going to suck for quite a while.


Up until recently, I could easily say that FFX-2 was the worst FF game, save for the battle system. But now I can say that FF12 is.

FF12 had great graphics, fighting enemies on the world map was nice, the expansive environments were nice, and... I guess the hunts were a nice idea.

Too bad the story was dull and the characters were bland and uninteresting (except for Balthier... and Fran was hot and had an awesome voice). I guess the 'battle system' worked well enough for what it was supposed to do: play the game for you. Which is dull. The only time you really have to do anything is during boss fights, assuming nuking them with your Mist Knacks didn't take them down almost immediately. Even then its mainly telling your characters to heal particular status elements, since the ones you really need to worry about don't have the commands available until late in the game.

FF12 is the first FF game that I simply lost interest in before at least reaching the final dungeon (which is what happend with FF4&5, but there were some other factors involved there). At least I beat FFX-2 before moving on.

[ryushe]

FF12 is the first FF game that I simply lost interest in before at least reaching the final dungeon (which is what happend with FF4&5, but there were some other factors involved there). At least I beat FFX-2 before moving on.

Wow, I thought I was the only one. I try not to talk to much smack about FFXII, because honestly, I haven't even finished it yet. I just dropped it at the part when you get to this long *** tower. I just couldn't do it anymore, I was just to damn boring...

[HitokiriShadow]

I stopped in some coastal plains where there were a bunch of hunters gathered. I just really couldn't care at that point, especially with so many better games in my backlog that need to be played. Although I really haven't made any progress on that since I stopped playing FF12.

[Westlo]

Says the person who likes Final Fantasy VII.

lol you're actling like it's wrong/bad to like FFVII, personally it's my favourite of the FF series but i do realise that is a combination of it being the first FF title I played and nostaglia. I do agree it's vastly overrated (overrated does not equal bad people) in the mainstream and isn't as good as VI and Tactics but it's still my favourite.

It's like when you talk about your favourite music artist, you might agree that one album is his best, his defining moment as an artist but you just might like an album (or two) better.

Even then imo it's clearly better than crap like 8 and 10, that orphan scene? How pathetic, shoot the scriptwriter please. Junctioning system I easily got and abused but it's still a glaring flaw.

X had terrible characters apart from Auron, lacklustre music, linear and boring plot, mindless and repetitive grinds (yay let's dodge 500 lighting bolts what ****ing fun!!), crappy voice acting (compare it to FFXII, VP2, RG, yes FFX is much older but it doesn't excuse that fact that it sucks).

As for your "the best fighting system is in X" comment what a ****ing joke, X-2 is so superior and probably a contender for the best in the series.

Best FF = 6 or Tactics
Worst = 2/8/10

[Hajime Saitou]

I don't disagree with most of what you said Van(for once), but I'm willing to say that VII is better than VI and tactics. My list of best would go 7, then 6, and then tactics, but the difference between the three is almost nil. I say 7 is better than 6, but barely at all. Same thing with 6 and tactics. These three games are so close in my opinion(for differing reasons though) that it might not even be worth it trying to pick one of them as better than the others. I've played the series in order getting each of the games shortly after they were released, with the exception of the early Game Boy games(which I eventually played), and I came up with that order for top 3.

My worst would be 2 or 10. Two was like punishment from the gods. Thou shall die in one hit due to a shi**y leveling system. It was a nice concept, but really bad execution. For 10, I feel that you were pretty spot on with your assessment in my opinion, but I don't think that the music was lackluster. There weren't that many memorable songs, but I thought that overall it was good. Also the cutscenes were nice to look at, which was nice since you're going to be doing that a lot... As much as I disliked 8, I still liked it more than 2 or 10 so it escapes the role of worst ever. I hate on 8 for being a bad FF, but I consider X to be so watered down that I can hardly even call it one.

[ryushe]

I stopped in some coastal plains where there were a bunch of hunters gathered. I just really couldn't care at that point, especially with so many better games in my backlog that need to be played. Although I really haven't made any progress on that since I stopped playing FF12.
I was just about to quite there but something told me, You know, The story might get a little more interesting...60 hours in and nothing...*sigh*


Even then imo it's clearly better than crap like 8 and 10, that orphan scene? How pathetic, shoot the scriptwriter please.
"Stop joshin', We all grew up in same orphanage"
"So why you suppose we all forgot"
"Hmm, Maybe it was the GF's'
"Yeah, that's gotta be it"

:rolleyes: I love that part.

[Hajime Saitou]

I haven't touched XII yet because I have a ton of games left to play, but is the story really that bad? It really bugs me because I've seen something with this game that I've never seen before. The fanboys, the haters, and everyone in between all say that the story is not all that good. The degree of that varies depending on who's saying it though, of course. Also I haven't seen very much praise for the characters, although given the last few FFs I wasn't expecting much here. Are the characters as undeveloped as everyone makes them out to be?

[HitokiriShadow]

It's not that its bad, its just boring. And you don't have the benefit of interesting characters. Hell, beyond the first few hours (assuming you aren't screwing around) Vaan and Penelo are basically bystanders in the plot. The rest of the characters basically act their parts and that's about it. Balthier really isn't much better in this regard, but at least he's somewhat entertaining to watch/listen to. And Fran is hot. And she shows off two beatiful a** cheeks that can be easily viewed up close when on sloped terrain. :)

I notice that you didn't care for the characterization in other recent FF games, so I'll add that I really didn't have a problem with FFX's characters.

[Hajime Saitou]

It's not that its bad, its just boring. And you don't have the benefit of interesting characters. Hell, beyond the first few hours (assuming you aren't screwing around) Vaan and Penelo are basically bystanders in the plot. The rest of the characters basically act their parts and that's about it. Balthier really isn't much better in this regard, but at least he's somewhat entertaining to watch/listen to. And Fran is hot. And she shows off two beatiful a** cheeks that can be easily viewed up close when on sloped terrain. :)

I notice that you didn't care for the characterization in other recent FF games, so I'll add that I really didn't have a problem with FFX's characters.

When I said I didn't like the previous few games cast of characters, I meant I didn't like their personality and/or the way they act. But from this post I get the feeling that these characters don't do very much at all, annoying or not.

When you say bystanders, do you mean that when there is something related to plot, that they are just screwing around like Tidus and Wakka seemed to do a lot? Or do you mean that they actually don't have anything to do with the story...which would be awkward.

[HitokiriShadow]

They have almost nothing to do with the story after several hours into the game. Sure, Vaan still does a good amount of talking and getting screentime in cutscenes but its just because he's the designated main character. If he and Penelo got killed off or left the part after the Lusu Mines (a few hours into the game unless you spend a lot of time screwing around and grinding), nothing would really change. At least not in the portion I've played, and I suspect I'm between 1/2 and 2/3 finished.

Vaan and Penelo's significance is this: Vaan steals an item that Balthier is looking for resulting in their meeting and Penelo gets kidnapped resulting in Vaan getting Balthier to go get her resulting in the party meeting an important character and finding out certain things. After that, neither of them really do anything. Oh, sure, Penelo recieves an important item, but if she wasn't there someone else would have gotten it. I can't think of anythine remotely significant either of them has done after that.

[ryushe]

Honestly, Your basically playing with a team of empty puppets sans Balthier and Fran... I guess Ashe also. I just didn't really like her. Hell, The guest characters were more interesting than your mandatory team.

I mean, There are a little (Key word on little) character Interaction/development, but there's so much other RPG's that do it a lot better. It's may not be a big deal to other people, But I love character Interaction/development in RPG's. It's honestly the most important thing I look for in a RPG.

[Hajime Saitou]

They have almost nothing to do with the story after several hours into the game. Sure, Vaan still does a good amount of talking and getting screentime in cutscenes but its just because he's the designated main character. If he and Penelo got killed off or left the part after the Lusu Mines (a few hours into the game unless you spend a lot of time screwing around and grinding), nothing would really change. At least not in the portion I've played, and I suspect I'm between 1/2 and 2/3 finished.

Let me get this straight...the main character doesn't have squat to do with the game? What's the point of making him the main character if he could easily be replaced or left out?

Edit- Just saw this:
Honestly, Your basically playing with a team of empty puppets sans Balthier and Fran... I guess Ashe also. I just didn't really like her. Hell, The guest characters were more interesting than your mandatory team.

I mean, There are a little (Key word on little) character Interaction/development, but there's so much other RPG's that do it a lot better. It's may not be a big deal to other people, But I love character Interaction/development in RPG's. It's honestly the most important thing I look for in a RPG.

I also love character interaction/development in RPGs(just made a thread about it, in fact). I guess when/if I get this, I shouldn't be expecting very much from that department. And it looks like another letdown when it comes to the cast. Hopefully the battle system will make the game worth it.

[HitokiriShadow]

Yeah, that's basically it. Also, I edited my previous post, so re-read it.

[ryushe]

When you say bystanders, do you mean that when there is something related to plot, that they are just screwing around like Tidus and Wakka seemed to do a lot? Or do you mean that they actually don't have anything to do with the story...which would be awkward.
ding ding ding. you guessed it. That's exactly it.


Let me get this straight...the main character doesn't have squat to do with the game? What's the point of making him the main character if he could easily be replaced or left out?
You know, I still don't see Vann as the main character. It's Ashe IMHO. I mean, sometime he would just stand there while an important conversation was going on and not say a thing. Honestly, I see him as an optional side character. Like Gogo from FFVI or Yuffie from FFVII.

[HitokiriShadow]

Ashe is the obvious main character in relation to the plot, but someone decided that Vaan and Penelo had to be shoved into the plot and that Vaan should be the main character. Or maybe they designed the characters and made him the main character and THEN came up with the plot. The only reason I can think of for not making Ashe the actual main character is that someone thought the people wouldn't like a female main character. Because, you know, everyone thinks Terra was a crappy main character. :rolleyes:

I mean, sometime he would just stand there while an important conversation was going on not saying a thing.

And other times you WISH that's what he would do (like when they were leaving the Vierra village).

[Hajime Saitou]

This conversation is less linear than Final Fantasy X's plot(oh snap).

Ok I went back and read the edit, thank you for giving that much detail on it.

ding ding ding. you guessed it. That's exactly it.



You know, I still don't see Vann as the main character. It's Ashe IMHO. I mean, sometime he would just stand there while an important conversation was going on and not say a thing. Honestly, I see him as an optional side character. Like Gogo from FFVI or Yuffie from FFVII.

But..why???? :crybaby: That sounds so unbelievably stupid. Lets have a character that might be the main character, have nothing to do with the story. I know I've been flaming SquareEnix more than usual lately, but not even I thought that they would do something like that.

Edit-
And other times you WISH that's what he would do (like when they were leaving the Vierra village).

Is he another Tidus(whiny character)?

[HitokiriShadow]

No, but he's not exactly bright. For the Vierra village thing, when they are leaving just after they find out that Fran is actually really old by human standards, probably over a hundred, Vaan asks her age. She just walks off, while the rest of the party groans and shakes their head because Vaan is such a moron. Which is exactly what I did, but with a facepalm as well.

It's incredibly stupid, but they did it. Now, there is one little thing that Vaan saw that no one else but Ashe could see at one point, but I don't know if that ever comes up again in the game. At this point, I don't see either Vaan (or Penelo who has done absolutely nothing other than getting kidnapped) doing much in the remainder.

[Hajime Saitou]

At least I have some info on what to (not)expect should I decide to get this. I'll still hold final judgement on the game until I actually play it, but those things are not sounding appealing at all. They basically sucked the RP out of RPG and just left it with G if I'm getting this right.

[ryushe]

No, but he's not exactly bright. For the Vierra village thing, when they are leaving just after they find out that Fran is actually really old by human standards, probably over a hundred, Vaan asks her age. She just walks off, while the rest of the party groans and shakes their head because Vaan is such a moron. Which is exactly what I did, but with a facepalm as well.
I actually really liked that part. One of the few moments I laughed. Hearing "Really Vann" in a British accent was hilarious too me :lol:

It's incredibly stupid, but they did it. Now, there is one little thing that Vann saw that no one else but Ashe could see at one point, but I don't know if that ever comes up again in the game. At this point, I don't see either Vaan (or Penelo who has done absolutely nothing other than getting kidnapped) doing much in the remainder.

I know what you mean. I'd actually like too know what that was about, But If it's the cost of me playing another hour of it, I'll defiantly pass.

At least I have some info on what to (not)expect should I decide to get this. I'll still hold final judgement on the game until I actually play it, but those things are not sounding appealing at all. They basically sucked the RP out of RPG and just left it with G if I'm getting this right.
Well, Despite the boring plot (Honestly, sometimes when they talked it went completely over my head) and even more boring characters, The game actually gets everything right. The battle system is like a mixed bag, I honestly didn't care for it to much towards the end, but that's not to say it isn't one of FF's best.

[HitokiriShadow]

A game that plays itself in battle.

The scene was somewhat humorous, but it still shows how retarded the (not) main character is. And really, Penelo is a non-entity.

And, er, well, he DOES look like he could be related to Tidus at least.

[Hajime Saitou]

A game that plays itself in battle.

So it doesn't even have the G part? :P

[HitokiriShadow]

It's a half G, so it looks sort of like a C.

[Hajime Saitou]

The battle system is like a mixed bag, I honestly didn't care for it to much towards the end, but that's not to say it isn't one of FF's best.

Battle systems have always been pretty standard so it's not something I require in an RPG, but I will apparently have to approach this one with an open mind.

[Westlo]

I do agree that the gap between 6/7/T is very small since they're all quality, probably the main reason i despise 8 is that after playing 7/6/T (along with nearly every other classic snes rpg via emulation after beating FFVII) it really didn't stand up to the test.

And yes that orphen scene is so crap, lol at "must be the GF's",,,,,, smh.

I see Van and Penolo as ordinary people (to an extent) who just got caught up in an grand adventure and I thought it was actually refreshing for once they didn't become the central figures and the pillar of the storyline.

I have to admit when I first saw the character designs for FFXII I thought oh great another Tidus/Yuuna and/or Squall/Rinoa pairing and that we were in for another crappy love story.

Thankfully that didn't turn out to be the case and the appeal of the game immediately improved for me. I see FFXII as the story of Ashe and Balthier while Vaan and Penolo are people along for the ride.

Ashe should've been the main character, I don't know if Vaan was shoved into the limelight because he resembled Tidus and FFX was hugely (sadly) popular in Japan.

Heck if you dislike Vaan you don't even have to use him in the party which was my original intention but due to getting key licenes early in the game I kept using him until he pretty much become a fulltime member of the party along with Fran and Ashe. (poor balthier :( )

The combat system though I really like though it's definately something I can see people not liking. After playing with absolutely crap AI in games like Star Ocean and Tales of lolletsmakesomemoremoneywithanotherspino ff and the like I love the gambit system and what you can do with it.

The only thing I would change with the combat system is to make it so the character you're controlling at the time cannot use gambits. Personally it's how I play the game most of the time and it takes away stupid complaints like

"lol i take my stupidly overpowered party into the final dungeon and don't press a button and beat it" It's pretty much the equivilent of taking in a overpowerd party in <insert rpg> after leveling in secret dungeons and just pressing attack over and over.

Another favourite thing for me about the combat system is the sheer amount of time over the course of a 60-90 hour playthrough you save due to no...

* run into enemy
* freeze/fancy effect
* 2 second load
* 5 second look at the background
* 3 second victory pose
* 3 secs of going through drop/gil/level progress menu

Quality of the story/combat system is always different due to people's tastes but I think nearly everything else is high quality like a FF title should be. Music is great though I'm sure a lot of Nobuo fans would be disappointed but if you liked FFT/VS music then you should like XII's.

[Westlo]

They basically sucked the RP out of RPG and just left it with G if I'm getting this right.

I'll put it this way, tt's the closest FF will get to a western rpg like KOTOR and co.

[Hajime Saitou]

The only thing I would change with the combat system is to make it so the character you're controlling at the time cannot use gambits.

****. That's how I was going to play. So much for that.

Another favourite thing for me about the combat system is the sheer amount of time over the course of a 60-90 hour playthrough you save due to no...

* run into enemy
* freeze/fancy effect
* 2 second load
* 5 second look at the background
* 3 second victory pose
* 3 secs of going through drop/gil/level progress menu

Those are things that I usually enjoy. In some games more than others though. Losing it won't really bother me, but I feel that it gives the game a certain charm. It does really get old after a while, and I've always hoped that some game would include options for those things you listed so you could just check off the ones you don't want. I feel that would be a nice compromise.

Music is great though I'm sure a lot of Nobuo fans would be disappointed but if you liked FFT/VS music then you should like XII's.

*Sound of screeching tires*

I lose either way here, but here goes: Are you saying that Nobuo finally produced bad music, or are you saying he didn't do the music for this game?

Fortunately I loved the music in FFT(not the GBA version) so maybe it won't be too bad. I am aware that the same person did the music in both FFT and FFTA though.

[ryushe]

*Sound of screeching tires*

I lose either way here, but here goes: Are you saying that Nobuo finally produced bad music, or are you saying he didn't do the music for this game?
He didn't do the music for the game, And IMHO, It shows.

I'll just leave it at that...

[Hajime Saitou]

He didn't do the music for the game, And IMO, It shows.

I'll just leave it at that...

:$%&#!:

(Filler)

[Westlo]

I should've clarified that a bit more, the composer is Hitoshi Sakimoto from FFT/Vagarant Story.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitoshi_Sakimoto

Nobuo does to one vocal track on disc 4 of the OST called Kiss Me Goodbye.

I personally like the music but if you're a Nobuo fan I can see why you would be dissappointed.

[Hajime Saitou]

I should've clarified that a bit more, the composer is Hitoshi Sakimoto from FFT/Vagarant Story.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitoshi_Sakimoto

Nobuo does to one vocal track on disc 4 of the OST called Kiss Me Goodbye.

I personally like the music but if you're a Nobuo fan I can see why you would be dissappointed.

Thanks for that link. I recognize a few games, in the list in that wiki article, that had good music. I'm sure it will be good, but I won't go in expecting the norm(that pretty much sums up this game doesn't it).

[Westlo]

Pretty much though I personally think it's a shame that we will never see another FF like it. I really hope Square have another game in the future that has nothing to do with FF but based on this one.

****. That's how I was going to play. So much for that.

You can turn off the gambits for every character though it is of course rather silly to do that imo. I'm saying you should'nt be able to turn on the gambit for the character you're controlling.

It's how I play it and it looks like you were going to do the same, for everyone else reading do you turn on your characters gambit?

[Sendo Takeshi]

I actually liked the music for FFXII. And the Gambit system wasn't as bad as some people make it out to be. It may play itself, but YOU have to do the prep-time. One mishap and you have to basically intervene. I never played with all three Gambits on. I always left Vaan to my control so I can basically have some fair control and basically figure the fight out within the first few seconds should it be a boss battle.

Techniques were pretty much useless by mid-game.

[HitokiriShadow]

While I really liked the music for FFT, the FF12 music barely even registered with me.

[Westlo]

Comparing the OST's side by side I have no idea how that is even possible.

[Len]

Comparing the OST's side by side I have no idea how that is even possible.

You don't need to have an idea, its Hito's opinion. :)

[HoshikuHanako]

I can't believe so many voted against FF8...I thought it was one of the best so far....

[Hajime Saitou]

I can't believe so many voted against FF8...I thought it was one of the best so far....

Have you played all of them? I'm not trying to imply anything. I'm just curious if you made that judgement after playing them all, preferably in order to get the natural evolution of the franchise.

[Shiroiyuki]

Have you played all of them? I'm not trying to imply anything. I'm just curious if you made that judgement after playing them all, preferably in order to get the natural evolution of the franchise.

I've played just about all of them (with the exception of III because well....I couldn't find it and eventually just figured it wasn't important enough to pursue anymore *shrugs*), and personally I thought VIII was the best. For a number of different reasons.

1. Great characters--all very memorable in my book, with interesting designs, names, weapons, and interactions (between each other and the enemies). The only one I didn't care for was Zell but really--I could forgive this. If all of the other characters in a game are interesting enough for me to get emotionally attached (I really wished Laguna and Raine had a bigger part in the story, what a sweet little romance ^_^), I can look past one crappy character. This was a game where pretty much every main character mattered--no one could be put by the waste side, no one could be simply 'forgotten' for too long. Each character counted. You used every character at least once in the game, and everyone supported and lent something to the storyline. And you know, after all this time Rinoa is still my favorite female lead in the Final Fantasy genre.

2. Exceptionally good music. Uematsu is a genius, plain and simple. Sure, Eyes on Me has been overdone since the game debuted--but honestly, of all the game OSTs I own (and I do have a ton) Final Fantasy VIII still ranks among the top in terms of quality, enjoyment factor, and sheer impact upon the senses. The opening theme was very powerful (not your typical game music) and fit perfectly with the characters and storyline of the game. I was in AWE when I first played Final Fantasy VIII and saw the intro video. I was spellbound. It really took me by surprise that, after growing up associating game music with the simple 16 bit Mario Bros. theme, a game--a video game--could have such gorgeous music. What an experience, I'll tell ya!

3. A very good battle system. Now, I've heard the complaints over the years about how the Draw system fails this and that, but personally I really liked it. I wish they would bring it back personally. I mean, hell--you could have a full stock of practically every single spell in the game--without paying for anything, trying to 'learn it' for every character through grid systems, or collecting @%*)@) endless amounts of materia. You just drew the magic from monsters you were already locked in battle with--the perfect system. Then you could junction those said spells to increase your statistics! What a great concept! Not to mention you never really had to use magic anyways (considering how affective the game’s GFs were), so why not put it to good use and increase your stats? Or perhaps even make yourself immune to bad status effects.

4. A terrific concept. A scary, veiny, sadistic sorceress who enlists the help of a hot young SeeD to basically make your life a living hell? Yes. A handsome stoic, 'looks-a-little-too-much-like-John-Rzeznik-from-the-Goo-Goo-Dolls' reluctant hero who captures the heart of sweet young woman--who in turn has the hidden potential of being the next scary sorceress? Yes. A love triangle between a shy journalist, a beautiful songstress, and a caring down-to-earth woman whose love for a man continued well after her death? Yes. Great, great concept! I loved the storyline for this game, it was very touching. This was a game where I actually was interested enough to pay attention (and care) about what was going on. Not like in XII where half the time I wasn't even sure who I was supposed to be fighting. Or why I should fight them in the first place. Actually, the only thing I really was interested in throughout that entire game was...the prospect of Ashe’s...untimely demise. I hated her. VIII was very engaging and memorable for me. I really wish they'd make a sequel to this game. (Instead of X and VII...*ahem*)

5. The card game was so much freaking fun! I loved it--I wanted to win every single card in the game, especially the rare ones (character, boss, and GF cards). Oh man, Triple Triad was THE most addicting side quest/game/etc. in all of the Final Fantasy games I've ever played. I was AWESOME at it too--I owned all of the other players.

[Hajime Saitou]

That's certainly a good way to back up your opinion. -_-; Response time.



1. Great characters

I personally didn't think the characters were memorable, but I still liked them more than the games that came afterwards. I will say one thing. They were all directly related to the story instead of just some person you pick up along the way. That was a nice change.



2. Exceptionally good music.

What I say next applies to this game, and all the ones that came after it, with the exception of XII as I haven't played it yet. Even though I was not enjoying the gameplay, the music never faltered, ever. From VIII to X, the music was great.



3. A very good battle system.

I don't know about this one. I think it had some huge flaws.


I mean, hell--you could have a full stock of practically every single spell in the game--without paying for anything, trying to 'learn it' for every character through grid systems, or collecting @%*)@) endless amounts of materia.

It is true that you could have a full stock, but that's also probably because there was NO reason to use it. The magic in this game sucked so hard it was unbelievable. Even ultima was crap. And, even then why would you want to use crappy magic, when it would just make you weaker(junctioning). The magic system in this game was an epic failure. It was basically use your normal attack or GF. That's it. I think the sphere grid sucked as well, but that one was more execution than concept. If there were more branches, more frequently, that offer more variability it would have been better. As it was, the melee characters became gods and the casters were left in the dust. As for materia, I enjoyed that a lot. The fact that magic was learnt from a special item, instead of 500gil from a shop keeper(<_<) was very nice. Also you could level them up, giving you the concept that you gained something by using it(more uses). Add in a primative junction system that didn't completely break the game, but instead offered the possibility for combos based on what you put where, and I consider it to be the best magic handling system in a FF. The magicite system was second favorite, and I consider it practically even anyway. This seems to be the paragraph that deals with gameplay, so I will add in this game's idea of equipment was an insult. You get...I believe 5 weapons per person. It may have been less, it's been a while. Also no armor. I don't remember if there were accessories or not though. I understand the junction system was supposed to take on these roles, but all it did was remove elements of customization and add in a way to play as Superman.

4. A terrific concept. I really wish they'd make a sequel to this game. (Instead of X and VII...*ahem*)

The story certainly had it's moments here, but I still felt overall that it could have used some improvements in certain areas. The orphan scene, as has been mentioned, had me laughing so hard I cried. Also, I'm still waiting on that VII sequel and not some way to cash in on the name(cell phone games, movies, etc.).

5. The card game was so much freaking fun! I loved it--I wanted to win every single card in the game, especially the rare ones (character, boss, and GF cards). Oh man, Triple Triad was THE most addicting side quest/game/etc. in all of the Final Fantasy games I've ever played. I was AWESOME at it too--I owned all of the other players.

I enjoyed Blitz Ball best(perhaps because it was so much more fun than the main game), but I still liked Triple Triad. IX also had a fun card system, but I can't remember its name. All of these minigames were nice additions to the FF games.

I noticed a few sentences in there that implied that this was the first FF you played. Or at least the first one in a while.

And you know, after all this time Rinoa is still my favorite female lead in the Final Fantasy genre.

There weren't many female leads(besides just Terra actually) in the previous games so this one made me think the above.

It really took me by surprise that, after growing up associating game music with the simple 16 bit Mario Bros. theme, a game--a video game--could have such gorgeous music. What an experience, I'll tell ya!

Final Fantasy 4 and up had superb music. The first 3 had good music as well, but I felt 4 was when it really started to get to that usual Nobuo Uematsu level of quality.

This last bit is for anyone. For anyone who has their first FF game as their favorite, it could be nostalgia affecting your judgement of the series. Not to say that you are wrong, but you might not be giving the other ones a fair evaluation. Just something to keep in mind.

[Sendo Takeshi]

Laguna should have been the main character of FFVIII. His story was actually good. Squall should have just had a quick FMV scene with him hanging off a ceiling fan. All killer, no filler.

[Ketaru]

My problem with VIII's battle system (besides the lackluster magic) was how, closer to the end of the game, it seemed like the way to win was basically to spam Limit Breaks endlessly. I'd go as far as saying the "Aura" spell pretty much broke the game on many levels.

As for the magic system...if you have a spell you like, you just don't want to cast it because you never want to run out of it. Or, if you want a lot of, you spend 15 minutes in one battle just drawing it over and over. Yep, my idea of fun right there...

[HitokiriShadow]

I don't see how Rinoa could be considered the lead character when it was Squall, plain as day. I didn't hate FF8's battle system but most of the FF games have better ones. The Junction system was nice in concept but poorly executed.

[Hajime Saitou]

I don't see how Rinoa could be considered the lead character when it was Squall, plain as day. I didn't hate FF8's battle system but most of the FF games have better ones. The Junction system was nice in concept but poorly executed.

Looking at what she wrote, I think by female lead she meant the most important female character in which the story revolves around(more so than the others).

I can see how the idea of stats vs. usage might appeal to some people, but I think that it could have been done much better. Maybe instead of having individual spells count, there could have been tiers. Say 1-25 of a spell gives you a certain boost, 26-50 gives you a lot more, etc. That way using whatever it is that you have junctioned doesn't immediately weaken you. That's just an idea I came up with while typing this post, so I think that a reputable RPG developing company could have done way better than what is in FF8.

[ryushe]

2. Exceptionally good music. Uematsu is a genius, plain and simple. Sure, Eyes on Me has been overdone since the game debuted--but honestly, of all the game OSTs I own (and I do have a ton) Final Fantasy VIII still ranks among the top in terms of quality, enjoyment factor, and sheer impact upon the senses. The opening theme was very powerful (not your typical game music) and fit perfectly with the characters and storyline of the game. I was in AWE when I first played Final Fantasy VIII and saw the intro video. I was spellbound. It really took me by surprise that, after growing up associating game music with the simple 16 bit Mario Bros. theme, a game--a video game--could have such gorgeous music. What an experience, I'll tell ya!

I get the same feeling when I listen to the FF VII OST. I can listen to that thing from start to finish without skipping or skimping through any songs. The "Prelude" gets me every time.

I remember before I had the OST and I only had the game. I used to just have it on the main title screen just listen to the "Prelude". It was just so magnificent, Same goes for the entire CD.

FFIX had a bumping track to.

EDIT: You know, thats another thing that really annoyed me with FFXII. Till this day, I can walk down the street and hum tracks like, "Aria di Mezzo Carattere" or "Dancing Mad" from FFVI. The "Prelude", "Aeriths Theme" and of course "One-Winged Angel" from FFVII. "Liberi Fatali" From FFVIII, "You Are Not Alone" FFIX, So on and so on and I honestly can't remember any track from FFXII (Other than "Kiss me good bye", Which isn't FFXII doing, since I loved that song waaay before I played the game) that I can hum on my way to work.

[Hajime Saitou]

I remember before I had the OST and I only had the game. I used to just have it on the main title screen just listen to the "Prelude". It was just so magnificent, Same goes for the entire CD.

I've got you beat here. I have a whole memory card full of different locations just to listen to their music. Aeris's home, and right after you know what near the end of disk one, are the two that I listened to most often.

[Shiroiyuki]

I don't see how Rinoa could be considered the lead character when it was Squall, plain as day.
I only meant Rinoa was the main female counterpart to Squall--like Hajime Saitou said; the most important female character in the story.
Laguna should have been the main character of FFVIII. His story was actually good.
I agree with you there. Laguna's story was much more interesting than Squall's, and it really bummed me out that we only got to catch small glimpses of it through flashback sequences instead of experiencing it first hand. Not that Squall's story didn't have certain charms of its own though.

He was stoic and emotionless for a good portion of the game granted--but he had his reasons for being the way he was. Good reasons, which actually made sense if you think about it. Never knowing his father or mother, being separated from the only two women he knew and cared for--'Sister' (Edea) and Ellone to grow up learning only to battle other people. He was raised to be an emotionless mercenary. Not his fault. If he would have acted like Vaan or Tidus in the game, that would have been odd and out of place. He acted the way he did for a reason. It suited his character. It was interesting to see him transform almost into a regular guy at the end--even though his part in the ending sequence was such a let down to me Building up the romance between him and Rinoa, just to let it die without much resolve. What a let down--that really made me mad. I invested time into those characters...I wanted more back as a reward. Laguna just seemed way more charismatic--that's why I liked him so much. The shy, handsome writer who secretly pines away for a beautiful woman, just to be ripped away from her before the blossoming romance can really begin. What a great storyline. He should have had more play.
They were all directly related to the story instead of just some person you pick up along the way. That was a nice change.
Yes, that was nice. Final Fantasy VIII (as you guessed before) was my first experience with the Final Fantasy genre, so I didn't know by just playing VIII that some of the other games had totally random characters--not related to the story in any way, shape, or form--join your party for no reason other than 'they were there and willing'. That's lame. Final Fantasy VIII had a place for all of the characters--each one being connected to the other through a complex past (and yes, the orphanage scene was a little much....they could have done without that. But the premise was good, just poorly executed). I really enjoyed that aspect of the game--knowing that every character effected the other in some way (Laguna, Rinoa, Julia, Raine, and Squall being the five closely knitted ones), and their individual actions/role shaped the path of the rest. That's neat, watching the layers presented in that game slowly unravel, revealing more and more little tidbits about everyone's past and placement in the 'world' as time went on. I wish more games took the time to connect everyone like that; it shows how they planned ahead and really cared about creating depth inside the game.
From VIII to X, the music was great.
Agreed. Actually, from IV onward Uematsu really shined in my opinion. I never said VIII had the best music in the genre, or that it was the only one that had high quality music--only that it still ranks up there among the top of the list for me in terms of quality and enjoyment factor. It was just that Final Fantasy VIII really captured my attention--because before that, I never thought game music could reach such heights of magnificence and compositional beauty. It blew me away, really. Such rich, complex music, especially the opening theme Liberi Fatali. Really set the mood and worked with the storyline and characters of the game. It had presence.

XII was SUCH a disappointment. I hardly even paid attention to the music in that game. Actually through much of it--I'd mute the TV and just listen to my CD player because the music offered nothing more than annoyance. They should really bring back Nobuo Uematsu, he is a very talented composer. Why they parted ways with him the in the first place...I’ll never understand.
You get...I believe 5 weapons per person. It may have been less, it's been a while. Also no armor. I don't remember if there were accessories or not though. I understand the junction system was supposed to take on these roles, but all it did was remove elements of customization and add in a way to play as Superman.
No armor and no accessories were great in my opinion. Less money you had to spend on items that would become obsolete in a few short hours of leveling up, less time you had to take to check how much each little accessory added/subtracted from your overall stats, less confusion over which shops had what item/armor/etc. (and how to get back there once you gained enough money to actually purchase these things). The junction system was much more straightforward; it eliminated all the trivial crap that goes along with buying armor and accessories, and allowed you to protect yourself much better in the early stages of the game. You still had to remember which monster had what magic, and you still had to draw said magic from them--but you didn't have to worry about finding, buying, and equipping endless amounts of armor or accessories that ultimately could be replaced by something bigger and better in no time at all. The magic in VIII (while lacking inside the battle field) never became ‘obsolete’ with time—and could always be used for increasing something during the duration of the game. And Junctioning spells to your defense was a Godsend. I hated being confused during battle! How to protect against this? Junction Confuse and make yourself immune to it. Simple. No hunting around for hours to find a ring that guarded against it (might just raise your defense to it, might not even make you immune to the status attack at all).

The Junctioning system has its flaws just like any other system does, but I really liked it regardless. No battling hundreds of monsters trying to acquire 'License points'; every character could use every magic--providing they had enough stock to work with. Every character could also summon a GF, providing they had one Junctioned. No 'jobs', no choosing which of the two lesser evils (characters) to put on your team--knowing both have inherent weaknesses (that you can't work around) that will slow you down in some way later on. You could tweak your characters and their abilities to suit your needs, when and if you needed to. Thus, you used everyone at least once (especially later in the game when you actually broke up into 'teams' and were forced to use all of your characters). No character left behind.

The equipment was basic--just a weapon that could be upgraded as you collected the necessary parts from monsters, and the necessary magazines (er...clippings of books. Can't remember, it's been awhile). Personally, all that frittering around with trying to get three sets of all the 'Best Armor' or 'Best Whatever' for your main characters is tiring. Final Fantasy VIII isn't for everyone sure, but I liked it ^_^! Lazy people, rejoice!
The story certainly had its moments here, but I still felt overall that it could have used some improvements in certain areas. The orphan scene, as has been mentioned, had me laughing so hard I cried.
Yes, the orphanage scene was a bit too much--even for me. But overall, I felt the concept of the game and the storyline/plot was great. It went a *little* downhill after a while (random goddesses to battle against, Edea not being the main Evil Chick, etc.), but I think the story was fine besides that. No game is perfect; you can't please everyone.
Final Fantasy 4 and up had superb music. The first 3 had good music as well, but I felt 4 was when it really started to get to that usual Nobuo Uematsu level of quality.
Never said they didn't. Actually, truth be told...VI was my favorite in terms of music. Very beautiful melodies, easy to listen to.

This last bit is for anyone. For anyone who has their first FF game as their favorite, it could be nostalgia affecting your judgment of the series. Not to say that you are wrong, but you might not be giving the other ones a fair evaluation. Just something to keep in mind
Oh, I give each one a fair evaluation no worries. I just consider VIII my favorite because it was the only one that got me so emotionally involved with the characters. IX was okay in terms of music and storyline (the music was beautiful in this one--it made me hunt down a copy of the main theme's sheet music just to play it myself). X was annoying (but it was the first Final Fantasy with voice actors playing the roles, so I guess I have to give it a little credit there), but being able to view past FMVs any time you wanted (well, after paying for them) was a GREAT IDEA!! I wish ALL the games let you do that, seriously. IV, V, and VI were great in terms of music--but after playing the other games (with the sleeker, more detailed look to them) I guess I might have judged them too harshly in that respect. They all shine in their own ways, just visually they lacked in areas.

VII though....I just never got into that game at all. I loved Aeris, but after she died that was it for me. Tifa annoyed the hell out of me (Even in the movie. When she wasn't kicking ***....she annoyed me a little bit), and Yuffie was so...GAH!!!...that I couldn't use her in battle hardly at all. It was just painful. Vincent was by FAR my most favorite supporting character (non-lead), but his role in the game (Or in the movie for that matter) wasn't big enough in my opinion. Vincent needs more play too.

[Sendo Takeshi]

Laguna also had a better battle theme.

[Rahxephon91]

The Man With the Machine Gun. Such a great battle theme.

[Len]

VIII Was pointless in my opinion. I liked it, but I hated it on so many more levels. You got useless gil only used most of the time to buy items to make the game WAY easier. Your magic was extremely broken, all of which adding to the fact that Angelo's spells were EXTREMELY broken. The way you got weapons was idiotic, and so was the detail they put into the camp menu and the battle menu etc. Finding Rinoa mini game in space was the stupidest thing I ever did, but had a very good story element to it. ...augh I'm going to stop before I make myself never want to play it again -- its a good FF but not close to my favorite.

And dont get me started about the meaninglessness of Laguna being able to battle. :/ If you go through the trouble to make a move-set for a character and give them stats etc.. THEN ATLEAST let that character be chosen.

[Sendo Takeshi]

The way you got weapons was idiotic.


I actually liked the synthesis of items for better weapons. That was one of the few aspects of the game I enjoyed.

Also, magic wasn't broken in the game. You waste any of it, say good bye to your junctions. Meltdown was the only real broken spell in the game. High defense? Well, let me cast a bit of Meltdown and then just have Squall spam Lionheart to kill you in 5 seconds.

The rundown of brokeness was like this:

Junctioning
Meltdown
Squall
Aura
Holy War's(if you manage to win Gilgamesh's card)
Zell
Rinoa

It's the only FF game where you can ACTUALLY go through the entire game without using a single magic spell. Seeing as how you'll have the most important spells junctioned to your stats.

[Hajime Saitou]

Yes, that was nice. Final Fantasy VIII (as you guessed before) was my first experience with the Final Fantasy genre, so I didn't know by just playing VIII that some of the other games had totally random characters--not related to the story in any way, shape, or form--join your party for no reason other than 'they were there and willing'.

You somehow had Sendo quoted as saying the text that you responded to here. Anyway, I still agree that having them related was nice. It's sad that sometimes the character just seems to be there to fill in the role of a stereotype. There are a few characters like that in every game though, so I got used to it eventually.

No armor and no accessories were great in my opinion. Less money you had to spend on items that would become obsolete in a few short hours of leveling up, less time you had to take to check how much each little accessory added/subtracted from your overall stats, less confusion over which shops had what item/armor/etc.

I always like to have as many customization options as possible. I enjoy finding that ring in the back corner of a dungeon that makes me hit for one more damage. I just really like to see the character progress in strength, and have an inventory full of equipment. There are items in some games that have a ton of sentimental value, and I love that. Examples would be in some games when a character dies, you might get their weapon or other accessory to use. It's like keeping that character around even after they're gone. Or simply getting gifts from other characters. That marks that item(for me anyway) as a special item with a little more value. It's just a personal preference though.

Never said they didn't. Actually, truth be told...VI was my favorite in terms of music. Very beautiful melodies, easy to listen to.

I was just using this as an example of why I thought FFVIII may have been your first one. If you had played the others first, you might not have said:

It really took me by surprise that, after growing up associating game music with the simple 16 bit Mario Bros. theme, a game--a video game--could have such gorgeous music. What an experience, I'll tell ya!



but being able to view past FMVs any time you wanted (well, after paying for them) was a GREAT IDEA!! I wish ALL the games let you do that

You should try the 2 Lunar games if you liked that. There were 2 items in each game that let you listen to all of the music and view all of the anime cutscenes. It really let you experience the game again without having to play through it all over again.

[Len]

BUT NOT LUNAR DRAGON SONG OR LUNAR KNIGHTS

*shivers*

Discraseful.. were they even part of the franchise?

[Hajime Saitou]

BUT NOT LUNAR DRAGON SONG OR LUNAR KNIGHTS

*shivers*

Discraseful.. were they even part of the franchise?

Not as far as I am concerned. I also don't think that Dragon Song is in the same continuity, and even if it is I still say no because that game sucked hard.

I treat them like Final Fantasy Adventure and Legends(old Game Boy FF's that I'm sure no one has played). Actually one of those is really Seiken Densetsu 1. But for the real one, it just has the name without the quality of the other parts.

[Len]

Not as far as I am concerned. I also don't think that Dragon Song is in the same continuity, and even if it is I still say no because that game sucked hard.

I treat them like Final Fantasy Adventure and Legends(old Game Boy FF's that I'm sure no one has played). Actually one of those is really Seiken Densetsu 1. But for the real one, it just has the name without the quality of the other parts.

The music from Final Fantasy Adventure was taken from it and put in Sword of Mana. It's pretty funny to know that they didnt use original music for SwOM.

[Westlo]

They should really bring back Nobuo Uematsu, he is a very talented composer. Why they parted ways with him the in the first place...I’ll never understand.

Because it's an Ivalice game and every Ivalice game thus far has been composed by Sakimoto.

Final Fantasy Tactics
Vagarant Story
Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced
Final Fantasy XII
Final Fantasy XII: RW

and I'm pretty sure he's doing the score for the new Tactics game on the DS.

I think Sakimoto did a great job especially considering he had to score music in zones that to fit exploration and battle.

[Nash]

Of the ones listed, 8 was my least favorite.

Of them all.......CC for the GC was pretty lame. Making one person do nothing, but carry a lamp around.

Wow, fun times were to be had!

[Ketaru]

Most people won't agree with me, but I honestly did not like IV very much. It just felt like a 5 character team was really overdoing it. And the story had too many random plot twists for my liking.

[Len]

The only things I liked about IV was the airship, and Rydia. Why this thing starts at 7 and goes up is beyond me.. II (en) was obviously the worst. You didnt even gain levels.

[Kali-chan]

I can't really say, because I haven't played any but FFXII, but I'd say based on the internet and all, that the earlier one's weren't as good because of the newness of the concept... ignore me, I can't say

[Len]

I can't really say, because I haven't played any but FFXII, but I'd say based on the internet and all, that the earlier one's weren't as good because of the newness of the concept... ignore me, I can't say

Then don't say it. If you havnt played a game, don't critique it. The earlier ones were the best ones in my opinion. Expecially FFVI, being the first to introduce ATB.

[Kefka XVI]

Final Fantasy VII is by far the worst while VIII was the best.

[Levon]

Final Fantasy VII is by far the worst while VIII was the best.

For most its the other way around<_<

[Hara!]

For most its the other way around<_<

IX was the worst (in terms of dissapointment).

X-2 was the best (By gameplay)

VI was the best (By story)

[ZeroRyoko1974]

FF II was the worst FF. FFXI is right up there with it.

[Hara!]

FF II was the worst FF. FFXI is right up there with it.

Now, you see, I stand as the only person on earth who liked playing FFII.

[Mooserocka]

IX was the worst (in terms of dissapointment).

X-2 was the best (By gameplay)

VI was the best (By story)

are you on crack even putting x-2 up there as a best in anything is an insult to the final fantasy series. i think 8 was the worst casue its the only one i didnt finish. x-2 was just charlies angels as a video game. they should make an 12- 2 with penelo casue she is my fav character and shes extreamely hot. but putting x-2 up there with anything else is ridiculous

[Kagura]

I have played FF II on the Dawn of Souls for GBA and Final Fantasy Origins for PS1 and I like it! Its awesome!So corncopp you are not alone.

[Nialo931]

FFXII was a good game but it didn't carry that feel like the rest of them did which disappointed me.

The worst I'd have to say is FFIX, it just couldn't keep me interested, that and all the characters were mini-sized, what the hell was with that? The story just couldn't drag me in and the battle system was nothing we hadn't already seen.

Best...FFVI all the way.

[Kagura]

The best for me is Final Fantasy VII!

[Wonmpa]

IX was definetly my least favourite from the series.
Its all about numero uno for me.
And VII of course.

Im still waiting to play XII though. *sigh*

[Kagura]

I think almost everyone will say Final Fantasy VII is the best out of all of them.

[Hajime Saitou]

I don't think that's accurate. Final Fantasy has been around long enough to have a few generations of gamers come through, so the "best" is spread out a lot more than you might think.

[lfgarcia]

VII was the worst for me. How could Final Fantasy Others get more? 1 was the best in my opinion.

[Hajime Saitou]

How could Final Fantasy Others get more?

It...didn't. We have four games listed here for a total of 305. Then, what I would assume to be nine other commonly played games combined, came out to 147.

The nine I am guessing would be: I, II, Mystic Quest, IV, V, VI, Tactics, Tactics Advanced, X-2.

III and XII came out recently compared to when this topic was made, so some of the recent votes might be for those as well. Then there is Crystal Chronicles so that number might really be 12.

So, that 147 is for 9-12 games. It didn't beat anything.

[BlueAngel]

X-2 was pretty bad. Bad storyline...

[Scar (Ishbalan)]

I didn't really like 9 too much, but I guess I love em' all.

[Teirm]

II was almost exactly like VIII in terms of spells, i did not play the original but dawn of souls was such a drag. I i like but had little/no replay value, because, your party had to have a WAR , BLM/RDM, WHM/RDM, MNK/THF. RMD sucks as does mnk. X was good, liked it plenty to do, nice music, X-2 was a mistake..., Tactics is slightly confusing, as id VIII but not nearly the as.

My fav is VII, best story its tied with XI, but im an XI addict...

[Magus1307]

FFIX was the worst....

[Elysial]

FFII is easily the worst.

[max payne]

Final Fantasy 8. Between the infinite summons, the terrible story and the truly godawful characters it plays out like a bad anime. The complete lack of choices in Final Fantasy games never was so horrible.

[Holy Knight]

After having played all "main" FF's, including FF X-2, but only finishing #VI and up (except for VII), I can state that FFVII was the one that let me down the most. That is not to say that it's a bad game, it was simply a boring trek with a few interesting tid-bits that were enough to keep me going until around the 25-30 hour mark or near the middle of the second disc.

[Mandeo]

Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, come on guys that was way worse than VIII any day. I actually liked VIII but more for the story than the game play and since its a game well :/

[NateRiver]

Actually VIII wasn't bad at all, If i was forced to say any it'd have to be X-2.

[ladyshiro]

X-2 I wasn't really into the charactors. I love XI. X was alright Main charactor is to much of a pretty boy. VII I've been wanting to play but the first disc to the game that I bought off some kid don't work (sucks big time).

[observer80]

I don't despise any of them except maybe FF 11 just for the fact they made the eleventh game online only. But the one's I liked the least were FF 1, characters don't have any specific names and it was a tough game to get going anywhere important.

FF 4 while many loved it, I felt it was kinda boring and was a chore for me to play. I was going through it with the do it mentality, just to beat all the currently available FF games at the time.


FF 9. Great music okay story but the character design was slightly weird.

X-2 I feel gets dumped on a little too much. Yes there were awkward scenes, but I liked the music and it was just fun to play IMHO.

[The Million Dollar Prons]

I don't despise any of them except maybe FF 11 just for the fact they made the eleventh game online only.


Yeah but FF11 was spectacular. It's still the only FF I really <3.

[Phantom]

Final Fantasy 7 is my favorite game of all time. It was the first RPG that i ever played so i have a lot of fond memories of it (I still play it). The story was ground breaking in the way everything was tied together with the events that happened 5 years ago and there was still a lot of extra scenes that revealed more.

The combat in FF7 is well done without any way to abuse it like in other games but the difficulty it is a bit on the easy side compared to other games (Maybe its because i have played it so many times.)

The music ranks as the best soundtrack i have ever heard. I can mostly find a few good tracks in any given game that i like but nearly all the music in FF7 is worth a listen with many stand out tracks like my favorite "Anxious Heart"

I have played 6,7,8,9,10,10-2. I only played 9 a few times and didn't like the "classic" appearance of the game. I picked up 6 but i couldn't play it all the way till the end.

[Jia]

I put "other". Why? Because while I do credit FF6 for initiating me into Final Fantasy, the truth is I gave 5 a short try back in 2000 or 2001. I did not care for it.

Anyhow, I do agree that 8's junction system is hard to figure out. Once you do, it can do wonders, but it is just too many options for most people. And it does bite that there is no armor either. I like it how in 6 and 9 you can buy various kinds of armor and weapons, as well as play with 4 characters on the team, plus in 6 you can wear 2 accessories. Eight does not even have accessories really. And it is not that much of a fantasy.

But I still love 8 because of the CHARACTERS and plot. Especially the characters. They are absolutely beautifully designed, and many of them are complex. Nine's characters are not attractive, and I think this is the main reason why this game is so underrated. The plot, visuals, and gameplay are stupendous, but the character designs (and most of the characters per se period) are not particularly appealing. And 7 has the best villain, but the other 3 head villains I have seen so far seem pretty one-sided.

I love you....
I agree that once understood FF8 was piece of pie.^_^

I'd say FFX wasn't my favourite.

[Tommy-San]

I think the worst had to be Mystic Quest or (for you harcore guys out there) Legends for the Gameboy.

Ew.

[Carhill22]

FFX... I've almost beat it.. I just don't like the whole sphere grid thing.. Also, the story hasn't really absorbed me. I love most of the FFs but definatly not FFX

[NightsEloquence]

Final Fantasy is pretty amazing but I hated the lvling up/sphere grid thing in FFX. FFX2 was much better in that sense.

[MirKz]

I just hate leveling, its well and good that u need to level up as you go, but to have to get to 5 levels above your current level before u vs the next boss is annoying cause it means u need to spend a solid couple of hours grinding to get there

[ZechsMerquise1]

I just hate leveling, its well and good that u need to level up as you go, but to have to get to 5 levels above your current level before u vs the next boss is annoying cause it means u need to spend a solid couple of hours grinding to get there

FFX was really easy >_> I don't see how your complaining. I don't think I ever died even if wasn't even trying. Try the junction system in FFVIII =[ Even though that's one of my favorite FF's, I still hated drawing magic

[Whoomp]

Counting only the main fanshise I'd say Final Fantasy (1) cause it's boring boring and boooooooring. I am grateful for it though since without the first one there wouldn't have been any other but it's awfully dated today went it comes to practiacally everything.

[Purple Madness]

I picked 'other'
Cause I hated XII.

It was like a friggin' Disney Game.

[MirKz]

ZechsMerquise1 I've hardly played FFX and I didn't say I hated the leveling in that game I was speaking in general.
However I'm well aware its one of those things you've just got to do.

I'm currently playing FFXII, mainly because I'm determined to clock it.
only about a third of the way through or something tho.. :(
And yes... agreed it's seemed a bit touch n go with the story. and I don't like the character skin detail in the in game movies.. too fake looking, the actual proper movies however rock and I rekon Ashe certain has somewhat of a cuteness about her

[Neko]

XII... The only one I couldn't even get halfway through. Didn't like any of the characters, didn't like the story, didn't like the music, didn't like the way it played, didn't like the way it looked... I can't think of anything I did like about it.

Didn't really care too much for X either, but I at least found it to be playable. Hopefully I'll like XIII better than the last two.

[ZechsMerquise1]

ZechsMerquise1 I've hardly played FFX and I didn't say I hated the leveling in that game I was speaking in general.
However I'm well aware its one of those things you've just got to do.

I'm currently playing FFXII, mainly because I'm determined to clock it.
only about a third of the way through or something tho.. :(
And yes... agreed it's seemed a bit touch n go with the story. and I don't like the character skin detail in the in game movies.. too fake looking, the actual proper movies however rock and I rekon Ashe certain has somewhat of a cuteness about her

It gets more exciting towards the end though, I also thought the beginning was pretty boring in X =p I hate not finishing any game lol unless the story is like GTA or just plain boring

[Michiyo_Yoshiku]

X-2 by far then 11

[mooseegg1982]

Final Fantasy 9 was horrible. I just could not get into it, at all.

[kittynboi]

I generally like them all, but for varying reasons and each has it's problems.

6 is, I think, the most overrated in the series and one of the most overrated games of all time. 8 I enjoy but it has major issues.

I would rate them like this, console wise.

Best on the NES; 3.

Best on the SNES; 5. 4 had the best story of the SNES titles, and 6 had a nice style, but 5's gameplay is so enjoyable to me I like it the best of the SNES games.

Best on the PS1; 9. I LOVE the story of 7 and most of the gameplay, but 9 just provokes a generally great feeling in my, and I like a lot of the gameplay and the characters in 9.

Best on the PS2; 12.

1 for NES, I played with it was still new. I loved a lot about it, but even then I absolutely despised random encounters and the lack of auto targeting, and the primitive MP system. The remakes are all gold, especially the PSP one. Good game, but I don't fault anyone who thinks the original NES version borders on being unplayable.

2 is one that gets a lot of flack, but I've come to like it, though a few things about it irritate me.

3 for the DS is not BAD, but something about it doesn't move me much. I enjoy playing it, but it's not as cool as the original for NES. I think part of that is the style; it seems bland, muddy, dark, and kind of drab. It doesn't burst with energy and uniqueness the way the NES version does.

I like 4 a lot, but I see it as more story driven than gameplay driven. I think it has some of the most stable, adult characters, despite the translation problems that game has suffered, and the chemistry and conflicts between the characters in 4 is great.

5 is thinner on storyline, but I see it as primarly gameplay driven as opposed to story driven.

6 strikes a balance, but the story is more driven by the personalities of the characters rather than an engaging narrative. I think the basic narrative of 6 is pretty thin and un-engaging for the most part. In a way, I see 6 as more style than substance in either gameplay or story, but it develops it's characters well. Also, I think Kefka is the single most overrated villain in history.

7, I love, but not all the characters clicked with me. I never was as fond of Cloud as others were, or Tifa, but I do have a huge soft spot for Aeris.

8 is the one I have a LOT to say one. I really don't like the characters. I think most of them are underdeveloped. Squall is just an angsty brat. Rinoa is likable enough, and unlike the others she has a unique origin, but I don't think she's explored enough. I also found the love story pretty unmoving. It's very "teenage", almost Shoujo. I thought the romantic triangle in 7 was WAY more complex and interesting and the romances in 9 and 10 were more believable. I found the Squall and Rinoa one kinda contrived and badly written. I also this the process of Squall going from hating Rinoa to loving her wasn't developed enough or written very well. The rest of the characters I thought got shafted, and all just increasingly fade in to the background and become irrelevant. The whole common origin thing to half the cast also irked me as well.

I also think the Junction system wasn't that well executed. It had some great versatility, especially in how certain elemental and stat spells would interact with attacks and defense, but by the time a lot of this opened up your characters were often powerful enough that it was kind of superfluous.

I like a lot of the GAMEPLAY of 8 and thought it has some great ideas, but I think the game had way too many missed opportunities, and a lot of the game seems kind of unfinished. It gets off to a great start, but I think it sort of fizzles after the battle with Edea in Deling City. After that I think the game overall kind of wanders without direction.

9 is awesome in most every aspect. The story doesn't always have a lot of momentum, but I think it's more than made up for with the chemistry between the main cast, although I do think Eiko and Amarant entered kind of late to be developed, and Quina could have been more than just comic relief.

10 is a game that divides a lot of people, but I generally like it, although I have some issues. The extreme rail like linearity works for the idea of the pilgrimage, but it doesn't always make for the most compelling gameplay. I LOOOOOVED the Sphere Grid, because I loathe basic old school level building. I saw the Grid as one of the best leaps in the franchise ever. I thought the characters were mixed. I certainly sympathize with anyone who found Tidus annoying, though I find him better than any withdrawn emo protagonist. Plus he's cute. Yuna, at first she just didn't stand out to me, but over the years I've become very fond of her, especially since X-2 came out. More on that below.

Khimari wasn't bad or anything, but him and most of the Rhonso weren't that fascinating to me. They were just like Klingons, Kzinti, or any other species who are obsessed with honor/bravery/being warriors, etc. Not bad, but certainly not anything compelling either. I liked Auron a lot, and Wakka was cool. I see Wakka as kind of the "everyman" of the game. We see through the eyes of Tidus, but the imperfect, flawed but friendly Wakka, neither a star or a total loser, neither a villain nor a real "hero", is really the "average joe" of the story.

The story of 10 was really cool, and I loved a lot of the different sides to it, and I adore the fictional world of Spira.

11 is an MMORPG and I think it's really fun. It sometimes takes a long time to do stuff and it can be hard, but thats all there is to say about that. It has a nice, calm atmosphere and it's enjoyable to play.

12 may not have had the BEST story, but I love the writing in general. It's interesting to compare 10 to 12, as it's like 4 and 5. 4 and 10 and more narrative driven, with solid but not too complex gameplay systems, while 12 and 5 are more gameplay driven, with lots of customizable mechanics, dense worlds in terms of how much there is to do, lots of spells and items and treasure and sidequests, but the story isn't the main star. You play it for the fun of the gameplay. I DO love the writing and voice acting in 12, though. Some may find it a little over the top at times, but I appreciate the effort of making it more "serious" and highbrow along the lines of Tactics and Vagrant Story. Plus, I think 12 has a soundtrack on par with 7, easily. 12 is easily my favorite of the franchise, with the second spot a tie between 7 and 10.

And like most people I LOVE Tactics.

Now, for the more controversial and "bad" titles.

I actually liked X-2 a whole lot. I first scorned it in a bout of faux elitism and quality mongering, but when I gave in and decided to give it a chance I found it REALLY fun, and the development of Yuna really made me see the character in a whole new light. The dress system may be a little silly and the game can be seen as one giant panty shot, but I've come to appreciate the most absurd aspects of it.

One FF I did NOT like was Tactics Advance. The story kinda turned me off. I don't like the whole "Schoolkids" thing. I didn't like it in 8 and I didn't like it any better in Advance. I thought what made Tactics so appealing was taken out of Advance in favor of something a little too saccharine, at least on the surface. I also thought a lot of the jobs were kind of superfluous, and while some of the mechanics were intriguing, I don't think they were executed all that well. I've never tried A2 because of all this, though I might one day.

A lot of people come down on Crystal Chronicles really hard, but I found it enjoyable enough. Cute designs, decent gameplay. Nothing overtly wrong with it, really.

Mystic Quest is simple, and not the most in depth game ever, but it doesn't stir any real negativity in me. And I like a few pieces of music from it anyhow.

Dirge of Cerberus, I enjoyed playing it and all, but it was very OKAY, you know?

I've yet to try the other two Crystal Chronicles games or the two WiiWare ones, but I do want to eventually.

I love what I've played of After Years so far.

As for the gameboy titles; leaving aside that they aren't "real" FF games, the three Legends have their problems and Adventure is awesome. Legends 1 had some cool ideas but a lot of things about it were just kind of broken. Same with Legends 2, though I think they improved on a lot of the mechanics very well in that one. Legends 3 I actually like a lot, and it's more of a "standard" JRPG for it's time.

Adventure is actually the first Mana game, and is just a fun Zelda clone. All there is to it.

So, really. I don't HATE any of them, but the ones I have the most issues with are 6, 8, Tactics Advance, and Legends 1 and 2.

[Toddler Naruto]

Final Fantasy VIII (8) for me.

[Rei]

Final Fantasy II

:/

[Banjou Haran]

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers

[firespot]

I really disliked 7, I didn't like the graphics. It was just really unappealing to me.

[Carhill22]

I voted for FFX, but after the ending I can't say it was that bad... I think I have to change my vote to 9, but that might be because my disc 3 won't read anymore so I can't beat it..

[Naraku]

Final Fantasy VII is by far the worst while VIII was the best.

Couldn't agree more. Though, I'd probably consider Tactics the best, with VIII right behind it. VII is so overrated though. Sure, lots love it because it's their first RPG, but the story is awful, the materia system is easy which makes combat easy, and the characters are shallow. One thing I can say about it though, is that it's just easy to pick up and play, so I can understand why people like it.

I'm done defending VIII though, great game, some people will just never see it though.

[Kain]

I thought VIII was awesome,

X was the worst IMO.

[MirKz]

Loved VII & VIII, hated IX, wasn't fussed with X, thought the graphics and SOME of the characters were cool, but Tidus was a nupty, also though Yuna was a tad lame.
XII was too star wars-ish, XIII has been good so far and I'm starting to like all the characters more, but whilst graphicallly it blasts everything out of the water. Story/gameplay wise it seems a tad lacking to the typical final fantasy.

[nlnforever]

FFX would be worst, because it ends the good era of FF (7+8+9).

[BIG RED]

im surprised no one here has mentioned final fantasy: mystic quest at all. if you can consider it an actual game of the series, then it definitely has to be the worst imo.

[RayearthIX]

Just to pose a question to everyone who said FFVII is the worst, what is the first FF game you played? The first and best I played was FFVIII, and I've been a video game nut since then. What I find though is that a lot of people who started after FFVII dislike VII more because of all the hype it gets and not because of the game itself, which I thought was also very good, hence my question above. I also loved VI, VII, X, X-2, and XIII.

As for the worst, FFIX was the biggest let down I've ever played and that's what I voted for, but FFXII was so bad I would have selected that if it was specifically an option.

[Mickeymac92]

Final Fantasy VI is my least favorite, but the worst is the NES version of FF2.

[Nano]

Ten and eight were brilliant.

13 sucked balls, 9 was very enjoyable except for the battle system.

[lionheart89]

Loved 8 the second time after i ran away in cofusion at the complicated charachter setup. I spent 80 hours on it and 40 were in the menu. Didn't like 10 but i havent finished it.

[DrewM1990]

Sticking to just the original numbers I-XIV

XI and XIV are by far the worst but then maybe thats simpky casue hate mmorpg.
aside from those 2 XIII is the worst that isn't an mmorpg.

[sandyyan]

many of you voted for FF8, i think it is ok~~

[Amorok]

I'm glad the FF8-hatin' isn't as strong as I expected it to be. For some reason, people just don't appreciate how awesome FF8 really was. They harp and moan about the battle system, which is a matter of game mechanics, not storyline or characters. It's completely missing the point.

FF8 was an excellent game, period.

Now, FF9, on the other hand... -shudders-

[Nutmeg]

FF8 is my least favorite.... Mr. Nutmeg never finished it. I did... on my own. And I wasn't that impressed with it overall...

[Gibb]

I see this post just got resurrected from the long, dead past.

In that case, I'd throw my vote out for Final Fantasy XIII as the absolute worst game in the series so far (not counting XI or XIV). It's so bad that I actual felt horrible buyer's remorse after dropping the $60 on it and playing it a few hours.

At least with Final Fantasy IX (my second worst hated FF game), I played it for a good 15 hours or so before I realized I really didn't like the game and was just going through the motions.

[ryushe]

I see this post just got resurrected from the long, dead past.

In that case, I'd throw my vote out for Final Fantasy XIII as the absolute worst game in the series so far (not counting XI or XIV). It's so bad that I actual felt horrible buyer's remorse after dropping the $60 on it and playing it a few hours.Well, I can see why...

At least with Final Fantasy IX (my second worst hated FF game), I played it for a good 15 hours or so before I realized I really didn't like the game and was just going through the motions. You're a bad person and you should feel bad!

[Toravisu]

The worst final fantasy game is hands down 13-2. Compared to 13 it has very little character development. They took away really good characters and left it with 2 people. The story was weak, using time travel is a sad excuse to make a good story.

Well that's my opinion.

p.s

Noel should die.