gaming Best And Worst Final Fantasy You've Played?

[AegisReflector 886]

What's the best FF game worth mentioning here? You can also add spin-offs if you want.

 

I'd say FFVIII and FFIX are the most noteworthy installments.

 

FFVIII had that kickass Draw system which added a unique way to obtain magic without wasting a ton of Ethers. The story and character development were excellent, and the atmosphere was amazing. The soundtrack too is simply beautiful, with even the most hardcore tracks fluent and flowing with their composition that makes you have a sense of comfortableness. Plus, Rinoa Heartilly <3 <3

 

FFIX combined the best of FFVII-FFVIII and then brought back the retro styles of the first few installments to create an environment that simply works. A medieval tone with just the right amount of technology. Along with the old Summon systems that I simply are more compatible with, the Trance system was a neat addition, and FFIX I think has the best world map. However, the story and main antagonists were kind of lame.

[MelancholicMemory 2,022]

My favorite is Final Fantasy VII because I have lots of good memories with that game. I also loved FFVII's music. It's soundtrack is my favorite of any of the games. However Final Fantasy VIII was probably the best made Final Fantasy game for the reasons you described. I, personally don't like Final Fantasy IX that much compared to the others though.

[AegisReflector 886]

I, personally don't like Final Fantasy IX that much compared to the others though.

 

Yeah, not a lot of FF fanatics seem to like IX for a lot of reasons, mostly noting that it reverted back to the old medieval sort of style of the earlier games and that some of the systems were too basic. Also, IX is the most easiest Final Fantasy. I think it took me only 2 days to fully complete the game and only a few hours to level grind to a certain level range (I was at Level 97 or something by the time I reached the Desert and the Gaia Tree, which was on like Disc 3). But, come on, a little change now and then couldn't hurt! I remember people complaining about VI being too steampunk, but then when VII came out, fans were just so blown away by everything that they just completely went along with it's increased futuristic tones.

Edited October 13, 2012 by AegisReflector

[MelancholicMemory 2,022]

Yeah, not a lot of FF fanatics seem to like IX for a lot of reasons, mostly noting that it reverted back to the old medieval sort of style of the earlier games and that some of the systems were too basic. Also, IX is the most easiest Final Fantasy. I think it took me only 2 days to fully complete the game and only a few hours to level grind to a certain level range (I was at Level 97 or something by the time I reached the Desert and the Gaia Tree, which was on like Disc 3). But, come on, a little change now and then couldn't hurt! I remember people complaining about VI being too steampunk, but then when VII came out, fans were just so blown away by everything that they just completely went along with it's increased futuristic tones.

 

For, me the problem wasn't the medieval style as much as the cartoony look of the game compared to FFVII or FFVIII, how easy it was, and I just didn't like the story as much as others. Also, it came immediately after FFVIII, which is considered by many to be the best Final Fantasy game ever, and so it had a lot to live up to. I think that might contribute to why so many people don't like FFIX as much as other games.

[AegisReflector 886]

I didn't think IX looked cartoony by any means. I think the character models (at least the humanoid ones) themselves looked more realistic than the deformed ones used in VII. Plus, cities like Cornelia, Burmecia, and Lundblum had such fascinating textures that really matched cities seen in FFVIII.

[Creamy Arty 6,251]

Final Fantasy VI (III here in the States at its initial release).

 

Final Fantasy had great music from the first installment all the way up to VI, but VI is the point at which they went from simply having awesome music to having orchestral masterpieces. Every track in that game was stirring in some way. All future installments in the series had fantastic music too, and some pieces that I found quite moving, but there wasn't a time in VI that I didn't find myself captivated by it.

 

Graphically, it was a marked improvement over its predecessors and retains that charm unique to the 16-bit era. Steampunk is something that has always been close to my heart (more the steam aspect than the punk) and was the motif for this game. VII was more dieselpunk, also cool, but steampunk has more "soul" in it. I feel that the steampunk aesthetic is the way things should have developed rather than the bland designs that are prevalent today. Just looking at the way they incorporated real-life technology into the game sparks the imagination and forces me to think.

 

Kefka was the greatest villain this series has ever seen. Seeing this fop go from nothing more than a errand boy to what was essentially an insane god was astonishing. He's the only Final Fantasy villain to achieve his goal of destroying the world, for the most part. With the Empire shattered, continents reformed through devastation, and people barely eking by and huddling in constant fear, this qualifies as "mission accomplished" in my book. In the end after his defeat, all anybody was left with was the assurance Kefka wouldn't be the direct cause of their death in that hellish world, but that was just a small ray of hope when considering the hardships that lay ahead of them in attempting to rebuild on a planet now inhospitable to any form of life. Final Fantasy VII had a superficially similar outcome with Meteor but all it really did was take Shinra out of the way and allow the planet to flourish.

 

 

Music, graphics/theme, plot, and resolution; I favor VI in all of those categories. VII takes a very close second place.

[SrFrog 926]

Final Fantasy IX, It just combined the best from the classic series with the best from the PSX games. Music,story and characters where perfectly executed to become what might well be the epitome of the series.

[AegisReflector 886]

 

I think Kefka is the best FF villain too. Like you said, he's just this simple messenger that when you first play the game, you really don't think anything of. But then, he gets more psychotic and more restless, eventually to the point of a powerful aeon of sorts. I mean, yeah, the mainstream FF villain to like is Sephiroth because of his dark backstory and tremendous power, but Kefka had more of that psychological feel to it that made you zone in onto his plans and just making the world go burn. Kind of like The Joker in The Dark Knight. Just an insane killing machine out for destruction.

 

I will admit though that I did not like VI's story a lot. I just couldn't buy into how they used the concept of "Magic" in the game nor couldn't STAND how the Esper system worked. I usually just do it old-school and have Terra and Celes be like Black or White Mages and be the spellcasters while everyone else just fights for their lives. The Summons I thought were extremely bland in this game, with most attacks only being an advanced spell tactic, such as Ramuh with his Lightning move.

 

I did like, though, how the Espers determined how much your characters mature/level up in stats. Kind of like how in FFVIII, your characters learn abilities based on how much you rely on your GFs in battle.

Edited October 13, 2012 by AegisReflector

[TailsIsNotAlone 3,694]

I've only played VII-X, and without a doubt my favorite is IX. FFVII was cool and a real rush to play, but its rather shallow character development clashed with a convoluted story that totally lost me. VIII was elegant and beautiful, but had similar character and story issues, and I didn’t find the gameplay enjoyable enough to make up for it (especially the junction system). X had one hell of a story and a combat system to die for, but the characters were an acquired taste and its linear style could be frustrating. IX had all of the pros and none of the cons. Not even the character designs bothered me, as they were a perfect match for the game's retro and lighthearted feel.

 

I've seen RPGs with better combat, stories and characters than Final Fantasy IX--not many, but some--but the best thing was the experience I had playing it. It swept me up like no other game in the series. There was a lot of heart in that game and even some soul, which most games today (and their developers) have no concept of.

 

Of course, if they made a My Little Pony RPG, and it had the proper developers behind it.....

 

...INSTANT BUY. Along with whatever system it came out on.

 

Hell, WE should make that game.

Edited October 13, 2012 by TailsAlone

[Cherry Blossom 863]

Final Fantasy III would have to be my first and favorite Final Fantasy game of all time. I seriously think that FFIII is underrated and with FFVII, FFX, and FFXIII going around, it's not really great to a lot of people.

[AegisReflector 886]

@TailsAlone

 

"Pony Fantasy VII" - A love triangle between Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, and Spike is just the icing on the cake when an evil force known as D-I-S-C-H-O-R-D is infused into a ROYALGUARD Commander known as Sephichord. Huh. Has a nice ring to it. But highly unlikely.

 

I thought III was the worst FF game until XIV came. III's system is just so utterly bad and I didn't like the story at all. I will admit though, it was way more enjoyable to play than II (otherwise known as Final Fantasy SaGA).

[Lunalicious 223]

Final Fantasy XIII-2. It was really fun but that one dude in the desert totally kicked my ass. All my paradigms didn't do jack against him and I needed some other paradigm setup and I haven't upgraded Serah's defender thingy yet.

[Creamy Arty 6,251]

I will admit though that I did not like VI's story a lot. I just couldn't buy into how they used the concept of "Magic" in the game nor couldn't STAND how the Esper system worked. I usually just do it old-school and have Terra and Celes be like Black or White Mages and be the spellcasters while everyone else just fights for their lives. The Summons I thought were extremely bland in this game, with most attacks only being an advanced spell tactic, such as Ramuh with his Lightning move.

 

I did like, though, how the Espers determined how much your characters mature/level up in stats. Kind of like how in FFVIII, your characters learn abilities based on how much you rely on your GFs in battle.

The plot wasn't my favorite part of VI, but it's my favorite of the series. The way magic worked, insofar as the game's lore if not the mechanics of it in gameplay, was a novel approach. I had never seen anything like that before and can't recall a similar plot device in any other game's I've played since then.

 

Espers granting magic to party members and building their stats as they leveled up was interesting and kind of fun, but it also made me feel like I had to shuffle my Espers often and grind too much so that party members wouldn't be overly handicapped in certain situations.

 

VIII's junction system was my least favorite approach to summons and magic in the series. I actually didn't like the game at all back when it came out but its music and modern aesthetic have grown on me over the years. Still, the junction system just doesn't do it for me. It makes the whole combat system feel worthless outside the context of boss battles, because there's no need for leveling up at all.

[DusK 1,264]

I lurv Final Fantasy X. It had my favorite character development system, favorite combat system, and favorite music of the entire series. I also have a rather unnatural obsession for water, so for a big part of the game to revolve around that, it was a blast for me.

[AegisReflector 886]

Still, the junction system just doesn't do it for me. It makes the whole combat system feel worthless outside the context of boss battles, because there's no need for leveling up at all.

 

That's the whole point of the system, though. Nomura and Sakaguchi wanted to make a FF where you couldn't simply level grind your way up to full power so you can basically just have an easy breeze in later battles. They wanted you to plan out your magic and GFs so you can fill up your stats they way YOU want to play. That's also why every time you level up, the enemies level up with you, because the developers wanted the player to face themselves with some kind of challenge.

[Marcato 2,143]

HNNNNGH i shouldn't be posting in this thread since I have only played FFIII, FFIV, FFX and FFXIII.

I'll just say my favorite of them was probably Final Fantasy IV. (Comes very close to XIII though.) I should really run to my brothers basement and grab ALL the others. (Especially VII since I hear so much about it.)

[Roachling23 18]

Final Fantasy I & II Dawn of Souls is probably my favorite on the GBA cause now I can save anywhere on I & II, and use Items anytime on II. The best part is where I get to Meet Bahamut to upgrade my Character's Jobs.

[Chales 129]

My favorite would be the first on the nes. I love the openhandedness it had and fact it told you nothing. I would wander around and then stubble across a town that need help which forwarded the plot. Also I have fond memories of runing straight for Garland with my 4 fighters and destroying him, then getting mauled by a band of mad ponies

Edited October 19, 2012 by Chales

[Arcanel 3,041]

I have played Final Fantasy's VII through XIII, including Dirge of Cerberus and X-2, but not XI. My favorite FF's are without a doubt VIII and XII. Which in each generation, are the most criticized (which would proably net me a certain death with many FF zealots ).

 

VIII I just...enjoyed it a lot. The system was great for me, the music and the plot too...There's not a single thing I didn't enjoy of it, to be honest. I just...I don't know. It's (along with XII) the FF I feel like wanting to replay the most.

 

As for XII, well, this is something I don't commonly see. It's WAY too criticized for many reasons. Yes, plotwise, it's probably not the best of the best, is it probably had less development, but it was still enjoyable. It has so far my favorite battle system. And it's highly replayable with ALL the extra stuff.

 

Kefka was the greatest villain this series has ever seen. Seeing this fop go from nothing more than a errand boy to what was essentially an insane god was astonishing. He's the only Final Fantasy villain to achieve his goal of destroying the world, for the most part. With the Empire shattered, continents reformed through devastation, and people barely eking by and huddling in constant fear, this qualifies as "mission accomplished" in my book. In the end after his defeat, all anybody was left with was the assurance Kefka wouldn't be the direct cause of their death in that hellish world, but that was just a small ray of hope when considering the hardships that lay ahead of them in attempting to rebuild on a planet now inhospitable to any form of life. Final Fantasy VII had a superficially similar outcome with Meteor but all it really did was take Shinra out of the way and allow the planet to flourish.

I think Kefka is the best FF villain too. Like you said, he's just this simple messenger that when you first play the game, you really don't think anything of. But then, he gets more psychotic and more restless, eventually to the point of a powerful aeon of sorts. I mean, yeah, the mainstream FF villain to like is Sephiroth because of his dark backstory and tremendous power, but Kefka had more of that psychological feel to it that made you zone in onto his plans and just making the world go burn. Kind of like The Joker in The Dark Knight. Just an insane killing machine out for destruction.

If one where to put a best FF villain, it's probable Kefka would win, and Kuja (FFIX villain) would be second. And the only reason Kuja isn't higher is because he's slightly less psychotical and because he wasn't...well...I would spoil if I said something else.

But All that needs to be known is that, both ACTUALLY accomplished their plans. Which is what everyone expects of a good villain. They didn't stop. They didn't show a weakness. They just went and destroyed stuff with master plans. Pure and simple.

 

As for what I said about favorites, truth is, most FF fans are in constant battle over best FF, and normally, the involved ones are VI, VII, IX and X. Those are normally the FF's I hear in the "best FF" battle. Don't get me wrong, I'm not surprised (I haven't played XI, but I hear it's quite the game). But sometimes, those kind of battle make people view the rest as bad. Which is totally, totally wrong.

 

People complain about XIII, for example. That it is bad. It has an interesting, original plot, a system that is quite new over the previous ones (although i still renegate the fact you can't move. Something they said XIII-3 would cover WOOO!), a linear story so that it makes focus IN the story, rather than start doing something else, which is not bad at all. Honestly, I think people hate it due to general opinion, than anything else. And plus, you don't like linear? Well, don't play it, but don't say it's bad. Same as everything else.

 

XII gets complained because it has WAY too much extra stuff, few plot, not much character development, and even lousy music. I agree that in the "drama" part of the story, it doesn't really have much against others. That doesn't make it any less enjoyable though, or worse. It just makes it different. You don't need to have dramas or complicated stories like VII or VIII to be a good game. Sometimes people forget that. And to me, it's more than good enough to make the game enjoyable.

 

Plus, music has NEVER been bad in my opinion, even after the leave of Nobuo Uematsu, which for anybody who doesn't know, was the composer of ever FF music until X, apprently coming back in XIV. In XII and XIII, the music is more than great for each section. Just because it has no "You're Not Alone" or "One-Winged Angel" or "Dancing Mad" (IX, VII and IX respectively and all of which friggin rock, including versions of the The Black Mages, the band Nobuo Uematsu has), doesn't make it any worse. Maybe they don't have that..."stand alone song" that previous FF's MIGHT have had, but it doesn't make it a worse score, at all.

 

THE NEXT THING MIGHT CONTAIN WHAT YOU CAN CALL SLIGHT SPOILER, BUT AT LEAST HEAR THE SONGS IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ WHAT I WROTE BEFORE (It's all in caps because I don't know how to spoiler )

 

Like for example this:

 

 

http-~~-//www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIkYOR5kgxM

 

The name explains it all. That is the theme for the Archadian Empire in FFXII. And by god it friggin is what you hear. When think of this, you think of something powerful, big. For those who have played the game, it appears on Archadis and when the Judges appear. And you'll probably agree with me, taht this theme, is one that represents them very well.

 

Then for example, this:

 

 

http-~~-//www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBR2E46YnDQ&feature=relmfu

 

That's the theme song for the character Snow in FFXIII. People hate the guy for his "heroe complex" (which when contrasted with backstory is...well...understandable), but it shows this guy means BUSINESS. And it makes him look cool. I for one, like the theme a lot.

 

This is the kind of things sometimes people ignore. And I HATE it when it happens.

Edited October 19, 2012 by Arcanel

[Crystal Skull 53]

My favourite Final Fantasy game is probably Final Fantasy IV Or Final Fantasy Dimensions (the new iOS spin off) my least favourite Final Fantasy game is XIII

[Why-Gnome-Ear-Fifty 400]

Does Final Fantasy Tactics Advance count? I haven't played enough Final Fantasy games to have a proper opinion but FFTA was AMAZING. Best use of any class system I've ever seen.

[LightRaider 148]

I've played the original on the NES, and that was my only one. I got into it for a while, but put it down. I've been wanting to get 13, but as i don't have a ps3 or Xbox 360 (PC guy here) I can't play it. Can anybody reccomend me one?

[Arcanel 3,041]

I've played the original on the NES, and that was my only one. I got into it for a while, but put it down. I've been wanting to get 13, but as i don't have a ps3 or Xbox 360 (PC guy here) I can't play it. Can anybody reccomend me one?

 

It depends on what would you like, you could say (because, there's TRULY a different opinion when you ask around). Though I can only give you advices on the FF's I played, meaning VII through XIII not counting XI, X-2 and Dirge of Cerberus. Depending on what would be your fancy, I might be able to recommend you some. Even though VI, VII, IX and X are the ones who mostly compete for best FF, it doesn'0t mean you'll like them right then and there.

[Burning Desire 11]

My favorite is definitely Final Fantasy IX. I just love the story and the characters, and I really dig the high fantasy setting. It kinda bugs me that alot of people ignored it simply because the artstyle is more cartoony, similarly to how people reacted to Legend of Zelda: Windwaker, another great game.

[LightRaider 148]

It depends on what would you like, you could say (because, there's TRULY a different opinion when you ask around). Though I can only give you advices on the FF's I played, meaning VII through XIII not counting XI, X-2 and Dirge of Cerberus. Depending on what would be your fancy, I might be able to recommend you some. Even though VI, VII, IX and X are the ones who mostly compete for best FF, it doesn'0t mean you'll like them right then and there.

 

I'm really open to anything, but if it helps at all, i really like dragon quest 9. I want to try tactics advance, because it sounds alot like fire emblem.