VII because screw that backlash, it’s the one game that got me into JRPGs and by far the game I’ve put the most hours into during my childhood/adolescence. It’s not perfect by any means, but having a “favourite Final Fantasy” thread where no one says VII sounds ridiculous to me.
(VI and Tactics are better games, though)
VII is my standout favourite, but I think VI is actually the best one.
this is an impossible choice for me. i’m glad to see viii getting some love in here tho.
I’ve played pretty much all of them, so I can rank 'em pretty easily. I don’t really like MMOs, though, so I’ll exclude those. If we’re including side games, keep the list, put Tactics on the top and slot in X-2 between X and V.
VI - A game I can play through again and again without it getting old. Has some of the best plot in the series and an expansive cast of almost entirely lovable characters (sorry, Gau).
VIII - A very cool world with interesting characters. Also the Draw system was neat, sorry.
VII - Revolutionary. Only reason it’s not higher is that its graphics really don’t hold up.
IX - An overlooked gem. Great music and story.
IV - Maybe better music than VI, honestly. By-the-numbers plot, but still fun.
XV - YOU CAN JUMP. I honestly just love the battle system here.
XII - I enjoyed not playing as the world-saving heroes for once. I dug being a cog in a wheel.
X - For all his whining, I liked Tidus. Also this game has Auron and Auron rules.
V - Purely for the job system. I don’t care for the story.
XIII - Purely for the battle system and “Blinded by Light.” I don’t care for the story.
III - Introduction of the job system. It’s okay.
I - The beginning. It’s okay.
II - Unplayable garbage.
There were only three discs for FFVII though. My copy of VII was found at the dump by my uncle, along with 2 boxes of other CDs, DVDs and games (it’s where I got I&II and Chrono Cross as well). My disc 3 though is from VIII, and I didn’t realize it until I put it in and it didn’t work. A friend ended up lending me his disc 3 though, so I did get to finish it.
I have finished VI-X.
I got a little ways through XII but I couldn’t beat the little tomato guys. It’s seriously one of the most embarrassing gaming moments of my life. After getting thrashed by them several times I decided to grind out a few more hours of leveling and hey guess what? Still got thrashed.
Anyway, it’s difficult to rank them. They’re all loveable for their own reasons but I think that IX is the one that really has my heart. Its world is endlessly fascinating to me and feels the most lived in. I think it finally lived up to the promise of pre-rendered environments with locations that were so lovingly detailed I felt like I was exploring a painting. Playing it again on a super high def mobile device last year really underscored that point.
Speaking of replays, I played through a portion of X remaster last year and had forgotten how good that game is. It’s a story tinged with sadness from the beginning as everyone in the party except Tidus knows they’re all probably going to die and I appreciate as an adult how that understanding permeates much of the game.
I too love the draw system and emo kids of VIII, the Espers and desperation of VI, and the mixed up identities and all-consuming awesomeness of Mighty Guard in VII.
I wish I could leave work and just go play Final Fantasy for the rest of the day.
Final Fantasy VI. Not only that, I consider VI probably the best JPRG ever, as well as one of the RPGs and video games overall.
The two runner-ups for me would be VII and Tactics, in that order.
I admit I’ve never played X or XII. This thread makes me want to play XII even more than I have for awhile now.
I find it interesting how much love FFVIII is getting in this thread. Around the years immediately following its release the game was very divisive and controversial for its numerous departures from the series’ conventions and generally surreal narrative.
I would argue that the classic trilogy that defined the FF series consists in IV, VI, and VII. I skip V, because, despite its excellent battle system, it features none of the storytelling innovations present in IV, VI and VII.
IV never gets the credit it deserves. Viewed in historical context, I’d argue that FFIV is as innovative as Ultima IV. While Ultima IV’s innovation lies in how its gameplay actually feels like role-playing, FFIV’s innovation lies in the complexity of its story, its wide array of characters and subplots, and grand scope. Though it seems pedestrian today, one thing that always grabs my interest about IV is how in many ways, it seems to aspire to imitate some sort of work of theatre, like a on-stage play. At every moment, VI tells its story through characterization, in the interaction of its characters, their development and individual histories. Though later FF games had better characterization, FFIV relies less on spectacle than its successors, and this shows its aspiration to really tell a story about people. In many ways, FFVI is the one game probably ever to really achieve the ambition of FFIV to put its character, their feelings and general human concerns at its forefront, but I still think that this initial ambition, this goal to make video games tell stories about people, is more clearly on display in FFIV. FFVI achieves FFIV’s goal, which is to create a video games that make us feel things. To me, the goal itself in FFIV is nearly as interesting as its the game that achieved it. It interests me that, speaking now about games in general, not just confined to the FF series, despite the number of games after VI that outmatch its story or emotional impact, FFIV is one of the only games I know that really seems to me to strive to imitate theatrical plays, rather than TV shows, comics, movies or novels. Maybe someone else could argue for a different example of this, but it really seems to me that FFIV is a game that really stands out in its attempt to make the main hook of its story its characters and the emotions they evoke, their “performances”, so to speak.
6, 7, 9, and 10 are all good games, but 8 might be my favourite cause of how weird it was. It’s hard to tell, since I haven’t really played any of them in years.
XIV is also really good… I only played it for the free 30 days, but I’ve looked at some of the bosses and stuff from later in the game and that game just seems rad all the way through.
VI and Tactics are the only ones I’ve ever returned to after finishing them. They’re definitely my favorites, but I’ve played less than half of the series.
So, absolute favorite is probably still Final Fantasy VI. I really loved those characters and Kefka has always held a special place as far as bad guys go for me.
Then it’s probably IX. God, Vivi’s story broke my heart when I played that game in high school. Also, I really enjoyed the return to the classic FF build.
After that IV. I played this game a whole lot as a kid and really loved the style of the game. The characters in it stick with me forever. I loved the DS remake, even though it was sooooo hard. But I definitely missed some of the badly translated/localized dialogue from the original SNES cart. But, gotta give it up for Kain having the voice of the fucking devil.
Then it’s VII and Tactics, probably tied? I loved both of those games so much back in the day. I would say that there are aspects of VII that did not hold up the last time I tried to play it. Mostly just a hard game to look at now. Hah. Tactics still has some of my favorite sprite work in a game for its time. I am saddened that most of the re-releases of that game removed some of my favorite dialogue moments. “Surrender or die in obscurity!”
After that, I didn’t actually finish most games. Just played them for a period of time until something pulled me away or out of them. I actually haven’t played X-2, XIII, XIII-2, or XV.
Oh, and shout out to Final Fantasy Mystic Quest. I hated that game and still put a ton of time into it after renting it from Block Buster multiple times.
My favorites are, in no particular order, Tactics, Tactics Advance, Final Fantasy IX, or Final Fantasy XIV. I still have fond memories of the summer I spent at my friend’s house watching him play Final Fantasy VII, but I don’t have a lot of fun returning to that game solo.
I’m one of the weirdos who likes V because I enjoy FF most when the combat system gives me plenty of options, and the job system in V is definitely the best example of that out of the ones I’ve played.
VI is pretty close too. Not as customizable as V, but the diverse range of toolsets each character has makes up for it somewhat. Also VI’s story is much better than V’s.
FFX and FFXII occupy permanent shelf space in my memory palace.
But FFXV hurt, a lot. I put that game to rest forever, and I should find a place to physically bury it in an unmarked plot.
I’m really fortunate to have gotten to grow up with so many good friends because Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is such an amazing experience with four people. It’s my favorite
I would normally say FFIX, but the 4000 or so hours I have in FFXIV kind of says something else.
I have a real soft spot for FFVII though, since it’s my first final fantasy!
Pff, get on my level. (
) http://i.imgur.com/pd7wfPj.png
Goes without saying that XIV is my current fav. VII is my all-time, as it wasn’t just my first Final Fantasy but also my first big RPG (J or otherwise). I’m still procrastinating on finishing the IX re-release but I like that one a whole lot, too.
Also pretty sad the XII remake isn’t coming to PC - at least not at launch. :<
My absolute favorite is FF9. The world, story, characters, and systems work together incredibly well to bring together an incredible experience. Not to mention I have a soft-spot for late-era games from any console generation, just because they tend to push the boundaries of what a system is capable of (see: Super Mario Bros. 3, God of War, Super Mario RPG).
3/6 or Tactics.
Also, I want an FF8 remake more than FF7. 8 went with realistic designs in an era when it maybe shouldn’t have. Tweak the junction system a bit and I bet it would be a baller PS4 game.
I remember where I put it so I just checked my copy. It looks like it was the box that was smashed a little. The third disk was scratched to all hell but I do remember being on Disk 3 so maybe I just gave up when it stopped working. As I said, my memory of my playthrough of that game was very faint because I probably played it at around 7 years old.
VIII has been my favorite from the moment I first started it. The draw and junction systems are incredible, the characters are (mostly) fantastic, the FMVs were mindblowing for the time, and overall I think it’s a damn good game. Sure, it has its issues, and the romance part of the plot was HOOOO BOY hamfisted, but if you ignore that there’s a lot going for it.
I’m also a massive Seifer Almasy fanboy and I’m getting a Seifer tattoo soon after wanting it for ~13 years shruggie
