Best Final Fantasy game and why?

[Crystalgate]

FF V or FF X for me.

FF V had a class system that I really liked and IMO offered the right amount of customization. The ability to choose one class and add a skill to it was enough to allow actual builds, but still had enough limits to prevent everyone from being a Jack of all the trades. I also felt that making a good choice was useful in battles, having both magical and physical offense was an asset. Overall I had fun building up the characters and fighting. The story was a bit lacking, but in a SNES game I spend a lot more time fighting and walking trough dungeons than watching cutscenes, so it's not a big deal.

FF X had quite a good story and the battle system was a major improvement over the PS1 FF games. It had a great way making all characters usable in a battle without cluttering it down by having all characters there simultaneously. Against though bosses it was also quite strategical, a pity the game didn't have more tough bosses and enemies though. The sphere-grid is also more fun than just gaining levels, in particular it game me a sense of goal. The lack of cutscene skip and the fact that only characters who toke an action in battles gains any AP prevents the game from being a true masterpiece though.

 

[damselgaming]

Going against the grainy-grain, my favourite is IX. First one I played and I love love love how you deal with all the abilities and equipment. I found the others to be a bit to faffy. I loved VIII's story but couldn't cope with all the drawing magic shizzle.

 

[TPiddy]

The first one.... it revolutionized so many things:

1. The first to open up a non-linear path.
2. The first to reward the player with additional abilities for exploring said non-linear path.
3. The first to have little easter eggs, like having the ninja do more damage weaponless than with a weapon.

Most of the game's trademarks were built in the first one, with a party system, healing, status spells, potions, fire, ice, bolt spells....

What they were able to pull off on a simple Nintendo cartridge was phenomenal.

I dunno, FF2, though the black sheep of the family, added the meat to the bones of the original game.
More spells, mysidia, Cid, chocobos, character development, the mood of the future games...
the list goes on and on.
Without both FF1 and 2, really, the series wouldn't have been what it is now.

Well, obviously several games have added different elements, but the basic themes that hold true through pretty much every game in the series were laid out in part one. Like Airships, elementals, status effects, weapons/armor being specific to classes, turn-based combat, 3-4 people in a party, etc.

 

[Logic 0]

For me, it's a tie between VII and Tactics.

I really enjoy VII because I find it's gameplay to be so damn satisfying. I'm a bit of an old-schooler when it comes to playing RPGs, in the sense that I grind and grind and grind until each and every last character is a bastion of power. VII is the type of game that rewards such practices not only with experience points, but also with extra materia and new limit breaks. To me, there are few gameplay experiences that can match finishing off a boss in your first turn using Tifa's maxed out limit break.
That, and I really did enjoy the story. I never really understood why people complained that it was complicated... It's really not hard to follow, if you know how to read.

I enjoy Tactics for many of the same reasons. It rewards grinding with skills, and conversely, it punishes those who haven't taken the time to prepare. To put it lightly, you have to grind to keep your head above water; if you don't, you'll be wiped out.
Story-wise, Tactics will probably always be my favorite. It touches on a lot of interesting themes, and the characters are some of the most compelling that the series has ever introduced.

Also for me I found that the main charecters in VII and tatics have had the roughest time because for cloud he had his mind destroyed just before the game starts and he's fighting an evil momma's boy.While for Ramza Dycadarg killed Zalbaag and his father while his friend became a evil mastermind and was labeled a criminal for doing the right thing and after he stopped a evil orginaztion he's still labeled a criminal and he dies at the end of the game.

 

[darkhawk918]

Hmm...i made this thread last week :/

But still once again... VIII or X

Check my joining date. I wouldn't know because I've just joined today

Great minds, eh?

 

[LeonLethality]

Grinding in FFVIII was interesting. You could basically play through the game grinding free and get to the end boss not really thinking about how hard it'll be to find out that as soon as you fight the boss you get absolutely ass-kicked. That then forces you to go back and grind quite a lot because the last boss in FFVIII is certainly one of the hardest (if not the hardest) final boss fights of any game i've ever played.

Although I don't mind grinding all that much (I play a lot of MMORPG's!) I find it can get a bit tedious

yeah ultimecia was a boss you needed to do more than just attack heal attack heal LIMIT BREAK attack heal...

as for me its a tie for ff6 and ff8... closeley followed by 12 and tactics

 

[TheTemby]

Secret of Mana
although its not final fantasy... its squaresoft and its kicks all asses in its way

 

[GebGuy]

Final Fantasy V was my favourite. I really enjoyed the multi-class system with the crystals.
I thought the boss was hilarious, at one point turning himself into a splinter to spy on the good guys.
Probably one of the best RPG's ever. Or possibly EVAR! Incorrect spelling on the internet means more enthusiams, right?

 

[azurawolf]

Okay... I will be honest. I only started playing Final Fantasy after I finished Kingdom Hearts. So the only Final Fantasy games I have played so far have to be X, X-2, and XII.

Out of those three, I enjoyed XII much more then the other two. I still haven't finished X-2 because it bored me so much. The coolest thing about that game was the little side game (I think it was called Sphere Break or something like that. Can't really remember at the moment) and I liked the dress-spheres.

XII had so much more going on and so many side quests. Gave me something to do for a very long time.

 

[Nalarion]

final fantasy 7 being the most widespread is a bit overrated but the story itself is solid and addicting, final fantasy 8 was just as much but more love story than actual rpg, and then FF 10 which lacking the solid story of either the afformentioned is still a decent one considering they actually added voices

 

[Ben Legend]

mmmm.... all of the above?
I loved the simplicity of FF1
The growth system of FF2
The interchanbility of jobs in FF 3
The amazing storyline and overall size of FF 4
The job system in FF 5
The storyline, characters (backgrounds/growth) the final battle, the splitting of parties, and the unique skills of characters in FF6
The 3Dness, the characters, the story of FF7
The combat system, GF system, characters of FF8
Everything about FF9 was brilliant. I loved everything, and have completed it several times.
FF10 had amazing graphics and a brilliant storyline. A new type of battle system which I enjoyed.
FF 10-2, I loved the sphere grid battle system, and the return of the ATB System.
FF 12 had a new battle system, and I liked the character growth, but sadly, I was not hugely taken in by the storyline.

 

[zombiekingj]

Ill fight anyone who disgraces the best final fantasy game ever which is final fantasy 3(6) some uber great characters awsome bosses perfect story, and enough summons to shake a stick at
and second place for me would be final fantasy 2(4) not a big fan of next gen ff's and I cant stand ff x and x2 phooey I say phooey

 

[manedwolf86]

Kingdom Hearts

Its a square enix game that have final characters and i feel out the final games i played Kingdoms Hearts is the best. Best battle system best characters and best story

 

[Malkavian]

I think I will have to say IX. But I might say something else if you ask me tomorrow. Bear in mind I have only played VII, VIII and IX.
IX just had a very good blend between homour, gameplay and immersive story. It managed to have a colourful and rich world, full with humour and fantasy, while still tackling some big subjects, and having a very serious air. To me, Zidane was far the most interesting character of the three games.

 

[MCDeltaT]

Final Fantasy ix, whilst I love the entire final fantasy series I personally just enjoyed ix the most, I haven't played it in a while because disc 1 got scratched but I'm not sure if I would play it now. It might just be my fond memories that make it top for me.

 

[darkhawk918]

I've not played IX in a long, long while. I have it somewhere in my large piles of games. I'm thinking of cracking it out tonight and giving it a whirl.

I remember there is a line where you can change Garnet's name and if you don't change it, it comes up with

"Princess Garnet will now be known as, Princess Garnet" or something, made me chuckle

 

[secretsantaone]

FFV

Job system was awesome.

Not that that anyone in this thread would go back further than 7 anyway.

 

[The Great JT]

However! FF VIII is the best FF game because of the immense story and how you can more than any other FF game relate to the characters

Uh...yeah, NO. Maybe if "immense" means "impossible to get into" and "relate to the characters" means "hate every one of the unlikeable twits." Honestly, it's hard for me to like any of the characters. Squall is an emo little punktard, Rinoa is an idiot, Selphie is a retarded idiot (like if a retard and an idiot were allowed to breed), Zell is a hyperactive moron, Irvine is a perverted stooge, the only character I can actually CONSIDER liking is Quistis, if only because she seems like she knows the aformentioned characters are bat-shit stupid. And the story? Oh don't even get me started. You're rooting for a love story between the unlikeable emo punktard and Seifer's sloppy seconds (Rinoa)? Plus, the "save the world" story is weak as a used tea bag and it just kinda got pushed to the side by the moronic love story. The heroes grand plan to defeat the laughably stupid-looking Ultimecia from compressing time to a single point and destroying all of existance as a result of it...

Spoiler: Warning: The Level Of Stupidity In This Plan Is So Thick It's Profound

...is to let her compress time to a single point and destroy all existance as a result of it. In other words, their plan is to let her win.

Honestly? That's your plan? That's...just...stupid. Also, the magic system is royally buttfucked to no end. Drawing magic, refining magic from items and cards, it's just tedious busywork that doesn't contribute anything to your characters' development. Yeah, junctioning magic to your stats helps, but the clinching moment of its awfulness is the fact it's more useful to just stockpile the spells instead of actually USING them like every instinct in a game where magic is available tells you to do. FF8 does not need to exist, nor does its fanbase. But that's not even the most completely unlikeable moment in that game or in any game that's ever existed: THE FUCKING LOVE SONG. "Eyes On Me" is the most repulsive song I've ever heard in a video game, and yet everyone fucking loves that thing. Seriously, I think they were trying to make the FF6 Opera Event lightning strike again. Now I could understand girls liking this shit, but if you're a dude and liked it, to quote TheSpoonyOne...

If you liked "Eyes On Me", no if you could sit through "Eyes On Me" then you are officially a pussy! See these? (holding three cards that say "Man" on them) These are your man cards! And these are your man cards (tears them in half) listening to "Eyes On Me". You're a pussy!

However, there are a few good Final Fantasy games. Final Fantasy VI (SNES's Final Fantasy III in the US) for example. The characters were nicely fleshed out and at times downright worthy of sympathy (especially Locke, Cyan, Celes and Terra), the story was good and the villain (Kefka), while looking like a circus clown who had stolen clothes from Elton John, was a heartless, power-hungry bastard who was actually threatening and someone you wanted to see defeated. And while there is a love story (between Locke and Celes), it's kind of a secondary story and not as implied as it is in FF8 or FF10, and that's how it should be. The magic system is also good too.

Final Fantasy VII wasn't horrible either. I mean despite the main character (Cloud) being another emo punktard, I think we can all agree Barett was just Square showing fair tribute to Mr. T, which is great in its own regard. The story was pretty good, if a little confusing at times (by that I mean head-scratching what-the-fuck-is-going-on moments) and the bit in Cloud's head was a pretty amusing sequence. I do think some of the characters could've been cut, especially Yuffie and Cait Sith. And why don't you just use a Phoenix Down on Aeris? Or a Life/Life2 spell? Come on, she'll get better!

Final Fantasy I is also good. I mean sure, the bad guy's plan is pretty stupid, but it wasn't horrible.

Spoiler: Click To See The Bad Guy's Plan

He sends himself back in time 2000 years so he can send the four Fiends into the future and create a time loop so that he lives forever.

It's pretty basic, but it's still pretty effective. Is it half as good as anything Lex Luthor or Dr. Doom can cook up? Probably not. But it's still a decent goal. Plus all the classes are good uses of archtypes and have their own well-defined traits and abilities and the gameplay works. Even if there's no auto-attack-something-else-if-your-target-dies on the NES version.

Now you may (not) be asking "what are your opinions on Final Fantasy IX?" Well that's the thing, I don't have any opinions. I don't own a PlayStation or PS2, and I can't find a copy of FF9. Yeah it sounds like I'm making excuses, but hand-on-my-heart it's the truth.

"Final" Fantasy. Yeah, sure.

 

[Xephino]

My Favorite is VIII for all the reasons that have already been stated.HOWEVER Dissidia is what I'm playing atm and even though its in a handheld format its so customizeable and detailed when its comes to potraying the main hero/villans in a different view.i've finished the story and still playing lv 83 cloud woot woot!