Nope. Final Fantasy 2, Final Fantasy Tatics Advance (GBA), Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (GC) and Final Fantasy 11 are all worse. I quite like FFXIII and XIII-2.
Poll: Is Final Fantasy XIII/XIII-2 The worst Final Fantasy games?
- Thread starter Ironbat92
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I recently bought it and FF 13-2 cheap, after ages of hearing all the OMG TERRIBAD! BURN THEM! My thoughts after having recently beat it. It's not that great, but it certainly isn't the worst FF game i've played. Can't speak to 13-2 as I haven't started it yet.
I will also admit that while I really don't care one way or another for any of the characters in the 13 series (apart from Sazh who I kinda like) I am cautiously optimistic about 13-3 as the complete departure from the current gameplay system looks good.
Anyway, I'll my thoughts on 13
Story/Characters: Yeah it makes sense if you do all the reading on it (which you shouldn't have to do) but it's still ridiculous, even by FF standards. The narrative is a mess, a lot of the characters are either unlikeable or just not developed enough outside boring cliches to care about. They feel a lot like cardboard cutout versions of other FF characters. When the story ended I honestly thought there was supposed to be something after, as the game did not really feel all that climactic or epic to me. Not saying it needs to be, but I felt completely underwhelmed.
Art Design/Graphics: Graphically the game can be quite pretty, and the cutscenes were some of the best looking I've seen. The art direction was hit and miss, some parts looked great (particularly character designs) but the environments were rather bland or empty. Monster designs actually were the worst part for me as most of them were just palette swaps of monsters from one dungeon prior. The Eidolons were kinda cool though.
Music: Honestly, I barely remember any of the music from this game which for a FF game is a travesty for me. This is usually the part I have the most praise for of any FF game, to the point where I own quite a few of them. This was really disappointing.
Gameplay: Now here is the thing, I don't hate the gameplay but I really don't like it either. Once you get to that 20 hour or so mark then yes, the game does become a bit more open with using the paradigm system more. This only serves to make it slightly better than having barely any participation in the battle. Because of the nature of the system you have to work fast to scroll through the menus which leaves you far too open. I also call bull**** on the way you path during battles. You can't control your movement directly but your characters don't remain placed in static positions all the time. So you can get hit by an attack that your character will stupidly walk into on its own accord. The level up system was kinda just there, I didn't like it but I've seen worse. The Weapon and Accessory system was dumb and poorly designed. It was kinda nice that there was no best weapon, it all depends on what property you value in your weapon. However since you are encouraged to upgrade your weapons, you might find yourself leveling up a weapon and upon getting a new one don't want to use it because you've wasted so many resources leveling this one. On the whole it certainly isn't the worst gameplay I've dealt with in an FF game (12 still remains the worst imo) but it wasn't engaging.
FF10 was the game I had the most fun with in terms of combat, though I disliked the linear approach to environment and level design. 7 had a nice complex system that allowed for better customization of party members, that could be grindy at times but was very rewarding. I will also say I got a kick out of FF8's draw/gf system if only for how utterly broken it was and how easy it was to become practically godlike before the end of the first disc (enemies scale with you but you only need 1000xp to level up for every level, never using magic and junctioning high level spells making you nigh invulnerable, and of course triple triad and card mod to get high level gear before even doing your first proper quest). Compared to those and most other FF titles, 13 really was boring at best and rubbish at worst.
Really though I would say the game is subpar but I don't properly hate it. I dislike it compared to others (both in the series and rpgs in general) but I can't muster actual hatred for it like I can with FF12. (And no, I don't hate 12 because Balthier wasn't the star and Vaan somehow wrecked the whole game for it. I hate it because there wasn't a single thing about it I liked or found fun).
For clarification purposes, of the FF games I've played: 6 > 7 > 10 = 9 > 5 > 8 > 12(which ranks highly on my all-time worst games I have personally played list and I will not stop harping on it).
I will also admit that while I really don't care one way or another for any of the characters in the 13 series (apart from Sazh who I kinda like) I am cautiously optimistic about 13-3 as the complete departure from the current gameplay system looks good.
Anyway, I'll my thoughts on 13
Story/Characters: Yeah it makes sense if you do all the reading on it (which you shouldn't have to do) but it's still ridiculous, even by FF standards. The narrative is a mess, a lot of the characters are either unlikeable or just not developed enough outside boring cliches to care about. They feel a lot like cardboard cutout versions of other FF characters. When the story ended I honestly thought there was supposed to be something after, as the game did not really feel all that climactic or epic to me. Not saying it needs to be, but I felt completely underwhelmed.
Art Design/Graphics: Graphically the game can be quite pretty, and the cutscenes were some of the best looking I've seen. The art direction was hit and miss, some parts looked great (particularly character designs) but the environments were rather bland or empty. Monster designs actually were the worst part for me as most of them were just palette swaps of monsters from one dungeon prior. The Eidolons were kinda cool though.
Music: Honestly, I barely remember any of the music from this game which for a FF game is a travesty for me. This is usually the part I have the most praise for of any FF game, to the point where I own quite a few of them. This was really disappointing.
Gameplay: Now here is the thing, I don't hate the gameplay but I really don't like it either. Once you get to that 20 hour or so mark then yes, the game does become a bit more open with using the paradigm system more. This only serves to make it slightly better than having barely any participation in the battle. Because of the nature of the system you have to work fast to scroll through the menus which leaves you far too open. I also call bull**** on the way you path during battles. You can't control your movement directly but your characters don't remain placed in static positions all the time. So you can get hit by an attack that your character will stupidly walk into on its own accord. The level up system was kinda just there, I didn't like it but I've seen worse. The Weapon and Accessory system was dumb and poorly designed. It was kinda nice that there was no best weapon, it all depends on what property you value in your weapon. However since you are encouraged to upgrade your weapons, you might find yourself leveling up a weapon and upon getting a new one don't want to use it because you've wasted so many resources leveling this one. On the whole it certainly isn't the worst gameplay I've dealt with in an FF game (12 still remains the worst imo) but it wasn't engaging.
FF10 was the game I had the most fun with in terms of combat, though I disliked the linear approach to environment and level design. 7 had a nice complex system that allowed for better customization of party members, that could be grindy at times but was very rewarding. I will also say I got a kick out of FF8's draw/gf system if only for how utterly broken it was and how easy it was to become practically godlike before the end of the first disc (enemies scale with you but you only need 1000xp to level up for every level, never using magic and junctioning high level spells making you nigh invulnerable, and of course triple triad and card mod to get high level gear before even doing your first proper quest). Compared to those and most other FF titles, 13 really was boring at best and rubbish at worst.
Really though I would say the game is subpar but I don't properly hate it. I dislike it compared to others (both in the series and rpgs in general) but I can't muster actual hatred for it like I can with FF12. (And no, I don't hate 12 because Balthier wasn't the star and Vaan somehow wrecked the whole game for it. I hate it because there wasn't a single thing about it I liked or found fun).
For clarification purposes, of the FF games I've played: 6 > 7 > 10 = 9 > 5 > 8 > 12(which ranks highly on my all-time worst games I have personally played list and I will not stop harping on it).
far as I'm concerned?
Yes, fallowed closely by FFXII, I would rather go play FFVIII again then play ether of those again.
Yes, fallowed closely by FFXII, I would rather go play FFVIII again then play ether of those again.
I can't pass judgment on XIII-2 since I haven't played it, but I consider XIII the worst main series Final Fantasy.
It put so much of its resources into the story, but it's godawful. Every single character has the charisma of moldy yogurt, their motivaions for doing what they do are completely impenetrable and the lore is incomprehensible tripe. If you're going to beat us over the head with your story every five minutes, FFXIII, you could have had the courtesy to hire competent writers who know how social interactions work.
And it doesn't help that the combat barely gives you any agency; you just switch paradigms at the right moment and hope that the AI characters will use the buffs and debuffs you need, or heal you and not themselves because if the PC dies it's game over for some fucking arbitrary reason.
I really wanted to like it, but after 20 hours of either complete boredom or wanting to throw the disc out the window, I gave up.
It put so much of its resources into the story, but it's godawful. Every single character has the charisma of moldy yogurt, their motivaions for doing what they do are completely impenetrable and the lore is incomprehensible tripe. If you're going to beat us over the head with your story every five minutes, FFXIII, you could have had the courtesy to hire competent writers who know how social interactions work.
And it doesn't help that the combat barely gives you any agency; you just switch paradigms at the right moment and hope that the AI characters will use the buffs and debuffs you need, or heal you and not themselves because if the PC dies it's game over for some fucking arbitrary reason.
I really wanted to like it, but after 20 hours of either complete boredom or wanting to throw the disc out the window, I gave up.
Well personally, yeah I thought 13 was pretty shit. It's an RPG trapped in the body of a rail shooter. As for 12, I thought it was fucking awesome. I'm a big fan of Tactics and Vagrant Story by Yasumi Matsuno. XII is basically the ATB system with open world movement. I'd recommend the Zodiac Job System version if you have a decent PC to emulate it. The cast was likable, well-voiced, and had actions that were believable with the politically driven story, minus that douche Vaan, they should have kept Basch as the lead. Funny how they said an older character would be unrelatable, seeing as people loved Cecil in Final Fantasy IV. I'd rather have Captain of the Guards or Leader of the Red Wings type leads. Instead of effeminate pretty boys with ego and self-esteem issues. Anyway, Basch is the Solid Snake of Final Fantasy, complete with a nefarious twin. Oh and yes, it is quite like Stars Wars plot wise. Don't care, I'd rather Square Enix do that, than make a half-baked plot that requires a fucking encyclopedia, with angst-ridden characters repeating the same nonsensical shit every scene about finding hope and junk.
No way. I liked FF13, despite its linearity, and FF13-2 was better in almost every regard gameplay-wise. The worst Final Fantasy game I've played was FF12; I HATED 12. It does everything so... wrong. The characters, besides maybe Balthier, were boring and bland in both appearance and personality, the world and environments were also rather bland, the story was kinda meh, the characters were interchangeable in battle in the long run due to the licence system and the fact that stat growth differences were rather negligible, combat was slow, mechanical and boring, enemies gave crap for experience, money was so very unplentiful meaning that I couldn't buy anything, the trash loot system was stupid and a hassle, considering the item cap of 99... Really, there was no aspect of the game I enjoyed.
I never beat it; I didn't like it enough to go on. Maybe I'm missing something, but I really don't want it to go on like it has been for any longer.
I never beat it; I didn't like it enough to go on. Maybe I'm missing something, but I really don't want it to go on like it has been for any longer.
Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest is clearly the worst. Though, FF XIII is not far behind.
Easy solution to know which FF games to play: Ask yourself, is Hironobu Sakaguchi involved in production? If yes, then play the game, in not, then do not bother.
Sure, this leaves the bomb that is Final Fantasy II (JP NES, not to be confused with the NA SNES title) but still, it is a decent rule of thumb.
Easy solution to know which FF games to play: Ask yourself, is Hironobu Sakaguchi involved in production? If yes, then play the game, in not, then do not bother.
Sure, this leaves the bomb that is Final Fantasy II (JP NES, not to be confused with the NA SNES title) but still, it is a decent rule of thumb.
XIII made me sigh heavily. To simply put it, I just wasn't enjoying it. I found most battles to be tedious and I was just reusing the same strategy in every fight.
XIII-2, on the other hand, I actually enjoyed. The lead characters were actually nice and weren't annoying in the slightest. It was also nice to see SE actually trying some new things in both writing and gameplay not seen in a FF game before.
Also, my dislike of XIII was not the linearity; ALL Final Fantasy games are linear. The only one I can think of that lowers the linearity level is VI during the second half. But otherwise, no, ALL Final Fantasy games are just as linear. Sure, they have world maps in them, but think about it; the world maps always used water, mountain, obstacles, ect. to make sure you were always going from point A to point B without diverging. Having a world map gives you the impression there's a kind of open world bigness, but there isn't and there never was.
XIII-2, on the other hand, I actually enjoyed. The lead characters were actually nice and weren't annoying in the slightest. It was also nice to see SE actually trying some new things in both writing and gameplay not seen in a FF game before.
Also, my dislike of XIII was not the linearity; ALL Final Fantasy games are linear. The only one I can think of that lowers the linearity level is VI during the second half. But otherwise, no, ALL Final Fantasy games are just as linear. Sure, they have world maps in them, but think about it; the world maps always used water, mountain, obstacles, ect. to make sure you were always going from point A to point B without diverging. Having a world map gives you the impression there's a kind of open world bigness, but there isn't and there never was.