What is your favourite Final Fantasy game?

[endtherapture]

Simple question - what is your favourite?

For me it's between VII, VIII and strangely enough, Crisis Core.

VII tells a great story and has the classic gameplay and nostalgia factor and unique setting.

VIII, I think the story is actually better written for the most part than VII, and it has a really unique setting, mature political plot with a love story at its core, with two parallel stories going on. However the drawing magic stuff was absolutely stupid and puts a dampener on an otherwise REALLY good game.

Crisis Core could be my overall favourite. It builds on the setting of VII with a deep, emotional story that really completes the story of Midgar. The ending never fails to make me cry and the gameplay is quick and focused.

 

[SlumlordThanatos]

VI, hands down, no argument.

It's far from perfect, and the writing isn't all that great, but this was the last entry in the series before the creators started placing an undue emphasis on fancy graphics and CGI cutscenes. Worse is that while VI's writing might have been pretty good for its day, it hasn't evolved one bit since then, which lead to X's borderline brain-damaged characters and the botched Fabula Nova Crystallis series, which had great potential but was sunk by poor writing.

VII wasn't bad, not by a long shot, but it was the point in the series where everything started to go horribly wrong. IX was the last entry that even came close to capturing the feel of VI and earlier games in the series.

 

[someguy1231]

VII, mostly because it's the only FF game I've played whose plot I still remember well years after playing it. Can't wait for the remake!

VI is a close second for me. I think if it had pre-rendered backgrounds and CGI cutscenes, like VII did, then it might be number one, since the limitations of sprite graphics often made the game feel less immersive to me.

 

[remnant_phoenix]

It's a strange four-way toss-up for me between VI, VII, IX, and X.

VI is arguably the best in terms of overall world/story/gameplay design. Whereas most of the games before it and after it had a "interactive graphic novel/movie" feel to them, this one was the one where the story and gameplay went hand in hand the most. The first part of the game unfolding in the linear JRPG style before moving onto a more "sandbox" approach in the second part was brilliant; the fact that the game delivered so much of its story content through player exploration and discovery is hardly seen elsewhere in the series and is, again, brilliant game design. The story itself isn't as deep or well-thought-out as some other things that Square did, but this was their best fusion of story and gameplay both are all the more effective because of that fusion.

VII stands out to me for its setting. It's remunerations on loss, identity, humanity's relationship nature, the role of technology in our lives, post-industrial disaffection, out-of-control capitalism...I could go on. The story of Cloud, Sephiroth, etc, isn't bad at all. I actually like it quite a lot, but, to me, that isn't what makes VII excellent; it's the themes and ideas that are explored that make it excellent. These are ideas that console games didn't really explore before 1997, and even more recent games on these thing tend to pull their punches to dodge controversy (I expect Faux News to have a field day with the remake hits), but VII pulls no punches, and I love it for that.

IX takes everything that made old-school JRPGs fun and interesting (colorful worlds and characters, outlandish scenarios) and injects with just enough of what made new-school JRPGs like VII engaging (exploring bigger ideas than gamers were accustomed to; in IX's case, this was existentialism). Plus the vehicle for all this is just ARRESTING: the pre-rendered backgrounds and the 3D world map that takes advantage of elevation in its design (the last time we saw these two things in the series) as well as the amazing soundtrack just begged me to spend more time exploring this world.

X is, in my experience, the best form of the "cinematic JRPG" experience. The turn-based battle system is the best in the series, demanding strategy but executing efficiently, and the story manages to balance a compelling "save the world" plot, an effectively executed romance, and a character ensemble piece, all the while exploring concepts of history and religion as well as themes of sacrifice and redemption.

I like them all a lot, just in quite different ways.

 

[Maximum Bert]

VII is by far my favourite I just loved everything about this game its also my favourite game of all time not just FF title. Still the best and most memorable experience I have ever had with a game and its the only RPG I have played to the end multiple times.

Ive played through em all now except XI, and XIII-3 which I have never touched and FFXII-2 and FF Tactics (advance version only) which I both got pretty far then dropped out of boredom. Honourable mentions for me would be

VI- really nice game hated it when I first played it but after finishing VII I went back and found a damn good game not on the same level as VII for me personally but still its solid.

X - Up there with VI for me as the second favourite and its the last single player FF game I really enjoyed.

IV -Bit rough around the edges but it has an enjoyable story and nice characters, The main villain would have been my favourite in the series if they did not pull the weak BS they later replicated in IX at the end.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

My favorite is VIII. I think VII is better, but VIII was the first one I played and it just hooked me. Still has one of the best opening cutscenes ever, and the world just drew me in like no other world ever has.

 

[Danbo Jambo]

Toss up between 5, 7 & 10

5's job system was brilliant and very ahead of it's time. Not only that, but some great music and the feel of an epic adventure made for a cracking game.

7 was just amazing all round. What made it special for me was the way it balanced everything, particularly side quests and main quests. There just always seemed to be something interesting to do.

10 was just utterly magical. A bit cheesy? Yeah, but such a well told and absorbing story, with simple yet fun gameplay, and a very appealing set of characters. The "daddy issues" may have seemed whiney to some, but they came at a time when I'd lost a parent so it actually helped me a bit.

All 3 have turn/atb based combat and I love that, so that helps too.

 

[Dalisclock]

Having played/beaten the first 7 games in the series(as well as Tactics), Tactics would be my favorite, but I'm assuming we're talking numbered games so here are my top 3 picks:

Final Fantasy 6-The best of the 16 bit era, lots of interesting characters, a good, awesome villain, and a nice implementation of the job system without while still having characters who have their own inherent classes. My only issue with the game is that 90% of the story happens before the WoR.

Final Fantasy 5- Great Job system and feels appropriately epic. Basically 3 on steriods, but without being as punishingly difficult(3's endgame is a friggin nightmare). The world was also so interesting to explore, with Exdeaths world feeling appropriately wild and untamed.

Final Fantasy 7-One of the first I finished, so I do have a soft spot for it and I liked how the flow of the adventure went. I think it also helps that I pretty much ignored all of the spinoff games. I haven't played it in 15 or so years, so I'm kinda curious how well it will hold up when I someday replay it.

I also like 4, but certain plot(Is Cain going to betray us again? Yep. Totally didn't see that coming considering he's already done it 3 times already) and gameplay issues prevent it from being higher up for me.

I did just start 9 today, so maybe when I finish it in a couple weeks I'll have to reshuffle the lineup.

 

[Rebel_Raven]

Kinda a tough call.

7, Tactics, tactics Advance, Advance A2, Legend III (though not a true FF game), adventure (though not a true FF game), the first, EhRGEIZ: God bless the ring thanks to playable Cloud, Sephiroth, Zack, and Tifa, though not a true FF game.
I've played many, but not all of them stick as solidly.

 

[Kyrian007]

VIII has always been my favorite. I've always had a soft spot for IV's "NO, I'll save you" noblest suicide competition storyline. VI has good gameplay and a good story. I've always liked VII... but. My problem was all the timesink leveling that was required. Final Fantasy had always been long on grind, but materia took FOOORRREEEEVVVEEEERRRRR to level up. So when VIII came around I was worried. I was getting to the age when I didn't have as much time to game as I did as a kid or teenager. And that's why it wound up as my favorite, the GF and Draw system removed all boring grind from the equation. You still had to optimize, but one fight with each type of creature in an area and you could move on to the next instead of wandering around for hours and hours hoping to trigger the random encounter. With VIII, one fight, draw the spells you don't have, move on. Grinding never killed the flow of the story like it did with all of the other games. The story wasn't the best of the series, but at least you never had to grind for so long you forgot what it was you were grinding for levels FOR.

 

[Fox12]

7, hands down. No contest. Fantastic cast, memorable moments, strong story, and brilliant, BRILLIANT execution. Every scene with Sephiroth is handled with such finesse, it's great. He still has the best character introduction of any game ever produced. Period. But it's more then that. The themes are heartfelt and sincere, and really well thought out. There were a few silly moments, but it was heads and shoulders above every game produced before it. It's still far better then most games produced today.

12 was pretty solid. Not mind blowing, but it was well constructed and had a good cast. Certainly unique by Square standards.

10, I hate to admit, was decent. I hated the protagonist, and it had some cringe worthy scenes, but it was unique, and original, and not quite like anything else being produced. Overall, it was an interesting concept held back by some of the worst Square Enix cliches that would go on to ruin the franchise. It tackled issues like religion and faith, though, which people are scared to touch even today.

4 was always the best classic FF. The plot was somewhat generic, but it was solid and engaging, and held the whole thing together.

6. I liked the part when the world ended. I liked when it was over...

Maybe I'm a little hard on 6. I thought the protagonist was good, and it had a decent cast. I just think it had the worst villain in the entire franchise, with writing that was average for the time (and is incredibly bad today). I don't care if the villain was successful. Success doesn't equal well written.

I haven't finished the others, except 13. And that was so bad that it doesn't deserve mention.

 

[Mister K]

To be perfectly sure, I need to replay X for the 7th time, but so far my favourites are X and VI.

FFVI is considered to be one of the best FF's ever. And I can see why: great characters, great story, well made leveling system, and villain gets to destroy the world finally.

FFX is MY personal favourite for now. I loved the world, the characters, the story. It had a true turn-based combat, which I prefer over ATB, I loved blitzball. Hell, I liked everything except for three things: outfit of Tidus, the fact that Kimahri doesn't have his own leveling way and the fact that blue magic is an Overdrive (Limit Break).
Now that I think about it, one of the more interesting things in FFX is that it doesn't have a main villain:
- Sin? You really can't say that something without mind can be considered a villain.
- Yu Yevon? He isn't even a person anymore. He is a thing that exists to summon. He doesn't have wishes, emotions or anything such.
- Church of Yevon? Just old people clinging to power. I can't really call them evil.
- Jecht? He is as much of a victim as every other person who became a basis for summon before him.
- Yunalesca? She believes that it is not possible to defeat sin, that you can only strive for Calm periods.
- Seymour? Well, he lives in his own reality, he is crazy, he is the biggest pain in the arse. But that is it. He is just a guy who stands on a way, like for example Gilgamesh in FFV.

 

[go-10]

VII is my favorite but I'm well aware that VI, Tactics, and IV have better stories and worlds. Still VII holds a special spot for multiple reasons, hell FF VII was the sole reason why I decided to learn how to read/write and talk english

 

[Danbo Jambo]

To be perfectly sure, I need to replay X for the 7th time, but so far my favourites are X and VI.

FFVI is considered to be one of the best FF's ever. And I can see why: great characters, great story, well made leveling system, and villain gets to destroy the world finally.

FFX is MY personal favourite for now. I loved the world, the characters, the story. It had a true turn-based combat, which I prefer over ATB, I loved blitzball. Hell, I liked everything except for three things: outfit of Tidus, the fact that Kimahri doesn't have his own leveling way and the fact that blue magic is an Overdrive (Limit Break).
Now that I think about it, one of the more interesting things in FFX is that it doesn't have a main villain:
- Sin? You really can't say that something without mind can be considered a villain.
- Yu Yevon? He isn't even a person anymore. He is a thing that exists to summon. He doesn't have wishes, emotions or anything such.
- Church of Yevon? Just old people clinging to power. I can't really call them evil.
- Jecht? He is as much of a victim as every other person who became a basis for summon before him.
- Yunalesca? She believes that it is not possible to defeat sin, that you can only strive for Calm periods.
- Seymour? Well, he lives in his own reality, he is crazy, he is the biggest pain in the arse. But that is it. He is just a guy who stands on a way, like for example Gilgamesh in FFV.

Good points regards X's villain. Even though there's technically several, they all have their own agenda and spin which makes it a bit different.

 

[remnant_phoenix]

To be perfectly sure, I need to replay X for the 7th time, but so far my favourites are X and VI.

FFVI is considered to be one of the best FF's ever. And I can see why: great characters, great story, well made leveling system, and villain gets to destroy the world finally.

FFX is MY personal favourite for now. I loved the world, the characters, the story. It had a true turn-based combat, which I prefer over ATB, I loved blitzball. Hell, I liked everything except for three things: outfit of Tidus, the fact that Kimahri doesn't have his own leveling way and the fact that blue magic is an Overdrive (Limit Break).
Now that I think about it, one of the more interesting things in FFX is that it doesn't have a main villain:
- Sin? You really can't say that something without mind can be considered a villain.
- Yu Yevon? He isn't even a person anymore. He is a thing that exists to summon. He doesn't have wishes, emotions or anything such.
- Church of Yevon? Just old people clinging to power. I can't really call them evil.
- Jecht? He is as much of a victim as every other person who became a basis for summon before him.
- Yunalesca? She believes that it is not possible to defeat sin, that you can only strive for Calm periods.
- Seymour? Well, he lives in his own reality, he is crazy, he is the biggest pain in the arse. But that is it. He is just a guy who stands on a way, like for example Gilgamesh in FFV.

This is one of my favorite things about X's story as well.

Most villains in Final Fantasy, and video games in general, have either one-dimensional motivations (I want power) or they're completely insane and beyond all understanding.

X doesn't completely evade this, but it still manages to do interesting things with these villain archetypes:

Yunalesca and the Church of Yevon are power-hungry, sure, but they genuinely believe that what they are doing--maintaining the cycle of Calms and their perpetual rule--is in the best interest of humanity's survival.

Sin is more of a force of nature than villain.

Seymour is nuts, but it is actually possible to feel sorry for him when you learn about his history and why he lost it.

Jecht isn't even really a villain; he allows himself to be put in the position he's in because he has a plan that could break the Sin/Calm cycle.

Some might point out other games that have done interesting things like this with their villains, but let's keep in mind that FFX came out in 2001. How many other video games from that time or before had this level of depth, or more depth, in their antagonists? Only Legacy of Kain comes to mind, but that's because LoK has some of the best characters of any video game story ever.

 

[JayRPG]

Final Fantasy 9 is easily my favourite, I love the characters, the story, the gameplay, and even tetra master (the card game). The art style was amazing too.

I, too, really liked Crisis Core, more so than I liked FF7. I disliked FF8, and there were only a few characters I cared about in FF10 (and I didn't care for the story).

I like-to-love pretty much all others, especially 4-6, and most spin-offs, I really enjoyed all of the FF7 extended universe (Crisis core, Dirge of Cerberus, Advent Children.. I wish we got before crisis.)

 

[crimson5pheonix]

Final Fantasy IX by a wide margin for main series. The characters were the best of any FF game.

Either Tactics or Crystal Chronicles is my favorite non main FF game. Tactics again for the characters but CC for the world and the music.

 

[Wiggum Esquilax]

The first two thirds or so of Final Fantasy Tactics, before power creep trivialized the difficulty.

Combat was tactical, as the name implies, with an enormous variety of viable options rather than a few super moves. The plot was brilliant, a logical take on what the world might look like if Game of Thrones had Chocobos. Every character had motivations, and generally at least tried to follow through on their plans, rather than allowing themselves to be overshadowed by an overruling big bad.

Too bad about that late game balance though.