Favorite Final Fantasy Game

[Cobra]

 

[Artifice Orisit]

*Eats cat*

 

[FacetiousPersona]

Final Fantasy X. My favourite teddy is named after Tidus.

 

[Red Mage]

The only one I liked was the first one. Just yesterday I downloaded the emulator, well the improved GBA version. I never got into the other ones, especially the PlayStation ones.

 

[Sugarpop]

VII. No contest.

 

[Vegard Pompey]

the improved GBA version

That's a horrible remake.

While still a flawed game, I'd say VII is my favourite. Also, Kefka (from VI) is one of the greatest villains ever.

 

[Red Mage]

That's a horrible remake.

While still a flawed game, I'd say VII is my favourite. Also, Kefka (from VI) is one of the greatest villains ever.

I'm not far into it but so far I've only noticed a very slight change in graphics as well as renaming Black Belt to Monk and Fighter to Warrior. Also, the Thief looks different. I think a lot of the broken spells and mechanics in the game are supposed to be fixed, too. It's been a very long time since I've played the original, though.

Everyone freaking likes VII for some reason. I thought it sucked.

 

[Insanity]

VII and X are the best. I can't choose between the two.

 

[Melkor]

I loved the first game! Meh.. I can't count VII... I haven't played it much... yeah..thats a confession.. I've only played the spinoffs. I'm gonna say ten then...

 

[FacetiousPersona]

I loved the first game! Meh.. I can't count VII... I haven't played it much... yeah..thats a confession.. I've only played the spinoffs. I'm gonna say ten then...

Melkor's being good for once.

 

[Weliddryn]

Final Fantasy Tactics
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[Deleted member 1424]

@melkor: JUDAS! The spinoffs are terrible compared to the real game. (dirge of cerberus in particular)

Though my love for VII that might be nostalgia. After VII; I liked X the best. VIII and XII were terrible story-wise, while IX was.....meh. X-2....I don't even want to talk about X-2.

 

[Melkor]

I loved that one too!^ Good girl weli. Chocobos FTW!

 

[tom]

Personally i loved VIII. The only thing i disliked about it was Ultimecia. I mean what the hell? you spend the whole game chasing some other sorceresses and then BAM! random new enemy.

VII was ok but i didn't find any of the characters convincing especially cloud, barret and aeris.

X was fun but i felt it was missing something. The story was pretty awesome and blitzball was great fun but I found myself a spectator rather than within the story. I think the presence of voice actors made it less engrossing for me. particularly Yuna's voice.


X-2 i really enjoyed for what it was, that is, a lighter take on the ff/rpg format and the options given by the dresspheres and GG's was quite fun.

XII was awful. I have absolutely nothing good to say about it. The story was dry, with an emphasis on dessicated Byzantine politicking and the main characters were more irritating than the bad guys.

 

[Deleted member 1424]

Ugh, Vaan........

 

[preilemus]

IX anyone???? obviously has the best atmoshere and mood of them all. i truly feel it gets sorely underrated.

X i guess would trail close behind though because it does have great atmosphere to it.

VII, i feel is overrated. i could never get into it as much as the others. i do think its pretty good tho as far as rpg's go.

 

[FacetiousPersona]

I could not enjoy XII as well.

 

[Sapphire Harp]

I once read someone describe playing FFVII as being like the first time you watched Star Wars. If you were there, in the moment, when it happened - it was absolutely incredible. If you came to it five years later, it wasn't anything special - but it changed many things when it arrived. I'm not sure if it's my absolute favorite, but it challenges VI for it.

VI is like a beautiful epic of the romantic period... or something like that. I think it had the greatest depth of all that I've played. I haven't played anything past IX, on which I agree with Glovehead. The world of that game is just impressive. I do love that re-invented renaissance feel it had. My big complaint about it was it had a lot of mechanics I felt compelled to maximize, but that's just a me thing...
​

 

[Razare]

I haven't played them all, but my favorite would have to be FFVI or FFIII in the states.

Then FFVII would be next.

Then the one I played on the game boy where you'd find food after killing monsters and eating it would result in your characters turning into different species with new combat abilities. That was awesome.

 

[tom]

VI is pretty entertaining but i havnt finished it yet.

 

[mathy]

I actually really loved VIII. Even the story (although, sans some of the cheesy romantic-ness). I connected with the characters especially in this game.

III/VI and VII are tied for second place (very close to a tie for first). Third goes to FFV. (That's right, FIVE!)

Honorable mention: X (Tidus's voice was the worst part of that game...the others weren't too bad. And compared to some other games I've played with actor voices, it's pretty freaking good. But, I still miss reading the lines in a blue box on the screen.)

 

[Latro]

My personal favorite is still VIII. My only gripes are 1. the game was too easy once you understood the junction system and 2. the characters other than Squall and Rinoa were too flat and static. Squall and Rinoa were fantastic, but the others were just dull.

Second is probably VII. Too linear overall IMO (seriously, if you look back at it, you can foresee 90% of the game as soon as you get out of Midgar) and the characters didn't really change much. Still a lot of fun though, and a compelling story for what it was (linearity doesn't make an epic story suddenly stop being epic altogether).

After that is probably VI...but I need to replay VI to be able to say why I enjoyed it.

Then probably XII....XII is under-appreciated IMO. It doesn't deserve way too much praise, but it was a good game overall. My biggest gripe is just that Vaan and Penelo became pointless almost as soon as Ashe came into the picture, and that eventually there was so much time between plot events (especially if you went exploring) that you would quite literally FORGET what had happened last and why you were going in a particular direction. Then the combat...beyond the early parts of the game, the combat really does play itself, for the most part. Set an attack gambit, heal gambits, resurrect gambits, and run around. That's it. You very rarely cast spells or do anything other than just mash physical attacks. Even in the last boss fight, the only time I stopped spamming physical attacks is when HE BECAME IMMUNE TO THEM, ffs.

Then probably X. X was an absolute blast when playing it...but looking back on it, it's actually pretty mediocre. It's EVEN MORE LINEAR than VII; seriously, other than the Seymour subplot and the two twists near the end (one of which is the ending itself), pretty much everything you're going to do is known once you get to Besaid. Another big problem is that the "end game" (that is, doing the advanced monster arena stuff) is an epic grindfest of doom: firstly, you have to do the grinding just to UNLOCK the things, which is agonizing, and then to do the advanced content you basically have to get 255 across the board and then spam Quick Hit until things die. At least in fights like the Omega Weapon fight in FFVIII you actually had to be somewhat inventive instead of being able to quite simply spend hours waiting.

Then probably IX. I don't remember enough of this to pin down what I didn't like about it. I just remember I didn't. Maybe it's because I was expecting to see FFVII but better (back then I had only played VIII and VII, in that order) and didn't, I dunno.

Then X-2. X-2...fairly good for what it was really, but not deserving of its title by any stretch of the imagination.

Haven't finished V or any of the earlier ones (I played about half of V before I lost my save, and I've barely done anything on the earlier ones) so I won't comment on those.

 

[The Fury]

I dislike Final Fantasy games, or any JRPGs for that matter. When will the day come that the Japanese realize the failings of turn based combat and constant leveling up. I don't enjoy games that are supposed to offer freedom then force you to battle every five seconds. I really can't understand how people enjoy those games.

On a side note FFXII was a considerable point of evolution for the series, which I'm told is going to be scrapped for FFXIII, going back to more or less the same old fight engine.

 

[Oblivious]

Final Fantasy Tactics
​

On a tangent, I am appalled and dismayed that Parasite Eve does not yet have a third installment.

 

[Cryss Winters]

Everyone freaking likes VII for some reason. I thought it sucked.

It was a fan favorite and got perpetuated more so by it's popularity.

 

[Deleted member 1424]

awww but it had Sephiroth and red XIII!

 

[Sapphire Harp]

I lost track of who it was, but someone posted a little blurb about 'crowning moments of awesome' today - and that set me about revisiting some of the great scenes from games I played years ago...

As I said, I haven't played the PS2 Final Fantasies and beyond... but I have a hard time imagining they surpassed the scene from Final Fantasy IX... the Assault of the White Dragons...

I thought it was unbelievable when I first saw it and I still love the sequence. It's the top culmination of movie cutscenes, music, and characters in the game.

(Which is not to say the above scene can't be matched, mind you...)

(P.S. If you're not familiar and watching the video, it's only the first half you should watch...)
​

 

[juturna]

So many memories in FF VII. Come on it was a great game.
X and IV too. X-2 was just...unnecessary buuuuuut I played it anyways :P

 

[del]

FF 9 is WAY underrated IMO.

Still, I think my favorite is 6, then probably 8, and it's a toss up between 7 and 9. They're all great games.

I haven't really played 12 that much, but from what little I have played, I did think the combat system was decent. My room mate bitches about how awful it is, but I'm not going to hate on the combat system just because it isn't traditional.

I wish I could play 12, but I just don't have that kind of free time with school.

Also, I was pretty young when FF7 came out, but even I remember how everyone crapped their pants when it came out. It really was the first "modern" RPG, and I think this is one of the reasons it seems so disproportionately popular now. That, and who doesn't get all nostalgic when you hear Aeris' theme?

And jeez, I just realized FF7 is 12 years old, lol. I also seem to recall getting FF8 when it came out on 9/9/99 and I was in like 6th grade or so. So that's almost 10 years old. Wow.

 

[DArcMatter]

From a story perspective, I liked FF X the most. It's a wonderful testament to independence.

From a mechanics perspective, I liked the junctioning and limit break systems in FF VIII the most of all of them. The "equipment" came from the spells you'd junction to your party, and the setups were eminently configurable to my heart's content.

 

[Latro]

I dislike Final Fantasy games, or any JRPGs for that matter. When will the day come that the Japanese realize the failings of turn based combat and constant leveling up. I don't enjoy games that are supposed to offer freedom then force you to battle every five seconds. I really can't understand how people enjoy those games.

On a side note FFXII was a considerable point of evolution for the series, which I'm told is going to be scrapped for FFXIII, going back to more or less the same old fight engine.

FFXIII seems to be more like FFX-2: an active ATB sort of system. More active than just choosing active in the config menu; being legitimately fast-paced Which IMO kicked ass, as it combined all the best elements of the two systems together. I'd actually argue that that system was the biggest merit that X-2 had. FFXII...seriously, the combat is just too freaking simple for its own good. I mean really:
Ally: any Raise
Ally HP <30% Curaga
Foe: party leader's target Attack
Foe: Nearest Attack

During fights with rampant status effects add esuna gambits or something.

THAT'S IT. It's ridiculous.

 

[bdubs]

I liked final fantasy tactics for the game boy advance. The turn based strategy felt like a less intense version of fire emblem (you *normally* did not lose a party member in Final fantasy tactics if they died) but included much more party customization.

 

[Latro]

From a story perspective, I liked FF X the most. It's a wonderful testament to independence.

From a mechanics perspective, I liked the junctioning and limit break systems in FF VIII the most of all of them. The "equipment" came from the spells you'd junction to your party, and the setups were eminently configurable to my heart's content.

FFX...good story...what? I don't get it. Good character development, perhaps, but a good story? I'm not seeing it.

The concept of the story (i.e. the basic framework in which the story was constructed; the details of Spira itself, in effect) was good. The characters put in to be involved in it were pretty good. The story itself? Mediocre at best.

 

[Liontiger]

Then probably XII....XII is under-appreciated IMO. It doesn't deserve way too much praise, but it was a good game overall. My biggest gripe is just that Vaan and Penelo became pointless almost as soon as Ashe came into the picture, and that eventually there was so much time between plot events (especially if you went exploring) that you would quite literally FORGET what had happened last and why you were going in a particular direction. Then the combat...beyond the early parts of the game, the combat really does play itself, for the most part. Set an attack gambit, heal gambits, resurrect gambits, and run around. That's it. You very rarely cast spells or do anything other than just mash physical attacks. Even in the last boss fight, the only time I stopped spamming physical attacks is when HE BECAME IMMUNE TO THEM, ffs.

I find the battle system at higher levels can be described in one word: survive. The monsters' attacks are so powerful that they kill you in one hit, and then you have to keep resurrecting your team. Occasionally you might get a hit in between healing and dieing. That said.....FFXII is my favorite XD I like how there are many things to do outside of the plot, such as hunts, rare game, and other little side plots. As basic as it is, I really do enjoy seeing how high of a kill chain I can make, or seeing how powerful I can make my characters. I also like that you can wander around at your own behest. There's not just one path that you can take to get to your destination.

I also enjoy using only one character to run around and battle with instead of three. It makes it more challenging, and I like to see the character I designated as my healer kicking some serious monster ass. Plus, the graphics are pretty to look at XD

 

[Latro]

I find the battle system at higher levels can be described in one word: survive. The monsters' attacks are so powerful that they kill you in one hit, and then you have to keep resurrecting your team. Occasionally you might get a hit in between healing and dieing. That said.....FFXII is my favorite XD I like how there are many things to do outside of the plot, such as hunts, rare game, and other little side plots. As basic as it is, I really do enjoy seeing how high of a kill chain I can make, or seeing how powerful I can make my characters. I also like that you can wander around at your own behest. There's not just one path that you can take to get to your destination.

I also enjoy using only one character to run around and battle with instead of three. It makes it more challenging, and I like to see the character I designated as my healer kicking some serious monster ass. Plus, the graphics are pretty to look at XD

Are you referring to the end game fights, like Yiazmat and Zodiark? Because the high end fights in the main story were not very difficult to survive at all. (As I said, the only change that I made in my behavior in the last boss fight was casting Thundaga instead of using physical attacks when the bastard became immune to physical attacks.) I never even got Arise (I obviously had Raise), and I had Curaja but never used it (I didn't have enough Hi-Ethers, Elixirs, or Megalixirs to use Curaja regularly, heh).

I never did very many of the advanced fights (I think the most advanced fight I did was probably Exodus or whatever his name is) so I don't really have a comparison there.

The exploration element of XII was very nice, though...the main thing that disappointed me was that the overarching side quests didn't really help you get much stronger, beyond simply giving you a way to "grind without grinding" (which admittedly is a fairly good mechanic; the mark of a good PvE MMORPG, which FFXII is kinda trying to emulate, is the ability to mask the grind as best as possible, IMO). Without going way ahead of what you would normally do, the hunts and rare game just don't get you anything that you don't already have beat in most cases, and the Espers, even the special ones, are just awful (except maybe Zodiark, but by the time you've beaten him you're a freaking god anyway).

Also, GOD DAMMIT, what the hell was Square Enix thinking making 4 completely normal-looking early-game chests cause you to be unable to get the best weapon in the game?

 

[Liontiger]

Yes, the end bosses were relatively easy. I'm most referring to Penumbra (I think that's what it's called), the level at the bottom of Pharos that's all dark. I think my issue is that I try to go after monsters way too high for my level. I just get impatient XD

And yeah, I was kicking myself about those chests when I found out about them online.

 

[MidnightGino]

Yay, let's bring up this thread again.
Well... For me, it's either VII or XIII, but I think I may like FFXIII more. I heard a lot of people complaining about its linear plot, but I don't really mind that much. I like its story and, most of all, its character development. Almost all of the characters develop at some point, and even if they do, they still have their own personality. You just gotta love them (especially Lightning).

BTW, this is my first time here (: I'm not a native English speaker, so bear with my bad English (yeah, that's hard for an INTP to do, since we love to correct other people's grammar, right? I wouldn't mind if you corrected me, just don't say it like "Ha! You're lame. Your English is like a kick in the *****"). Ok, enough introduction. See you around.

 

[Abraxas]

Yay, let's bring up this thread again.
Well... For me, it's either VII or XIII, but I think I may like FFXIII more. I heard a lot of people complaining about its linear plot, but I don't really mind that much. I like its story and, most of all, its character development. Almost all of the characters develop at some point, and even if they do, they still have their own personality. You just gotta love them (especially Lightning).

BTW, this is my first time here (: I'm not a native English speaker, so bear with my bad English (yeah, that's hard for an INTP to do, since we love to correct other people's grammar, right? I wouldn't mind if you corrected me, just don't say it like "Ha! You're lame. Your English is like a kick in the *****"). Ok, enough introduction. See you around.

Hi and welcome, MidnightGino! I went and bought FF-XIII, I just couldn't play it any longer than for a few hours, because it seemed to be so linear. I don't know if the linearity is just in the beginning or is it like that all the way. These days a game just can not be linear in order to be interesting, you have to be able to feel like you have a "free will" in the game.

I'm not a native english speaker either and occasionally I tend to brutally rape this beautiful language and yet I've been spared from any radical criticism

 

[Latro]

Wow, I just noticed I already posted in this thread. Oh well, my opinion has changed slightly, so I'll say here:
Either 7 or 8. I like them for such completely different reasons that I can't really separate them.

As for XIII (no significant plot spoilers really, but still):

Spoiler

the extremely vast majority of it is linear. Chapter 11 enables a considerable amount of side questing shortly after it starts, and then in Chapter 13 (the last chapter) you can go back and side quest again. You can also do a sort of new game plus-like thing where you load a save after finishing the game, and then you're relatively close to a way to get back to the place where side questing is available, and also have another Crystarium level that you can't normally have (which you will probably need to finish the absolute hardest side quests).

I should mention that right at the end of Chapter 11, but before you're locked into Chapter 12, you get another Crystarium level, the last one that you get before the "new game plus" feature is triggered. So if you want to try to beat most of the side quests before beating the game, I'd recommend at least getting that far first. (Though it is hard to beat that last fight without a fair bit of training, either by grinding (technically more efficient because of one completely broken grinding spot) or by side questing).

On the characters: they start developing and then they'll often spontaneously regress to what they used to be. I'm looking at you, Hope.

 

[Moniker]

VIII