From Best to Worst
Final Fantasy VIII - I like Squall, reminds me of myself at times. Liked the Junction system, and the story. Enjoyed the many secrets and the Card Game is my favourite of all. Some of my favourite Nobuo tracks are on this game too. It just sets the benchmark for all my other FF experiences. I probably clocked more hours on this one than any other too. For some reason more and more these days I see people bash this one, and I don't really know why. Junctioning was pretty unique. Might have been annoying to stock up on some magic to do so, but it worked for me. Probably one of the few complaints about this game from my point of view is the fact that if you train too much, it gets too easy. I recently tried to play through this game until my PS2 scratched the disc to buggery and now I can't get past the end of Disc 1, and got Squall to level 39. Defeating some of the end bosses of Disc 1 in two hits. I know they scale with level but with this game but when you know what abilities to go for with your GF's it does make it too easy as you know what you are preparing for. One of my previous playthroughs I had Squall at level 89 by the end of Disc 2 making the climax battle of Disc 2 a one hitter. Still really enjoyed it though.
Dissidia Final Fantasy - I chose this as my Game of the Year 2009. I probably played this more than any other game in the last year, and still playing it now, 5 months on. I just find it so fast, so furious and such a different style of gaming to anything else i've ever played. True hands down to them for creating a unique fighter. Only flaw was the pretty piss-poor story that came with it. But it was nice to see all the different insults and crap the Villains threw at the Heroes.
Final Fantasy X - On my second playthrough of this right now, defeating all the dark aeons. While the main storyline is much shorter then that of 7/8/9, the sidequests really do make up for that. Sphere grid is a interesting change from levels, but wouldn't want it to replace levels forever. The love story also got my hooked here, and the ending reduced me to tears. Being one of two times the FF series has done this. I only wish that the music was a bit better else I would have put this at No.1.
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance - Another GBA one I bought. Not part of the main series but still a fantastic buy. I've probably clocked in as many hours playing this as FFX. The job system in this is what kept me hooked, and some of the most tactical battles i've ever had were in this game.
Final Fantasy - I didn't get the honour of playing the original NES version. I tried but I just couldn't focus with those graphics. I eventually got it on the GBA in the 'Dawn of Souls' pack with FFII and really enjoyed this game. Especially since I could create my own party. I do regret picking the Monk now though, but I still feel really good about defeating the original game. Chaos is one of the better fights i've had in the entire series.
Final Fantasy VII - Don't take this wrong for being so down the list, just I far more enjoyed the others than this. It's a good game, it's story is unique and it has one of the best mind-fucks of all time. (Took me two run-throughs to fully understand the Cloud/Zack relationship.) Sephiroth is too highly rated imho, especially since you only see him properly twice in the game (All the other times it is Jenova).
Final Fantasy IX - Zidane is probably by far my favourite lead, and like Squall reminds me of myself, how I help people with no reason. While a great game and a homage to the old times, I feel this lacks because out of the 8 characters, the game only really revolves around the first 4, with Freya, Eiko, Quina and Amarant thrown in just for a bit of flavour and to serve to help the back stories of Zidane and Dagger. You can probably take Quina out entirely and it wouldn't change any aspect of the game. Kuja didn't feel like a threat to me. Didn't give me that feeling of "oh dear, this is REALLY bad".
Final Fantasy VI - Kefka Palazzo. One of my favourite villains of all time. The music to this game is probably my favourite. Dancing Mad, Darkness and Starlight, Terra, even the battle music. All fantastic pieces by Nobuo. While this is the one I am currently playing through, I feel the game lacks due to it's main cast, which is far too vast for me to really understand what is going on. Kefka got his reputation of being more of a badass for me than any other villain in the series after he actually does the deed every Final Fantasy tries to stop. I'm now in the second part of the game, and aim to finish off the Clown Prince of Darkness. Maybe its because i've not finished it yet that I am still to pass proper judgement. I listened to the music to this game long before I played it, and the Opera scene reduced me to tears probably just because I listened to the orchestral version a lot, and then realised "oh my god, I finally get to see the Opera in-game!". It's not a very emotional scene either, it was just one of those most anticipated moments where you really wanted to see something. That or I am bat-shit insane.
Final Fantasy XII - One of the three I own that i've not completed. The Gambit system is one thing I wish more games had. The ability to tell your two AI teammates what to do in any situation. Even in the early point in the game, I had them scripted to act like Healers/Tanks/DPS. While this took away things to do from me, in the field shaped like an MMO (and I was a pretty big WoW fan at the time of playing this) it felt like instead of controlling one member of the raid, I could control all 40 and if mistakes happen they were my fault instead of others. Unfortunately, the story lacked. I couldn't connect with any character, while I did find Balthier rather fun to listen to. I eventually stopped playing at some point but I might go back to it just to tick it off my checklist.
Final Fantasy X-2 - I had honestly forgotten about this one until I saw it in a previous post. It was just so... unrewarding. Final Fantasy X was amazing and then... why? Why do you taint it. I almost wished that I could ignore this atrocity completely. Oh fair enough, I did complete it, I did not get the 'true' ending and probably never will, but still regard it as a horrible 'sequel' to X. Reason: The Powerpuff Girls and their 'disaster-riffic' story which gave you a Machina as your big bad, tried to make it sound all-powerful and destructive only to have the thing beaten in 5 minutes by my team and then the final boss to be defeated in 3. Yu Yevon was defeated in twenty seconds to be fair, just because they didn't give him any more hit points after you got Break Damage Limit weapons but this game, I hardly trained and never found anything challenging.
Final Fantasy II - The only final fantasy I own which I almost refuse to play. Part of the Dawn of Souls pack it almost sent me into a pure rage. I simply just can't play this game. The weapon skill thing, the not knowing where to go, the walking across bridge from starting area and getting killed by level 30 monster. I don't want to resort to a guide to get past the first part of the game. I really don't. So, it stays on the shelf until I have the nerve to try it again.
Never played but will probably move on to next: Final Fantasy IV
Never played: Final Fantasy III, Final Fantasy XI, Final Fantasy V, Final Fantasy XIII (need £££)
