What's Your Favorite Final Fantasy Game and Why?

[CptRichards]

I have just completed playing the entire Final Fantasy Series (Excluding the MMO's and spinoffs) and I decided to sit and decide what my favorite was. It was a really tough choice that in the end I couldn't make. I first played a final fantasy game in 6th grade (Final Fantasy II: Dawn of Souls edition) and have just now finished the series.In the end I couldn't make a definite choice and it became a 3 way tie for me between II, VII, and IX. The general consensus I've seen on the internet is that most people prefer VI, but seeing as my preferences didn't line up that way I was curious what other folks might say.

 

[MostlyHarmless]

I found II to be terrible, but that's just my opinion.

I liked VII and IX, but I have to say IV is my favorite. Fantastic battle system, a good story, and a memorable set of characters. Also, I was one of the few to like XIII.

 

[linkvegeta]

Final Fantasy X, I loved the characters I loved the atmosphere it created and I Loved the story. I enjoyed the Sphere grid and loved the side quests and monster arena. Also its the only FF game that I liked summons.

 

[MisterGobbles]

Final Fantasy 1.

Because that's the only one I've played in any great detail.

 

[CptRichards]

I found II to be terrible, but that's just my opinion.

I liked VII and IX, but I have to say IV is my favorite. Fantastic battle system, a good story, and a memorable set of characters. Also, I was one of the few to like XIII.

I understand your feelings about II. It can be frustrating. The reason I like it so much is that its the first RPG I ever beat so it kinda holds a special place in my heart. And as a quick note I love all of them. In fact, XIII is up there on the list for me. Those three are just my favorites.

 

[crimson5pheonix]

This thread gets done entirely too much >.>

But, as always, IX is the best. This is fact and can't be disputed.

VIII is the worst, and someone will argue with me on that.

EDIT: Shout out to Tactics for being the "best not in the main series" game. Though I'm torn to whether I like the original or War of the Lions better. They're effectively the same, but tweaked in enough ways that I respect several things in War of the Lions. But ye olde speech doth hurteth myne ears.

 

[2xDouble]

Final Fantasy VI. Why? one word: Characterization.

I liked VII, in fact it was the first one I'd experienced firsthand, but I have to give my "Favorite Final Fantasy" stamp to VI. I loved VI's incredible breadth, which is surprisingly bigger-feeling that VII, and it's impressive roster of playables, all of whom have at least one major segment of the story devoted entirely to his or her character development (with two notable exceptions, but they're secret characters anyway, so... yeah) and each feels unique and special with more than simply "finishing moves" and sprite design.

Also: "Draco and Maria", or "Darkness and Starlight", or it's official title (as far as I know), "Aria de Mezzo Carattere" (they're all just as good for the same song), is simply one of the most awesome pieces of musical arrangement ever written, and that includes modern game music. (didn't bother finding the 16-bit version, but it's there too.)

 

[ComicsAreWeird]

Final Fantasy VIII. Loved the world, the characters and the political intrigue.

 

[StriderShinryu]

FFIV - Great memorable characters in a storyline that involves some twists and turns without being the overblown, complicated just for the sake of being complicated, messes that tend to pop up in latter FF games. Amazing music that I still rank as some of the best in the series. Fun gameplay and combat with logical depth and few if any real game breaking mechanics (beyond glitches like item duping anyway). Just a great game overall.

VI, however, is a very close second that verges on being tied depending on the day I think about it.

 

[TitanAtlas]

-Final Fantasy TActics Advance for showing me a extensive class of creatures and places that i loved at first sight (BANGAAS!!! IVALICE!!!);

-Final Fantasy 4 for my first FF and the adventures of our dear Cecil and the introduction of Rydia teh Summoner, one of my favourite characters in FF world;

-Final Fantasy 6 for the Steam Punkish feel, and for having one of my favourite stories;

-Final Fantasy 7 for introducing Sephiroth one of the best Enemies i have dared to face;

-Final Fantasy 14 for beying the best MMORPG ever...... oh lol i cant even say that with a serious face xD...

-Final Fantasy 8 for making me love every single one of the summons.... i mean Ifrit was so fucking awsome, i could do his very exact spell 100 times and not get tired...

-And my favourite Final Fantasy game is FF9... i loved the story, the cinematics, the look, the feel, the maps, the characters and it has my favourite FF character ViVi...

Final Fantasy 10 i didnt appreciated it, Final Fantasy 11 i never played, Final Fantasy 12 was a piece of trash (thanks to the main character - that girl named Vaan), Final Fantasy 13 is more cinematics then gaming, and the sappiest cutscenes i ever saw hence my hate for it, and FF14 has a good design, but its god ridden with bugs over bugs, and glitches with more bugs along with the more glitches the game has....

So yeah Final Fantasy 9 is my favourite...

 

[regamer]

Tactics by far.

 

[CptRichards]

Please avoid the spinoffs. This includes Tactics. I love Tactics. Its engrossing and very deep and entertaining. However, if we let the spinoffs in this rabbit hole goes waaaaaay too deep. Please stick to the main series. Thank you.

 

[Ked]

For me it has to be 8, it might be because it was my first or because it has (at the time) the most amazing cut scenes I had ever seen or because I am a soppy romantic at heart but something about this game always pulls me back to it, also it had a really great battle system and I loved the trigger system with the gunblade (possibly the coolest weapon ever) but I digress.
FF8 all the way

 

[xHipaboo420x]

In terms of gameplay mechanics, FFX wins. Like, for realz.

Overall, probably FFVIII. For no apparent reason.

 

[Infinatex]

FF8. I loved story and loved the characters even more. Oh and the gameplay was sick too. Loved the junction magic system.

Also it was nice having characters that weren't all cartoony.

 

[Vivace-Vivian]

I've played I, II, IV, V, VII, IX, X, X-2, XII and XIII.

It's a close race between X and XIII. In fact I'd have to say they're just about tied. I love X for it's world and the nostalgia, but the characters in XIII and the gameplay keep me coming back.

 

[CptRichards]

It's interesting to me that no one has mentioned III yet, but not entirely surprising. That is a straight up grind RPG and it is tied for my least favorite with VIII. And really, chaining a long ass level and 6 boss fights in a row for the end with no saving? I understand wanting a difficulty curve but cmon! That almost wasn't fair. Although the feeling of accomplishment afterwards was nice. And as far as VIII is concerned, even though I didn't like it that much I gotta say. The entire last level, final boss, and ending are fantastic.

 

[moretimethansense]

Please don't make me choose.

I love nearly all of them, even X-2 I hated XII though and I've been too scared to try XIII for fear it would ruin my love of the dranchise forever.

Well let me think, I and II are out, I was too "normal" if that makes any sense and I didn't like II that much either.
III is out cause I never got to play the orgional and I didn't think much of the remake.
X-2 is out since while I did really like it, the main thrust of the story didn't grip me in the same way as X did.
Erm, IV is out next I suppose, I do love it but not as much as the others, barely missed out though.

...I can't narrow it down any more, I love all the rest, but I love them for different reasons, I simply can't say which I love the most out of V, VI, VII, VIII, IX and X.
But... if forced... at gunpoint I'd... have to pick... Persona 3, no, really that's how much I can't decide.

 

[ManInRed]

The best game with Final Fantasy in the title is "Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions." But when you think Final Fantasy, we're really talking about the main numbered series. Dropping the MMO's, FF3 since it never got released in America, and FF2 because barely anyone play it (great game though) I am left with 10 games to give you my top 10.

10. FFIX
9. FFXII
8. FFVIII
7. FFI
6. FFXIII
5. FFV
4. FFIV
3. FFX
2. FFVI
1. FFVII

The top three are all solid games, and the argument could be made that all of them were the best, but I put FFX last as it has much less game play, and FFVII beat FFVI for having more challenging omega boss.

As for my argument for why FFIX get put on the bottom, I suppose I need to say a little more to explain myself. Nine attempts to hearken back to classic titles of Final Fantasy, completely ripping off plots and characters I have already seen done better in previous installments. However, this nostalgic throwback is done with such love and lightheartedness that the whole game comes off as a bit of a parody of Final Fantasy games, which I kind of enjoy. The battle system has a solid cast of unique characters and equipment base learning system, but unfortunately it is completely broken. Max damage can easily be achieved by six characters and enemy HP in the game is so low that even the final bosses goes down in 4-6 hits, which is insane considering you have a party of four characters. On top of that Auto-Regen and Auto-Potion stack, so that if every character has those equipped you will restore all your party's HP every time an attack hits all of them. So from about disc 2 onward you cannot die and every battle ends in about a round. Way to suck any fun out of actually playing the game. I rather have the game play itself?which is why FFXII beats FFIX.

 

[Jazoni89]

Final Fantasy VIII, and Final Fantasy V.

Y'know, the ones that every final fantasy fan under the sun keeps bitching about, yeah those.

Sue me!

and...yes i have played every one except for XI, and XIV.

II, X-2, XII, and XIII are terrible however.