Best Final Fantasy Game

[Daenerys]

Wow, I know I've answered 20 topics like this before...

He's correct, i'm sure theres at least 3 Best FF game threads out there, i just haven't seen them recently - so i thought making stickied threads for best/worts FF games, would be a great way of ending the dupe threads. Be sure to explain WHY you think the FF game you vote for is the best one.

 

[BustaMo]

FFX to me. It goes so far in depth, that it takes forever to try to piece together every part of the plot into the puzzle. Time differences between 1000 years of existence, the different worlds and times of Zanarkands existence and dream stages, the connection between Yu Yevon, Sin, and the Bevelle/Zanarkand war...

Then the Aeons and how they fit into the story; the pilgrimage of past guardians and summoners, and the 3 amigos of Braska, Jecht and young Auron. So much happening in such a short game. Yes, a short game.

 

[SapphireStar]

Lol, surely you know my answer by now?
FFVIII for me.

 

[Misty]

If you don't know what I've chosen, I'll punch whoever gets it wrong. My favourite is closely followed by VIII, then VI, then TA, then IV I think.

..You all should know why I like this specific game a lot.

 

[charliepanayi]

FFVIII

I've mentioned why I love it so much too many times, but in short I love the characters, the opening and ending always leave me floored with how wonderful they are, the music is amongst my favourites....it's all very vague I know, but it's the one where the plotline and characters touched me the most.

 

[DL Clyde]

Best game in my opinion is Final Fantasy IX.

Right now I have a pain in my head and I am about to order a Domino's Pizza so I will elaborate on my post later.

 

[eisprinz]

Mine is FFVIII, followed by FFVII, then FFVI and FFIV.

FFVIII was my second Final Fantasy (FFVII being my first). I remember being firstly, blown away by the graphics, but when I got to battle... suddenly I decided to hate the game, because I had no idea how to work the junction system.

But I really began to like the characters. And so, I cared what was going to happen and started really liking the story as well.

I liked the characters and the story of most other FFs as well, but for some reason, for me, FFVIII has the most replay value. I feel like this is the one that I can play over and over again, while the other ones I can only play just one playthrough every couple of years.

Also, I really liked the locations of FFVIII and felt a certain connection to them that I didn't feel for other locations in games. Being able to remember locations in terms of the emotions I felt really immersed me into the world.

 

[DL Clyde]

Now it would be time for me to post my reasons.

Okay, reasons I think that Final Fantasy IX is the best is because it was like a homage to the older titles. It's great going through the game picking up the various references. Just about every Final Fantasy has a reference to the other game but this one had so much it was fun. The fact that the game has a humorous tone to it, you sometimes actually don't notice how deep the story is which I think is great.

The characters are great and the protagonist was really a laid back kind of guy which was a bit of a refreshing chain from most of the protagonists before FFIX with probably the exception of FFI, III and V. Although Tidus and Vaan weren't very deep characters like Cloud and Squall, Zidane was very humorous but was also very intelligent when he needed to be. It was great seeing characters develop through the game. One that I liked was Zidane and Steiners relationship. They two were constantly at each others throats but stop once Steiner finally accepts the truth. Zidane and Garnet have a great relationship, Zidane is always flirting and being a bit cocky to Garnet but as soon as Eiko does it to him, he realizes what he is doing and shows nothing but respect for Garnet throughout the game. I think FFIX had so many great characters. Zidane, Garnet, Vivi, Freya, Kuja, Beatrix, Blank, Baku etc, all great.

Couple of things that the game did disappoint in. First of, the battle system. It was also great for the game to go back to the tradional 4 in a party but the system was very slow, even when you turned the battle speed up full it still wasn't fast enough and can get frustating. Another is the Trance abilites. They take so long to build up but you can't save them for another fight so you could trying to get it up for so long then accidently get it full just before a boss then you are back to the bottom again. Also, Zidane is the only one with actual decent abilites. Most of the other party members just get slightly stronger or use Double Magic but I don't think anything came close to Zidane's Dyne abilities. The good thing about Trance was if you died with almost a full bar then it wouldn't go back to the bottom. The final thing I thought was bad about this game was Tetra Master. It doesn't compare to Triple Triad. It is a lot more confusing and less rewarding than Triple Triad. Triple Triad was fun and addicting but Tetra Master was a bit off putting.

The music in this was great aswell. The battle and boss themes aswell as Dark Messenger stick in my head. I also liked Crossing Those Hills (World Map) and Zidane's Theme. Good themes is what is expected from an FF game and I thought FFIX delivered very well in this aspect.

Most people will say that the younger ones that started with FFVII/VIII will not appreciate this game as it takes another change in direction and goes back down the old route but despit this being my third FF game after FFVII and FFVIII, I really enjoyed it almost as much as FFVII at the time and now about 6 years later I enjoy it more than FFVII so even if you haven't played FFI-VI, I still think that those who joined in on FF later on can still easily appreciate this game for what it is instead of "childish" graphics as most would say. It truly is a great game and if the later FF players were to give it a chance and play the game for what it is rather than how it looks, then I think quite a few of them would enjoy the game than what they originally thought of it.

Also, I would like to give special mentions to other FF games that I thought are great.

Final Fantasy VII - It was the first FF I had ever played and the story was excellent with some badass characters and obviously that devastating moment at the end of disc 1. Some great themes like Aerith's Theme, Cid's Theme, One Winged Angel and J-E-N-O-V-A. Sadly, Square Enix know that most FFVII fanboys will accept any FFVII crap throwing at their faces so we are left with every FFVII idea that Square Enix employees come up with whenever they take a crap. I'm trying so hard for things like Advent Children and Dirge of Cerberus to not affect my love for FFVII but it is getting hard.

Final Fantasy IV - The first to have an actual solid plot and also what I would call "The greatest partnership in Final Fantasy" - Cecil & Kain. This game has some excellent characters and Cecil and Kain are among some of the best Final Fantasy characters ever. Kain is my favourite character of all Final Fantasy. One of the reasons is because I have a love for Dragoon type characters (And we need more of them!) and Kain is the best of them all. The other characters I like are Rosa, Rydia, Tellah, Yang and Edge. I also love the FFIV Main Theme aswell as Theme of Love which I am curious to here what it will be like with lyrics (Since it is being rearranged for the DS version). I'm also excited for the remake of this game. Everytime I see new scans or a trailer, it just makes me want this game even more.

Final Fantasy VI - Another with great characters. It is quite remarkable how this game has a large cast of playable characters with most of them having some kind of back story aswell as character development. Also, despite Terra being the central character and the plot surrounding her, it was great that the plot focused on other characters. Most notably Locke (Another favourite of mine) and Celes and how their relationship develops. I liked how each character had their unique ability which was also useful. I wish this would be implimented in further titles as it would make for great strategies on what characters to use and how to use them. Gogo is an excellent character providing you use him/her properly.

*Since my brother is back, I will edit this post later with Final Fantasy VIII.*

 

[Neonspec]

!!! OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!

FFVIII HAS THE MOST VOTES BY FAR!!!???

YES!!!! YES YES!!!! My god i don't believe it! FFVIII is my favorite aswell! But the thing is...i really expected 7 or 10 to get the most votes...hmm.

Well i guess this proves once and for all that 8 has one of the strongest followings and is also one of the best in the series. (Despite what other people will lead you to believe )

 

[Daenerys]

Remember this is what you consider to be the BEST FF game, not your favourite one

FFVII is the best for me, the characters, plot, and music are amazing. *i'll elaborate later*

 

[Summoner Yuna]

The best FF game for me is FFX. Why? It has an awesome story that touches on themes suchs as war, loss, human suffering, hope, and love. The characters are endearing and well developed also. The gameplay is top-notch and so is the music. This is one of the most engrossing games I've ever played and it was also my introduction to the FF series.

 

[charliepanayi]

How did FFVIII beat FFVII!?

There's only been 14 votes! And this isn't a competition or anything, it's not a case of one game 'beating' the rest.

 

[Angel Valentine]

FFVII for sure ^^ I loved (or at least liked when it comes to certain characters) almost everyone in the entire cast for one reason or another. The battle system was easy to figure out, and I absolutely loved the story, the back stories, and the characters were a little different than previous casts. Plus I loved the music ^^

 

[Summoner Yuna]

Ugh, I can't believe FFVIII is still winning. C'mon people, common sense! For the record, I don't hate the game but I think it's far from the best.

 

[Lirael]

Wow, now this is a difficult decision. I think I'm tipping between VIII and X.

VIII
I truly enjoyed the story in this game. There were so many emotions and a few unexpected plot twists that added to excitement and made me want to play more.

The romantic plot between Squall and Rinoa developed, I felt, well. The scenes between them were touching, and I truly enjoyed seeing them work together within the story.
Laguna’s love scenes also worked well and he brought a charming atmosphere to some scenes. The romantic plot with him seemed somewhat more tragic and helped to show reality, revealing that love does not always call for a perfect world. Yet it becomes clear, towards the end of the game, that Raine will always be with him.

The characters were some of my favourites.
I felt Squall to be a deeper character than any of the other main characters I've seen. He had some hidden depths to him, making him quite mysterious yet at the same time totally lovable. At first he did seem a little stuck up, but when he developed more and once more was revealed about him it became self-evident why.
I have heard some call Rinoa spoilt, but I would not say this is so. She seems to have some depth to her too, which makes her an interesting character. While she's demanding at times, I never felt she had a spoilt attitude towards the others. She seemed truly caring and, sometimes, almost lost within a world of war.
At first, I disliked playing as Laguna. I felt this took me away from the main plot, yet as Laguna's story developed, I grew to love him, too. I loved the romance with Julia, and his love with Raine was endearing. As a character, he was comical but also serious and loving.
The side characters were also great fun. Zell and Irvine both reminded me a little of Zidane, for they were equally as comical and eager to charm the ladies. Quistis appeared rather more mysterious and serious than the others, despite being of a similar age, and it was easy to see that her status bought with it a certain sense of maturity. Selphie was almost the exact opposite, always jumping around and reminding me an awful lot of Rikku. Even Edea had her hidden depths that made her all the more interesting as the game progressed.

I found the world to be quite vast. Graphics don't really bother me here, so I felt every world was beautiful. The music...Ahh, the music. Simply wonderful. Each track added to the atmosphere and helped to reveal each emotion, whether it be love, hate, peace, despair or wonder. It made me feel more involved in the game and there are times when I'll go to a track just to remember one of my favourite scenes.

The battle system wasn't too bad. At first I thought it was too slow but when sped up it was just right. The levelling up was easy, but when I ended up with Squall above 40 and the others ranging from 20 - 35 it became more difficult. It was good that the enemies levelled up with Squall, but I feel it would have been better if they had levelled up with the party, taking the average level.


X
The story was enchanting and just beautiful. The scenes and voice acting helped to make it all the more emotional and meaningful to me. I’ve heard that X-2 was released because some felt X was not complete but I’m not one of those people. I feel the story worked well on its own. The ending was different to any other and, to me, held so much more meaning.

Tidus and Yuna did seem to make a perfect pairing, bringing out the best in one another. It’s one of my favourite couplings within any game, though I did feel their affection for one another grew to rapidly. It was clear to see they liked one another almost instantly. Yuna was just more refined about it, while Tidus stood there with his mouth wide open in awe half the time. ;P

The characters weren’t all bad, though I did end up feeling some were slightly annoying. I didn’t dislike any, to be honest, but after some thought I have come to realise that Tidus cried to much while Yuna cried to little. However, Yuna’s determination was just incredible and showed her commitment and generosity towards others, the world around her and her father.
Tidus didn’t annoy me too much during the game and I felt he really was lost within the world. He didn’t appear as deep as Squall, or some of the other characters, and had a more kiddish charm to him, but he was still a good addition to the game. He helped by (sometimes) almost acting as we would; naïve to the world of Spira and the people within it.
Auron…Well, who doesn’t like a mysterious guy? He was certainly a character whom I enjoyed watching on screen, though after some thought he didn’t have MUCH depth to him.
Wakka and Lulu worked well together, and both had hidden depths related to Chappu. I felt they worked better together than alone.
Kimahri was loyal, yet didn’t add too much to be honest. His loyalty was the only clear-cut trait.
Rikku added some fun to the game, though at times I did find her slightly annoying. Yet she, too, was charming in her own way. And during Thunder Plains she certainly made the game fun, despite it being a slightly saddening moment.

The world was vast and nowhere felt dull. I felt the music added to the atmosphere of each area. The world felt more unique and less Western than the worlds in other FF games. The graphics did add something to the beauty, and made each area more complete and realistic. Ooh, I’d love to go to Spira one day. =]

The gamplay was fairly enjoyable, and the turn based battle system made it both easier and harder, depending on where the tables were turned. I did dislike how bosses often had 3 turns while the player had 1. The linear gameplay wasn’t too bad since the story bought everything to life.

The levelling up...Well, there wasn't really any. I hated the sphere grid. It ruined the gameplay and overall enjoyment of the game. I found some parts too difficult and therefore the story grew tedious. There were parts I had to re-do several times, and that made some scenes feel dull in the end.


Now, had XII had a story and some real characters, it might be on this list. The gameplay was simply addictive, and I adored it. Pair up the story of VIII or X with the gameplay of XII and you have yourself a perfect game. <3

 

[Casandraelf]

i picked 7 because from what i know, it was the turning point for graphics in gaming...also it has hot guys in it ^^;

 

[RydaX]

Final Fantasy VI is my favorite.
1) Great story.
2) Awesome characters. I like all 14 of them.
3) It has my favorite character of all the FF games. The "muscle-brained, body builder who strayed from his gym."

 

[Hayate]

Remember this is what you consider to be the BEST FF game, not your favourite one

FFVII is the best for me, the characters, plot, and music are amazing. *i'll elaborate later*

Normally your favorite is the one you consider the best, right? =/.

Well, Maybe it's just me.

Anywho, I find FFX to be the best FF game story wise at least. It was awesome. It went into depth about Sin and the various things that was going on. It was just a game that kept you interested.

By far the best FF game, In my honest opinion.

 

[Howl]

I don't like to rank my favorite FF games in any particular order. Of all the FF titles that I've played, I actually liked them enough to hold on to them, or give them multiple play-throughs. However...the one FF title that brings me back to my reliable old PSX over and over again, is FFIX. It has all the marvelous aspects that a good RPG should have. Me personally, I'm in it for the story. A lot of people had complaints about FFIX's battle and ability system, but...that's actually the least of my concerns. I thought that this game had the best main character cast (Zidane, Garnet, Vivi, and Steiner) and the most intriguing storyline in the series.

 

[VetaMega]

I've played every single FF game and I thought all of them were excellent. It's really unfair to rank them but here's my ranking system. It's based on overall greatness and takes into account how revolutionary the game was during its time. However, that being said, that unfortunately isn't all. The most revolutionary game was probably pong, but it wouldn't deserve the best game award with the amount of games that have come out.

1. FFVI (6) 99/100 - The sheer magnitude of this game is superb. The storyline is excellent. It's villain is funny and different from every other villlain in the series - he does not have superpoweful abilities or serve some greater goal, he's just crazy and fun. The battle system was extraordinarily innovative and the gameplay was captivating and not at all dull. It paid attention to the little things and did the best for the gaming capabilities of the time - surpassing all expectations. Its a very solid and strong game. It was first of the series showcase a female protagonist and she was interesting. The other games all have one of two things especially memorable but this game was memorable on all its aspects so that's why it deserves the top spot. You can say that it was it and not VII that lead the new generation of Final Fantasy to focus on a science as a main subject.

2. FFVII (7) 97/100 - This game is indeed memorable. It was innovative and exciting; we did away with classes all together. There was little grind. Limit breaks were a great addition. Aries dies. First to go 3D and introduce cinematics. I did not like the protagonist or the extraordinarily long summons sequences that got repetitive after you had to constantly use them to defeat major bosses. But its strengths overwhelm its weakness. It definitely deserves its hype. If FFVI introduced science fiction to Final Fantasy - FFVII made it mainstream. It diverged from the series a thousand ways, and yet it stayed true and was successful I still remember playing this game when it came out - it was amazing. Sephroth is the coolest villain yet that's come out of RPG.

3. FFIV (4) 96.5/100 - A very interesting and solid world and very memorable plot. Gameplay was memorable though difficult. Active time battling was new. Cecil is my favorite protagonist in the series and his transformation and personal conflicts in the series was moving. The twins were memorable and so was the sage Tella and the dragoon Kain and the Kung Fu Master and the summoner Rhydia. In fact, the development of every character in the series is masterful and one of the best in the series (that's saying something). It had three large worlds - an underground, the moon, and the earth itself.

4. FFX (10) 96/100 - The graphics of the game is utterly extraordinary. The island setting was unique and intriguing. The storyline was well... Final Fantasy but different and characters developed nicely and were gripping. Yet, was it revolutionary? The addition of voice overs is a mixed blessing and the sphere system was different. Even so, I would have to say it was. It took as many things as it could to the next level, that it would have to be. I don't believe it was as revolutionary as I, IV, VI, and VII but it follows closely behind. Could anything named Final Fantasy be so revolutionary anymore in the modern era? X was epic, but then just about every Final Fantasy is.

5. FFIX (9) 95/100 - "Everything the original final fantasy were supposed to be" - Sakaguchi. That pretty much describes it. It's a thriller. The world was nice, familiar and different. The graphics were interesting. The game was a bit new. Yet its best part was probably the way the character developed. The main characters were spunky and funny which was different from the serious characters of the previous games. Man you the characters had struggles and despite their small disproportionate statures, you sympathized with them. Many airships, a couple worlds - it was fun and nostalgic. Deserves to be on my shelf of PS games.

6. FFVIII (8) 94.5/100 - Graphics were good. Cinematics superb. Storyline was not epic but should have been. Gameplay - is decent.

7. FFXII (12) 94/100 - Real time battling system was nice. Gambit system is different. New graphics. Great world. Underdeveloped characters. Bad grind. Starwars!!! Epic, but that's expected and why I gave it a 94.

8. FFII (2) 93.5/100 - First Final Fantasy to have characters and a plot.

9. FF (1) 93/100 - The game that saved squaresoft. It was the first RPG of its kind and changed the RPG gaming scene forever. Airships, boats, classes, music - final fantasy. Sakuguchi made it to be his swan song. He named Final Fantasy but it will always be remembered as the First Fantasy.

10. FFIII (3) 92/100 - Plot was decent. It was innovative. Characters died and you sympathized with them. Epic RPG on the gaming on the gaming scene and fun to play. Summons and Chocobos.

11. FFV (5) 80/100 - Fun plot but not epic at all.

Overall, all of them all pretty good. FFXI is not listed because FFXI is an MMORPG and is very different from the rest.of them. I am really looking forward to FFXIII.