Unpopular Final Fantasy Opinions

[Starships]

• I love Final Fantasy II, most people hate or loathe this game with all their might. But I love the game's soundtrack, odd battle system and it has one of the best and underrated FF Villians in the whole series. Out of the 3 originals- I love FF II the most.

• Final Fantasy X-2 isn't that bad of a game, yeah, it's super cringe at times, though understanding how tense and heavy the original game was, it would make sense for the main cast to go wild in a sense. It's not the best game in the series, but it's fun.

• Final Fantasy games are better when they are Turn- Based. FFXV just felt disappointing only playing as Noctis, and Crisis Core just felt so hack/ slash. It's more fun to have a full controllable party. Only playing as one character and having the CPU control the rest, is just the worst. Especially when the CPU gets the way, won't heal you, or just does something stupid. Maybe I'm just a grumpy old fart though. Really think if Final Fantasy wants to go Action, they should change things around and just have the controllable MC and have one CPU the player can choose from a menu and whether you want a healer, gunner, dragooner or whatever to help you out, than just have so many CPU's at once. Final Fantasy VII : Remake may change my thoughts on this though. But after playing the KH games and dealing with the bad CPU Donald Duck is, and falling asleep with Crisis Core and hating the FFXV battle system, I feel like Action is just the worst.

• Rinoa is a fantastic female character and she doesn't deserve any hate. She's a cutie and just wants to enjoy the present and enjoy time with friends and loved ones now, because you don't know what can happen in the future. And she's pretty tough for dealing with becoming a Sorceresses, the MOST HATED THING in the world of FFVIII and not going insane or turning evil. She is a massive damsel in distress, but praying for that to be changed if they ever want to remake FF VIII one day. But Rinoa is great and she deserves massive points for not going loopy for becoming a Sorceresses, being okay after Ulti took her over and even letting herself be locked up away in Esthar so others can be safe.

• Lighting is a bitch, there's nothing good about her. She's just a aggressive, physically abusive bitch. Lightning has nothing good about her. She's just a plain out awful person, and a awful character. I don't understand why the other characters even deal being around her. Especially after getting punched, pushed or slapped by her. She has problems.

• Final Fantasy VIII Drawing/ Junction system is good- it's fun to go around the world drawing magic from monsters and the Junction System is addictive. The system is one of the best systems in the series and makes random encounters so much less painful to deal with.

• Tidus is a great main character, he's not whiny or annoying, he's just a confused and lost teenaged boy who's trapped in a strange world. And I hate it when people say that he has " daddy issues " when his father Jecht was clearly emotionally abusive towards him, and would be drunk around him. Poor Tids.

• Vaan is great, he's a terrible main lead as the game quickly pushes him in the background, but as a character, he's fine. Vaan is a little Aladdin- esque character who just wants to be a Sky Pirate to escape and be free from the pain of his brother dying. Vaan just needs a hug.

• Final Fantasy main theme songs have gotten better now with famous singers like Florance doing them, Eyes On Me, Melodies Of Life etc are nice to listen to, but they are pretty cheesy and cringe. They are nice to listen to....... alone, with headphones on.

What's yours ? Please respect people's different opinions.

 

[ZaXo Ken'Ichi]

I'll keep this one really simple, since honestly most of my other Final Fantasy opinions aren't controversial really.

1. Final Fantasy VI's characters and plot are not near as good as everyone thinks. They have potential, and obviously have some positive qualities. But the game spreads itself so thin that few of them actually get the development they deserve. On top of that, the development they do get almost never has any real impact. They're treated like separate sitcom episodes, where it's 'X-character's' turn to 'grow' through events related to them. Then once it's over, things go back to the way they were, as if that event never happened. It feels chaotic and detached.

2. Final Fantasy XIII actually has the most strategic and balanced combat out of the entire main series, while most of the others are actually all but strategically bankrupt. Don't get that confused with me saying XIII's combat is my favorite, or that I hate the combat in the others. But XIII is the first time where all of the mechanics are actually layered on top of each other to create real, complex depth, and an ability pool that is almost entirely worth using. The decisions made for XIII's combat were clearly very well thought out, and they create a system that -at it's max potential- has the ability to both incentivize huge amounts of mechanical exploration during combat, and allows the designers to make some incredibly challenging encounters, since they never have to design around the player being low on anything like MP, or being at half health when a battle starts.

The other games meanwhile are largely mechanically detached and dumbed down. It's rare for one mechanic to effect another in a way that can be used strategically. Most offensive abilities are very isolated in design. Fire just does fire damage for example, and can't be used in conjunction with any other abilities to unique strategic effect. And since the games don't heal players between encounters, and rely heavily on things like MP for your combat options, most random encounters are made much simpler and easier to accommodate the 'lowest common denominator' in terms of what any average player might be able to take on at that time. It means the combat usually feigns being strategic, while really being dead simple.

 

[FinalxxSin]

....

Yeah FFII seems to get the most hate out of all of them from what I have seen.

I love X-2's combat. It's for sure my 3rd favorite battle system in the mainline series.

I would hope that would be the case given how there's 14 mainline numbered games that use some variation of turn based combat. Ofc FFXV from a combat aspect wasn't going to be a 100% home run hit out the park, but it did do a good number of things right. It is evident that within the FF mainline games that there is consumer support for ARPG titles as well. FFI didn't perfect turn based combat. As more mainline ARPG titles are made, things will improve.

Far as I have seen, fans of FFVIII typically love Rinoa or at the very least don't dislike her.

That's not an unpopular criticism about Lightning.

WHAA!!!! Somebody that isn't criticizing the Junction System heavily! *mindblown*

I have seen the "daddy issues" comment that you're referring too. If one looks into Tidus' past, I wouldn't hold it up to be a criticism anymore.

I have no comment on Vaan .

"Stand By Me" in FFXV is by no means cheesy or cringy. I can understand why another person would dislike the track, but it does fit with FFXV extremely well.

 

[Linnaete]

You've taken quite a few of mine that I've run out of any original points to make.

- Final Fantasy X-2 is better than FFX. Yes, allow me to repeat that in case you think you've momentarily ingested some kind of potent hallucinogen. I think FFX-2 is a better game than FFX. Look, I appreciate the various pros of FFX; it's a decent game on its own and it easily has the stronger story with less idiocy going on, but FFX-2's campy idiocy makes the experience so much more enjoyable to me, even if it's the uncomfortable cringe of Brother acting like a creep at the mere sight of his cousin. I appreciate FFX-2 for its more open approach to romping through its chapters (Chapter 4 notwithstanding, which is only slightly more fun than being an actual security staffer on duty going staring security camera footage) and it has perhaps the best menu-based battle system of the series with its fluidity and breadth of job changes in combat. Given the choice of which game I would replay, I would pick FFX-2 without a moment's hesitation. In addition, being the lunatic I am, I easily found Sphere Break to be the more compelling minigame than either incarnation of Blitzball, the management version of the latter being effective insomnia cure. FFX-2 is also a game I enjoy on an ironic level, because very rarely can I say that I have played a video game where I can give one of the Team Rocket villains a back massage while sounding suspiciously like I have put on a pornographic video.

- The only decent Final Fantasy VII-related thing they have ever made is the original FFVII itself. Everything else in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII is a collection of sub-par nonsense. I need not say much about Dirge of Cerberus, because I suspect the only fans of the game enjoy it for ironic reasons or masochism. Advent Children is a needless, forgettable load of bollocks with the only redeemable factor being its stellar anime action sequences. Crisis Core as a game I consider to be one of the most mediocre installments I have ever chanced upon, so suffice to say it confounds me to see it rated so highly when the product I got my hands on was an unremarkable, shallow experience. I can't rag on Zack as the protagonist however. He's inoffensive for a shonen anime hero and it's always welcome to see an actual human Sephiroth prior to his psychotic epiphany.

- Stand By Me and Too Much Is Never Enough are better theme songs for FFXV than Somnus. It helps that Florence Welch was in that recording booth and she is generally one of my favourite vocalists. Somnus isn't bad and I likely loved it a lot more than I currently do several years ago when we were still dreaming of what Final Fantasy Versus XIII would look like, but I've currently had enough gratuitous Latin from Square Enix to last me a lifetime.

- Serah Farron is easily a better main character than her sister. Lightning I never feel comes across as a genuinely human character. She spends much of the first game either stoic or incandescently furious/borderline genocidal in her quest for some kind of bloody retribution, and for much of Lightning Returns she's emotionless but able to deliver some moments of humorous deadpan deliveries. Though that mask slips and we start to see a more mellow side to her, what do we really learn about her? Of her life prior to being Lightning? Of her life prior to the Purge? Of anything particularly personal about her that allows the player to better gain a more intimate understanding of her as a person? Barely anything. Serah by comparison is the more interesting sister and there exists an actual dynamic between her and Noel. It's far more than what I can say about the supposed dynamic (or lack of) between Serah and Snow, given firstly how little they spend time together onscreen. Serah is more open, expressive and we're privy to some details of her life, her thoughts, her feelings and her ambitions.

 

[Dionysos]

Here are a few.


1. (I keep saying this one) Final Fantasy XV is a flawed masterpiece. It has one the greatest FF stories so far, but it is poorly executed and so doesn't get praised for it. Chapter 13 Verse 2 adds great scenes to it but we still need more additions for the game to be complete. That said, when I let my mind wander and think about this game it has one of the strongest story concepts so far, and perhaps the best ending. Perhaps. Maybe not, but perhaps!

2. World of Final Fantasy is a must play for any Final Fantasy fan. Maybe I’m just peculiar but World of Final Fantasy blew me away with a brilliant nostalgia trip. Yes it has childish chibi graphics, but these add charm and there has clearly been a lot of deep thought behind the script. They are able to merge concepts from Final Fantasy together in truly clever and inventive ways, and the more Final Fantasy that you have played the more allusions you will recognise and the more enjoyment you will get out of the game. I can’t believe that so few people have played it and that nobody is really talking about it. Maybe people just aren't getting it. I'm glad that I do.

3. FFXIII (and its spin-offs) has one of the most interesting soundtracks so far. It'll never beat Nobuo, of course, but FFXIII went for a distinctive lounge music style (almost like the 60s-style music and electro-pop blend of Stereolab), and some songs sounded as if you had been transported into a magical world like Oz. It really worked for its rather colourful setting. Oh… Up until My Hands that is! There is no forgiving that!

4. FFV is one of the best FF games. This game gets a lot of hate and I don’t know why. The music is some of the best. At times the story is more simplistic and the characters may not be as fleshed out as in later games, but the concepts are certainly interesting. This game gave us FF favourites such as Gilgamesh, Mambo de Chocobo, Faris and her pirates, and helped to define how moogles should behave as a species. The job system allows for a lot of variety, and most importantly the game is a lot of fun.

5. Dissidia isn't a very enjoyable fighting game experience. Not for me anyway. I did get some enjoyment out of the game, so don't get me wrong there. I just felt that forcing you to equip a limited selection of moves and having to spam them throughout the battle didn't work as effectively at creating a varied fighting experience as combo-bashing games like Tekken do. In Tekken the moves are available if you know the buttons, but with Dissidia you have only a limited selection of button combinations to press and you have to equip a move to those buttons. Dissidia would have been more enjoyable if all moves were available at all times. I also do not understand why every character has to fly... Hardly any of these character fly in their original games and it seems out of character.

 

[Shaissa]

1. Final Fantasy is not going downhill- Not saying that the newer games are better or worse than the older games (unless we talk my favorite game that kills all other games ) But Final Fantasy is definitely not going downhill, it is doing what it always has done, keep some elements the same but change lots of things around and create a whole new gaming experience.

2. Final Fantasy XIII franchise was the best franchise they created overall, when looking at games that had sequels and prequels from the main series (VII, X, XII) XIII actually did it the best, not perfect but in the Final Fantasy gaming it was the best.

3. Final Fantasy Tactics was the best and probably one of the only good spinoffs, if you look at all the Spinoffs, Tactics Advance, Dissidia, Chocobo series, all the mobile games, Tactics was the best of the bunch, and unless you throw in the Mana series and Kingdom Hearts, Tactics was probably the only good one that I played.

4. Final Fantasy Spirit Within Was better than Final Fantasy Advent Children- Spirit Within was actually overall a good movie just didn't fit well as "Final Fantasy", Advent Children however was a garbage movie with pretty graphics and fight scenes that are crazy.

 

[Example]

Crisis Core is an absolute dogshit game and I have no idea how anyone can consider it good at all, let alone better than FF7 itself. If it were just the gameplay that was bad I wouldn't mind as much, I could deal with the braindead, sluggish, one-button combat, or the uninspired level design, or the levelling system being tied to a fucking slot machine, or the worst encounter rate in the history of RPGs, or auto-triggering DMW/summon animations that you cannot skip and have to sit through over and over and over again whether you actually wanted to or not, or the way he constantly locks onto the wrong enemy just by pressing the attack button, or every single mission being the exact same "Run down this empty hallway until you fight the boss" copy-pasted over a hundred times, or any of that other crap. No what really shits me is the way it butchered the story and characters and was a giant slap in the face to an otherwise great game. Zack was okay but they didn't really do much with his character we didn't already know from the original game, Genesis is worse than terrible like a Gary Stu straight out of a 13 year old's fanfiction inserted into key moments of the story even when it makes no sense and is outright contradictory, Angeal was barely a character to begin with and was pretty much only there to hand Zack the buster sword and spew pseudo-philosophical bullshit about "honor" and "dreams" to the point where it loses all meaning, Cissnei might have been a good character had she received more than 5 minutes of screen time. Returning characters like Aerith were flanderized to hell and back, gone are her street savvy and fiesty attitude, now she's a generic airhead who needs all the thinking done for her by Zack. Sephiroth and Cloud were actually surprisingly well done though, to give credit where it's due, but that hardly makes up for the game's many failings.

• Lighting is a bitch, there's nothing good about her. She's just a aggressive, physically abusive bitch. Lightning has nothing good about her. She's just a plain out awful person, and a awful character. I don't understand why the other characters even deal being around her. Especially after getting punched, pushed or slapped by her. She has problems.

Nice popular opinion you got there. (but you are right)

• Tidus is a great main character, he's not whiny or annoying, he's just a confused and lost teenaged boy who's trapped in a strange world. And I hate it when people say that he has " daddy issues " when his father Jecht was clearly emotionally abusive towards him, and would be drunk around him. Poor Tids.

Now this is one I can agree with. In fact I dare say he's the best written and most realistic FF protag at least from VII onwards (since I haven't played V or VI yet, and only a tiny bit of IV).

1. Final Fantasy VI's characters and plot are not near as good as everyone thinks. They have potential, and obviously have some positive qualities. But the game spreads itself so thin that few of them actually get the development they deserve. On top of that, the development they do get almost never has any real impact. They're treated like separate sitcom episodes, where it's 'X-character's' turn to 'grow' through events related to them. Then once it's over, things go back to the way they were, as if that event never happened. It feels chaotic and detached.

Very interesting...

 

[eluukkanen]

Final Fantasy X-2 is on my mind a better game than FFX when looking the battle systems. Battlesystem in FFX is very simple, but X-2 has much more challenge in it's fights

 

[JesusVsThePolice]

1. I still consider Final fantasy 7 one of my favorites. But with each passing year and lookin' back, the whole reason Sephiroth even went insane i becomes more and more silly.

 

[Starships]

Crisis Core as a game I consider to be one of the most mediocre installments I have ever chanced upon, so suffice to say it confounds me to see it rated so highly when the product I got my hands on was an unremarkable, shallow experience. I can't rag on Zack as the protagonist however. He's inoffensive for a shonen anime hero and it's always welcome to see an actual human Sephiroth prior to his psychotic epiphany.

I feel like Zack is just a copy & paste of Tidus with darker hair tbh, well a Mary Stu version of Tidus with darker hair- because Tids had flaws. Agree with you on how it's a mystery on how Crisis Core gets high praise by fans. The gameplay is highly repetitive and how you LV UP is by random chance, and side missions are the exact same. Though at the same time- it's also the best FF VII spin-off title. The gameplay while lackluster isn't broken and the storyline is OK. Another unpopular I have when it comes to Crisis Core is I like Genesis, it may be shallow, but everytime he trips up Zack I just laugh so hard.

Take off your black wig Tidus, we all know it's you.

- Serah Farron is easily a better main character than her sister. Lightning I never feel comes across as a genuinely human character. She spends much of the first game either stoic or incandescently furious/borderline genocidal in her quest for some kind of bloody retribution, and for much of Lightning Returns she's emotionless but able to deliver some moments of humorous deadpan deliveries. Though that mask slips and we start to see a more mellow side to her, what do we really learn about her? Of her life prior to being Lightning? Of her life prior to the Purge? Of anything particularly personal about her that allows the player to better gain a more intimate understanding of her as a person? Barely anything. Serah by comparison is the more interesting sister and there exists an actual dynamic between her and Noel. It's far more than what I can say about the supposed dynamic (or lack of) between Serah and Snow, given firstly how little they spend time together onscreen. Serah is more open, expressive and we're privy to some details of her life, her thoughts, her feelings and her ambitions.

Yes ! Serah actually feels so human as a character, unlike Light who just feels so empty and robotic and Serah actually treats people around her with human care and respect, even if they are bit obnoxious. Replace Lightning with a robot and nobody would know the difference. I mean, even Squall who was a massive D- Bag at the beginning of his game, wouldn't have hit Zell after him giving away that they are SeeDs from Balamb. Even Squall has a personality and cares, worries, thoughts, and fears about others and we know his past and why he's so emotionally closed from others. Light is just " I want to protect my sister and I have anger issues " aaaaand, that's it.

Serah has desires, wants, fears and dreams and ambitions, she's developed, like a character should be. She also treats her friends right.

1. Final Fantasy is not going downhill- Not saying that the newer games are better or worse than the older games (unless we talk my favorite game that kills all other games ) But Final Fantasy is definitely not going downhill, it is doing what it always has done, keep some elements the same but change lots of things around and create a whole new gaming experience.

I sort of agree? Whether or not Final Fantasy is going downhill is whether or not you are enjoying the recent games they are bringing out. A lot of people would've thought the same after VII came out and VIII, IX and X was the newest games. I think that the only down point was XIII and it's sequels and the VII sequel days. XV is okay, playing it safe after XIII, and XII is a mature take on the classic FF story.

 

[Dreams-of-Gaia]

Um..let's see...
1. I really think FFXII storyline copies too much from Starwars (A New Hope).

2. I agree on Lightning being such a bitch. I can't find anything likeable on her but neither on her sister. I find Serah really boring and more of a Mary-Sue overall. Actually, I can't find anything likeable on any of the FFXIII characters.

3. FF Crystal Chronicles is such an underrated game. It had its issues but it was such a great experience overall with great music and amazing graphics.

4. And yes, FFV is such a great game! It can be very challenging (when you are still figuring out how the job system works) but it gets very immersive very fast. The music is so good and catchy and not to mention the graphics (the SNES version). They are so bright and colorful!

5. The best of FFVII is in its own game. I don't like the compilations at all and I don't think they were necessary at all (in terms of storytelling).

 

[WarEnvoy]

...

1. I felt the same way for FFVI, it was an excellent game but solely having party member's scenario segments sometimes felt a little discombobulated for me, it does not feel like a collective party in unison to fight for the same cause. Despite the fact I immerse myself deeply in the game, Kefka is one of the few antagonist that I am unable to connect with in terms of the concept of "Insanity" which particularly many considers him to an excellent antagonist, that I beg to differ. Many argue the fact he is a good antagonist for being 'successful in destruction' In my opinion, I think he wasn't expanded enough to have an ambition for world destruction thus rendering his success empty..Playing as the protagonist fighting with a villian with an undefined purpose doesn't feel satisfying..especially the post-apocalypse map gosh that is so draining.

2. I consider the FFVII compilation and the minimalist spin-offs sufficient to be more than enough as a stand-alone legacy without adding any further exploits that Square Enix is currently doing (Basically only Crisis Core, FFVII & DOC). FFVII Remake caught me off-guard for a short 1 day of excitement until reality sets-in that primarily story will be changed. Thus I had re-wished, Square Enix have moved on with the next installment of the series rather than a reboot.

3. I consider FFVII Dirge of Cerberus to be a sufficiently decent game to add an additional backstory for Vincent in FFVII. Many consider the story plot redundant and game-play mechanics broken, I feel that mechanics wise, though not as complex to be sufficiently good from your typical FPS or completely Real-Time hack-&-slash combat, story plot is pretty good and moving. I feel it was a satisfactory ending for FFVII as a whole to just end there and then even as a spin-off.

4. I really liked Crisis Core concept of expanding Genesis as a main antagonist, reveals a different slice of backstory for our favorite villian Sephiroth and his relationship with our Spunky Blond hero's beginning with Zack. I do not find Genesis intrusion to the Crisis Core to be offensive to the original FFVII Nibelheim backstory and destroy its significance which most people do..I would like to see it as *SPOILERS* FFVII Cloud's memory has always fallen under His perspective under Zack's persona. thus playing Crisis Core, Zack's Perspective and Zack's Persona in Crisis Core do not abolish any of the Nibelheim's backstory in the original FFVII as Cloud was revealed to be 'outside' the Mako Reactor when it Genesis is involved. I find his sophisticated poetry and longing for a purpose compatible for Sephiroth role as a Hero of the SOLDIERS to rival.

5. I liked the direction of where SE is heading with FFXV (Sorry but this is bias as I only played 15minutes because...reasons..and life..)

6. Missed the FFXIII saga, probably will get them in when life offers, but I still think it can be fun though(hopefully I won't retract my idea when I play but I suppose not)

7. I have a guilty pleasure and love-hate relationship with FFVIII, it was so much fun. However, there is also relevant conflicting arguments of my RPG experience that contradicts my taste, but why I wind up liking it..? No idea, perhaps just its a new direction which is where all the new series after FFX is heading towards and I like the theme. One of the conflicting idea is for instance..character development; the romance felt forced after the first disc when you watch some playthroughs..But back then after replaying it, I didn't find the romance too forced even after the first disc as I have always controlled Squall to be the politically-correct protagonist that goes with the other female protagonist. Perhaps its just my walkthrough tho. I will just stick to my gut that 'loud' social media forces are getting in my nerves. I will just conclude today that I Like FFVIII..Story progression could be better though.

8. I consider FFIV to be one of the most balanced, traditional and lovable FF party sets you can get in the entire series and top-notch, I even setup FFIX the same way as I did for character building. (Sorry is this a popular opinion?)

9. I find FFV to be one of the most exciting and diverse party mechanics in the series as you can get! Lack of love no idea why..

10. I think Dissidia doesn't do justice towards character's development and story building. I really dig into the fighting and liked the combat, but I don't receive as much in between the character interactions.



P.S. Pardon my digression, just my opinion, some may thoughts be slightly a little more 'convincing/valid/invalid' than 'unpopular' opinions. Nevertheless, everybody have and enjoys their own Final Fantasy experience.

 

[Cardinal Copia]

I have an unpopular opinion that's sure to cause a ripple. FFVI is literally one of the worst, most boring games I've ever played. I couldn't be bothered to even go back and try to keep playing it. That game was insanely boring and couldn't hold my interest at all. I actually find it to be garbage.
For all the negative things I say about XIII, atleast I finished the 1st and 2nd entry in the trilogy. Those game held my interest long enough to where I didn't quit because of sheer boredom.

 

[Guernsey]

I am not offended at least, I do admit that FFVI can drag on in some places like for example the Auction house. My unpopular opinion is that I wish Square Enix would remake FFVI for the 3DS with 3D graphics and voice acting.

 

[ZaXo Ken'Ichi]

I am not offended at least, I do admit that FFVI can drag on in some places like for example the Auction house. My unpopular opinion is that I wish Square Enix would remake FFVI for the 3DS with 3D graphics and voice acting.

Just for the 3DS?! From what I heard, they recently mentioned that they're open to other major remakes after the FFVII one, so I'd want to see it on a home console instead.

 

[Guernsey]

Just for the 3DS?! From what I heard, they recently mentioned that they're open to other major remakes after the FFVII one, so I'd want to see it on a home console instead.

Me Too. I just wanted to keep with tradition and speaking of remakes, FFV needs to remade for consoles as I feel that the game could work what with games like FF Explorers and Bravely series are any indication. They could even expand on the story, create more classes and make more bosses for the game.

 

[Cardinal Copia]

Here's an unpopular Final Fantasy opinion I'd like to add. FFX-2 is actually a fun game and one worthy of playing. Despite being universally shit on by a majority of fans of the series. It's lighthearted, goofy, and has an underrated soundtrack IMO. To me, leveling up your dressphere's didn't feel like a boring grind because the combat is so fast paced and was extremely enjoyable.

I also love and adore the world of Spira. I love the locations, the story, everything about it. If I were asked what FF game world I'd belong to, it'd be Spira. No contest.

 

[bandokanon]

I think I only have one(1) unpopular opinion, but it's probably controversial so maybe I get Extra Scandalousness points for saying it:

FFIV's story is either Not Good, or Not For Me.

Spoiler: rant underneath for those who actually care about my opinion

I have tried countless times to play this game and get invested, but for some strange reason I can't (I get a little further each time, but I have since given up...), and because if this it's the only early FF that I haven't beaten. I have a deep disdain for how it handles character deaths especially fake-out deaths and also how it treats Edward, pinning him as a pathetic manchild that the """""protagonists""" can beat up on, and not even bother to show remorse for their horrible behavior later on. I do not like Cecil's 'purifying' arc. I do not like Rhydia, as she was as a child. (I actually have no opinion of her as an adult). Tellah's behavior makes me want to smash my face into a wall. Cid's method of self-sacrifice was stupid. Edge was very uncool and if I had met him I probably would have punched him in the nethers. Rosa and Cecil's relationship didn't resonate with me at all, probably because I didn't get the chance to witness them in the budding stages of their relationship, or perhaps their character dynamics in somewhat more mundane one-off situations. Golbez did not come across as intimidating enough for me, and the brother thing only killed it even harder. I could go on, but I think I've made my point. It just aint for me, man...

I do like the music, and the battle system... Artistically and technically, it's a superior game to some of the others. But I cannot get behind the story or characters.

EDIT MANY DAYS LATER TO AVOID DOUBLE-POSTING:
A surge of reawakened negative emotions about something has reminded me of yet another opinion-- one that might be INCREDIBLY unpopular. Putting this under a readmore too because it's actually kind of sensitive, and because I wish to try and respect the sensibilities of FFXIV fans

Spoiler: ready for some REALLY unpleasant crap?

I hate FFXIV.
No, I don't dislike it, I don't 'think it's not for me', I flat-out hate it. There is nothing, not a single thing, that could get me to change my mind, either. That game is a money vacuum when you're willing to play it, and when you're UNwilling or UNable, it's a friend vacuum. it alienates people from their loved ones, and it's not worth the money, effort, or time, regardless of its various 'qualities'.

I have a history with this game but I've decided not to go into it: just know that nothing can fix my opinion about FFXIV and I wish it didn't exist. I wish I could get back the friends I lost to it, the money it siphoned out of my pockets, and the mental health that was already bad enough before XIV made it worse.