Which Final Fantasy Game Has the Best Storyline?

[Altair]

Yup here it is the topic that you all argue with each other about.
Which (numbered) Final Fantasy had the best story line.
Please i encourage you to argue this point like you were in court, explain why you think that your choice has the best story line, and please elaborate.
And please keep in mind that this is about the best story line and not the best game.

 

[moonflow]

Damn for me it's a tough choice between 6 and 10.
Both almost moved me to tears at points.

Arg can't pick... ;(

 

[Beyer]

Both X and XIII had amazing storylines imo. I couldn't put XIII down and X always makes me cry but XIII does as well.

I ended up going with FFXIII but reflecting on it now, I think FFX is superior. It plays with my emotions more which is exactly what I want from a storyline, to feel. Maybe I am just too much of a Tidus/Yuna fanboy.

FFXIII would be up there with storylines I really like, but it just doesn't take the cake despite what I originally thought.

On a side note: Reflecting on what was originally in this post, I seemed like such a noob. I was overusing all caps etc. Made me laugh

 

[moogling]

[Thread Stickied]

Also made the title a bit clearer.

 

[Neo Bahamut]

Having played I, read up on II, dabbled in III, read up on IV, dabbled in V, VI, VII, X, & XII, my verdict goes to VII.

I did read up on VIII & IX, but their plots were too complicated for me to get just from a bit of light reading.

In any case, as I was saying, VII had:

A great cast. You have multiple, distinct characters who develop as the series progresses. They don't forget Aerith after she dies, they learn the moral ambiguity of their own actions, & they all have their own motivations for fighting. On the villains side, Shinra are great figures of societal corruption, from the incompetent to the dangerously psychotic. And then there's Sephiroth, who needs no introduction. And, most importantly, it's not "good vs. evil." Even the villains have their own agendas.

Then you have an absolutely mind-bending plot of human experimentation, environmentalism, politics, and so on that actually make you question just who or what the main character even IS.

The world has probably the most well thought-out & explained mysticism in the series. And this is utilized to great effect to show us just what the heroes & villains are capable of.

 

[Martel]

XII gets my vote. It really stands out from the other numbered FF games in my opinion, because its focused more on the world than the characters in it. It just felt more...believable, I guess. Instead of some backwater orphan kid or random warrior saving the entire world from an unbelievably insane and overpowered menace that should really destroy them utterly so there isn't even enough to wipe the floor with, you have accomplished, but fairly ordinary (by FF standards, anyway) people out to save nations, through political intrigue and intelligence, trying to avoid relying on those super-fantastic magical powers that other FF characters have always relied on so much.

I found the political intrigue far more interesting than your standard sappy-crappy-everyone's-happy love story that numbered FF games have always seemed to favour; an FF game with no romance for once was highly enjoyable and appealing. I have issues with it - mainly in the form of Vaan and Penelo - but the game not focusing so much on them made them just minor annoyances, as opposed to the character-centered Final Fantasy games, in which those dislikeable characters became major annoyances.

 

[The Witch]

Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VI. They're both really great games with great storyline and characters. So I'll have to pick one of them. Although, my ultimate pick for the best storyline is Final Fantasy VII. It's just the best and most original storyline of them all. It's so tragic and so deepening...I just love it.

 

[Rydia]

IV and VI.

I love Cecil's story in IV, his transformation from dark night to palidan. He is the type of hero that I love in video games, selfless (after transformation) and strong. And he wasn't a 16 year old who is suddenly able to take on the big bad guy XD. IV was different from most FF games in that your main character started out what we would consider evil. Eventually he starts to question what he is doing which later leads to his transformation. And I loved all the characters that were met along the way. They may not have been as developed as characters in later games but they were definently a head of their time when IV was originally released. The end right before the boss fight always brings a tear to my eye which is amazing for a game that old.

VI, just about every character had some development, and Terra has one of the best stories in the series. (Not just her back story but how she grew over the course of the game.) And it also had one of the best twists ever in a video game.

Although I think VI has a superior storyline, I'll give my vote to IV because I doubt it will get much love

 

[VinnieJones]

it's interesting to see people voting for XII. I personally couldn't stand it in the sense that it was all about the Empire, and how little significance the main character (and pretty much every other playable character barring Ashe and Basch) actually had. I really would've liked another twist somewhere like with every other FF, all that was went on was stop the empire and it was done. it was like II, which also wasn't that great for me.

my opinion is divided between X and VII, probably leaning towards X. VII was slightly overcomplicated and it relied too much on flashbacks.

I thought X had everything. it's very hard to put into words how it's better than the rest, but I thought Sin and what it really is was amazing and I liked the Summoner and Guardians setting too. plus all the other complicated stuff like what Tidus actually is.

with the other FF's, it was all about defeating the big enemy, and it was all done quite simply; the main characters just kills the boss and it ends. in X the way you had to destroy everything, and not just Sin, was interesting and how doing it the 'obvious' way (a Guardian becoming the final Aeon) actually ended nothing. the fear brought upon by Sin because of people not knowing exactly what it is was unmatched in any FF.

 

[charliepanayi]

I'd have to go for FFIX. I like how the story starts out fairly small and gradually builds as things get more serious and the stakes become higher. It has some of the best elements in any FF storyline with Vivi and the Black Mages as they come to terms with their sentience and mortality. And as an aside, it is probably the funniest game in the series, I love the light-hearted parts. It blends these funny moments and moving moments to great effect, especially as these things are very hard to juggle.

 

[Robbiedbee]

Very close call between quite a few games here. I went with FFVIII, because in my opinion, it has a bit of everything. It has many different phases, changes in pace, simple parts, very complex parts, nice characters, strong themes and is a certain "cool" factor. I very much liked the world it was set in, and how all those things I mentioned are neatly interwoven to make the beautiful patchwork quilt that is FFVIII.

 

[Linnaete]

FFVI takes the crown hands down for me.

Where fancy CGI and 3D graphics hadn't yet been the staple of the Final Fantasy franchise, SE was able to focus a lot on the game's storyline. Despite the large numbers of characters both playable and non-playable, they were all given something unique and diverse in terms of their own plights and stories.

They were all fleshed out - they weren't simply generic characters with different looks. I love Terra as a character. I love how she evolves from a confused and frightened young woman into a more stronger and confident person as the storyline progresses in a convincing way.

Kefka as a villain in my opinion is simply the best kind of villain you would want in a FF game. Made demented through a slightly tragic consequence, he is decidedly twisted, performing many horrendous acts during the course of the story - like the infamous water contamination move. As the player, you really can't help but empathise with your characters and want to kill Kefka. Never have I had such feelings in any other game.

 

[SapphireStar]

VIII is getting my vote. Bet people seen this coming lol. It has, as mentioned, different phases, little plot twist, amazing world with characters whom you love and hate. And maybe even pity.

 

[Alak]

I was kind of torn between IV and VII. I always look for the memorable heroes and the memorable villains. I think these two games do well with both. The character development is different in both, but they're done really well. You can't help but cheer Cecil on as he tries to fight off his dark knight persona (a.k.a.- his past) and becomes a paladin. Cloud's story is like a puzzle and it was one I thoroughly enjoyed unfolding. My vote goes to VII, simply because I like Sephiroth better than Golbez. Launching a meteor towards the planet is a pretty good idea. Simple, but effective lol.

 

[Cecil Strife]

Though FF6 is my favorite, it only has my third favorite storyline.
FFIV and VII were both amazing.
FF4 had a main character who you couldn't really decide whether he was good or evil. Cecil killed a lot of innocent people, but regrets doing it. When he kills a little girl's

Spoiler

(Rydia)

mom and doesn't realize it, you can imagine how bad he and

Spoiler

Rydia

feel.
FF4 had an awesome villian, Golbez, who is just plain awesome. He remains mysterious through a lot of the game, untill near the end you find out he is

Spoiler

Cecil's own brother and he turns to the good side.

Like the DS trailer said, "It's an epic story of redemption."

FF7's storyline was just a tiny bit better. It made you wonder if the main character was even human. Sephiroth is one of the best villians ever and each and every character seemed to have a reason for fighting. The looming feeling of Meteor and Weapon and basically everything else made this game have a lethal, but awesome feel.

 

[Tom Marvolo Riddle]

ok i voted ff8! Its awesome! some of the parts on ff8 made me cry (thts hard for me to do!!!)

 

[Altair]

Guess i can reply to my own thread. For me it was X. It was a story like no other. There were so many twists and turns, so many suprises and sudden changes. I like how you knew your goal from early on in the game but then find out that everything that you have heard is a lie. The story line from X was just epic. Although i will give VII a close second.

 

[Phraquards]

Most Moving story created

What is your most moving ff storyline

Mine has always been VII, deep storyline and twists and turns in the game make me think, can i overcome this or just give up and throw it away. HELL NO!!!!!!, find out and do it, First ever Final Fantasy game i ever played. hope they keep going on and on.

 

[Altair]

I think the most moving storyline would be FFX. I am a very thick skinned person. it is extremely hard to make me cry but that game did. I just developed such a relationship with the charecters over a while of gameplay.

Spoiler

but at the end when tidus dissapeared

and everything surrounding that moment. But yeah that moved me more than anything i ever played or watched.

 

[TheDarkHarbinger]

FF VIII did it for me, i thought that it was really good and the turn of events which happen when they need to fight the person that took them in when they were orphans. It must have took a lot of heart and courage to make some of the decisions that they did in the game.