Favourite Final Fantasy

[Narga_Rocks]

Not going to bother with a poll. Don't want flame wars, so just state which one is your favourite and say what it is you liked about it that put it over the other ones in the series. Minimum 4 final fantasies played, please. If you've only played 1 or 2, stating the one you've played is your favourite isn't telling us very much, is it?

And I'm serious about no Flame Wars. Even if someone says "FF6 is my favourite because all the main characters are Pink Turtles", I don't want anyone correcting that statement. People can take the smallest correction and get pissy about it, so I'd rather not take any risks.

(You can mention top 3 (and why) if you want, but no further. Making too big a list tells people how badly you see the other games, which can tick off people who have favourites low on your list)

[Zak Something]

My favorite is Final Fantasy IV. It's the first Final Fantasy game I've ever played, the story is easy to follow (which was good because I was younger when I first played it), has a fun port and a great remake, and has Rydia.

I wonder how many will state FFVII?

Edited June 27, 2010 by crashman_alpha

[Esau of Isaac]

I wonder how many will state FFVII?

Everyone that doesn't suck will.

Guess which my favorite is.

[Narga_Rocks]

I wonder how many will state FFVII?

<_< I wonder how many will even make replies.

Anyway, the ff7 thing is the main reason I put all that stuff up there. This way, I can warn people who say "FF# isn't good because ... haha you suck" or whatever. Or, "no, that character you think is cool for reason A is stupid because of reason A". I figured, to prevent a free for all...

Everyone that doesn't suck will.

Guess which my favorite is.

Um,

a: didn't say why

b: implied that stating anything but ff7 means you suck

Wow. second reply already violating the rules set up. That didn't take long at all.

Edited June 27, 2010 by Narga_Rocks

[Anouleth]

It's a difficult choice! They all have things that make them my favourite in some area or another! Can I say which ones are my favourite in which respects?

Favourite battling system: FFX, 'cause it's turnbased

Favourite jobs system: FFX-2

Favourite cutscenes: FFX-2 because they're skippable

Favourite storyline: FFXII

Favourite music: FFIX

Favourite graphics style: FFIX

Favourite summons: FFXII

Favourite characters: FFVII

[Thor Odinson]

Due to my lack of consoles, I've only actually played 3 and 4.

But I really liked 4 on the DS. I like broken characters and Cecil was downright broken, especially with the whole augments thing. He was the definition of a tank for me. (Draws in all the damage, can heal himself, and has more HP than the two girls combined? Hell yes. Okay I'll stop fangirling now.)

Though I liked the FE7 movie too. Just for the hot guys and pretty CGI, though.

Edited June 27, 2010 by Luminescent Blade

[luigi bros]

1.FFIV I've played this game so many times and it never gets old. Great story, and gameplay.

2.FFI I like how simple it is, and it was my first game, so I like it. I've only played the PSP version though.

[Esau of Isaac]

a: didn't say why

I didn't even say which one I liked sir.

b: implied that stating anything but ff7 means you suck

Wow. second reply already violating the rules set up. That didn't take long at all.

To be fair, I wouldn't have ventured doing such if you hadn't made it explicitly clear that I'm not allowed to criticize others. Setting down rules in the OP as psycho as you did simply isn't conducive to a fun discussion.

For Chrissake, you're saying that people in this topic can't make anything more than their top 3, because any more and that might hurt others' feelings. Seriously?

Check this out: My favorites are Final Fantasy VII, VIII, IX, and X. I didn't like X-2. OH JEEZ I HOPE I'M NOT OFFENDING ANYONE THAT LIKES X-2.

Edit: Narga's inspired me to post my critique of some of the titles:

The series for me mostly stands with VII, VIII, and IX being my total favorites, with X following close behind. The rest are usually a jumble, being arranged differently from time to time, but generally IV and VI are near the top while X-2 and I are near the bottom. But none of the stories from I to VI really drew me in as thoroughly as VII's did. In fact, VII was probably the first game where I ever gave a shit about any of the main characters, and wanted to see them around more to have another scene. If I were to be forced to basically use a game that symbolizes everything about me and gaming, I'd seriously probably pick FF VII.

This kind of feeling for the characters continued into VIII and IX. Though I have to say, the overall atmosphere of IX was far more welcoming and interesting for me to follow than VIII's, and to an extent even more than VII's. This song can basically sum up all of my time with IX. Just listening to it reminds me of all the time I spent playing the game and the fun I had with it.

X was...X was a mixed box for me. I loved it, then I hated it, then I loved it again. I don't know if they have lately been trying to come up with the absolute worst protagonist they can to have the players relate to, but Tidus's entire image was just utterly ridiculous, and it made taking him serious or sympathizing with him very difficult. The romance that was going on was alright most of the time (there were certainly some cringe-worthy points. Fake-laughing, anyone?), but even when everything was said and done, he as a character just did not catch on.

About the only game in the series that I can say that I did not really count much as part of the series is XII. In fact, I honestly forgot it even existed when I typed out the above paragraphs. While none of the other stories really had that same kind of feeling and charm as VII, VIII, and IX, they had individuality and a plight that really let you connect with the world. XII...was ridiculous. I liked X-2 more than XII, and that's saying something. XII's plot was nigh incomprehensible while also too simple (and this is coming from someone that almost always adores the most convoluted plots imaginable. Think Metal Gear Solid, here), the character was almost invisible (seriously, what the fuck?), and the characters were for the most part boring (who in their right mind would make Vaan the main character?).

But I honestly have to say that a lot of it has to do with the person. XII isn't badly made; it's an all-around alright game, by modern standards. It looks good, the soundtrack is passable enough, the battle system is well-made and customizable, the story is definitely workable...it just doesn't have that pizazz. And I really think that it may have a lot to do with the person. VII was a bit of a marker for a newer generation of RPG-enthusiasts and fans, and I'd be willing to bet that a later installment in the series will do so again. So it's easy to see that the same way that I see XII is the way that some view VII.

Also, XIII is almost a complete piece of shit.

Edited June 27, 2010 by Esau of Isaac

[Icon of Sin]

If I go along something like Slowking did:

Favorite playable characters : VI

Favorite villains : VI, but V comes close

Favorite music : Mystic Quest deserves a mention there

Favorite job system : V

Favorite storyline : IV and VI

Favorite graphics style: VI

[Serene Flight]

Minimum 4 final fantasies played, please. If you've only played 1 or 2, stating the one you've played is your favourite isn't telling us very much, is it?

I don't think that it matters how many FFs people have played, favorite is favorite and even some people have played all of them and says that FF# is hit/her fav, it doesn't actually say anything else that he/she likes it the most, like if some guy who have played only 2 different FFs and says that FF# was the best, it doesn't tell any less.

Anyways, to the topic.

(- Beaten 6-8, 10, 12, FFT (yay for PSX version!) and FFTA.

- 9 about 75% (I guess)

- DS versions of 3 and 4 like 50%

- FFTA2... meh, about 5h played

- 5... eh... just played for about 2 hours...)

1. Final Fantasy Tactics.

- Story is enjoyable and fights seems to be pretty hard or something pretty often (screw about those who powerlevel their characters much) + it's not raped by laws like FFTAs are.

2. Final Fantasy X

- The most enjoyable minigame, sphere grid thingy is okay and the story is nice IMO. Only thing that bothers me is general boss music, not the best one but not the worst one either.

(Meh... haven't played this one for years <_<)

3. Meh... now I have to say it.. Final Fantasy VII

- Screw about other FFVII stuff (Advent Children, Crisis Core and other stuff ( Except 'Last Order' and 'On the Way to a Smile: Case of Denzel' animes was descent)).

Edited June 27, 2010 by Tygr

[Esau of Isaac]

I thought Advent Children was decent. The plot was just as incomprehensible as its origin. Though I thought Dirge of Cerberus was probably the worst game I've ever played with a Final Fantasy logo stamped onto it. Crisis Core I found relatively okay, despite it removing most of the charm of its namesake. Would have liked it more if not for the inclusion of fucking Gackt. Whoever decided it was cool to place him in the series should leap off the nearest bridge.

I wish they'd just remake the goddamn game already.

[Nightmare]

Probably IV, because of Golbez and Rubicante.

No, seriously.

[Integrity]

To open my post, I have played but not fully beaten:

FF3DS (made it to the first mini dungeon, hadn't bothered to raise any magicians, /raged and haven't tried again since)

FF4DS (made it into the final dungeon, hadn't messed around with Augments at all, /raged at the tedium and restarted to do Augments proper - haven't made it back past the Dark Elf)

FF5 Advance (bought it with Sacred Stones, unfortunately, so haven't played it enough. only really picked it up two weeks ago)

FF7 (much of the first disk, but was borrowing it from a friend)

FF8 (the demo lol)

I have played and beaten:

FF6 Advance (once)

FF10 (twice)

FF10-2 (many times)

FF12 (once and most of again)

-

So that's my background with just the main games. I'm not counting the few spinoffs I've slogged (dirge of cerberus) and enjoyed (revenant wings) because they weren't the "traditional" FF genre style.

Most of me wants to say my favorite was X, because that was the first one I actually beat. The rest of me wants to say X was my favorite for actual reasons.

The biggest thing I liked about X over the others was the fact that the combat was true turn-based rather than ATB. I don't really enjoy the ATB system - it's *okay* but nothing special. I prefer to have a turn-based combat system actually turn-based rather than sorta hybridized with real-time. I know ATB's an FF tradition, but that's my story. True turn cycling beats out ATB. Besides that, the Sphere Grid was *enough* customization to keep me interested - now, it wasn't a Job System (X-2 especially <3) or XII's, uh, *thing* it had that resulted in everybody doing everything fairly quickly thanks to Double LP Amulet (my best friend!), but it was enough to specialize or cross-specialize your characters without letting you easily make everybody a utility character who can do everything. Lastly, Yuna and the soundtrack.

I rest.

[Phoenix Wright]

Never played VII or VIII, so...

Final Fantasy III was my first Final Fantasy game that I beat.

My overall favorites though would have to be IX, XII, and XIII. Sure the characters were boring as all hell in XII, but I liked the new mechanics a lot. It's pretty good, and it was pretty difficult (for me anyway).

I'm playing XIII right now. I like it. Lightning is OMGBADASS and OMGSEXY at the same fucking time.

The plot sucks ass though.

[Integrity]

Never played VII or VIII, so...

Final Fantasy III was my first Final Fantasy game that I beat.

(yes narga, I'm replying to somebody. don't kill me.)

Out of curiosity, do you mean III as in Onion Knights III or III as in Locke and Terra and Actually VI III?

Edited June 27, 2010 by Integrity

[Narga_Rocks]

(yes narga, I'm replying to somebody. don't kill me.)

Out of curiosity, do you mean III as in Onion Knights III or III as in Locke and Terra and Actually VI III?

Why would I kill you for that? It's a question, not a correction. Besides, first on my list is Esau anyway. If you see blood, then you can start running.

[Life]

V. Yeah the story was absolute shite but the gameplay was incredible. Having 3 worlds also gave you a good excuse for why you couldn't fly everywhere starting from 1/3 of the way into the game.

I enjoyed XIII but I liken it more to an FF style Tales game. And I'm being serious. Though there are things that really bug me about that game.

As for IV, VI and VII, they all have problems in my opinion. IV is quite boring, not to mention that Rydia disappears for half the game and then trivializes the other half, I need a guide just to beat VI since there's way too much shit that I miss without one and VII has not aged well along with some problems in the Materia system.

[Original Alear]

And I'm serious about no Flame Wars. Even if someone says "FF6 is my favourite because all the main characters are Pink Turtles", I don't want anyone correcting that statement. People can take the smallest correction and get pissy about it, so I'd rather not take any risks.

(You can mention top 3 (and why) if you want, but no further. Making too big a list tells people how badly you see the other games, which can tick off people who have favourites low on your list)

ITT is strictness FTW. I still love you narga.

Umm, ,my favorite is 6. It's charming, has an incredible soundtrack, really cool monster design, fun characters, and an excellently done ending.

But I honestly have to say that a lot of it has to do with the person. XII isn't badly made; it's an all-around alright game, by modern standards. It looks good, the soundtrack is passable enough, the battle system is well-made and customizable, the story is definitely workable...it just doesn't have that pizazz.

I like XII a lot, it's one of my favorites in the series, but I agree it sometimes feels lacking. Even though the game looks good, there are almost no super-flashy cutscenes.

Probably IV, because of Golbez and Rubicante.

No, seriously.

Both are cool, I'm not sure why you'd act like your post doesn't make sense.

[Mikethfc]

I'm playing XIII right now. I like it. Lightning is OMGBADASS and OMGSEXY at the same fucking time.

The plot sucks ass though.

Yeah I'm playing through it too and there are several big cliches so far.

FFX is probably my favourite because unlike some of the others you have time to sort everything out without a massive clusterfuck hitting the screen. I'm looking at you gestalt mode. Also I like the overdrives in FF10 more than quickening and stagger.

[frat_tastic]

IX is probably my favorite. A combo of a likeable and, for the most part, well thought out cast, a visually great game (for its time), GREAT soundtrack, classic gameplay that didn't feel boring makes it the best in my book. The plot, while really nothing OMGWOW, was delivered in such a way that makes it feel better than it actually was. Plus Vivi.

VI is probably my next favorite, probably mostly for nostalgic reasons. It also has a good plot and a likeable cast. Also a great soundtrack, probably second to IX's.

I also really liked X. Really good cast, visually stunning, great take on the battle system (the CTB gave us a nice break from the ATB), and I really enjoyed the story and world it took place in.

I still stand by X-2 having the best battle system in any Final Fantasy game I've ever played, and the best out of any turn-based game I've played. Really, I only think that the more recent Tales games have better combat.

[Ike-Mike]

FFV is my favorite because I'm a huge sucker for class swap systems.

[Emeraldfox]

Can't really pick a favorite out of the few I've played. So I'll just go with the top three thing.

FFTA: Awesome job system and crazy combinations(The Paladin with double sword was my absolute favorite), nice story, getting attached to your characters fairly quickly.

FFV: Again, job system, I loved the main characters, awesome random encounter theme, boss rush final dungeon.

FFIV: Four Fiends, Bio(spell), Bahamut, Edge, Rydia, music

[Hirondelle]

Final Fantasy II is my favorite.

Why? I love the music, first of all. I also enjoy the fact that there are no "levels"; the way the character's stats increase is, to me, ingenious.

One thing that has always irked me, however, is how the precedents that this game sets seem to go unnoticed. For example, many people fawn over the fact that Cecil (FFIV) was the first real dark knight of the series; what about Leon? They also praise how deep the antagonistic connection between Cecil and Golbez is, especially since they're siblings; what about Maria and Leon? The first Chocobo? The first Cid? etc, etc...

Also, it always felt awesome to defeat the Emperor of both Hell and Heaven. How epic is that?

[Narga_Rocks]

Final Fantasy II is my favorite.

Why? I love the music, first of all. I also enjoy the fact that there are no "levels"; the way the character's stats increase is, to me, ingenious.

One thing that has always irked me, however, is how the precedents that this game sets seem to go unnoticed. For example, many people fawn over the fact that Cecil (FFIV) was the first real dark knight of the series; what about Leon? They also praise how deep the antagonistic connection between Cecil and Golbez is, especially since they're siblings; what about Maria and Leon? The first Chocobo? The first Cid? etc, etc...

Also, it always felt awesome to defeat the Emperor of both Hell and Heaven. How epic is that?

They gave more inventory space on Dawn of Souls, right? Anyway, I liked Osmose/Aspil in that game a lot. Most powerful Osmose of the series (also first, I guess). It let you go on forever without issue. The only thing that slowed my forays into dungeons in that game was the lack of item space for all the chests. After I got Osmose, I never ran out of magic and thus could go on forever. It also had cool spells like "berserk" (I think it was called). Not sure what it was called in Dawn of Souls, but it's not like the later berserks. This one just made you stronger. Haste made you hit more times rather than activate quicker (still turnbased rather than atb anyway), though maybe it let your turn come up quicker, not sure. Those two spells combined meant that enemy def didn't much matter. Even the enemies that had massive defence causing your best attackers to do only double digit damage start taking high three digits after a few castings of both those spells. It was hilarious. I loved it (and didn't mind grinding back then, either).

[Nightmare]

Both are cool, I'm not sure why you'd act like your post doesn't make sense.

Both are my favourite characters in Final Fantasy. I just think it's dumb to have a favourite game because of a couple of characters. Thankfully, though, FFIV is a rock solid game, has a great storyline and amazing music. I think some of the other games in the series trump it in some of those areas, but yeah, I'm having it as my favourite just because of Rubicante and Golbez, and I'm kind of acknowledging the fact that it's a very superficial way of choosing a favourite.

I hope that made sense.