Rank the Final Fantasy games

[Bob]

Just realized we've never done one of these. Similar, but never officially done it. So, let's hear it. What's your order for best and worst Final Fantasy games? Use any titles you know since, hey, if we haven't played 'em, we'll just kinda ignore its placement; if it has "Final Fantasy" attached to it, then it's a valid choice.

And here's my list. I'm going to list the best first and crawl down to worst.

Final Fantasy 10
My top 3 have fought for years in my head, but this one has clearly won in the past few years. Great story, ability system, combat system, and a decent mini-game. I have very few bad things to say about this game.

Final Fantasy 6
It might only be nostalgia that keeps this game so high, but my list has "replay value" as one of the highest components for what makes a game great. This game is fun almost all the way through. Characters are diverse in combat, which makes for a new game every time (if you so desire!).

Final Fantasy 7
The ONLY reason this game is third is because the last time I played, I got sleepy a few times. Driving the Tiny Bronco around to find the Temple of the Ancients...and then the temple itself...ugh. That being said, I remember being THRILLED by the Temple of the Ancients in my first playthrough. It was so damn creepy knowing Sephiroth is IN THERE with you...or at least thinking he was.

Final Fantasy Tactics
If the Top 3 weren't so solid, this might top the list. I love this game so much. Amazing combat and a great story to boot. It just can't top the Top 3 because the story can be a bit boring at times, especially when they
t y p e s o s l o w l y . . .

Final Fantasy 9
This is where my list starts to get shaky. I love the beginning of FF9. Right up through the part at Kuja's palace. But once they kidnap Eiko, I REALLY find it hard to continue with the game. But it's so solid before that point (despite some slight shakiness in the Outer Continent in general) that I still give it props.

Final Fantasy 8
I love this game, it's just a tad too slow and it messes up combat a bit. Some of their big negatives include enemies leveling with you. There is NO reason to try to get better in combat. I tend to get Diablos as soon as possible, learn No Encounters as soon as possible, and equip it for the whole game. Why NOT be Level 13 through the whole game if the bosses actually get easier like that? Big con for me.

Final Fantasy 4 (DS)
Note that I'm specifying the DS remake. You'll see the SNES version later on. The DS version did GREAT things for the series. FF4 has always been kinda "meh" for me, but after the remake, I really really like it. They give the characters interesting personalities, particularly the development of Kain, plus adding some fun abilities. Although, it's kinda odd to pass on abilities. A singing Kain is...strange. But it makes combat more diverse, so hooray!

Final Fantasy 12
The game I always want higher, but just...can't. The story bored me. I don't like that old English, archaic way of speaking, so it has a bad base for me. I'm too retarded to understand what they're saying. Aside from that, the combat plays itself and they space out enemies so far that they just start to piss me off. Never could really get attached to things. Too many flaws on this 'un.

Final Fantasy 13
I think this one is this low because of the high hopes I had for it. I was so excited to see screenshots with colors again, not the brown, dull nature of FF12. But the story is weak and ridiculously simplistic, the combat played itself, and the ability system was really restrictive.

Final Fantasy Crisis Core
I really did enjoy this game, but the repetition is just...bad. And the story treads a bit too much on the giant that is FF7. I don't mind some backstory, but why invent Angeal and Genesis? Why alter...friggin everything? There was a great story to be told, but it misses the mark. Best part of it was seeing Zach with Cloud. OTP! </gay>

Final Fantasy 5
A big reason this one is so low is because of Final Fantasy Tactics. I enjoy the job-class-changing games quite a bit. They're diverse, and me likey diversity! But the game itself is kinda slow and the plot is shallow, so I don't really care to progress. FF Tactics, on the other hand, has excellent combat AND job class changing, so if I get the itch to play a job class changing FF, I pick up Tactics instead.

Final Fantasy 3 (DS)
The remake of this was such an improvement. They added characters and made the dialogue cleaner so that finding your next location was more explicit and less "well, those zombies killed me in a hit, so...not that way, I guess." GREAT improvement, but still a kinda "meh" game.

Final Fantasy 4 (SNES)
This is the game that almost got me out of RPGs. I played FF6 and loved it, then went on to games like FF4, Secret of the Stars, and a few other bland RPGs. I don't hold the SNES version in high regard, unfortunately.

Final Fantasy Dirge of Cerberus
I'll be honest, this placement is VERY arbitrary. I've played the game once a looong time ago. I enjoyed it, but like most shooters (in my opinion), it gets boring and kinda pointless.

Final Fantasy 10-2
It's a pretty terrible game with a terrible plot and some crappy mini-games. BUT, there is a solid combat system, again with class changes. I have to ignore most of the game to do it, but hey, it's kinda fun to play. Too bad I hate any game with completion percents to earn the "true ending" because if I play without a walkthrough, I always miss a tiny thing and have to start all over. But at least it has New Game +, right?

Final Fantasy 3 (NES)
It's the best of the NES Final Fantasy games, but that's not saying a bunch. What this game lacks is a solid plot. There are a lot of sub-plots, but the main plot is kinda "oh by the way, the world will end if you don't stop the Cloud of Darkness." And you're like, "Okay, but first I gotta stop Goldar. He loves goooold...and hate's those Mighty Morphin Power Rangers! (that's right, two references in one!)

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Like FF5, this is low because FF Tactics is so damned superior. FF:TA is not a BAD game, but it has close to zero plot and a very easy, dumbed-down combat system. I want a hard fight, not easy! There are maybe two hard fights in the whole game and one of them is because it's a one-on-one that if you're the wrong class (a slow class), you lose before taking a turn. So it has little replay value for me. Thanks a lot, FFT. Thanks a lot....No, Seriously though. Thanks.

Final Fantasy
For as crappy as the first game is, it's still kinda fun to play. You make your own team, so here's that diversity thing again. Too bad there's no reason to use a thief or a black belt or...y'know, anything but Fighters. This is a game I always want to replay, but when I do, I give up because I hate grinding.

Final Fantasy Mystic Quest
There are some great qualities to FF:MQ. I like running around chopping trees and climbing walls and such. Problem is, the plot is BAD. SO BAD. And the combat is kinda stupid. It's a game that lacks substance.

Final Fantasy 2
Of all the NES games, this one might have the best plot, but it's the bottom of my list because it has the absolute lowest replay value. Characters level up almost randomly and while I love the innovation of "you get more HP and Defense if you're wounded at the end of combat" or "you get more MP if you use MP," it's just not really fun. "Hit me, goblin! I want more HP!" It's weird.

Still to add once I've played them:
Final Fantasy Advance 2
Final Fantasy 13-2
...Any game I forgot for some reason or another. I've never played any Crystal Chronicles though.

List orders are subject to change since maybe my memory is giving something too much or too little credit, so maybe I'll play or remember a game more and switch its positions, but this seems to be generally accurate.

What're your lists? (And you don't NEED to explain your choices, I just like to voice my thoughts)

[countlieberkuhn]

Damn, there's a lot of things that can go into this. I'm going to stick to the numbered games I've played though, just cause.

Final Fantasy 7

The perfect marriage of plot, characters, setting and music makes this game work so well for me. Everything just gels. I think I can hear just about any track from FF7's OST and I'm instantly filled with the emotions I had at the time I first heard that in the game, so long ago. Right down to the situations, the characters. That music that plays when your guys wake up in their cells to find Shin-Ra building's been subject to a massacre still gives me chills. Also, Sephiroth is legitimately scary as a villain, and he really is the villain. No last second, but-the-real-bad-guy-is-THIS-guy switcheroos, so bonus points for that.

I'll stop banging on about the music and say that while certain aspects have dated (combat is generally fairly bland), I still rank this at the top.


Final Fantasy 6

Love the amount of characters this game has to play with, and a good portion of them enjoy a high amount of development. Always a good thing! I love Celes, Cyan, Edgar and Sabin in particular. The villain is great too, just a nasty piece of work who gets results. Feels great to go kick his ass at the end!


Final Fantasy 9

This game oozes fun. The battles are decent, the characters and settings are diverse and imaginative, and the first half of the game is just fantastic! All your characters trying to save Alexandria and stop Brahne in their own ways with their own agendas, splitting up and all eventually coming together again. Makes for some exciting storytelling! While this was a thing in FF6, it's generally more memorable in 9, and unfortunately it doesn't seem to have been done again since.

The main flaw is as Bob points out though. The game loses momentum in the second half, and the plot gets a bit messy.

Also: The black mage village theme is amazing. Listen to it now and nostalgia.


Final Fantasy 8

This game is flawed in many ways. The junctioning system is flawed by design, the plot and pacing is is a bit all over the place,
and some of the characters (cough quistis cough) have almost no progression or development. But that being said... I really like this game. Something about it makes me able to look past all its flaws and enjoy it every time I play it. This #4 spot should by all rights belong to FF10, but FF8 just has something about it. I think it's maybe the world itself. The setting is just so exciting. Marginally futuristic, but everything feels within grasp. Except the magic. And giant flying academies.


Final Fantasy 10

My feelings towards Yuna and Tidus are known, but they're the only issues I really have with this game. And even they're ok in that they have their place in the plot and drive things forwards. They're not like FF12's Vaan and Penelo who are utterly insignificant in the scheme of things. Besides, the remaining cast are some of the best characters in Final Fantasy to date. The series' first foray into voice acting was a resounding success, and the game was solid all the way through. Excellent battle system, and jobs were handled very well. The plot was fairly bland and predictable, but the focus was mainly on the characters, so while playing the game the plot itself is largely irrelevant. This is a game that could never have had too much character interaction, as they were such a strong cast.


Final Fantasy 4 (DS)

I never played the original so I can't vouch for all the improvements it made, but this was a solid game. It's still dated despite being a remake, which keeps it from being higher on the list but this game holds up well considering its age.


Final Fantasy 12


Wasted potential. I loved the political backstabbing, the intrigue, Balthier, that Ashe was a pretty damn badass heroine. I also liked the old english lingo that was used, particularly by Dr. Cid. He was one classy villain. The whole gambit system was pretty cool too, it's not often you get a chance to have really deep control over the AI of your allies. It's just a shame that the game never really comes together well, and sorely lacks a satisfying payoff for the effort you make. Also, Vaan and Penelo are some of the most tragically misplaced protagonists I've ever seen in an RPG. This could very easily have been top 5 material had it tried a little harder.


Final Fantasy X-2

It's still pretty embarrassing each time I load this game up, only to have that intro of Yuna/LeBlanc performing some J-Pop. It's pretty much the polar opposite of FFX's intro where blitzball is played and sin attacks, and can only be described SERIOUSLY FUCKING METAL! This game is dumb, Yuna and Rikku have both been dialled back in terms of depth and development, and lacks a real sense of progression. But still... it's pretty fun. I regard FFX-2 as having the best battle system in Final Fantasy history, thanks to its fluid combat with characters moving around the field constantly, and the solid job system. It's pretty much the pinnacle of the ATB battle system, and I want it back in a game that deserves it!


Final Fantasy 13

Unfortunately, a very disappointing game. The relentless linearity of the game's first two thirds made me struggle to play this game for more than an hour or two at a time, when normally I play RPGs for unhealthy periods of time without realising. Unlike FFX, FF13's characters were not nearly as awesome, and the plot was often glacial in pace, which made it considerably harder to find a reason to proceed. The battle system was an interesting idea, but ultimately too over-simplified. Magic felt crap to use, because it was just like regular attacks. Just magic. It didn't do big damage or have flashy effects in exchange for some kind of trade-off, which is normally what makes magic awesome.


Final Fantasy 3 (DS)

A very dated game, but decent nonetheless. It was a fun RPG to plug into my DS and play when I wanted to, and I found the difficulty refreshing overall, so long as you didn't wander into the wrong place. It always felt challenging, but fair.

Final Fantasy 5

What can I say about this? I played it, but never finished it because I got bored. Maybe I'm missing something and it gets better, but it never held my attention long enough to find out, so it's sitting low on this list.

[Bob]

Count:

As per FF12: I think Dr. Cid was the only person who I enjoyed the accent. He really was an awesome villain. Also, as much as I liked the Gambit system, it really just made me wish for more. I wanted to do more programming because of it. "Firaga -> MP > 70%.....no no no, stop using it on the guy that absorbs fire! Fine, Firaga -> Weak Against Fire....no no no, stop using all your MP on the first enemy! URG!" I wish they would've improved upon the system with FF13 so that you, the player, could still customize the AI, but that it had more options.

As per FF5: the only reason it seems high on MY list is that I have played a LOT of Final Fantasy games. You'll note it's only really above the NES games, FF4 SNES, and FFX-2. FF5 was pretty boring. I just like job class systems.

[Fleck]

Final Fantasy 10
I just can't imagine putting any FF higher than 10. It, like all other Final Fantasy games, has its faults. But I love that it's really the first (and so far only) Final Fantasy that is truly character-driven. The basic elements of the plot are pretty simple. The story, except for the twists at the end, never really gets any more complicated than "destroy Sin." But the characters are vibrant individuals who not only belong in the story, but are essential to it. That's actually really rare, not only for Final Fantasy, but fantasy in general, which tends to be rooted around magical items, magical quests, and beating villains. Supporting these great characters is a great game, that's balanced wonderfully, with no over-powered characters and no mandatory grinding. I think I've already sung this game's praises before, so I'll stop here.

Final Fantasy 7
The long-time king of FF for me, finally dethroned a few years ago. I still love this game, and I probably always will. It was the first FF I played to completion, and it's what got me into the series in the first place. It's also what originally brought me to this website. In all honesty, while a lot of people claim that art has changed their lives, I can honestly say that my life would be nothing like it is now without this game.

Also it's a great game.

Final Fantasy Tactics
The original is always best. Later iterations of the Tactics series try to cram a bunch of bullshit on the screen and call it "strategy" while Tactics plays out more like a chess game. Deep strategy and planning several moves ahead are not only a part of the game, they are completely necessary if you hope to get through this beast of a game. Unfortunately, this is probably one of the most easily exploited games in all of FF-dom and Orlandu basically hands you victories in the last few missions, but this is still a great game with a great story (if you take the time to read about it.)

Final Fantasy 8
Yeah, the battle system is broken, and entirely dependent on how much time you're willing to spend mashing X (hint = Cursor: Memory and a heavy object), the plot is fundamentally broken (but hey, it's flaws allowed me to conceive of FB, so it's not all bad), the characters start off being interesting, but are overwhelmed by one of the least-believable love stories I've ever seen. But like Count said, there's something magical about the world Squaresoft created, and it's fun just spending time here. If the elements of this game had come together better, I'd have no trouble calling this my favorite. Unfortunately, this game is too broken to ever crack any Top 3 for me.

Final Fantasy 9
To its credit, Final Fantasy 9 is not broken like its predecessor, but I disagree just about every deliberate design feature of this game. I've really come to hate the muddy, pixelated graphics in this iteration, the combat system annoys me, I don't like the absurdly long delay between when a battle starts and when you actually start fighting, I don't like learning skills from items, the card game is one of most superfluous side quests in all of FF, and like Bob said, everything after Kuja's Palace is just.... ugh. But I really like the cast, and there are some really good ideas in here. Also I must admit that FF9's soundtrack is slowly becoming one of my favorites.

Final Fantasy 6
If I harped on FF8 for being broken, I have to do the same for a game that has an entire stat that does nothing and a host of glitches, some so severe that the game can freeze if you're not careful. FF6's cast is bloated, with a ton of pointless characters, and I've never ever liked Kefka as a villain. The story is only just beginning to emerge from the simplicity of the previous 5 games. But, glitches and all, this is still unquestionably my favorite 2D Final Fantasy.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2
Still nowhere near as good as the original, at least it doesn't totally suck. I've ranted about this in my review, but I still recommend this game if you have a DS and a love of the series.

Final Fantasy X-2
Bad music, bad story, bad characters... decent enough gameplay. I like the changeable job classes, even if a handful of them are OP as fuck. If you play this game on mute and don't let your friends know you play it, it's not as horrible as it probably should have been.

Final Fantasy 5
While I do like job-class oriented Final Fantasies, FF5 never really did it for me. A handful of job classes are instantly useful and helpful, and the rest are just, "Well... if you'd like to try something different." Final Fantasy tried to have a silly game, and I didn't care for it. No silliness, please.

Final Fantasy 4
I like a lot about this game. In fact, I like the majority of it. Once. This has probably the least replayability of any FF because it was really their first attempt at having a legitimate plot, and they didn't know how to balance that with versatile gameplay so, unfortunately, there's really only one way to play this game. You always get the same characters at the same places, and they always get the same abilities and skills. Your only choice, really, is what row each character goes in, and even that isn't much of a choice 95% of the time.

Final Fantasy 12
Final Fantasy's biggest disappointment. Nothing in this game pans out. The main characters turn out to be irrelevant, the gameplay aspires to greatness but fails, and the plot tries to be epic, but just collapses in on itself. And, for some reason, Ivalice is the world that FF keeps returning to in spin-off games. I don't understand.

Final Fantasy 13
All the linearity of Final Fantasy 4 mixed with the poor story of Final Fantasy 5 and the irrelevant characters of FF12! Oh boy! I always wanted shit stew.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
After Final Fantasy X-2 proved that Square-Enix is indeed fallible and can make a lousy game, someone dared the SE execs to double-down and try a bad idea again. It didn't work.

Final Fantasy 3
It's not BAD like Tactics Advance or FF13, but it's so simplistic that it's hard to like. Job classes are always fun though, even if most of these ones are hokey as hell. Scholar? Really? Come on.

Final Fantasy 2
An improvement over 1, if only because it has higher ambitions and more ways to play the game. Otherwise, the gameplay is sloppy and requires you to either grind for years or exploit the level-up system and swap HP with imps.

Final Fantasy 1
The first. The one that came before all the others.

Yup.

Final Fantasy Crisis Core
Proof that Enix is deliberately trying to ruin Square's good name by ruining all their best franchises. Ruining FFX and Tactics wasn't good enough. No. We gotta take down FF7 too.

Final Fantasy Dirge of Cerberus
"FF7 SHALL DIE!" scream the horde of naked, painted Enix execs.

"When we are finished, FF7 shall be the mark of shame upon nerd culture!" another screams as he sacrifices a virgin to the dark Enix gods.

Final Fantasy Mystic Quest
Play something else.