Favorite Final Fantasy and most hated final fantasy, anyone?

Best- Final Fntasy Tactics
Worst- Final Fntasy Tactics Adavance

Eventually (next week) I'll tally them and list.

Hasn't this already been done....recently?

Meh, anyway:

Best: Final Fantasy VI / Final Fantasy Tactics (Can't decide)

Worst: Final Fantasy II

Best: VI
Worst: II

+1

Best: Final Fantasy II.
Worst: Final Fantasy II.

THEY REACHED THEIR PINNACLE AND THEIR DOWNFALL EVER SO EARLY LOLOLOL.

Favourite: Can't decide between VII and X
Least Favourite: II, the only one I haven't completed in any iteration

Favorite FF: FFV
Worst: FFX-2

Best - FFV
Worst - FFII

Best - FFVI. Always has been, and always will be for me. The pinnacle of Square's 'golden age' (along with the equally sublime Chrono Trigger), this is an example of gaming as an artform. :D
Worst (spin offs don't count, otherwise FF Mystic Quest would gain this dubious honour) - FFX. Absolutely horrible. Terrible battle system, a ridiculous plot, forgettable characters (with the exception of Auron and possibly Lulu) and a world that just didn't excite me as I explored it. And the less said of it's superfluous sequel the better.

Best: FFIX
Worst: FFII (Can't even be bothered to play for more than an hour, it's that bad)

Out of the ones I've played recently enough to remember properly...

Best - FFXII
Worst - FFX

I don't like labeling things best or worst, as that is just a tenuous thought that brings forth stereotypes but I enjoyed FF9 most. I didn't play much of FFTA due to the repetitious gameplay.

Best - FFVIII
Worst - FFX-2

Cool, this hasn't been done.

Best - FFVI
Worst - FFX

Best: FF6/8/T

Worst: FF2/7/11

This is purely what I think, so no rudeless bashing. x)

Best: FFIX/FFX - Worst: FFXII/FFIV

This list changes, like often.

Best Final Fantasy IV
Worst Final Fantasy X/Final Fantasy X-2

Best: FFIX
Worst: FFII/T/X-2 I've tried to play them but I just can't get any further than an hour at a time.

Best: Final Fantasy 7,8,9&10
Worst: Final Fantasy 10-2 & 12.

^^ Thats all I've played haha, well apart from a little of 6 but I don't understand it lmao.

You assholes that give multiple answers suck. You can't have more than one best and worst, fgts.

You assholes that give multiple answers suck. You can't have more than one best and worst, fgts.

I have Final Fantasy X and X-2 under the same bracket as they are set on the same world and have some of the same cast. I believe in 'Equal Opportunities of Hatred'. I hate both of them equally.

Best- FFXII. I loved the story and characters and the battle system was fun.

Worst- FFVIII. Just ugh!

Best: IV, VI, IX
Worst: II, III, X-2

Best: Can't decide between VIII and X. both are legendary
Worst: IX BY FAR. WORST FINAL FANTASY EVER!

Best: Can't decide between VIII and X. both are legendary
Worst: IX BY FAR. WORST FINAL FANTASY EVER!

You must have never played VII.

Yup I said it, VII is the worst, none of that "Oh its a good game but I hate it cause its far too popular" I just didn't enjoy the game too much. The story was not too enthralling. Actually I never really understood it... at all; and what I do understand isn't very inspiring.

I totally thought you were talking to yourself from the past for a second there, Jeff.

lawl XD

lol I could see how you could make that mistake. just saw his Username.

Best: Final Fantasy VII.

Worst: Final Fantasy X. I agree with what was said earlier. Forgettable characters, irritating level up system, uncompelling world. I still am intrigued as to why it has such a rabid fanbase that Square decided to make their only sequel as a sequel to FFX, though.

I still am intrigued as to why it has such a rabid fanbase that Square decided to make their only sequel as a sequel to FFX, though.

Beg to differ on that.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2
Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
Final Fantasy V: The Legend of the Crystals (Anime)
Final Fantasy VII Advent Children (CG Movie)
Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings
Final Fantasy Versus XIII
Final Fantasy XIII Agito

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't they sequels as well?

First one is, and the After Years. Rest are spin-offs.

Okay, Revenant Wings is technically a sequel. Others fall under Compilation of FFVII and Novae Crystalis or w/e it is.

Well, if we were to put all FF's in order, I was under the impression it would look like this:

FF
FF II
FF III
FF IV
FF V
FF VI
FF VII
FF VIII
FF IX
FF X
FF XI
FF X-2
FF XII
(coming up) FF XIII

I always regarded everything else as spinoffs, although I suppose your mileage may vary.

FF Tactics I always regarded as its own beast. It has gameplay significantly different from the normal Final Fantasy game. So does the mmo, FFXI, but they put the number by the name, so I suppose we have to count it ;)

First one is, and the After Years. Rest are spin-offs.

Okay, Revenant Wings is technically a sequel. Others fall under Compilation of FFVII and Novae Crystalis or w/e it is.

But the titles from the Compilation XD mentioned are still sequels to FFVII anyway no matter how you look at it. Advent Children is set two years after the original game, and is an extension of the original story (it features the main cast for one thing).

Dirge of Cerberus however is a different sort of game and revolves around a minor character I admit (like it or not, Vincent had no major bearing on the outcome of the original FFVII), but it's still a kind-of sequel in that it still ties in with the original story (albeit retroactively changing a number of plot details). Also XD forgot to mention On a Way to a Smile as well. ;)

And Legend of the Crystals IS a direct sequel to FFV - the OVA's back covers reflect that, saying it's 'set two hundred years after the events of FFV'.

Because at the time it was translated (rather poorly) and given an international release by Pioneer the PSX port of FFV was still several years in the future, most people overlooked it and have now more or less forgotten it even exists.

But I digress.

True enough. Wait, why I was refuting the claim that squeenix is in full-on sequel mode, in the first place. Too early in the morning, I suppose, didn't catch the intent of the response.

You must have never played VII.

Yup I said it, VII is the worst, none of that "Oh its a good game but I hate it cause its far too popular" I just didn't enjoy the game too much. The story was not too enthralling. Actually I never really understood it... at all; and what I do understand isn't very inspiring.

The truth is i have played FFVII and it can't possibly be the worst. What it is is the most overrated game known to me. I mean yeah it was good. Good storyline, good gameplay, good graphics for their time(however not revolutionary like some people like to say). But it doesn't even come close to the masterpiece that is FFVI. I might rank FFVI 3rd in my list of favorites, but that's only because i value gameplay over story. FFVI is WAY better than VII. Absolutely.
and once again I quote myself:
"Worst:FFIX BY FAR. WORST FINAL FANTASY EVER"

IX is second best, imo.

Well, if we were to put all FF's in order, I was under the impression it would look like this:

FF
FF II
FF III
FF IV
FF V
FF VI
FF VII
FF VIII
FF IX
FF X
FF XI
FF X-2
FF XII
(coming up) FF XIII

I always regarded everything else as spinoffs, although I suppose your mileage may vary.

FF Tactics I always regarded as its own beast. It has gameplay significantly different from the normal Final Fantasy game. So does the mmo, FFXI, but they put the number by the name, so I suppose we have to count it ;)

I always count XII as not an main FF Game since it's direct link with FFT & Vagrant Story.

Smarty, IX is near to be the worse to me, but I think V wins...

Best: FF1(gameplay),7(gameplay, magic system, story), 12(gameplay, story)
Worst:FFX-2(concept, gameplay, what the accesorize?) , Tactics for Gameboy Advance(gameplay)

Personally out of all the FF's I have played I don't hate any of them (only played VII, Dirge of Cerberus, FFX, FFX-2 and FFXII).
BEST: FFXII
MOST DISLIKED: FFX-2

I always count XII as not an main FF Game since it's direct link with FFT & Vagrant Story.

Vagrant Story was made by the same team as FFT, and as such, includes a couple of references to FFT. It is NOT however, a tie-in game, nor is it set in Ivalice. It's set on a entirely different world.

However, because of the FFT references, some idiots believe that it's part of the Ivalice Alliance games (FFT, FFTA, FFTA2, FFXII, FFXII RW), when it isn't.

Best: FFVII
Worst: FFXII

Vagrant Story was made by the same team as FFT, and as such, includes a couple of references to FFT. It is NOT however, a tie-in game, nor is it set in Ivalice. It's set on a entirely different world.

However, because of the FFT references, some idiots believe that it's part of the Ivalice Alliance games (FFT, FFTA, FFTA2, FFXII, FFXII RW), when it isn't.

Dig a little and you will find that they're in the same world, the events may occur in a different unknown place (Le� Monde), but you know V.K.P means VALENDIA Knights of Peace, Yasumi Matsuno said that Vagrant Story is set in the same fictional world of Ivalice as FFT & XII was. And it makes sense to me, see it this way as a timeline XII - FFT - VS.
Besides FFT & VS share the same narrator A.J. Durai. In VS you will find the temple of Kiltia, religion set in FFXII.

Did you played the game?

BTW FFTA, A2 & RW are total crap to me not worth of Ivalice, but that's just me xD.

Yes I played the game, and tbh, I didn't like it. I played about 8 hours into the game and there just wasn't anything there for me to latch onto and want to play it further. I'll be honest, I'm not a big fan of the whole Ivalice collection... FFT was ok, but I preferred Konami's offering of the same genre of game, Vandal Hearts (FFT was released in America in 1998, VH in March 1997).

I've had a similar discussion with others as well, regarding the whole VS, FFT, FFXII malarkey and I honestly can't be bothered with the whole thing. I hear people on one side celebrate all the great things in the games, and on the other side hear people berate it. I'm just sick of hearing people say how great the whole Ivalice collection is, when there are better games in similar genre style (regarding FFT here) made by other companies. VS to me, wasn't a Final Fantasy title and I don't care if Matsuno or w/e his name is says. That's just my personal opinion.

Yes I played the game, and tbh, I didn't like it. I played about 8 hours into the game and there just wasn't anything there for me to latch onto and want to play it further. I'll be honest, I'm not a big fan of the whole Ivalice collection... FFT was ok, but I preferred Konami's offering of the same genre of game, Vandal Hearts (FFT was released in America in 1998, VH in March 1997).

I've had a similar discussion with others as well, regarding the whole VS, FFT, FFXII malarkey and I honestly can't be bothered with the whole thing. I hear people on one side celebrate all the great things in the games, and on the other side hear people berate it. I'm just sick of hearing people say how great the whole Ivalice collection is, when there are better games in similar genre style (regarding FFT here) made by other companies. VS to me, wasn't a Final Fantasy title and I don't care if Matsuno or w/e his name is says. That's just my personal opinion.

No surprise the game is that kind of love or hate titles, I didn't like it at first because of it's gameplay, but my brothers were so into it that I've got hooked up watching it because of it's great storyline, but then I give it a second chance and when you finally understand the gameplay, you enjoy it a lot. I don't think the whole Ivalice Collection is that great either, but 3 titles of them are gold to me and I consider them true to the concept, TA, RW and the rest are just make money titles.

Vandal Hearts it's great too, the storyline got me but I lost the saves ��.
I need to finish them.

FFT uses a modified version of Tactics Ogre gameplay released in JPN October 6, 1995

Vandal Hearts was released in JP October 25, 1996.

best: FFIV
worst: FFII.

Smarty, IX is near to be the worse to me, but I think V wins...

lol? i hated IX yeah but i actually found V to be very enjoyable. the story was ok the characters were cool. and i loved the job system!! so original and flexible. i could have a mage hitting more than 1000 dmg with a regular attack. a mage for all magics and summons. a blue mage that's stronger than a knight. Oh my god the combinations! I'm gonna have to disagree with you on that. V did not suck. and let's not forget the very memorable and awesome and more awesome still GILGAMESH!

lol? i hated IX yeah but i actually found V to be very enjoyable. the story was ok the characters were cool. and i loved the job system!! so original and flexible. i could have a mage hitting more than 1000 dmg with a regular attack. a mage for all magics and summons. a blue mage that's stronger than a knight. Oh my god the combinations! I'm gonna have to disagree with you on that. V did not suck. and let's not forget the very memorable and awesome and more awesome still GILGAMESH!

I didn't say anything about the gameplay, the gameplay was ok, the storyline & the characters is what annoys me about V, the villain.. I can't remember his name, it was something like Mr.BadGuy, OH! I remember now, EX-DEATH, Sucks a lot.....

Vandal Hearts was released in JP October 25, 1996.

I know, in my previous post I stated the American release dates for Vandal Hearts and Final Fantasy Tactics.

I didn't say anything about the gameplay, the gameplay was ok, the storyline & the characters is what annoys me about V, the villain.. I can't remember his name, it was something like Mr.BadGuy, OH! I remember now, EX-DEATH, Sucks a lot.....

I never care too much about story anyway.

I never care too much about story anyway.
THEN YOU'RE EVIL!!!! XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
I personally care a lot about storylines in games, the gameplay is the 2nd thing that I will pay attention to, but when things are unplayable like AHEM IX... AHEM!.. I could get really pissed off. Now I read in the "most ignored FF" thread that IX is more to the classic ff fan, believe me, I think that I, II, III, IV, VI are 99999999 times better than IX.
But Honestly I can't say if IX is the worse, since I hate V as well and I didn't played X, X-2 yet, and to be honest(again) I have no interest in play them.

I never care too much about story anyway.

Storyline and gameplay are the two biggest factors for these games, imo.

Story is paramount, for me. And, you wonder why I hate Mario :p

I never care too much about story anyway.

For a person with the handle of 'Smarty', this comment made me laugh about how stupid you are.

Without a story, RPG's and pretty much all other games would not be worth playing at all (Only sports games I guess).

Personally, I enjoy having a good story when I'm playing a game, to help keep me focused on the events and characters in the game.

For a person with the handle of 'Smarty', this comment made me laugh about how stupid you are.

Without a story, RPG's and pretty much all other games would not be worth playing at all (Only sports games I guess).

Personally, I enjoy having a good story when I'm playing a game, to help keep me focused on the events and characters in the game.
You'd think from the "personally" and clear, concise description of what you like in your post, that you'd be able to deduct people look for different qualities in games. While I agree with the rest, tacking on attempts at witty insults is rather discrediting.

You'd think from the "personally" and clear, concise description of what you like in your post, that you'd be able to deduct people look for different qualities in games. While I agree with the rest, tacking on attempts at witty insults is rather discrediting.

I find Smarty's comment to be rather 'discrediting' as a whole myself. Saying "I never care too much about story anyway." in what can be interpreted as a reference to RPG's, is sad and pathetic. How can you have a RPG without a story? What's the incentive to finish the game? How do you like one reference point to another? Not just with RPG's in general, but what about games like the GTA series? Even Halo had a story to it. Saying that you 'never care too much about story anyway' implies to me that the person who said that doesn't like games which have a lot of text or whatnot to it, to carry the main character/s from one situation to another. If that type of person is you, then play sports games. No story in them.

Protip: story is not all that exists in a video game, and not caring for it doesn't restrict someone to sports games.

Like I said, looking for different qualities would entail gameplay, replay value, visual/audio, etc. You don't have to want to play an RPG for it's story even if that's a bit out of the ordinary, it doesn't make it "pathetic". Good try though.

I think Pokemon pretty much qualifies as an enjoyable RPG that doesn't rely on story.

Protip: story is not all that exists in a video game, and not caring for it doesn't restrict someone to sports games.

Like I said, looking for different in qualities would entail gameplay, replay value, visual/audio, etc. You don't have to want to play an RPG for it's story even if that's a bit out of the ordinary, it doesn't make it "pathetic". Good try though.

That's one of the main points to a RPG: Story.

Play any Final Fantasy or any RPG in general, and imagine if they didn't have a story. Saying that it is "pathetic' to not care about story is MY opinion only. I don't care if you or anyone else has a view against my opinion.

Gameplay, replay value and all the rest you mentioned above are good points true, but IN MY OPINION, in a RPG story IS needed. Without a story in a RPG, what do you have?

I think Pokemon pretty much qualifies as an enjoyable RPG that doesn't rely on story.
There's no character progression, WORST GAME EVER.


That's one of the main points to a RPG: Story.

Play any Final Fantasy or any RPG in general, and imagine if they didn't have a story. Saying that it is "pathetic' to not care about story is MY opinion only. I don't care if you or anyone else has a view against my opinion.

Gameplay, replay value and all the rest you mentioned above are good points true, but IN MY OPINION, in a RPG story IS needed. Without a story in a RPG, what do you have?
Thanks for the RPG lesson, but I think you're missing the idea that you're being overbearing about YOUR opinion so I can't really take you seriously. But it's all good, I'd rather not waste my time if you don't care.

No love for FFV?

Best: FFV
Worst: FFX

Send me a cross-stitch Cobble Badge, pretty please?

Send me a cross-stitch Cobble Badge, pretty please?
I have extra color for it; that and it's the easiest to do. If you want to stitch it to anything I can put felt on the back which gives it a great raised design type of thing. PM me !

No love for FFV?

Best: FFV
Worst: FFX

You almost sound like a friend that lives near home, no seras gonzalo?.. xD

Yo no soy Gonzalo.

But seriously, FFV was awesome. I'm not much of a Final Fantasy fan, but I loved the fifth one. It's one of my all-time favourite games.

Haha, thanks for taking that seriously, Gina <3 I would hit ya up, if I actually had something worthwhile to put it on :ashine:

That's one of the main points to a RPG: Story.

Play any Final Fantasy or any RPG in general, and imagine if they didn't have a story. Saying that it is "pathetic' to not care about story is MY opinion only. I don't care if you or anyone else has a view against my opinion.

Gameplay, replay value and all the rest you mentioned above are good points true, but IN MY OPINION, in a RPG story IS needed. Without a story in a RPG, what do you have?

Agreed. Let's go to the base of the name of the Genre... Role-Playing Game....


Yo no soy Gonzalo.

But seriously, FFV was awesome. I'm not much of a Final Fantasy fan, but I loved the fifth one. It's one of my all-time favourite games.

Te creo...

I hated V, but whatever...

For a person with the handle of 'Smarty', this comment made me laugh about how stupid you are.

Without a story, RPG's and pretty much all other games would not be worth playing at all (Only sports games I guess).

Oh yeah and story is SO important... Sure i don't mind if a game has a good story. But if it doesn't it's not like it's the end of the world. Story is only good during a first playthough. But personally i can't replay a game just for its story.
Gameplay is way more important. What good is a story anyway? As long as it's something believable I'll take it. If all you care about is story then you're the fool.

Go read a book or sth...

Story is even better for multiple playthroughs. You pick up on foreshadowing and it is usually delicious~

Also, there's often just so much nuance that you miss on a first playthrough.

Story isn't important. Especially for multiple playthoughs. It's like watching the same thing over and over again, with nothing to gain. Gameplay is way more important.
For me, a great example of that is FFIX. It's story was fine. But the battle system was SO poorly designed and thought out, I could barely finish my first playthrough, because i hated every minute of it.
Yet another example is FFVIII. It's story wasn't well thought out, but it's battle system and overall gameplay were perfection. That's why I love it.
I can understand that you all like having good storylines in your games. So try to understand that I don't without calling me stupid.

Story is MOST IMPORTANT factor in an RPG. ROLE PLAYING GAME, ROLE, ROLE ,ROLE ROLE ,ROLE.
Gameplay is also very important, but there are different types of gameplay, and many of them have a lot of replay value an others simply don't... there are specific cases for each game I think, FFIV has one of the worst gameplay in FF ever only second to IX and it's still my 2nd fauvorite FF, FFVIII has a very fun gameplay but it's far from being a good FF to me, Chrono Cross have a great storyline, great battle system, but no replay value to me, let's not even mention Diablo II, that game have a great gameplay, no storyline and I don't replay it(I personally think that the first one is many times better)...

That's about RPG's but let's think of this a little, what is Metal Gear Solid or Silent Hill without that Super-Uber-Awesome Storylines and scripts? Sure MGS have a great gameplay, but Silent Hill don't and I replay both games so many times that I enjoy how fantastic and well crafted the storylines are.

It's like watching a movie just for the action and special effects rather the script & storyline. You can see video games as just entertainment or you can see them as another method of storytelling or even both.

But nowadays every game has a storyline and that's bad to me, because, there's quantity rather than quality. And in terms of gameplay, RPG's are getting more similar to MMORPG's and I don't like MMORPG's, Survival Horror genre has died it didn't survive, FPS are still FPS but with more thingies. Platform games are getting more based on the action rather on the level design.
We need 2D games again xD.

Well I get a little off-topic I think. I hope I've been clear about Storyline vs Gameplay.

Story is MOST IMPORTANT factor in an RPG. ROLE PLAYING GAME, ROLE, ROLE ,ROLE ROLE ,ROLE.

JRPGs aren't really "role playing" games. They're more "games based on Japanese interpretation on tabletop RPG gameplay mechanics that also have a story". Stuff like Bioware RPGs is what I'd consider games where you're actually playing a role.

Gameplay tends to be much more important to me than story as a whole. If I'm playing an RPG I care more about having satisfying, strategy heavy battles then I do any sort of storyline. When a game does manage to have an impressive story, it's awesome, but imo games that do are few and far between.

If I just care about the story I'd rather play a visual novel.

Also the best FF is VI and the worst is II.

Story is MOST IMPORTANT factor in an RPG. ROLE PLAYING GAME, ROLE, ROLE ,ROLE ROLE ,ROLE.
Gameplay is also very important, but there are different types of gameplay, and many of them have a lot of replay value an others simply don't... there are specific cases for each game I think, FFIV has one of the worst gameplay in FF ever only second to IX and it's still my 2nd fauvorite FF, FFVIII has a very fun gameplay but it's far from being a good FF to me, Chrono Cross have a great storyline, great battle system, but no replay value to me, let's not even mention Diablo II, that game have a great gameplay, no storyline and I don't replay it(I personally think that the first one is many times better)...

That's about RPG's but let's think of this a little, what is Metal Gear Solid or Silent Hill without that Super-Uber-Awesome Storylines and scripts? Sure MGS have a great gameplay, but Silent Hill don't and I replay both games so many times that I enjoy how fantastic and well crafted the storylines are.

It's like watching a movie just for the action and special effects rather the script & storyline. You can see video games as just entertainment or you can see them as another method of storytelling or even both.

But nowadays every game has a storyline and that's bad to me, because, there's quantity rather than quality. And in terms of gameplay, RPG's are getting more similar to MMORPG's and I don't like MMORPG's, Survival Horror genre has died it didn't survive, FPS are still FPS but with more thingies. Platform games are getting more based on the action rather on the level design.
We need 2D games again xD.

Well I get a little off-topic I think. I hope I've been clear about Storyline vs Gameplay.

You keep highlighting the ROLE part of the RPG. but you conveniently keep forgetting the GAME part. and let me say some things about your posts. FFIV DID NOT HAVE BAD GAMEPLAY. i loved it. especially the DS version because it's very challenging. don't get me started on the diablo games. I love them both equally and i think they are masterpieces. and i replay them frequently.

MGS and Silent Hill are prime examples of games with epic storylines with great gameplay on the side. MGS is better in terms of gameplay and Silent Hill in terms of storyline.

i don't like MMO's either but then again i don't think that regular RPG's are turning into them. that part where you say "Platform games are getting more based on the action rather on the level design.". i didn't really get that...

anyway to sum up. GAMEPLAY>storyline. because even if it's good(story), if the gameplay is bad you can't enjoy it. and thankfully it doesn't work the other way around.
good gameplay=good game instantly
good storyline=only sometimes good game

and this is just about RPG's. in most other gaming genres storyline doesn't need to exist at all.

good gameplay=good game instantly
good storyline=only sometimes good game

and this is just about RPG's. in most other gaming genres storyline doesn't need to exist at all.

HA! Or, the story they tried to shove on top of the game is so bad you wish it didn't exist.

I thought IV had GREAT gameplay, and a passable story. V was okay, but I don't remember anything about the story.

Best : FF VI

Worst: FF II

Easy one :)

@Smarty.

Firstly in response to:


Oh yeah and story is SO important... Sure i don't mind if a game has a good story. But if it doesn't it's not like it's the end of the world. Story is only good during a first playthough. But personally i can't replay a game just for its story.
Gameplay is way more important. What good is a story anyway? As long as it's something believable I'll take it. If all you care about is story then you're the fool.

Go read a book or sth...

You are entitled to your opinion as is everyone else. 'Go read a book'... in response to this I say this: When I buy a game, it has to have something to get me hooked to want to play it. For me, Story is that hook. Bioware's series of RPG's are like books to me. Books I enjoy reading and like to read again.

While topopoz did make emphasis on the 'role' part of RPG's, you did make a good point:


You keep highlighting the ROLE part of the RPG. but you conveniently keep forgetting the GAME part.

In hindsight I've reflected on my above posts here, and while I do stand by what I said, I can understand your points. To me, Gameplay is secondary to Story. I agree wholeheartedly with Ndi: Unmasked! regarding:


Stuff like Bioware RPGs is what I'd consider games where you're actually playing a role.

I thoroughly enjoy the RPG's Bioware has made (KotOR, KotORII TSL, JE, ME, DA: O) and I can play them again and again, and each time still enjoy the story to them (I'm on my fourth straight playthrough of DA: O atm, and I still enjoy the story).

As you stated Smarty about:


MGS and Silent Hill are prime examples of games with epic storylines with great gameplay on the side. MGS is better in terms of gameplay and Silent Hill in terms of storyline.

I agree with you about MGS, as I myself do enjoy both the story and gameplay, in that order. Another game I can play time and again, and still enjoy the story and gameplay of, is Saints Row 2. The zany antics, madcap humor and in general the whole feel of that game is what keeps me going back.

Another example I can refer to is the Dynasty Warriors (Shin Sangokumusou) by Koei. The story for this series of games is based on the novel 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' by Luo Guanzhong and is loosely based on real events which happened in China, circa 180AD-260AD. I have to admit, that in the case of this series of games, the gameplay aspect is more important to me. Either that, or I play the game when I'm incredibly pissed off and need to relax by doing something mindless idk.

Sorry to go off topic like I have, just a case of reflection on past posts here and a desire to rectify some things I said before.

I make emphasis on the Role part & "conveniently forget" about gameplay just because it's enough for me if the game is not static/slow(FFIX,DW2) or not based only in lvl grinding which is the main reason that I hate FFIV gameplay, because you learn skills based on the lvl you have and grinding is so fucking booooooooooooooring to me, and that's why I think FFVIII is fun IN TERMS OF GAMEPLAY, because you don't need to handle random battles and you can still build your party well without receiving any XP point even if it doesn't have the "monster level up as you do thing" the game still wouldn't need random battles to build your party, but like I said before, even though I hate FFIV gameplay I like the setting, storyline and the characters and it makes my 2nd fauvorite FF because of that.

I found videogames as a great method of storytelling.

Sure gameplay is important for most, to me isn't the most important. To each on their own I guess.

I love how Smarty has the audacity to say that story has no importance for multiple playthroughs right after I told him that it did for people other than himself.

PROTIP: Please be sure to append "for me" or "imho" to your statements in the future. That way you'll show people that you are actually reading what they are writing (and respecting it), even if you don't agree with it.

The value of rereading literature (or re-experiencing, in this case) for clarification, foreshadowing, and (for some) memorization is quite substantial.

not based only in lvl grinding which is the main reason that I hate FFIV gameplay, because you learn skills based on the lvl you have and grinding is so booooooooooooooring to me.

Wow, you must hate FF1. That game IS grinding. I actually don't mind it, myself.

Wow, you must hate FF1. That game IS grinding. I actually don't mind it, myself.

Actually no, since it's the first one in the saga, and grinding is not that dramatic since you can buy the magicks on the shops, is more about earning money rather than grinding lvls, because you do both at the same time, and the battles resolve pretty fast.

Actually no, since it's the first one in the saga, and grinding is not that dramatic since you can buy the magicks on the shops, is more about earning money rather than grinding lvls, because you do both at the same time, and the battles resolve pretty fast.

Oh, ok. So, as long as getting skills isn't chained to your level, then you're fine with grinding? Ok. You do tend to be able to use higher-level spells earlier than you can afford them in FF1, so I guess that wouldn't be much of an issue. That's still an awful lot of grinding, though.

Favorite: XII, IV, or VI. I don't know. =(
Least favorite: X

best: X, VI, VII
worst: X-2 (I'd like to pretend this never existed)

worst: X-2 (I'd like to pretend this never existed)

yay, me too!! worst. idea. ever.

I've played most of them.

Best - Final Fantasy IX

I just love it. Good times...Great soundtrack, Interesting plot and no annoying controls.

Worst - Final Fantasy XII

This game frustrated me to death with it's controls and poor voice acting.
The story seemed bland too and the music was pretty poor and dull.
I hated this game and returned it to the person who ACTUALLY gave me the game to keep.

I actually liked X-2 *Gets shot*. It was pretty goofy at points but I actually liked it.

You won't get shot here. Many people like X-2 on this forum.

Best: Final Fantasy IX

Worst: Final Fantasy X

Top 3 spots are near equal in my book: Final Fantasy XII, Final Fantasy VI, Final Fantasy IX.

First special mention goes to Final Fantasy IV for being the first I completed when I was like 10 years old. It always had a special spot in my heart. <3

Second special mention goes to Final Fantasy X-2 for having the most enjoyable battle system in the series. But it seems like Final Fantasy XIII might end up beating it. ^^

I've played I-VIII so I'll say this

Best:I
Worst:VII

I've played I-VIII so I'll say this

Best:I
Worst:VII

Any particular reason for the above?

Best: I cannot decide between IV, VI, VII, and IX. FFI (gba) is another that I didn't just enjoy - I was hooked, and I do not know how to explain it.

Worst: ??? Perhaps II, but I honestly cannot claim any as being worst, I have enjoyed I-IX and FFXII:RW

Best: hm. I waffle on this one. A lot. Since I haven't seen anybody call it "best" in this thread yet, I'm going to go with FFIX. Charming, memorable characters. Very interesting world. A story that balances the quirky, cuter elements with "heavier" themes quite well--just look at Vivi! Less broken gameplay (by the time one manages to break it, you're already strong enough to wipe the floor with just about everything anyway) than most.

Worst: FFVIII. Broken gameplay. Ridiculous story. Terrible characterizations. Total shit dialogue. The game, however, did feature solid music and a neato Airship.

XII almost made the "worst" spot for me, considering that I couldn't bring myself to finish the game. The biggest gripes for me are that in order to see the cool stuff in the game, you have to either spend an extra 20 USD for a fucking strategy guide or have a computer in the same room with GameFAQs constantly up. Zodiac Spear anybody? And once you've found (from an outside source since the game's 'hints' are cryptic at best) how to get the cool stuff, you'll spend hours upon hours farming for shit that you may or (far more likely) may not get.

I had begun a rant, but when I read over it, it looked like a tangential wall o' text, so I deleted it.

I've only played I through X-2, so I cannot comment on the later games.

Best: IV

Worst: VII

Any particular reason for the above?

It is an increadible game. It was my first one and I love it I've played it like 5 times and it's still great.

VII drives me crazy with it's hi-tech theme and guns and all that.

I've played:

Parts- V, VI, Tactics, and X-2 (currently playing)

Whole- VII, VIII, IX, X, XII

I gotta say my favorite is probably X. I really loved the sphere grid and the (eventually repetitive) battle system, mainly the interchangeable characters as the battle progresses. I thought Jecht was the coolest character in the game, and that connection to the lead (Tidus) was something that drove the storyline. I also loved IX and XII.

I can't really choose worst one, I like them all. I can't seem to really get into V, VI, or Tactics because I started gameing on the Playstation, and the 2D, slow progression just kills me. Everytime I start Tactics I complete the first real battle and turn it off, just can't get through it. I do have an itch to play VI though, I gotta a decent way through it, the real life stuff put it on hold for awhile.

It is an increadible game. It was my first one and I love it I've played it like 5 times and it's still great.

VII drives me crazy with it's hi-tech theme and guns and all that.

Well that's the first time I read such praise about FFI. And VIII was more high tech than VII and also had guns. How come you don't hate that?

Edea was kickass. And VIII had better music.

That's the only reason I don't hate VIII as much as VII.

If you take out Edea's badassness and the music factor, I hate them both equally. :3

Well that's the first time I read such praise about FFI. And VIII was more high tech than VII and also had guns. How come you don't hate that?

I find VIII somewhat enjoyable. VII was just annoying.

MYSTIC QUEST

Get that shit out of my face.

Best: FFVIII
Worst: FFXII

I'll go through my list of FF titles in the order I owned them, and a 1-10 star rating I have for each, "1" being poor, "10" being great. "11" is a personal favorite. Games not included in this list are ones I've never played.

FFIV as FFII on SNES - - - - 10
FFVII - - - - 9 (my honest rating if I ignore all its hype and annoying fanbase)
FFIX - - - - 11 (my favorite of them all)
FFVIII - - - - 8 (the difficulty is too high for its own good)
FFTactics - - - - 10 (very mature plot, very mature game)
FFX - - - - 9 (took some getting used to, but overall a masterpiece)
FFI&II Dawn of Souls on GBA - - - - 11 (nostalgic even for someone like me who never played the originals)
FFIVAdvance - - - - 10 (amazing port with an amazing bonus dungeon; best I've ever seen in an RPG)
FFVIIDirgeOfCerberus - - - - 6 (a one-time game, nothing more)
FFVI as FFIII for SNES - - - - 11 (I never got to play this in its original form, but due to my computer illiteracy a friend helped me download an emulator to give this sucker a whirl, and boy what a treat it was and still is)
FFVAdvance - - - - 8 (the job system makes for a fun experience, but its reputation as the black sheep of the series is clearly earned; doesn't mean it's not a good game, though)
FFXII - - - - 10 (this game is breathtaking in every way)
FFIII - - - - 10 (after trying out a ROM of the original, the DS remake is true to the name and flawlessly blends the new features in with the old, making this one of my favorite DS games ever)
FFVIAdvance - - - - 11 (as with FFIVAdvance some script seemed better as it was originally, but overall amazing port of the original that keeps everything primarily the same, which is a good thing)
FFTacticsTheWarOfTheLions - - - - 10 (faithful port that seems to polish up everything that was iffy about the original and makes it one of the most amazing gaming experiences the PSP can offer, especially with its incredible new CG cutscenes)
FFVIICrisisCore - - - - 9 (surprisingly a very, very promising title that holds up well on its own and really keeps you playing; the visuals are almost on par, if not a tinch better, than FFXII :O)

And there ya have it, folks! I'd say for me, the best is either VI or XII, the worst (and again, doesn't make it a bad game, just that every series has to have one that's the least likeable compared to others) is V. I love V, I really do, it just doesn't captivate me like the others do, that's all.

Any suggestions on what my next FF should be?

I'll go through my list of FF titles in the order I owned them, and a 1-10 star rating I have for each, "1" being poor, "10" being great. "11" is a personal favorite. Games not included in this list are ones I've never played.

FFIV as FFII on SNES - - - - 10
FFVII - - - - 9 (my honest rating if I ignore all its hype and annoying fanbase)
FFIX - - - - 11 (my favorite of them all)
FFVIII - - - - 8 (the difficulty is too high for its own good)
FFTactics - - - - 10 (very mature plot, very mature game)
FFX - - - - 9 (took some getting used to, but overall a masterpiece)
FFI&II Dawn of Souls on GBA - - - - 11 (nostalgic even for someone like me who never played the originals)
FFIVAdvance - - - - 10 (amazing port with an amazing bonus dungeon; best I've ever seen in an RPG)
FFVIIDirgeOfCerberus - - - - 6 (a one-time game, nothing more)
FFVI as FFIII for SNES - - - - 11 (I never got to play this in its original form, but due to my computer illiteracy a friend helped me download an emulator to give this sucker a whirl, and boy what a treat it was and still is)
FFVAdvance - - - - 8 (the job system makes for a fun experience, but its reputation as the black sheep of the series is clearly earned; doesn't mean it's not a good game, though)
FFXII - - - - 10 (this game is breathtaking in every way)
FFIII - - - - 10 (after trying out a ROM of the original, the DS remake is true to the name and flawlessly blends the new features in with the old, making this one of my favorite DS games ever)
FFVIAdvance - - - - 11 (as with FFIVAdvance some script seemed better as it was originally, but overall amazing port of the original that keeps everything primarily the same, which is a good thing)
FFTacticsTheWarOfTheLions - - - - 10 (faithful port that seems to polish up everything that was iffy about the original and makes it one of the most amazing gaming experiences the PSP can offer, especially with its incredible new CG cutscenes)
FFVIICrisisCore - - - - 9 (surprisingly a very, very promising title that holds up well on its own and really keeps you playing; the visuals are almost on par, if not a tinch better, than FFXII :O)

And there ya have it, folks! I'd say for me, the best is either VI or XII, the worst (and again, doesn't make it a bad game, just that every series has to have one that's the least likeable compared to others) is V. I love V, I really do, it just doesn't captivate me like the others do, that's all.

Any suggestions on what my next FF should be?

I want you to suffer. Not really... but play MYSTIC QUEST.

Take the challenge.

Mystic Quest isn't as bad as some claim it is.

Final Fantasy Legends (series) are decent.

I want you to suffer. Not really... but play MYSTIC QUEST.

Take the challenge.

Do you mean Final Fantasy Mystic Quest or just Mystic Quest? Because Mystic Quest is a Gameboy game, the European port of the first Seiken Densetsu game, that was released as Final Fantasy Adventure in the US, which is also a great game.

For me, a great example of that is FFIX. It's story was fine. But the battle system was SO poorly designed and thought out, I could barely finish my first playthrough, because i hated every minute of it.
Yet another example is FFVIII. It's story wasn't well thought out, but it's battle system and overall gameplay were perfection.


Yet another example is FFVIII. It's story wasn't well thought out, but it's battle system and overall gameplay were perfection


but it's battle system and overall gameplay were perfection


perfection

brb lollin'

LAWL

Haha, VIII and perfection. :D

Mystic Quest isn't as bad as some claim it is.

Other than Flare and White being massively OP, Mystic Quest actually wasn't bad. This might be fuzzy memories on my part again (I have posted in FFS 'remembering' FFVIII to be really really good), so take that with a grain of salt. I did finish it, which is more than I can say of FFXII.

I want you to suffer. Not really... but play MYSTIC QUEST.

Take the challenge.

LOL, well, to be honest I think I've already kinda suffered from not experiencing any other RPGs besides the FF series, and Super Mario RPG :O Yes, I'm serious, I have never played any other RPG besides the FF series.. not even Vagrant Story! And the sad thing is, I'm so used to FFs, any other RPG seems like it'd be impossible to get used to :(

Proof of that is that I recently bought Square's recent DS title "The World Ends With You" and couldn't play past the first like hour or so.. Hopefully that one'll grow on me! Cuz it looks like it's got lots of potential!

But Mystic Quest always looked like it must be a pretty fun game too, I never had the chance to check it out :( I'll have to check around for it!



Also, as much as I love FFVIII, no, it is FAR from perfection :-/ There's an infinite list of things I would've changed about that game, but I do admit it's got that nostalgic value that a lot of PSX games hold, and does serve its purpose.

LOL

Try a Tales of game or Seiken Densetsu 2/3. I found Seiken Densetsu to be a real nice change from FF. Also strongly recommend Legend of Zelda titles - start with the N64 titles or Twilight Princess. And Kingdom Hearts.


It's not that hard, dawg, just never give up.

I might be setting up an unsustainable precedent, but Vegeta will net Hi5s

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb1/ConstantMnemonic/eliashi5.gif

"net"?

More like send-you-through-the-wall hi-5.

Edit: nevermind, more like no hi5s, lol

Do you mean Final Fantasy Mystic Quest or just Mystic Quest? Because Mystic Quest is a Gameboy game, the European port of the first Seiken Densetsu game, that was released as Final Fantasy Adventure in the US, which is also a great game.

Final Fantasy Mystic Quest. You know... with the 2 people party thing.

Net = get you

Vegeta pics/references/dialogue/insinuations will result in me posting that gif.

Actually, I've played almost every Zelda game ;) I just don't typically consider those to be true RPGs in the traditional sense because they follow more along the lines of a pure action/adventure game, but I suppose they're drifting more so into the realm of RPG with the more story-based architecture of the most recent game 'Twilight Princess'. There's a score of other RPGs that look vastly interesting, being 'Secret of Mana', the said 'Tales of' series, Vagrant Story, Valkyrie Profile, the list goes on but I can't think of them all right now. I hear/read about these games all the time, but for some weird reason have yet to try them out. See, I play all kinds of games, not just RPGs. I love me some good old classic shooter action in the Doom/Quake series by id Software, Half-Life, Zelda, Resident Evil, and several standalone niche titles that not a lot of people I know have heard of, but as far as RPGs go, Final Fantasy has pretty much always been my one and only go-to place for a nice story-based game. However, as I'm well aware that many more exist besides the FF franchise, I'm trying to expand my horizons a little and venture into other equally interesting territory that will give me a similar experience, if even slightly better (not that I'm deliberately trying to find something to claim is 'better' than FF, but I digress). I particularly love story-based video games as they help me to get ideas for my own creative writing, by inspiring me with their own unique ideas. So for me, any and all RPGs are welcomed :D

Actually, I've played almost every Zelda game ;) ... I love me some good old classic shooter action in the Doom/Quake series by id Software, Half-Life, Zelda, Resident Evil, ... I particularly love story-based video games as they help me to get ideas for my own creative writing, by inspiring me with their own unique ideas. So for me, any and all RPGs are welcomed :D




...

Edit: nevermind, more like no hi5s, lol
More like he'll look down at you and cross his arms or ignore you rather than hi-five you. lol

Why thank you :D *High fives back* :D

-

-

Wow, I never looked at it like this!

Thanks, terra1174, without your help I probably wouldn't ever have known about Life, the Universe and Everything.

Oh, and FFXLII is going to be the best Final Fantasy of all? Awesome. Can't wait!

/overeaction

Dance and be happy.
http://fasterthantheworld.com/dancing_kitty.gif

:neg:

:whatislove:

:whatislove:

That pic with the Star Trek crew is to die for! Did you find it somewhere or did you make it?

That pic with the Star Trek crew is to die for! Did you find it somewhere or did you make it?

It's in the Smilies section when you go to post a reply. Or just type : whatislove : (Without the spaces between them).

LOL Neg! :D

NICE!

For me the best is FF IX and the worst is FF VII.

I only played VII, VIII and XII. I love VIII and VII is just below it. I couldn't really get into XII like at all even though I tried. It's just not as good as VII and VIII.

Best would be 7, 8 or 12 (I find it very difficult to say which I think is definitively 'the best'. They each have things I prize greatly).

Worst would probably be the early FF games, simply due to how old and dated they are now.

But if we go on recent titles, then FF10 is easily my least favourite. I can't stand that game.

Best: I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII.

Worst:

Best: FF VI, and FF V
Worst: FF II

Best: FFVI, V, IV, XIII, and IX

Worst VII, VIII, X, XII

Best: Final Fantasy VIII

Worst: Final Fantasy XIV (total fucking garbage, I want my money back)

Worst: Final Fantasy XIV (total fucking garbage, I want my money back)

Some would say, that FFXIV has the 'potential' to be a great MMORPG. However, with it being released with next to no content, and only synthing etc to do... what's the point? Personally, I say SE rushed FFXIV to beat WoW Cataclysm... and now SE are apologizing for the mess that FFXIV is and trying to keep players by letting them play for free until they get the problems sorted out and have the PS3 version out. I don't see that happening anytime soon...

Best: FF X (mainly for it's leveling system) and VI (Because it is by FAR the best)

Worst: Hands down VII. Why? The battling was boring, leveling was next to pointless after 40, all the characters were hollow and forgettable, the story was choppy (they cut out a lot of it thinking it was fine without. Had they left it in, we'd understand a WHOLE lot more) It was glitchy as hell, (first game of theirs on PS1 is NO excuse.) It was just pathetic.

Best: FF X (mainly for it's leveling system) and VI (Because it is by FAR the best)

Worst: Hands down VII. Why? The battling was boring, leveling was next to pointless after 40, all the characters were hollow and forgettable, the story was choppy (they cut out a lot of it thinking it was fine without. Had they left it in, we'd understand a WHOLE lot more) It was glitchy as hell, (first game of theirs on PS1 is NO excuse.) It was just pathetic.

I LOVE your analysis of FFVII ;) I like it because of its atmosphere and the fact that it does hold lots of great memories for me from younger days, but everything you said was spot-on.

Best: FF X (mainly for it's leveling system) and VI (Because it is by FAR the best)

Worst: Hands down VII. Why? The battling was boring, leveling was next to pointless after 40, all the characters were hollow and forgettable, the story was choppy (they cut out a lot of it thinking it was fine without. Had they left it in, we'd understand a WHOLE lot more) It was glitchy as hell, (first game of theirs on PS1 is NO excuse.) It was just pathetic.


Best: VIII, gunblades, Squall, Rinoa,

WORST: VI, its by far the worst, you talk about wholes. why dont we just make the random fucking dog the most powerful villian in the game randomly for no reason, while he apparently wants the power of espers...who seem absolutely pathetic compared to him....you talk about wholes and shit in VII, VI was just as bad. peoples fanboyisms for both games blind em to their flaws. I love how one of the most memorable moments for people in that game is the frackin Opera scene...why???? it had nothing to do with story. and if it did it was so boring , i didnt care to read the annoying dialogue. the saving grace of VI was the Main menu screen music.


as far as XIV goes, im tempted to lvl up while its free, I was really frackin disapointed by the fact it sucked =(, bought my computer and everything for it, luckily, i am in love w/ RIFT atm, so its all ok.

Best: VI, VII, VIII or IX (Honestly, all of these are my favourites...)

Worst: X-2 & XIII

I won't say that these games did not have their share of flaws. All four had their own share of them.

However, and this will sound weird, in all these games I grew to love those flaws. so to speak. That is something I can't say of X-2 and XIII which annoyed or bored the crap out of me

Anyway, it's just my opinion. This isn't an objective discussion about facts, but a very subjective discussion filled with personal feelings and emotions.

Best: X and XI (especially because of so many fond memories...)

Worst: without any hesitation, XII. Oh Vaan, you're so... so...

---------- Post added at 03:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:37 PM ----------

Best: X and XI (especially because of so many fond memories...)

Worst: without any hesitation, XII. Oh Vaan, you're so... so...

Best: FFX, FFXIII, and FFVII

Worst: FFIX Why? No 'crystals' until the end. Final boss made no sense. Hell the whole fucking plot made no damn sense and neither did the ending.

Mediocre mention: Final Fantasy 12. The summons really pissed me off.

Speaking of the post from Inglorion55. I thought that the gunblades were the coolest addition to the FF series. I loved Squall's gunblade but since i actually use swords, I realize that Seifer's weapon is more practical since it can be held in different ways. I think Lightning's Dual Blade is a superior weapon though.

Worst: FFIX Why? No 'crystals' until the end. Final boss made no sense. Hell the whole fucking plot made no damn sense and neither did the ending.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Actually, that's not entirely correct - the four crystals made a more subtle appearance earlier in the game as the 'four treasures' (Garnet's crystal necklace, Lindblum's Falcon Claw, the treasure of Cleyra whose name eludes me at this time, and Eiko's earring. They were apparently once part of a larger crystal needed to summon Alexander that had been split into four some five hundred years before the events of the game (hence why Garnet and Eiko were able to summon Alexander at Alexandria - they reunited the four pieces of the crystal together).

It was also the underlying reason for Brahne's war - Kuja was pulling her strings to secretly gain the four treasures so he could gain control of Alexander himself and unleash it on Garland.

As for the 'senseless final boss', well, Necron did have an explanation - it was virtually the antithesis of the Crystal - where the Crystal gave life, Necron destroys it. Kuja's actions made it seem that all life wanted to end and hence it materialized to 'return life to the Void'. Necron is essentially a rehash of FFV's X-Death in more ways than one.

As for the plot, what part about it didn't you understand? (Many years ago, not that long after I first joined this site, I posted a comprehensive summary of FFIX's plot in the FFIX section, but as that was so long ago, like, nearly ten years ago, it's probably long since disappeared).

But the main thing to remember about FFIX is that it was meant to be a joyful nostalgia trip for every FF game that came before it, right down to the plot. Although I agree that it did kind of fall apart towards the end regarding the whole Gaia/Terra assimilation thing, and Zidane and Kuja's shared ancestry as Terran agents of death and destruction, I still understood it well enough to enjoy the game to the point it's one of my favourite FF games of all time.

But then, I guess it's the sort of game that indeed is meant for a particular kind of FF fan like myself (old-school/pre-FFVII). :)

The problem in games like FF9, is that the first disc and a bit is usually pretty easy to follow. You have your band of heroes, there are obvious baddies trying to kill you and take over the land etc etc. All very easy to understand, and so the writers can concentrate on putting in great locations and situations etc. But when the game moves into the 'End of the World' phase (as so many JRPGs do), the plot usually becomes much more difficult to follow.

Bizarre plot twists (often including space, time travel, alternate dimensions etc etc), are introduced, are often very quickly rushed over and badly explained compared to the careful plotting and pacing of the earlier sections, and in many cases end up being scrapped to be replaced by even more obscure ideas. This problem is by no means unique to FF9, but it is just as guilty of it as just about every major JRPG out there. The first half of practically all JRPGs are superior to their closing halves, because early on, they have clear plot progression and solid focus on character and exciting set pieces. The later sections try to constantly up the ante and 'go beyond your wildest imagination' etc etc.

Often, they just end up making little to no sense, and almost always end up discarding interesting plot points and characters in the rush to cram in more and more ideas and twists etc. The stuff in Tera is not sold very well at all, with Zidane's connection to it seeing very rushed over and badly executed, for example. And the last minute appearance of Necron is particularly silly. That really does come out of nowhere. But there are so many JRPGs that also commit these crimes, that it seems a bit unfair to single out FF9.

The problem in games like FF9, is that the first disc and a bit is usually pretty easy to follow. You have your band of heroes, there are obvious baddies trying to kill you and take over the land etc etc. All very easy to understand, and so the writers can concentrate on putting in great locations and situations etc. But when the game moves into the 'End of the World' phase (as so many JRPGs do), the plot usually becomes much more difficult to follow.

Bizarre plot twists (often including space, time travel, alternate dimensions etc etc), are introduced, are often very quickly rushed over and badly explained compared to the careful plotting and pacing of the earlier sections, and in many cases end up being scrapped to be replaced by even more obscure ideas. This problem is by no means unique to FF9, but it is just as guilty of it as just about every major JRPG out there. The first half of practically all JRPGs are superior to their closing halves, because early on, they have clear plot progression and solid focus on character and exciting set pieces. The later sections try to constantly up the ante and 'go beyond your wildest imagination' etc etc.

Often, they just end up making little to no sense, and almost always end up discarding interesting plot points and characters in the rush to cram in more and more ideas and twists etc. The stuff in Tera is not sold very well at all, with Zidane's connection to it seeing very rushed over and badly executed, for example. And the last minute appearance of Necron is particularly silly. That really does come out of nowhere. But there are so many JRPGs that also commit these crimes, that it seems a bit unfair to single out FF9.

You pretty much summed up what my complaints about FF9 was. Now the previous poster posted some things that i didn't know about, since they were never stated in the game if i'm correct. I can't remember every last detail of FF9. I just started playing FF5 and i'm almost done with it so i can now understand the nostalgia factor.

Best: Can't decide between IV and VI

Least Good: FF I, because I'm haven't tried anything after VII. The first one was somewhat fun, but I wouldn't play a second time.

I am going to say This:To all of you who technically only played like 3 or 4 games of the later games makes most of your opinion pointless.You haven-t even played most of the ff games.
On the other hand:I don-t think ff9 is the worse.Sure its not my favorite,but FFXIII is way worse.

Lots of bad melodrama,and also bad game play.
The problem with gameplay:

1:Slow repetitive boring gameplay that doesn-t go anywhere till 25 hours in.
2:Once you get there,its repetitive fetch quests in a big empty boring world.
3:Getting gold and xp was far too tedious.It was really boring to farm adamantites,or whatever they were called.I was getting platinum bars at similar drop rate to that item to upgrade your weapon to max.
4:Most fights were too easy as it was.
5:There were no towns or shops.

Second really bad game:FF2 nes.

Reasons:

1:Balance curve was ridiculously broken.The game was ridiculously hard at the beginning,and insanely easy,to the point of being broken at the end.Toad and mini could 1 hit kill all bosses.
2:Why have empty rooms with 200 percent encounter rate? This contributed to the insane difficulty early on,as you did not know which rooms even had treasures.Most rooms were empty too.
3:Horrible melodramatic deaths of characters you do not care about:There were several of these.

Third worse game:FF3 Nes:

Main characters are blank once again like in ff1.None of those four twins ever get any back story,and most alternative characters do not get much as well.
You cannot run away from most fights,just like in ff2,and forced to endure all random encounters.Most fights are not that bad,but once you get to the final level,it becomes painstakingly tedious.It seems like the encounter rate goes up a lot.Because of this,you end up over leveled.

best:6,4,tactics,9 and possibly 5.
Worse:XIII,8,2,3 & 7.

Reasons:XIII was boring as fuck,and the game never really picks up in the end.The quest is just a boring fetch quest that is dull and can be done in relatively short time.
The characters were as boring as they get.I felt like i was watching a mexican telenovela,from how melodramatic hope snow and lightning are.
8:The story is so extremely corny,that its the worse love story yet.The story has too little momentum,and everything about the love story is rushed.Some parts were better done than ff7,like:The ending was certainly better than that piece of crap ending,but seifer was a forgetable character,and selphie was plain annoying.The card game should have never been made to give you spells that way,because the game was overly tedious,and the dependance on it made it a boring game.The rules were overly complicated and annoying,and only made to be tedious and as frustrating as possible.When i was playing that bitch on the moon who laguna loire took care of,i wanted to kill the programmers and that cheating little skank for the fucking cheating.FF8 had potential to be fun,but the gameplay was pretty bad overall.I fucking hate ff8 gameplay a lot just for the stupid card game,and the broken overpowered abilities that are out of control.
2:This game is one of the,if not the most unbalanced game i have ever played.Seriously,this game is so badly done,that its ridiculous.People complain about the broken fights,but ff2 on the nes is worse.FF2 not only has a broken curve that goes from being ridiculously hard,to ridiculously easy,but it also discourages you from exploring caves,because there are mostly nothing but empty rooms that have a 200% encounter rate.If that wasn't bad enough,there is also a bunch of really melodramatic deaths that nobody cares about,like that wizard guy who joins you at the very beginning then leaves then comes back and dies while you are exploring some tower.There is also a miner guy who dies in a melodramatic way that is stupid.Lets not forget about not being able to run away 99% of the time.Who in their right mind thought this was a good idea? ff1 had allowed you to run away,why not ff2 on the nes? and why not ff3?
FF3:This game is better than ff2 in many ways,but it still has a lot of stupidity at times.I think the music can be quite good at times,and the gameplay is ok for the most part.It gets really bad when you are at the end though,because you are forced to battle through trival battle after trivial battle in the final tower,and if that doesn't make matters worse:You are penalized for running away by having your defense stripped of you and put to 0,so enemies who wail on you do maximum damage possible.Who in their right mind thought this was a good idea? And:Did you programmers think that this causes the player to be over leveled and make the final boss possibly too easy? Thats right:If you over level,the boss will be too fucking easy then.
FF7:Its the least bad of the ones i mentioned,and still one of the better games.But this is a rant,so i will get to my rant.
1:Cloud strife is an annoying whiny melodramatic 20 year old guy,who has been over exposed by the media,and worshipped too much by ff7 cults.Both things combined piss me off and add more hatred to the game,making me rank it lower than i might if it had been put less on a pedestal.The other character who is terribly overrated,is sephiroth,the whiny mama's boy who gets too little development due to lack of screen time.He could have been a villain if he were to get more screen time,or he could have made a better hero than cloud even if he had been put as a hero and instead of killing aeris and burning a village,just kill shinra.The gameplay:I think the most annoying part for me,was that it took forever to level materia.The gameplay was ok though.The fast paced gameplay was an improvement,and the added things to do were a nice additive.I don't like the chocobo breeding thing because its annoying to breed a black chocobo,but its not bad either.At least its less time consuming than trying to get 1 million gil in FFXIII which could take the rest of your life.The music:FF7 did have some pieces i really liked,like:Shinra theme and the jenova theme,fight on.Heck,owa is a good song,it just gets too much publicity and its as if i heard it a million times already.I'm just sick of it and didn't think it was as good as neither barthandalus boss theme,kujas boss theme r kefka's dancing mad theme.In fact:I prefer ff4's boss theme over owa the psx version.I do like the advent children version of owa more than the psx though,but i think also it has better quality sound.

Hard to choose..

BEST: Final Fantasy VIII
WORST: Final Fantasy X-2