Finals Fantasy

[VashTheStampede]

1. 6
2. 10
3. 7
4. 9
5. 8
6. 16
7. 4
8. 5
9. 10-2
10. 15
11. 1
12. 12
13. 13
14. 14
15. 3
16. 2

I never played 11 or any 13 sequels.

 

[Raine]

Pfft! Not enough anarchy. Where's the inclusion of things like Tactics, where's limiting it to just 10/15?! BRING FORTH WAR.

1. XI
2. X
3. IX
3. VIII
5. III
6. IV
7. VII
8. XII
9. XIII
10. ???

Can't rank yet: I, II, V, VI
Will forever compete for bottom spot: XIV (trash) and XV (unfinished)
Not even EffuEffu: XVI

 

[VashTheStampede]

I uh..
I don't like Tactics

 

[Raine]

And that's how you start a war. I love it!

I haven't gotten around to playing Tactics yet myself, but the fans are zealots. They're comin'!

 

[VashTheStampede]

And that's how you start a war. I love it!

I haven't gotten around to playing Tactics left myself, but the fans are zealots. They're comin'!

NIS does tactics games better than Square

No quarter asked, none given.

 

[shortkut]

What about tactics advance?

 

[VashTheStampede]

What about tactics advance?

 

[Zell 17]

1. 6
2. 10
3. 7
4. 9
5. 8
6. 16
7. 4
8. 5
9. 10-2
10. 15
11. 1
12. 12
13. 13
14. 14
15. 3
16. 2

I never played 11 or any 13 sequels.

9 too low, 2 too high, 3 too low (I actually find it delightful).

 

[VashTheStampede]

Are you telling me I have to go play more Finals Fantasy just to make 2 lower on my list?

I mean, I'll do it...

 

[Tubby23]

I've never played one.....

 

[Jon]

1. 6
2. 10
3. 7
4. 9
5. 8
6. 16
7. 4
8. 5
9. 10-2
10. 15
11. 1
12. 12
13. 13
14. 14
15. 3
16. 2

I never played 11 or any 13 sequels.

I won't rank 11 or 14 but I've played both. I won't rank sequels or the 7 remake (that one hurts though as I love it). I did not play any before 6.

1. X
2. VII
3. VI
4. IX
5. VIII
6. XII (Zodiac Age specifically was better)
7. XIII
8. XVI (though I still haven't completed it due to redundancy)
9. XV

 

[Raine]

I won't rank 11 or 14 but I've played both.

You must rank them! Especially XI. You're quite possibly the only person besides me that's played the thing!

 

[Jon]

You must rank them! Especially XI. You're quite possibly the only person besides me that's played the thing!

LOL! My experience with 11 is... not good. It wouldn't be fair to rank it. I played it for about 10 hours total, but I was over it when I walked out of the main city for the first time, saw a rabbit, thought this was like killing a critter in WoW, and proceeded to literally have my ASS handed to me by a level 1 bunny...

Turned it off right there and said, "Nope."

So if you want me to rank it, it's gonna be at the bottom. 14 would likely slide in above 12

 

[Zell 17]

1. 6
2. 10
3. 7
4. 9
5. 8
6. 16
7. 4
8. 5
9. 10-2
10. 15
11. 1
12. 12
13. 13
14. 14
15. 3
16. 2

I never played 11 or any 13 sequels.

This list would be pretty similar to mine except you rate FF6 higher than I do and FF12 quite a bit lower.

 

[GwJumpman]

Tactics and XV are the only FF games I've beaten, and I've played a good bit of XI (horizon), XII, and XVI with no experience in basically any other FF game.

1. Tactics
2. XII
3. XI
4. XV
5. XVI

XVI's position may change, I'm playing it right now but I'm a little put off by how hand-holdy it feels and the clunkiness of moving around. For some reason I'm really bugged by the way sprinting works in the game where the character will lightly jog then will start running and it just makes you want to never stop running to pick up with or interact with stuff and when you do stop it sucks cuz now you're slow as shit. The amount of options in combat is cool I guess but it feels like I'm just button mashing hitting whatever skill is off cooldown. I think I prefer the combat style of something like XI/XII more than whatever you call XV and XVI's combat styles.

Shoutout to Bravely Default 1 on the 3DS though, that's the best "FF" I've played besides Tactics

 

[Zell 17]

I uh..
I don't like Tactics

Tactics is totally broken by Ch 4, but it's great in the first chapter or two if challenging. I enjoyed the story a lot too.

 

[The Eye in the Sky!]

1. 9
2. 7
3. Tactics
4. 6
5. 4
6. 8
7. 16
8. 5
9. 10
11. 12
13. 1
14. 2
15. 13
16. 15

Never played 3, 11, or 14.

 

[TD]

This accounts for only ones I've played.

1. VI
2. IV
3. XII
4. VII
5. VIII
6. IX
7. X
8. V
9. III
10. II
11. I
12. VII Remake
13. XV
14. XIII

 

[Benzine]

VII, X, IX, Tactics Advanced, VI.

 

[Raine]

I walked out of the main city for the first time, saw a rabbit

thought this was like killing a critter in WoW, and proceeded to literally have my ASS handed to me by a level 1 bunny...

Vana'diel's rabbits kill more often than Earth's rabbits make babies.

No matter how strong you think you are, somewhere in Vana'diel is a bunny waiting to kick your ass.


But yes, functionally there are only two XI experiences - the game hates your guts enough that you immediately nope out, or it hates your guts so much that you find you enjoy it because you're a masochist. There's no experience that doesn't involve the game hating you.

Shoutout to Bravely Default 1 on the 3DS though, that's the best "FF" I've played besides Tactics

Bravely Default is indeed pretty good! "That" moment was... aww yiss. (Major, major end of game spoiler) The subtitle/post-colon title change on the menu screen.

Similarly, Lost Odyssey is still my true Final Fantasy XIII. I accept no substitutes.

 

[Jon]

Vana'diel's rabbits kill more often than Earth's rabbits make babies.

No matter how strong you think you are, somewhere in Vana'diel is a bunny waiting to kick your ass.


But yes, functionally there are only two XI experiences - the game hates your guts enough that you immediately nope out, or it hates your guts so much that you find you enjoy it because you're a masochist. There's no experience that doesn't involve the game hating you.

This. Is. 100%. Accurate.

 

[VashTheStampede]

Bravely Default's "moment" was spectacular...and just spurred me towards another list.

Lost Odyssey is such a hidden gem, just for the short stories. A true successor to FF indeed.

 

[canadaguy]

I'm a weirdo but I actually like XIII. I dunno, like I still have no idea what the fuck the story is still. But like I just found that battle system fun personally.

The sequels are super wtf though

 

[The Eye in the Sky!]

I thought the battle system in 13 was the best part of the game. It was fine, made the game kind of enjoyable to play but everything else was a let down.

 

[VashTheStampede]

I thought the battle system in 13 was the best part of the game. It was fine, made the game kind of enjoyable to play but everything else was a let down.

I feel the exact opposite

 

[TD]

I didn't really like anything about XIII but that's probably why it's last on my list.

 

[Jon]

I voted 12 above 13, but until the Zodiac Age, 12 was the worst combat ever to me. The gambit system of coding moves was just... stupid, passive and boring. 13, I "liked" the combat but the ideal of having to deal a fuckton of damage to a boss BEFORE you could do a fuckton of damage to the boss was frustrating. And it's something that's been in every game since... sadly.

 

[The Eye in the Sky!]

12 and 13 were polar opposites for me. I loved the setting, characters and narrative of 12 and hated the gameplay.

 

[VashTheStampede]

I loved the setting, characters and narrative of 12 and hated the gameplay.

100%

I have tried to give that game a chance SO MANY TIMES because there's a ton about it I like, but I can't stand the gambit system.

 

[TD]

I know I'm in the minority with XII since it's my #3 but I actually loved everything about it. It gets a lot of flack from being a large departure from the usual at the time but a lot of people warmed up to it since.

I liked the Gambit system as it felt like a mix of turn based and strategy gameplay. I loved the same things Tom did. The bounty system I loved - certain challenging monsters appearing under very specific conditions, areas having different biomes. Zodiac only enhanced all of it with the class system.

 

[GwJumpman]

I LOVED the Gambit system. Setting a huge logic chain felt so powerful and it was like playing XI and having a party with you. I know the combat is a bit MMO-ish basically being a smoother XI but I really don't mind. I'm not a huge fan of the action based FF combat and probably prefer turn based anyway, so the way XII does it is a perfect balance to me. When I'm playing games like turn based FFs one of the things I don't like is how much time I have to dedicate to each character actively each battle when I already know what I want to do with everyone. The way XII is designed I can define what they're supposed to do so I'm not just mashing A every turn 4 times and I take direct control of any character and override the Gambits when I need it to.

 

[Raine]

1) XIII's battle system was good on paper and in a very select few end of game (not necessarily endgame) battles over in The Faultwarrens. Not being able to change your controlled party leader nor party composition until Ch.10 (30-ish fucking hours in) was the epitome of stupid. Further, the fact that you could never fully appreciate and experience it during the actual game and it only fully opened after you hit Ch.11 and do an excessive amount of grinding (with or without the Ochu's egg accessory) was a travesty. XIII-2 having a forced monster slot for the third party member, similarly, was insult on top of that. If you've never experienced the Paradigm Styles "Tortoise" (Sentinel x3) and "Tri-Disaster" (Ravager x3), you're very much missing out - it changes everything.

2) Boring or not while fully employed, XII's Gambit System is amazing and should have become the industry standard for any game that has forced AI-controlled companions. The level of customization and thought is incredible, and the game does offer challenges wherein using them well is properly rewarding - with or without having the main character operated by Gambit or not.

3) XI's combat system is the stuff of fucking dreams. Skillchains, Magic Bursts, buffs and debuffs being absolutely game changing, the entire concept of Gearswap - it's perfect. I don't know that it could ever truly be replicated in a single-player game, but the fact that no one has tried makes me sad.

I LOVED the Gambit system. Setting a huge logic chain felt so powerful and it was like playing XI and having a party with you.

This is actually a thing now. Well, has been a thing now for a bit over a decade. Over 100 different NPCs from the story/lore that you can summon forth almost wherever to have a full 6-person party (can contain said "Trust" NPCs and real players simultaneously) and go gallivanting all across Vana'diel.

Minus the Gambit System part. That would've been even more game-breaking. Instead each of those 100+ NPCs just has their own quirks and spells/abilities they will or will not use, and varying distances they prefer to stand away from the primarily engaged enemy.

 

[The Eye in the Sky!]

I completely agree that the Gambit system makes all the sense in the world and for people they enjoy that type of strategic, behind-the-scenes control, it was a big success. I just found it too tedious to utilize in and enjoy it. It was too programing for me. I set the characters early on to what worked and never changed it.

 

[Raine]

I completely agree that the Gambit system makes all the sense in the world and for people they enjoy that type of strategic, behind-the-scenes control, it was a big success. I just found it too tedious to utilize in and enjoy it. It was too programing for me. I set the characters early on to what worked and never changed it.

Yeah I think I only made minor adjustments throughout the course of the game, basically just fine-tuning order to get the exact role/result I wanted.

Having like a Persona-like set of general loadouts (so, say, "Focus on Healing") and then having the nitty-gritty minutiae available for stat nerds and specific endgame/highly difficult encounters would probably be the ideal.

 

[Jawneh]

Where's Crystal Chronicles?

 

[VashTheStampede]

Where it belongs!

 

[Zell 17]

Alright I'm gonna make a ranking of the mainline games I've played. These games were played/emulated on the original console, preferably Japanese version, notable especially for games like FF4 which have had a lot of remakes.

1) FFIX - Very charming. Interesting characters, memorable locations. I like that all equipment and items are basically useful, even if only for using them to make the next best piece of equipment. The Excalibur II is cool, too.
2) FFX - Probably has the best story among the lot, and definitely the most strategic battle system. Hard to beat that 1-2 punch combo. Loses points for linearity.
3) FFVII - Hate having this so low. I love how Square just decided to go for it and push the "we're just gonna do stuff because it's cool" all the way to full throttle. Bad guy walks through fire? Cool. Monster cannon on top of a city? Yup. Ram a giant rocket into a meteor? Why not. Airship that transforms into a jet plane? Sure. And of course, Aerith.
4) FFXII - Heavily depends on whether you like the Gambit system I guess. I like it. I'm going to go against the crowd and say I like the OG version better than the Zodiac version. The Zodiac version is so thoroughly nerfed it's basically impossible to lose a battle. The OG has more challenge. The OG has the really dumb "untouchable" chest thing, though.
5) FFVIII - Junction system is utterly and completely broken. But they took a lot of risks with this game and tried to do some fun things (You go to space! you travel through time!). Story falls apart in places. Similar to how FF7 did stuff just because it looked cool, FF8 did a lot of that too and I'm here for it. Laguna is one of my favorite characters in the entire franchise too. Zell is dumb but 13 your old me made him my screenname because he did lots of damage.
6) FFVI - I hate putting this so low. I've often said that it's hard to find obvious flaws with this game, the characters are great, the music is great, the story is unique. I think it just boils down to I don't have that much *fun* when I play it. The towns are same-ish (Obviously Narshe stands out, but what's the difference between Kohlingen and Nikeah again? What about Albrook and Tzen?) and the dungeons are too (So many generic cave dungeons!). It doesn't help that the combat is basically broken.
7) FFIV - Love this game. This is the most similar 2D Final Fantasy to the PSX trio in my opinion. Square just went balls to the wall all-in on whatever coked up fever dreams they had. Let's take a trip to the damn moon! The antagonist is your brother! You're the bad guy to start!
8) FFV - This game is basically a better version of FF3 in every way. From a combat perspective, it's by far the best 2D Final Fantasy. But it suffers from a similar syndrome to FF6 in that a lot of the towns and dungeons feel very much the same. FF4 doesn't have this problem, which is why it's ahead.
9) FFI - Being the original gives extra points.
10) FFIII - This game is actually pretty fun. I would consider it to me the first "real" Final Fantasy that is recognizable today. We get a recognizable story and a LOT of the tropes that came to define the series. Plus, a job system!
11) FFII - This game hates you. I'm glad that the best way to get through it is to just beat the shit out of your own characters because it's cathartic to do so.

 

[Jawneh]

1) FF9. Just solid good. Good story, fun characters, happy moments, sad moments, funny moments. Chocobo hot and cold was both fun and infuriating at the same thing. The only thing I ever disliked about it was loading times, but what can you do in the CD era?

2) FF8. It might've been my first FF I played unless I did some old one on NES or SNES as a kid that I don't remember about. Definitely not the best game mechanics, or story, and is easily cheeseable, but boy was it still fun. Triple Triad is also my favorite FF minigame so that also just makes things better for me.

3) FF6. I've only played and beaten this once as a kid, and can't honestly remember much about it, but what I do remember is only good things and good emotions from it. I don't know why it's not more memorable than that, but I've also played a lot of games.

4) Crystal Chronicles. This is a weird one. I only ever played it by myself, so it was both very hard, grindy, and not nearly as enjoyable as it could've been with another person. Still though, it was very charming, cutesy, and as far as instance/level based games go, I did not mind it at all. I tend to have issues with RPGs especially where you got levels to grind, but something about this just caught me. I may even grab it on the Switch to replay it, hopefully with the wife.

5) FF1, 2, and 3. I got them all on my GBA. They were something I mindlessly played and blasted through, including all the extra content added on the GBA release. Tons of fun, but can't compare to the later titles.

6) FF4 and 5. I am 99% sure I played and beat both. But that's just it. Can't remember a single thing beyond that lol.

7) FF14. Eh, not my cup of tea. Tried my free trial and that was it.

And that's all that I played. Never got any playstation past the original, so I never played the other ones. And FF7... when I finally had the means, will, and ability to get and play it, I wasn't going backwards from 8 and 9, so just ended up watching people do Lets Plays of it and enjoyed it that way. Probably would've been 4th or 5th for me from what I had seen.

I did play Tactics for a few hours when I borrowed it from someone. It was during a trip or something. Never finished it, so I can't really include it here.

 

[The Eye in the Sky!]

FFVIII - Junction system is utterly and completely broken. But they took a lot of risks with this game and tried to do some fun things (You go to space! you travel through time!). Story falls apart in places. Similar to how FF7 did stuff just because it looked cool, FF8 did a lot of that too and I'm here for it. Laguna is one of my favorite characters in the entire franchise too. Zell is dumb but 13 your old me made him my screenname because he did lots of damage.

I like that so many people see 8 like I do. I remember the hate it got but I loved it. The setting of Gardens and SeeDs around the world was fun. The whole intro getting to know the characters in Balamb Garden and then off to Dollet for the exam (had some of the most fun sequences and cut scenes I can remember in the series), the iconic Rinoa dance, finding a god damn TRex in the Garden and it killing me because I was not expecting it... awesome.

It was my introduction to the series. The only RPG I'd played before was Super Mario RPG.

You're right, the story does go off course towards the end, but I really enjoyed it. I've read fan theories that are very persuasive that Squall was killed at the end of disk 1 and the rest of the story never actual happens in that timeline.

After I beat FF8, I ran through like 6 more of the games in the series in the next year and a half. It was a glorious time between late 1998 and 2000.

 

[Jon]

I loved everything about VIII... except the draw system. The draw system can diaf.

 

[Jawneh]

I like that so many people see 8 like I do. I remember the hate it got but I loved it. The setting of Gardens and SeeDs around the world was fun. The whole intro getting to know the characters in Balamb Garden and then off to Dollet for the exam (had some of the most fun sequences and cut scenes I can remember in the series), the iconic Rinoa dance, finding a god damn TRex in the Garden and it killing me because I was not expecting it... awesome.

I vividly remember being immersed and thinking how cool it is to go up in seed ranks as you play and was thinking how I could raise it and make more gil. I was doing a lot of the tests to rank up too lol. This is all still in act one as me as a wee beb couldn't comprehend how insane FF stories get (as it was my first). Sure, your rival guy goes evil and become a final boss. Perfectly reasonable. But yeah. Merely subterfuge.

And I also got murdered many a times by the trex. My first or second playthrough I finally tried to actually hunt and kill it. I did don't after much pain and suffering. All of this was done before I could access the internet at leisure and could find guides on it too.

 

[Raine]

VIII's Malboro are still the most fucked up, horrifying enemies in any game ever. Severe PTSD ~24 years later.

I didn't mind not having Magic too much since 1) GFs and 2) it was my first FF (and third RPG period) so I didn't even know any better. And of course now as a seasoned RPG veteran I super appreciate how you can thoroughly break the game and min-max - the reason my list looks a lot like it does, particularly with XI sitting at the top.

Also:

Where's Crystal Chronicles?

Game is fuckin' cursed.

First the whole extraordinarily expensive (and stupid!) GCN-to-GBA connection thing required for the original release, then the recent(-ish) Remaster completely botch jobbing what should've been the easiest win of all time. Turning a must buy into a "literally why even bother." Jesus, Square, get your shit together.

 

[Jawneh]

Holy crap, I forgot demo discs were a thing! Man did I play the shit out of some of them... which games specifically I can't remember, but I remember having a few nice ones get scratched to ruin for using them so much.

First the whole extraordinarily expensive (and stupid!) GCN-to-GBA connection thing required for the original release, then the recent(-ish) Remaster completely botch jobbing what should've been the easiest win of all time. Turning a must buy into a "literally why even bother." Jesus, Square, get your shit together.

I had the connector for maybe Pokémon stadium or something. Or maybe it was originally for Sonic adventures 2 dx and the chao stuff. Idk. I had one though.

And they ruined the switch port?! Wha happuh?!

 

[Raine]

I had the connector for maybe Pokémon stadium or something. Or maybe it was originally for Sonic adventures 2 dx and the chao stuff. Idk. I had one though.

I think I ultimately wound up with two, and thanks to my brother also being into games we had two GBAs as well eventually. But, yeah, needing the game, 4 connector links and 4 GBAs to do full four-player multi? Fuckin' hell.

And they ruined the switch port?! Wha happuh?!

Only the host gets any progress. Finding people is spotty, staying connected is unreliable. And even when it works, the multiplayer doesn't apply to any hubs - you connect for a mission (that you have to already have unlocked...), then disbands.

 

[Jawneh]

Ah man... that blows hard. I'll have to consider if it's worth it as a single player game then. Or play it on my pc. Sigh.

I had 0 friends with the gba cable. At best I could get a friend to help me once in a while in my game, but it was hella boring since there was nearly any incentive for them to play even if they started their own game. And you didn't always hang out or play the same game. So I just blasted through it myself. I think I ended up doing some cheesy solo multiplayer things with two memory card later on for something. I think I beat the last boss that way somehow lol.