what is your favorite Final Fantasy game and why ?

[Adeodatus]

I loved FFX because it was a tragedy. the audience/player knew that it couldn't end happily but kept playing on the hope that it would and then nope life sucks. Then FFX-2 came along with its Charlie's Angels vibe and didn't seem to fit until I remember something about tragedies.
In Ancient Greece the playwrights entered groups of 4 plays into the big play contest. The group consisted of 3 tragedies (a trilogy) and one comedy always done last. FFX-2 was the comedy to FFX tragedy suppling a happy eneding to the whole story.
I played the first Final Fantasy and then FFVII and none of the ones inbetween. IU tried the oft-praised 6 on an emulator but couldn't get into it. So my favorites are X and X-2. I hated both 8 and 9 and cheered when Aeris died. I loved Spirit's Within and Advent Children. I guess I am just an unusual FF fan...or maybe not.

 

[Hammerhead]

THe best one is FF6.

 

[DonTadow]

FF8 and FFX-2 are in your favorites? Aren't you in the minority!

Mine is Final Fantasy 6. In my mind, no other FF game has reached the level of drama and emotional resonance found in that game. The first FF game I played was either FF4 or FF Mystic Quest (I can't recall, but I played them both around the sametime), and then FF6 a couple years later, so it wasn't my "first" FF game (common belief is that people tend to rank their first FF game as their favorite, but I disagree)

I also like FF9, even more than FF7, 8 or 10. Probably because it retains more of the "old school" feel than the other PS/PS2 releases.

lmao, i thought he was kidding. FFX-2 or as I like to call it Final fantasy dance revolution and final fantasy 8 or as I like to call it Ike turner meets final fantasy.

Hands down I"m a traditionalist with my love for Final Fantasys. Final Fantasy VI is the best. It was the last one before they started making FF games for the mass market and took it away from the hardcore RPGer. You had up to 14 classes and lots of subquests. It was also the first time you actually had a choice of a major character dying in the game (man i loved shadow). The gameplay was awesome because of the innovation of being able to not only split up your party into 3 separate group (something that none of the sequals have picked back up), but you also got the opportunity to have those groups combine to do different things. The Esper story was awesome and put a different spin on the summons. Kefka was a great villian.

Final Fantasy X is a close second. I fell in love with blitzball. My all time favorite mini-game of all time (well second behind Dark Cloud 2's golf game). Because of the cinematics it may have had the best story of all of them. Tidus and Luna, got to love'm. Everyone had a really strong story and there was enough hidden content to satify the hardcore gamer yet still maintain the easiness they've been given the game since Final fantasy 7 (when ff went mainstream).

As for the others, I tried to play FFX-2 but I quit playing the minute I had to make it through my second concert. It should have been calld final fantasy mystic quest 2 because it goes into the same catagory as that game, a final fantasy light light game that had no real elements of the series.

Final fantasy 8 was horrible. This was when the onslaught of the brady hint books and it seemed the game was created with the hint books in mind. The game was incrediblly easy to make it through as was seven, but the boss was crazy, asking you to do secrets and powerups that were not explained anywhere else in the game but only in the hintbooks and guides. Final fantasy's 9 and 7 were cool but not memoriable. Final fantasy 4 was great as were 3 and 5. I liked Final fantasy XI but why they named it final fantsy xi and not final fantasy online remains amystery. I'm hoping my final fantasy campaign is up there story line with the greats.

 

[LightPhoenix]

As far as story goes, I'd have to go with FF6, though 4, 5, 9, and 10 all rank up there. I loved the cast of characters, and I'll admit I have a bias towards a larger cast - which is why FF6 tends to win over 4/9/10 and especially 5. It's by far the only game that I would love to see a sequel to, just to see the characters again. The story itself wasn't overly weird or esoteric either, though Kefka might have been. I guess I liked the simplicity of it - the protagonists fight a corrupt empire, and eventually a megalomaniac leader who comes into ultimate power. While I liked 9 and 10, I'd really like to see Square go back to something a little simpler as far as the overall arc goes.

For gameplay, I must admit I'm fond of 10, though 4 also ranks high up there. The reason for this is fairly simple. In an RPG, a character is defined through two means. The first is story, and story is good, yes. However, in an RPG, a good majority of the time is spent in battle, and thus a certain amount of characterization can and must occur in battle as well. The issues I have with 5/7/8 is that the characters don't have any personality in battle. Frex, it didn't matter if I used Barrett or Aeris or Cloud or Yuffie or whomever, because all I needed to do is switch over the Materia and I had the same exact character in battle, with very few, minor differences. However, in 4 characters had a role in battle, and it was the same in 10. 6 had much the same, and I supposed 1 did as well, though really the first one was all battle and little story.

As far as "systems" go (and it seems all the rage to have systems nowadays) FF5's job system holds a place in my heart. And any game with a world map rocks my socks... I hate the recent trend in RPGs to do away with it. I much prefer a system akin to Wild Arms, where there's incentive to actually search the map. Puzzle Boxes own my soul.

Finally, as far as dungeons go, I have a deep loathing of every FF dungeon. It's the one thing that has remained constant that really needs to be changed. Again I'm going to compare to Wild Arms, which has pretty boring dungeon structure overall, but it mixes puzzles in with the tedium of random battles. Which as an aside, really need to go. I'm very glad to not see them in FF12, though I'd prefer a Chrono Trigger style approach. Another great example would be Lufia 2. The combination of puzzles and trying to avoid enemies really breaks up the tedium of endless walking. My only complaint, and I haven't seen any console RPG show this, is that even with those, dungeons as a whole just seem to be boring. The overall design just falls flat, and I'd like to see a little innovation as far as the basic layout goes.

[EDIT] Also, mini-games. Someone really needs to tell Square that endless repetition of tedious button-pushing doesn't make a mini-game. It makes at best an annoyance, and at worst an exercise in extreme frustration. Contrast that with the card game in FF7, which was simple and easy. I'd point towards the Suikoden series for some interesting ideas.

 

[DonTadow]

As far as story goes, I'd have to go with FF6, though 4, 5, 9, and 10 all rank up there. I loved the cast of characters, and I'll admit I have a bias towards a larger cast - which is why FF6 tends to win over 4/9/10 and especially 5. It's by far the only game that I would love to see a sequel to, just to see the characters again. The story itself wasn't overly weird or esoteric either, though Kefka might have been. I guess I liked the simplicity of it - the protagonists fight a corrupt empire, and eventually a megalomaniac leader who comes into ultimate power. While I liked 9 and 10, I'd really like to see Square go back to something a little simpler as far as the overall arc goes.

For gameplay, I must admit I'm fond of 10, though 4 also ranks high up there. The reason for this is fairly simple. In an RPG, a character is defined through two means. The first is story, and story is good, yes. However, in an RPG, a good majority of the time is spent in battle, and thus a certain amount of characterization can and must occur in battle as well. The issues I have with 5/7/8 is that the characters don't have any personality in battle. Frex, it didn't matter if I used Barrett or Aeris or Cloud or Yuffie or whomever, because all I needed to do is switch over the Materia and I had the same exact character in battle, with very few, minor differences. However, in 4 characters had a role in battle, and it was the same in 10. 6 had much the same, and I supposed 1 did as well, though really the first one was all battle and little story.

As far as "systems" go (and it seems all the rage to have systems nowadays) FF5's job system holds a place in my heart. And any game with a world map rocks my socks... I hate the recent trend in RPGs to do away with it. I much prefer a system akin to Wild Arms, where there's incentive to actually search the map. Puzzle Boxes own my soul.

Finally, as far as dungeons go, I have a deep loathing of every FF dungeon. It's the one thing that has remained constant that really needs to be changed. Again I'm going to compare to Wild Arms, which has pretty boring dungeon structure overall, but it mixes puzzles in with the tedium of random battles. Which as an aside, really need to go. I'm very glad to not see them in FF12, though I'd prefer a Chrono Trigger style approach. Another great example would be Lufia 2. The combination of puzzles and trying to avoid enemies really breaks up the tedium of endless walking. My only complaint, and I haven't seen any console RPG show this, is that even with those, dungeons as a whole just seem to be boring. The overall design just falls flat, and I'd like to see a little innovation as far as the basic layout goes.

[EDIT] Also, mini-games. Someone really needs to tell Square that endless repetition of tedious button-pushing doesn't make a mini-game. It makes at best an annoyance, and at worst an exercise in extreme frustration. Contrast that with the card game in FF7, which was simple and easy. I'd point towards the Suikoden series for some interesting ideas.

I've thought the last few mini games have been pretty good with final fantays's . The card games have been ok, but i really dug blitzball and the snow board from ffvii. Both of those I've gone back and played well after the game ended.

If you want a cool mini game, check out dark cloud 2's golf game. Its very good, strategic and different. They also have a pretty cool fishing mini game.

 

[Vigilance]

Matter of taste, I guess. Of course, it might just be my general apathy towards all the characters in general in that game.

Kvantum,
FF8 I thought gave a pretty solid wrap-up for the characters as well.

Never finished FFX-2 due to my utter disgust with the game (and that fact that Yuna went from a quiet-yet-dedicated priestess-type to a fluff-brained bimbette). I've heard that if you complete every sidequest and get a 100% story rating you can

Spoiler

bring Tidus back from oblivion

for a "storybook happy ending."

It doesnt have to be 100%, in fact I think its pretty easy to get the "happy ending".

FFX-2 actually grew on me but then I never minded Charlie's Angels either, so your tastes may be different.

The game starts out very silly, but it does take a much more serious turn in the second half, with Yuna showing that she hasnt become a completely different person, just trying to forget and have fun. There's also the dress spheres, which they reveal are affecting her personality (at least one specific dress sphere).

But then the ****storm starts, and she has to start killing her Aeons from the first game, I thought that feeling of forlorn came back, and at that point I was officially hooked by the game.

Anyway, just a different perspective. I liked FFX-2 but played it mostly to see how the story ended. My neice (who is 8 and already beating FF games with some help from the old folks) rates FFX-2 as her definite favorite.

Personally, I think that;s a brilliant turn. Would you rather see girls develop an appreciation for Final Fantasy or play some more Barbie Fashion Show?

Chuck

 

[DonTadow]

It doesnt have to be 100%, in fact I think its pretty easy to get the "happy ending".

FFX-2 actually grew on me but then I never minded Charlie's Angels either, so your tastes may be different.

The game starts out very silly, but it does take a much more serious turn in the second half, with Yuna showing that she hasnt become a completely different person, just trying to forget and have fun. There's also the dress spheres, which they reveal are affecting her personality (at least one specific dress sphere).

But then the ****storm starts, and she has to start killing her Aeons from the first game, I thought that feeling of forlorn came back, and at that point I was officially hooked by the game.

Anyway, just a different perspective. I liked FFX-2 but played it mostly to see how the story ended. My neice (who is 8 and already beating FF games with some help from the old folks) rates FFX-2 as her definite favorite.

Personally, I think that;s a brilliant turn. Would you rather see girls develop an appreciation for Final Fantasy or play some more Barbie Fashion Show?

Chuck

Or see your favorite game series degenerated into an episode of "Jem". I'll pass let her take barbie out riding and give me a true sequal to final fantasy X... and for sakes put back the original blitz ball.

 

[Jamdin]

My favorite would have to be Final Fantasy 3 because it was the first of the series that I played and the only one that I had been able to finish. I almost made it to the end of Final Fantasy V so that would be my second favorite.

 

[drothgery]

Or see your favorite game series degenerated into an episode of "Jem". I'll pass let her take barbie out riding and give me a true sequal to final fantasy X... and for sakes put back the original blitz ball.

I hated blitzball, ignored every optional quest based on the game, and never won a game that it was possible to lose...

 

[DonTadow]

I hated blitzball, ignored every optional quest based on the game, and never won a game that it was possible to lose...

Ah, your story so different from mine
Loved blitzball, did every optional quest and found every weapon and its activation including winning 100 blitzball games in a row for wakka's super ball. Square just don't know they got the next big sporting game on their hand. I'd love to see a disk with the minigames of Final Fantasy but enhanced though. Its ashamed minigames are forgotten about so soon.