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the Final Fantasy series

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ScrambledGregs:
As seen in various threads, we all have varying views on the legendary, beloved FF series. Share your's now!!

FFI- I actually played through the PS1 remake with a friend when it came out. It helped me that we did it together and used a guide, because this is a very easy game to lose motivation on in my book. I love starting the game and making a party, but once you get through the first two areas there is virtually no plot or character development to speak of. And while that's not necessarily going to sell me on an RPG, FFI isn't exactly a MMORPG where you expect no story. Still, it provides a hell of a lot of the foundation for the rest of the series. Moreover, at the time it was a pretty revolutionary game and helped begin the establishment of the console RPG genre along with Dragon Warrior. 7 out of 10.

FFII- I tried playing through the PS1 remake, but even with a guide I couldn't go on. FFII is shockingly experimental even today, doing entirely away with any kind of experience system to build up skills or stats. Rather, it's all about use. Unfortunately, do to the way this idea is implemented, you will either spend an inordinate amount of time using the same spells over and over, not to mention beating the piss out of your own guys, OR you'll spend an inordinate amount of time exploiting the game's bugs to get a super party that can breeze through the game. Combine this with the fact that the game loves to use the boss of the dungeon you were just in as a random encounter for the next dungeon and you've got an unrewarding and increasingly difficult game to play. However, FFII added an actual plot and characters, alongside such series staples as chocobos and guest characters, so it sort of evens out. The game isn't horrible by any means, but neither the story nor gameplay are what I like. 5 out of 10.

FFIII- Most of us will never know what this game was originally like, since it didn't come on "official" form to the U.S. until it was remade for the DS and released here last fall. Be that as it may, even without the graphical overhaul, added backstory for characters, and (maybe) extra content, it's easy to see FFIII as another fundamental experiment and evolution in the FF series. Best known for introducing the Job system, albeit in a much simpler form than what we know from FFV and onward, FFIII was also the first to introduce a "second world" to adventure through (many would credit FFIV and the moon therein, but FFIII has you flying off the known world map, and later, entering the Dark World). I quite enjoyed the FFIII DS and it's definitely the best 'standard' console RPG for the system. 7 out of 10.

FFIV- I have to confess to playing precious little of this game, mainly because I think it's almost straightforward to a fault. I realize this is the favorite FF of many, but I've never been able to get into it. It's clearly a great game that did a lot for the series, such as introducing the ATB system, but I can't get into it. It doesn't interest me. The plot is OK, the characters are cool, but beyond that, it just feels limited gameplay-wise. Characters have classes/special skills like my beloved FFIV, but it's not enough without something else to fool with, such as Jobs, Espers, Materia, Sphere Grid, etc. Maybe that's holding everything that came after it against it, but it's not like I can help it. I don't listen to very much 50s music because everything that came after is far more interesting to me, even if I have to acknowledge the progression. 6 out of 10.

FFV- Whereas the first three games in the series felt like Square was throwing everything at a wall and seeing what stuck, and FFIV felt like the first tentative steps into 16 bit RPGs, FFV was a confident stride that swept up everything the developers had learned. I've only ever played a few hours into the game simply because I've never gotten around to, you know, paying money for it, but it essentially takes the gameplay system of FFIII and says "more!" while keeping the memorable characters/story and tightness of FFIV. FFV is actually the most popular entry in the series in Japan because of those two facets. Also, Moogles!! 8 out of 10.

FFVI- I can't rationally explain my love for this game. It's great and still one of my favorite RPGs ever. Great gameplay, great characters, great music, great plot, etc. The only complaint I have is that it sees the series on the direction of having incomprehensible plots and mostly interchangeable characters for the next two entries. Oh and I hate the part where you have to use Relm and Strago. 10 out of 10.

FFVII- FF goes 3D, gets cut scenes, gains a whole new generation of fans, and divides a fanbase forevermore. My thoughts on FF are mixed at best. Anyone can tell you that the game looks horribly dated today; I'll take hand drawn sprites over ugly, blocky polygons anyway. Each character may have unique Limit Breaks, but other than that they are essentially interchangeable with the right Materia. What bothers me most is that I've played through most of the game twice but I don't remember the plot, other than struggling to understand what the fuck was going on. I still am not sure: is Cloud a clone or the real thing?? Anyway, love it or hate it, FFVII is a huge turning point in the series and helped popularize the RPG genre so that we got to see games translated and released here that we may never have seen otherwise. 6 out of 10.

FFVIII- Thinking about this game sets off a circuit of frustration and anger in my brain. So much seems dreadfully wrong about this game, so needlessly complex, and absurdly confusing. The Junction system baffles me to this day. I don't get the whole "bosses level up as you do" thing. I don't care about the characters and even though they look better than FFVII, going the realistic route was a bad idea because technology has advanced to the point that the characters in FFVIII look like Barbies with super long legs. I didn't so much mind the scifi aspect of FFVII, but the modernism of FFVIII hurts my head. Like FFII, it'll always be an experiment--that is to say, a failed experiment--in my mind. 3 out of 10.

FFIX- FFIX gets so much right while providing a fun level of fan service to series classicists' like myself that I wonder why I never beat it. The problem lies in the fact that, like the last 2.5 installments, FFIX goes with the "needlessly complicated and confusing" story that sucks all enjoyment out of it for me. Why can't Vivi just be a black mage?? Why does he have to be a robot clone dream or whatever?? The gameplay is spot on, and I liked that they went back to having unique characters with unique skill sets, but if only they had toned down the plot a bit. Ah well. 8 out of 10.

FFX- Another console generation, another FF. I love everything about this game except for the way the last handful of bosses get absurdly difficult. I tried for something like two days to beat the game before irrevocably fucking up my sphere grids trying to build the right strategy for the last string of bosses. Other than that, I loved the characters, gameplay, graphics, and story. The latter did begin to approach "scifi/fantasy headfuck psychosis" shit toward the end, but it made more sense to me than the last three FF's. I can't really think of much more to say other than Lulu is hawt. 9 out of 10.

FFXI- I like to pretend this game isn't real. Or at the very least, not a numbered FF. What were they thinking?! n/a out of 10.

FFXII- Shit hot!! Obviously, my favorite FF since VI. I can't complain about a single thing in this game; it's like a dream come true: a FF game that experiments heavily with the series formula but succeeds amazingly. Remember how fucking bad ass RE4 was, and how it was as much like the other RE games as it wasn't?? That's what FFXII is like. This game is huge and you just want more and more as it goes. 10 out 10.

Storm Rider:
I've stated before, 6 is the best Final Fantasy in the series. Easily in terms of storytelling and perhaps gameplay as well. I've never found a game with a story so emotionally affecting or characters so well fleshed-out. I'm playing through the GBA port right now, in fact. I'm on the Floating Continent.

I dunno if I'd bother ranking the Final Fantasies, but I can classify them.

Great Final Fantasies: 4, 6, 12

Good Final Fantasies: 1, 5, 7, 10

Bad Final Fantasies: 2, 8

N/A: 3 (barely played it), 9 (never played it), 10-2 (never played it), 11 (who the fuck cares, seriously?)

Also, anybody else not really like Tactics very much?

Dimmukane:
not being a huge fan of turn-based rpgs, i've only played a few...

Mystic Quest - short, easy, last boss could be killed with two properly applied pheonix downs.  got it for like 5 dollars, it entertained me for a bit

FF3/6 - didn't get far enough in it to really say anything.  I did like the first couple of hours, I wish I had more time to go back and actually play it.

FF 7 - beat most of it, got bored of random battles, already knew the story anyways.  was kinda fun.
FF 8 - played through the first 15 hours or so, got bored of it.
ff tactics - played a few battles, hated that that was all their really was (I like that style rpg, but i didn't like the way square chose to do it)
ff x - got to the last seymour, stopped playing
ffxii - got stuck against my will, got sidetracked by other games that I like a bit more, but it's actually my favorite out of them all so far.

Anyone notice how in most japanese rpgs there is one point where the difficulty suddenly ramps up tremendously unless you've been grinding (which is not something i like to do in those kinds of games)?  in ffx, it was the last seymour, in ffxii, i fucked myself by starting a hunt that's way too hard and directly in the way of where I have to go, in ff7, it was the demon wall, but i got around it.  Star Ocean, it was the moonbase/styx (not turn-based, but still)

Madness Hero:
I agreed with you until you got to the Playstation Final Fantasy sequels.  FFVII deserves at least an 8/10 because it has a great story and the materia system, which is my favorite ability augmenting system in the series.  I felt the FFVIII was severely under-rated, and was a big experiment with it's character modeling and ability system (7/10).  I ABSOLUTELY HATED FFIX!  The story was predictable, and the only characters with any character were ViVi and Steiner.  And DEATH TO QUINA!  Quina on his/her own reduces the games score by one point (2/10).

I agree with you about FFX, and FFXI isn't a real FF game.  But I had the same problem with FFXII that I had with FFIX.  I thought that the plot was bland and predictable, and few characters seemed to have character.  I will give it extra points for changing the typical battle system, but I didn't like the license board.  While it's a novel idea, I don't think it can be done well.  The character models look great though (7/10)

ScrambledGregs:
I forgot about spinoffs.

FF Mystic Quest- If I recall correctly, this was developed entirely in the U.S. and released in Japan as "Final Fantasy USA." Quite possible the most dumbed down and easy RPG ever made, but that was the point. It's not really worth discussing. It is what it is. I had a friend back in middle school who hated RPGs, but his grandparents for him this game because they were told games like this would help get him into reading and make him more intellectual. Something like that. n/a out of 10.

FF Tactics- Combine the Job system fleshed out in FFV with a more or less direct rip-off of the Tactics Ogre gameplay/graphics and you've got probably the most popular spinoff in the series' history. I myself think this game would be fantastic if not for its ridiculous length and level grinding. I've had this game for around 7 years but I've never gotten close to beating it, despite having a strategy guide. I'm very finicky about my strategy RPGs and this game always struck me as merely "good." 7 out of 10.

FF Tactics Advance- The saddest part of this game is the way it took the FF Tactics system, added more jobs, races, the Clan system, the Hunt system, and changed Job building from sheer Job points to being FFIX style building based off of what items you had equipped...and somehow dumbed it all down and made it really easy. I rarely complain about how I think a game is too easy, but here we are. Yet it's a frustrating easiness, because once you get deep into the Clan system, you end up spending too much time fending off other Clans or re-taking capture territory. Also, the Judgement system is a HUGE pain in the ass and I would enjoy the game far more without it. 6 out of 10.

FFX-2- I've never played this game, and never will. n/a out of 10.

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