Which Final Fantasy game is best?

[Jeff Georgeson]

Which Final Fantasy is best? I ask because I have some suspicions about which are the fan favorites, and because I haven't put up a poll in ages

While we're at it, which are your favorite characters?

My two favs are FF VIII and FF X. FF VIII has an amazing storyline and well-developed characters, and it's consistent all the way through. The final boss is well thought out and very difficult (but appropriately difficult, not SNK-impossibly-godlike-difficult).

FF X had to grow on me ... at first, I couldn't stand the voice acting for Tidus and Yuna (although Wakka and Auron were great from the start), and that was enough to dim my love for the game just a bit. But the story and the characterization are excellent, and Yuna's VA (and, admittedly, all the VAs) gets better over time (I still can't stand Tidus's whininess, though).

My favorite FF characters are (not necessarily in order) Rinoa, Selphi, Squall, Yuna, Wakka, Lulu, Aeris, Tifa, Celes (FF VI) ... OK, so I like most Final Fantasy characters quite a bit

Jeff

[Motoko2030]

My vote goes for Final Fantasy X since that is the first Final Fantasy game that I bought and I was hooked on the graphics and the voice overs of the game.

[Black Mamba]

Final Fantasy VII!! The music and the story just makes it epic for me. Listening to any version of the main theme (piano, orchestrated, original) gives me chills to this day.

Next would be X (Awsome story with no plot holes)
then IX (Extremly underated, awsome score)
then X-2 (I liked the refreshing change! Kiss ass battle system too.)
then VI (Best SNES game I've ever played, better than most modern day games.)
then VIII (awsome score, well devolped characters. However I didn't like the A = B because I say so kinda story)

I love them all really and would never say any where bad. They each have pros and cons.

[csulu]

My fav is FFVII , lol i woted VIII to fast on the button.

[Jeff Georgeson]

Yup, shame on me I've just added IV and V to the poll. I haven't played them yet, so I wasn't sure whether I should put them in the poll or not.

I only started playing VIII in late 2002, first on an emulator that didn't show any of the battle stats properly (try playing without knowing what any of your characters can do or are doing!) and then on the PAL PS. I first bought the game ages ago just because I loved the FMVs so much ... it's the first video game whose graphics really impressed me, and Square/SquareEnix has impressed me even more with each game in the series. They are really the leader when it comes to digital character creation and FMVs.

Jeff

[Black Mamba]

And Yuna was such a different heroine, too... At first I thought she was ridiculous, but as time went by I really began to appreciate the way she was. Tidus too- although I could never stand his whininess either, I do now at least understand it, as well as understand the reasons why he had to be the way he was in the game.

100% agreed. Well worded.

it's the first video game whose graphics really impressed me

Lets not forget Nobuo's "Liberi Fatali" fits the opening FMV like a glove. Best opening sequence in a video game ever.

They are really the leader when it comes to digital character creation and FMVs.

Wait until the next gen Final Fantasys.

[marto_motoko]

I say Final Fantasy X! I just love Lulu, and the summons were gorgeous.
I loved the Via Fortuna theme that played when Yuna is in the Bevelle underground when she gets Bahamut and is exiled in the 'prison'! Also the depth to the stages, along with the tremendous desert stage that had the most relaxing and beautiful ambient music to it was just mesmerizing, and very pretty in my opinion. Being raised in the area of the Syrian desert for five years as a young kid, I really felt it captured the deserts natural beauty! Also, it's the only game of FF that's managed to emotionally move me!


Then Final Fantasy IX due to cute little Vivi.

Then Final Fantasy VI due to Palom and Poron. They're adorable!


M.M.

[ghst.01]

VII Gets my vote, kept me entertained[which is more then many games can say] for a good while. X was fun but got old..

[douyang]

I have final fantasy 10. The graphics and movies are awesome, but the two main leads annoyed the crap out of me. The storyline wasn't bad though. The summon animations got old the 2nd or 3rd time I watched them, especially if I use them in one random encounter after another.

My vote goes to Final Fantasy 7. It was the first to turn me on to the series, and the streets of midgar really hit the whole cyberpunk vibe that I love.

Now if only they would go the route of Chrono trigger and allow us to decide when we want to fight instead of the stupid "routine enemy every five steps you take so it takes you a good half hour to get from one screen to the next" garbage.

Also, not just FF but a lot of RPG's gamplay revolve entirely around combat. I don't know if any of you have played the fallout series, but that let you choose a variety of ways, many of them non-violent and requiring some thinking, to get around the problems you faced. I heard that in fallout one you could even reason with the big villain at the end so you wouldn't have to fight him. I wish they would make another sequel.

[FainaruFantaji]

My favourite is FFVIII. It was my first, even now I can remember myself almost in tears when I watched that scene in Ragnarok.

But I always force myself to pick one and the only. I love Final Fantasy series and every title has something that makes it be the best for me. FFVII could probably be the second of my favourites, although it was too overrated by fanboys & fangirls.
Final Fantasy VI - this one had a stunning story and characters.
Final Fantasy IX - One of the best love stories ever, I liked what Tetsuya-san did with the character designs as well.
Final Fantasy X - probably third in my favourite list. It`s story was deep and well developed.
Final Fantasy X-2 - a sequel about which I can`t say something as good as about it`s predecessor. That mission system wasn`t Final Fantasy-like and sphere grids were too girlish, although this game was developed for male auditory I don`t think they should make anything like that again. However it wasn`t a bad game.

[Elmo_Redux]

not sure what to think about X2, i'm never really that impressed by any sequel that does nothing but go on about what happened in the previous installment, it just seems like such a cop out. Besides the difficulty scale was way off giving you a easy game you can easily complete in under an hour and yet having some sidequests that are borderline impossible(thunderplains towers ).

..also there was a moment when i was training up my 'songstresses' and trying to get the last few 'dress spheres' and 'garment grids' so i could get the more romantic ending with tidus and yuna when I just wondered wtf i was doing ..i had to go blow some things up and shoot some little girls in bioshock afterwards to make sure i hadn't gone 'girly'

still it was fun, and had more humour than alot of FF games.

[Saito]

I have no idea, I haven't played any of them...

(I'm not even trying to be serious by the way )

[Individual Twelve]

I couldn't say, I haven't finished any of the five I own yet. I have: IV, VI, VII, X and XII and they're all awesome. I'm currently absorbed by IV, which has charming characters and a well-orchestrated story.