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[ScOULaris]

Update (March 10): Thanks to JoshuaJSlone for compiling the votes and sharing the results in my absence. I have quoted his final rankings post at the bottom of the OP.

For those of you who didn't know, I ended up getting banned for two weeks right before the voting was to be closed, and I have since inexplicably lost my thread creation and PM privileges. I had planned on making a results thread complete with quotes, images, and all sorts of other goodies weeks ago, but the ban threw a wrench in that plan.

Update: In order to prevent the point system from being abused, I have changed the way that votes will be weighted. If you rank less than five FF games in your post, your submissions will only be given half the points that they are worth on the scale shown below. This encourages people to try to rank all of the games that they've played, while not forcing anyone to have to contribute points to FF games that they despised. This voting is to determine GAF's favorite games in the series, so people who have only played and loved four or fewer FF games can still contribute, albeit to a lesser degree. But, really, if you've only played two or three FF games, ask yourself whether or not you should be voting in this thread.

Listen to this while reading the OP.

Since we had so much fun ranking the games in the Metal Gear Solid series (see the results here), I figured this would be the next logical step.

The Final Fantasy series has been the subject of many debates over the years, especially here on GAF. Much like the MGS series, Final Fantasy has maintained a high level of quality over the course of a very long, continuous run of releases on consoles and handhelds. Because of the scope of the series' history and the quality of pretty much all of the mainline entries, there tends to be a ton of variability when it comes to people arguing which FF game is better than another. So, it's once again up to the GAF Hive Mind™ to come to some sort of group consensus about this revered gaming franchise.

Here's how it will work:

There are dozens of games under the Final Fantasy moniker, but I am going to limit voting to mainline console entries in the series. The following games are eligible for this GAF Votes thread:

• Final Fantasy 1 (FF1)
• Final Fantasy 2 (FF2)
• Final Fantasy 3 (FF3)
• Final Fantasy 4 (FF4)
• Final Fantasy 5 (FF5)
• Final Fantasy 6 (FF6)
• Final Fantasy 7 (FF7)
• Final Fantasy 8 (FF8)
• Final Fantasy 9 (FF9)
• Final Fantasy 10 (FF10)
• Final Fantasy 10-2 (FF10-2)
• Final Fantasy 11 (FF11)
• Final Fantasy 12 (FF12)
• Final Fantasy 13 (FF13)
• Final Fantasy 13-2 (FF13-2)
• Final Fantasy 14 (FF14)

PLEASE use the abbreviated notation shown in parentheses above when placing your votes. Use regular numbers instead of Roman numerals, as it will make sorting all of the votes much easier. This will help ensure accuracy when tallying your submissions.

Also, remember to use the canonical (Japanese) numbering for the games. FF3 (US release) should be FF6. FF2 (US release) should be FF4.

I know that there are other good "Final Fantasy" games that you'd like to vote for (e.g. Final Fantasy Tactics), but I'd like to reserve these rankings to the mainline releases for the sake of fair comparisons.

Since there are so many games in the series, and probably most of us haven't played every one of them, simply list up to your Top 10. If you've played less than 10 FF games (or just don't feel like ranking 10 of them), just rank as many as you'd like.

Sample Ballot

1. FF1; Optional elaboration as to why you chose this game
2. FF2; Optional elaboration as to why you chose this game
3. FF3; Optional elaboration as to why you chose this game
4. FF4; Optional elaboration as to why you chose this game
5. FF5; Optional elaboration as to why you chose this game
6. FF6; Optional elaboration as to why you chose this game
7. FF7; Optional elaboration as to why you chose this game
8. FF8; Optional elaboration as to why you chose this game
9. FF9; Optional elaboration as to why you chose this game
10. FF10; Optional elaboration as to why you chose this game

Scoring System

I am going to be using the same points scheme as what was used in the Top 50 Nintendo Games GAF Votes thread.

1. Game A ; 4 points
2. Game B ; 3 points
3. Game C ; 3 points
4. Game D ; 2 points
5. Game E ; 2 points
6. Game F ; 2 points
7. Game G ; 1 point
8. Game H ; 1 point
9. Game I ; 1 point
10. Game J ; 1 point

Note: If you rank less than five games, your votes will be worth half the points listed here.

____________

This one is probably going to be bigger and take more time for me to tally than the MGS thread, so I'm going to cut off the voting on March 2nd. I will then compile everything over the weekend and probably post the results thread the following Monday.

Well, this should be an interesting one. Strap on your Level 999 armor, ready your impossibly huge sword, and get to votin'!

*Reminder of scoring system: #1 got 4 points. #2-3, 3 points. #4-6, 2 points. #7-10, 1 point. Entries with less than 5 games counted for half as many points.
*I wasn't a stickler about the format. All you bojos who used Roman numerals, or didn't use the semicolon to separate your comments, or didn't number your entries: you're welcome. Special wrench-in-the-gear nod to those who were willing to use 1-9, but insisted on X in place of 10.
*For the odd entry that went past 10, I just ignored the further positions. In the individual images below a #11 counts as a not charting..
*For the hate entries that went from 9th place to 100000th place or whatever, I just cut the last ones rather than counting them as next in line.
*500 voters had 5 or more entries, 34 more listed 1-4.
*Final Fantasy VI and VII were the only ones with more #1 votes than not to be voted on at all. VI is the only one with just a single #10 vote.


First, simply how many times did games get voted on at all?

Not in every case, but as a rule of thumb games with more votes at all ended up with more points, too. Though notably, one of those exceptions becomes the #1 game.

That's right, the winner is Final Fantasy VI!

Final Fantasy VI and VII were the only ones with more #1 votes than non-votes. VI is the only one with just a single #10 vote.

Here's how the point totals worked out:
1. Final Fantasy VI 1316.5
2. Final Fantasy VII 1230.5
3. Final Fantasy IX 1099
4. Final Fantasy X 901
5. Final Fantasy XII 889
6. Final Fantasy VIII 821
7. Final Fantasy IV 788.5
8. Final Fantasy V 588
9. Final Fantasy XIII 356.5
10. Final Fantasy 269
11. Final Fantasy X-2 247
12. Final Fantasy XI 188.5
12. Final Fantasy III 188
13. Final Fantasy XIII-2 156
14. Final Fantasy II 98
15. Final Fantasy XIV 16

I wanted to show off how many times each game got each rank. An image per game was too much, and one with everything was too busy, so I split it by generation. I wanted to include the number for unlisted, too, but those tended to be much higher than the individual places and really dominated the view.

If you didn't like the scoring method, want to sift through for any correlations, whatever, here's the data, as it is after being fixed for format, and before I threw it into a spreadsheet to do the number-crunching.

 

[zomgbbqftw]

1. FF6
2. FF8
3. FF7
4. FF4
5. FF10
6. FF9
7. FF1
8. FF10-2
9. FF12
10. FF5

 

[Kikujiro]

1. FF7
2. FF10
3. FF6
4. FF8
5. FF12
6. FF9
7. FF4
8. FF5

 

[Solo]

1. FF7
2. FF10
3. FF9
4. FF12
5. FF8

 

[ultron87]

I imagine that far fewer people will have played all of these than played all of the MGS games (minus the portables ones). So that will lead to a lot more variance in voting. That said, 6 will probably run away with it.

We just mercy killing FF14 out the gate by not including it?

 

[ScOULaris]

I imagine that far fewer people will have played all of these than played all of the MGS games (minus the portables ones). So that will lead to a lot more variance in voting. That said, 6 will probably run away with it.

We just mercy killing FF14 out the gate by not including it?

I totally forgot about 14. I will add it to the OP.

 

[Perfo]

1. FF7
2. FF8
3. FF9
4. FF10
5. FF13
6. FF13-2
7. FF12
8. FF6
9. FF4
10. FF3

 

[Liquid_Bike]

1. FF7
2. FF9
3. FF6
4. FF8
5. FF12
6. FF4
7. FF5
8. FF10

 

[ScOULaris]

1. FFVII
2. FFX
3. FFIX
4. FFXII
5. FFVIII

PLEASE use the abbreviated notation shown in parentheses above when placing your votes. Use regular numbers instead of Roman numerals, as it will make sorting all of the votes much easier. This will help ensure accuracy when tallying your submissions.

^^

 

[kyubajin]

1. FF9; like I always say, a love letter to classic FF fans and a break from the spiky hair emo protagonists of VII and VIII.
2. FF6; simply put the best story and characters of FF.
3. FF12; my favourite combat system and character progression, even Vaan didn't ruin the game for me.
4. FF10; my 2nd favourite combat system and story.
5. FF4; played the PSP complete edition and loved it.
6. FF3; played the DS remake and liked it very much.
9. FF8; thought it was OK although didn't really like the combat system.
8. FF7; haven't played beyond the train part.
9. FF13; Played for about 6 hours and I'm told there's still a lot to do before the "fun part" begins...

Those are all I've played.

 

[Boss Man]

1. FF9; Possibly my favorite game of all time. It's also Sakaguchi's favorite Final Fantasy, so my opinion is validated.
2. FF7; This game was amazing when I was like 13 or something. It had a huge impact on RPGs.
3. FF11; Underrated MMO. This is the closest surviving thing to a genuine Final Fantasy since the franchise started going downhill at 10. Great class system. The music is incredible, too.

 

[Goli]

1. FF9; because it's simply the best.
2. FF12; because I loved the "feel" to it.
3. FF10-2; because it has what might be the best battle system in the series.
4. FF13-2
5. FF8
6. FF5
7. FF7
8. FF4
9. FF3
10. FF1

PS: I hate not writing the abbreviations with roman numerals.

EDIT: Also what is wrong with people not reading the OP and writing things with roman numerals >:O.

 

[Petrichor]

1) FF10
2) FF7
3) FF12
4) FF4
5) FF10-2
6) FF9
7) FF8
8) FF13
9) FF3

 

[Emitan]

1. FF6
2. FF12
3. FF9
4. FF10
5. FF5
6. FF4
7. FF7
8. FF8

 

[widgetraf]

FF 6
FF 12
FF 7
FF 10
FF 9
FF 10-2
FF 13-2
FF 13
FF 8
FF 5

 

[Impeccable]

1. FF6
2. FF12
3. FF2
4. FF5
5. FF10
6. FF8
7. FF1
8. FF7
9. FF9

Edited: Oops, had two '5'.

 

[T.O.P]

1. FF6
2. FF12
3. FF7
4. FF4
5. FF9
6. FF8
7. FF10
8. FF13

 

[Jeff-DSA]

1. FFVI
2. FFIV
3. FFX
4. FFVII
5. FFIX
6. FFVIII
7. FFXII
8. FFIII
9. FFV
10. FFX-2

 

[Sinatar]

01. FF6
02. FF12
03. FF4
04. FF5
05. FF1
06. FF3
07. FF9
08. FF7
09. FF8
10. FF10

 

[Grimmy]

1. FF6
2. FF10
3. FF4
4. FF8
5. FF2
6. FF7
7. FF5
8. FF1

 

[fly high ~ayunite~]

1. FF12
2. FF10
3. FF8
4. FF6
5. FF9

 

[BassForever]

1. FF6
2. FF5
3. FF9
4. FF7
5. FF12
6. FF4
7. FF10
8. FF3
9. FF1
10. FF13

As of posting I still haven't played FF13-2 yet because my 360 is still RROD and getting repaired so that might have replaced FF13 on the list.

 

[Freyjadour]

1. FF7
2. FF5
3. FF10-2 ; Gameplay
4. FF10
5. FF12
6. FF8
7. FF4
8. FF13-2
8. FF6
9. FF3
10. FF2
11. FF1
12. FF13
13. FF9 ; God-awful combat and combat speed

I'm not ranking XI. Fantastic story and I like the (dated) gameplay, but it just doesn't really feel appropriate.

 

[Emitan]

Everyone putting 6 at number one and 12 at number 2 is making me happy

 

[Finalow]

1. FF9; maybe not the best but I love it. (still one of the best)
2. FF6; avatar.
3. FF7; third but still great.
4. FF4; nice one, best story if you don't count VI-VII and IX.
5. FF8; plot sucks (characters too) but not a bad game.
6. FF10; same as FFVIII.
7. FF5; job system is the only good thing.
8. FF2; meh.
9. FF12
10. FF3; ew.

 

[gillty]

1. FF11
2. FF12
3.
4.
5.
6.
7. FF14; hatas goin' hate
8.
9. FF1
10. FF2

Ranked all of the games I have played. I like FF14 but it is not deserving of more than 1 point in its current state, and FF13 is the worst RPG I have played in the last 10 years.

-10. FF13

 

[MoogleWizard]

1. FF8; Favorite world, setting, art direction and soundtrack. And yes, I even like the love story and Squall, he's a realistic character and I like that he changes and opens up at the end. The Ending sequence is the best of any game I've seen. Love Triple Triad, best mini game in the series.
2. FF6; A true classic.
3. FF9; Vivi.
4. FF13; Best battle system by a huge margin; despite all the hate I think the characters are better fleshed out than in many of the older games (just compare Vanille to her equivalents in the older games (Yuffie, Selphie, Rikku, Eiko)). So much wasted potential though, an intricate world and mythology sacrificed for the melodrama.
5. FF7; Overrated due to nostalgia, it has aged horribly, inconsistent art style, abstruse story.
6. FF10; Worst protagonist in the series, incredibly whiny and annoying; the battle system is a chore and too slow.
7. FF5
8. FF4
9. FF12; Dull and uninteresting story and characters, and the game could be set up to play itself. So boring I had to force myself to finish it.

 

[Ultimadrago]

1. FF10
2. FF7
3. FF9
4. FF6
5. FF2
6. FF1
7. FF12
8. FF10-2
9. FF8
10. FF13

 

[Yaska]

1. FF7
2. FF6
3.FF9
4.FF8
5.FF4
6.FF5

 

[jon bones]

1. FF9
2. FF7
3. FF6
4. FF12
5. FF10
6. FF8

 

[Ethranes]

1. FF8
2. FF7
3. FF10
4. FF9
5. FF12

 

[robotnik]

1. FF9
2. FF7
3. FF6
4. FF10
5. FF12
6. FF5
7. FF8
8. FF4
9. FF13
10. FF10-2

 

[Kalamoj]

1, FF6
2, FF12
3, FF9
4, FF7
5, FF4
6, FF10

Tactics is the best game in the series...

 

[Negator]

1. FF5
2. FF6
3. FF9
4. FF7
5. FF4
6. FF10
7. FF1
8. FF13-2
9. FF13
10. FF12

 

[djplaeskool]

01. FF6
02. FF11
03. FF12
04. FF9
05. FF14
06. FF13-2
07. FF7
08. FF13
09. FF10
10. FF4

That's right. 11 and 14 are in there.
Come at me bros.

 

[Randomizer]

1.FF7
2.FF6
3.FF9
4.FF12
5.FF5
6.FF8
7.FF4
8.FF13
9.FF10
10.FF2

Haven't played any of the sequels or MMO's. Also I'm playing through FFIII now for the first time so it may enter the list when I'm done with it.

 

[TheJollyCorner]

1. FF8; Most well realized world in the series and compelling characters, despite being teens. This one has just resonated with me the most since its release. The tiny details throughout the world are just crazy. I'm still finding new little things after like my 6th playthrough.
2. FF10; Just a wonderful, tragic journey. Between Yuna's fatalistic mission and Tidus' sad reality, this one was really well done overall.
3. FF6; Loved the Neo Victorian/Steampunk design, great Amano designs, fantastic OST, and world-ending stuff. Would kill for a fully-realized remake.
4. FF7; This one was just massive on all levels. Zach's journey in Crisis Core made me like 7 even more. Most hyped I've ever been for a game (and likely ever will be).
5. FF4; My nostalgic favorite... and the game that pulled me in all those years ago. Still one of my favorite Uematsu OSTs.
6. FF13; Despite some glaring design flaws, I still really loved the mythologies and the design of Cocoon. I also really liked all the characters and their struggles. Like FFX, the overall tone was pretty bleak. Hamauzu owned the OST.
7. FF13-2; I thought the time travel aspect was done pretty well and I had more fun with this than 13 proper. Noel and Serah turned out to be fantastic, despite some initial worries I had. FF13 just felt more polished overall... and I wasn't fooled by the faux-towns.
8. FF12; Like 13, seemed like there was a lot of wasted potential. Appreciated the depth of the cultural structures, though. Battles were a blast, but it just didn't have any of that FF 'charm' for me.
9. FF9; Charming game, but I wasn't a fan of the character designs or overall plot beyond Vivi.
10. FF11; Ambitious... and the world was fantastically detailed, but I simply didn't have the time to commit to it. I wish it would have been more noob/casual friendly, as all I wanted to do was explore the gorgeous world.

 

[Red UFO]

1. FF6
2. FF9
3. FF7
4. FF10
5. FF12
6. FF2
7. FF8
8. FF10-2
9. FF11
10. FF4

 

[Shepard]

1. FF12
2. FF9
3. FF6
4. FF7
5. FF8
6. FF10
7. FF10-2
8. FF3

 

[Patryn]

1. FF12 - Hate if you want, I loved the gambit system, I loved the hunts, and I loved the way it played. Biggest fault is you can feel that there was a schizophrenic development process and a lot of the plot development happens off screen.

2. FF6 - I've played the shit out of this game, so nostalgia may be playing a part of the ranking, but I love the cast, and I love the story that it tells. I mean the heroes FAIL halfway through the game. The world is destroyed, and the villain wins!

3. FF9 - I didn't appreciate this game when it first came out, but it really does boil down the essence of the earlier entries in the series and delivers them in a wonderful package that oozes care and affection.

4. FF4 - My childhood. Cecil is still probably my favorite FF character, and the moment where he becomes a paladin is just so wonderfully epic to me. The world also felt the largest and most wonderful to explore in the series. Then there's the music... god, I love that music.

5. FF5 - Possibly the most fun to play, as it perfected the job system and really let you run with things. The story is weak, and I think it suffers from both high expectations and a botched US release with its weak localization.

6. FF7 - The classic, and a game that I've played through quite a few times, but it doesn't hold up. The story is this side of nonsensical, the graphics are terrible and its responsible for so much of what is wrong with modern gaming, but it's still got a core of greatness in it.

7. FF8 - A valiant attempt at a follow-up to a classic held back by a flawed magic system, a hackneyed plot (amnesia, really?) and an unlikeable main character.

8. FF10 - I was kind of getting over FF at this point, but I felt it lost something when it lost the overworld and took away the ATB system. Some memorable characters and a decent story save it, though.

9. FF1 - Surprisingly somewhat holds up, but its simplicity holds it back from being higher.

10. FF3 - It's fine on its own, but suffers badly when put next to FFV, which basically did everything it did, but a lot better.

11. FF2 - The game encourages you to beat up your own team to get stronger. That's messed up.

12. FF13 - Fucking terrible. Square took the worst lessons from modern gaming and applied them to a game with unlikeable characters and a non-sense story, and then withholds the full strength of its one redeeming factor, the battle system, until you're about 20+ hours into the game. No wonder I didn't last that long.

Did not count: FF11 and FF14, as I have not played them and I don't really count them as mainline entries.

 

[Venfayth]

1. FF8 ; FF8 is one of my all time favorite games. It's a mix of nostalgia and adoration. With some of the best character development for every playable character in the game, some of the best uematsu scoring, and the undisputed best mini game in the franchise, it's hard not to love this game. The magic system in this game is hit and miss, for me, I love exploiting mechanics and overpowering the game from an early stage, so it's a big hit with me. The story is also slightly complex/convoluted, but it also instills some wonder, and I love that.

2. FF6 ; Probably one of the most critically acclaimed FF's, it hits high for me but not as high as it could have. I didn't have the chance to play this until after playing 7-9, so there isn't as much of a nostalgia factor. The cast in this is great, along with the music and storyline.

3. FF7 ; An all time classic. Not much needs to be said about FF7.

4. FF10 (including international content) ; Without international content this would score much lower. Part of my endearment for this game comes from its postgame grinding and fun.

5. FF5 ; The best part of this game is the freedom of customization, from a gameplay perspective. The characters are also fantastic.

6. FF13-2 ; 13-2 is the most Final Fantasy feeling FF since FF10.

7. FF12 (including international content) ; This would have marked higher if not for the fact that the international content isn't made available to English speakers, unless they want to go through the painstaking process of patching the IZJS to English on their own.

8. FF9 ; Most people probably disagree with my ranking on this, but the artistic style of FF9 was a big miss with me.

9. FF2 ;

10. FF4 ;

 

[The Emperor]

1. FF8
2. FF6
3. FF13-2
4. FF7
5. FF10
6. FF13
7. FF4
8. FF9
9. FF12
10. FF3

 

[Wiseblade]

No roman numberals? LAAAME

1. FF4
2. FF10
3. FF10-2
4. FF5
5. FF6
6. FF2
7. FF13

 

[Haunted]

1. FF 6
2. FF 12
3. FF 7
4. FF 5
5. FF 8
6. FF 9
7. FF 4
8. FF 3


Don't want to give the others any points. 1 and 2 are early attempts and can be excused, 10 I didn't like, 11, 13, and 14 I consider abominations not worthy of the brand.

 

[OSHAN]

1. FF4
2. FF6
3. FF11
4. FF10
5. FF7

 

[ULTROS!]

1. FF10 ; one great thing about this game is the execution of the story, cutscenes, and character growth. The CGI cutscenes are very memorable and touching. This game has one of the best endings because it literally eats away your heart. This is one of the games that you'll remember as sad but great.
2. FF9
3. FF4
4. FF6
5. FF13 ; this game is obviously flawed due to the poor execution of the story but a few characters are great such as Lightning, Sazh, and Fang. This FF has the best battle system because it's speedy, very action oriented, and requires great strategizing. Graphis are great too and I enjoyed the seamless cutscene to battle transitions.
6. FF13-2
7. FF7
8. FF8
9. FF5
10. FF1

It's hard to rank the first seven because I love them all.

 

[yellowjacket25]

1. FF8
2. FF7
3. FF10
4. FF6
5. FF4
6. FF11
7. FF12
8. FF9
9. FF5
10. FF1

 

[Arc07]

1. FF5
2. FF6
3. FF4
4. FF7
5. FF9
6. FF11 (I was a beast, okay?)
7. FF3
8. FF8
9. FF10
10. FF1

FFT would be #1 if it was allowed.

 

[archnemesis]

1. FF6;
2. FF9;
3. FF7;
4. FF10;
5. FF2;
6. FF1;
7. FF10-2;
8. FF8;
9. FF4;
10. FF5;

If Tactics was eligible it would be placed in the top 5.

 

[Bisonian]

1. FF4
2. FF6
3. FF12
4. FF9
5. FF5
6. FF10-2
7. FF10
8. FF11