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GAF Votes: Final Fantasy series rankings (Voting ends Mar. 2)

H

HiddenWings

Member
1. FF5; Only Tactics does the job system better.
2. FF10-2; ...But this one comes close.
3. FF10
4. FF9
5. FF6

The others shift around too much for me to really rank them, and I still haven't played through 8 or 13.
 
R

rataven

Member
1. FF7
2. FF5
3. FF12
4. FF9
5. FF13-2
6. FF10
7. FF1
8. FF13
9. FF2
10. FF10-2

And the rest:
11. FF4
12. FF6
13. FF3
14. FF8

Ranking this series is tough business. Everything in the middle could be shifted around on any given day.
 
C

charsace

Member
1. FF6
2. FF9
3. FF4
4. FF7
5. FF5
6. FF1

Then you have a bunch of average games and the truly crappy FF games in FF10 and FF13.
 
C

-Cally-

Neo Member
1. FF7
2. FF9
3. FF12
4. FF8
5. FF6
6. FF10
7. FF4
8. FF13-2
9. FF5
10. FF10-2
11. FF11
12. FF3
13. FF1
14. FF13
15. FF2
16. FF14
 
I

Iadien

Guarantee I'm going to screw up this post? Yeah.
1. FF6
2. FF10
3. FF4
4. FF9
5. FF5
6. FF8
7. FF7
8. FF10-2
9. FF12
10. FF13
 
D

dramatis

Member
1. FF12
2. FF10-2
3. FF7
4. FF10

Played more but leaving it here, no need to give points to ones I'm not sure about or disliked.
 
M

Mxrz

Member
1. FF12 - The world was stunning. The political climate, the cultures, the races, the art style; all of it gave the game a much more defined and unique world than the other games. The storyline also broke away from what had become the usual angsty FF formula. Beyond that, the game was actually fun to play. I spent hours romping around killing stuff for loot. Not because I needed it, or expected it to be useful, but just because it was fun.

2. FF6 - Best cast of characters in a jrpg. They were all like mini-stories woven together. Seeing the bad guy 'win' was unheard of. Neat stuff for the SNES days. The traditional gameplay was refined to its most pure. Its like Square knew it couldn't get any better, so they started coming up with silly shit for the next couple of games.

3. FF9 - Like 12, the world & setting were wonderfully designed. The mix of magic and steam-technology went well together giving the game its own style. The return of traditional gameplay was a welcome relief after the sheer annoyance that was FF8's drawing, and 7's materia junk. It was also absolutely loaded with 'secret' things, which further separated it from the meager 7 and 8.

4. FF10 - Eh. Tities. (Also tropicalness)

5. FF8 - Traaaaains. Red heads with whips! Enjoyed the almost modern vibe to it. The crafting was interesting, and the card system wasn't horrible.

6. FF13 - HD graphics count for a lot. Battle system was also surprisingly fun to play.
7. FF4
8. FF5
9. FF3
9. FF1
10. FF11
 
R

RevolverFox44

Banned
  1. FF12 - Best story, world and battle system in the series. Mature, intelligent, politically charged (by JRPG standards anyway), felt like it was aimed at adults. Great characters except Vaan and Panelo (although Vaan didn't bother me). Best localization too with some great dialogue. Only real complaint I have is that it could have used some more cutscenes and character development.
  2. FF6 - Nothing I can add that hasn't already been said.
  3. FF7 - Ditto
  4. FF13 - Great story and world, great mythology, good characters especially Sazh. Great battle system although I didn't learn to appreciate it until the 2nd playthrough. I still like 12's better though because it allows for the extreme micromanaging 13 did away with.
  5. FF4 - My first FF and still a bar I measure other RPGs by even tho it has been surpassed.
  6. FF9 - 4 member battle party FTW!
  7. FF13-2 - Improved battle system and level design over 13 but worse everything else. Some good music too, especially the main battle theme. Not giving Sazh at least the same size role as Snow or even fucking HOPE was criminal.
  8. FF10 - Great battle system and decent story, but Tidus and Wakka pretty much destroyed my ability to enjoy it. The only FF with worse characters is 8.
  9. FF10-2 - Liked the sped up battle system, didn't like the dress spheres (I hate job systems anyway). Never finished it.
  10. FF1 - Played it far too late, after 4 and 6 so it felt extremely primitive.
  11. FF8 - Absolutely, utterly awful in every way except for the battle system. Hate ALL the characters, HATE the pants on head retarded story, hate hate hate. Hate. It's The Phantom Menace of the FF series. And unlike 13 it only got worse a 2nd time through.

I haven't played 2, 3, 11 or 14. I did play a little of 5 but not enough to evaluate it.
 
J

JoshuaJSlone

Member
1. FF6 ; Honestly, nostalgia makes it hard for me to put it anywhere else.
2. FF12 ; I played KOTOR and thought it would be cool to see a Japanese take on such a real-timey-movement/menu-based battle system. Psyched to get it from my favorite JRPG series within a year of that thought, from the creative minds behind FF Tactics.
3. FF5 ; 5-8 is kind of the sweet spot in the series that was recent or new upon my getting into it, and the job system is pretty great.
4. FF7
5. FF8
6. FF11 ; Took me forever to try it, but it convinced me an MMO could be a legit FF experience. And though I know I left the majority of it untapped, I must've put much more time into it than any other entry.
7. FF9
8. FF4 ; I previously said 5-8 was my sweet spot. That makes 4 the end of the period of just a little too early for me to appreciate as much as people who played it when it was new.
9. FF10
10. FF3

Billychu said:
Everyone putting 6 at number one and 12 at number 2 is making me happy :)
Click to expand...
Haha, I was thinking the same.
 
D

discoalucard

i am a butthurt babby that can only drool in wonder at shiney objects
1. FF12 ; Ivalice is such an amazing world, auto-combat/no separate battle screen should be the future
2. FF6 ; the archetypical 16-bit JRPG
3. FF5 ; JOB SYSTEM
4. FF7 ; the archetypical 32-bit JRPG
5. FF8 ; JUNCTION SYSTEM
6. FF4 ; goofy and melodramatic, but breezy and fun
7. FF10 ; too cinematic, but the world design is second only to FF12
8. FF9 ; don't quite get the retrospective love given how clunky this game is, but at least the writing is better than most FFs save for 12
 
ULTROS!

ULTROS!

People seem to like me because I am polite and I am rarely late. I like to eat ice cream and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks.
Seems like FF12 is going to be number 1 or 2? I think I'm gonna cry. ;_;

BTW Scoul, are you gonna do one for RE?
 
K

kinoki

Illness is the doctor to whom we pay most heed; to kindness, to knowledge, we make promise only; pain we obey.
  1. Final Fantasy XII - Without a doubt the best game. While the FF-series as a whole has experimented alot with the JRPG-formula this is the only game that truely diverts from the beaten path and does something excellent.
  2. Final Fantasy IX - If you disregard the somewhat odd third act this is one of the endearing adventure titles ever to grace the medium. It's whimsical and tightly scripted with great personality.
  3. Final Fantasy VII - While having aged badly this lives so much on the iconography. It more or less defined a "next gen". If any game was a cult-classic of the likes of Evil Dead this would be the game that forever would be remembered.
  4. Final Fantasy VI
  5. Final Fantasy IV
  6. Final Fantasy XIII
 
R

Reveirg

Member
Really tough to rank them but I'll go ahead anyway:

1. FF10 ... Very unique atmosphere and design. Awesome soundtrack, visuals and gameplay. A true masterpiece.
2. FF8 ... A very peculiar RPG with so many elements that have never been seen before (or since then, actually). Unique gameplay systems, a very original story, and wonderful world design.
3. FF12 ... This is pretty much tied with 8 for me. Matsuno's worlds, design and overall creativity have always been very appealing to me. Combined with Ito's wonderful gameplay mechanics, a huge and vivid world to explore and fantastic art/music, this is another masterpiece.
4. FF7 ... A classic. This one has a very particular atmosphere too, with a dark and original storyline. Great gameplay and a true revolution in the RPG genre.
5. FF13-2 ... Yeah, this high. This one brings a lot of new stuff to the FF series (jumping mechanics, mog throw, monster system, non-linearity, time travel...) and does it with style. A great expansion to a wonderful universe that wasn't explored enough in 13.
6. FF11 ... This one would've been heralded as one of the greatest FFs if it had been offline. The world is HUGE and varied, the gameplay systems great. There is so much depth to this game. I have many fond memories of the 3-4 years I spent playing it.
7. FF9
8. FF6
9. FF13
10. FF10-2
 
Y

YAWN

Ask me which Shakespeare novel is best
1. FF9
2. FF6
3. FF12
4. FF7
5. FF3
6. FF4
7. FF13
8. FF10
9. FF5
10. FF8

FFIX is my second favourite game of all time, just trailing behind Wind Waker. Maybe it's just my bias, but it hasn't, and doubt it will, ever be surpassed by another JRPG. The character development and interaction is so deep and really makes you feel for them. The world is what a FF world should be: a middle-aged fantasy setting full of unique races and diverse towns. The music is also my favourite soundtrack of any game.
My only gripe would be the artstyle, but I'm not one to judge a book by it's cover.
 
C

Comet

Member
1. FF VI, the music, characters, story, and battle system are arguably the best
2. FF VII, my favorite game ever. Though I can objectively say that VI is better.
3. FF IV, very memorable story, and has gotten great remakes
4. FF IX, love Vivi, love the countless nods towards previous games
5. FF V, the job system is hands down my favorite part of this game, though the soundtrack is pretty great too. This game does not get enough love!
6. FF XII, it moves the series in many good directions, but that storyline was forgettable
7. FF I, the one that started it all. Great foundation, but music, characters, and storyline are obviously not as good as others in the series.
8. FF X, great graphics, soundtrack (though terrible VOs), but too linear for me
9. FF XIII, fun battle system, that's where the fun ends though. Most annoying characters I've come across in any game ever. They need to do a mulligan on this one.
10. FF VIII, draw draw draw draw draw dance scene draw draw draw, terrible
11. FF III, foundations are fine, but it was a pretty soulless entry.
12. FF II, any game where you get more HP by having your own party attack each other is not a good idea. The story is forgettable as well.
13. FF XI, MMO = no thanks
 
N

NeoUltima

Member
1. FF9 , awesome world, characters, story (except DBZ stuff lol), solid combat system, lots of fun optional stuff to do as well
2. FF7 , set the bar...game is popular for a reason
3. FF8 , such an interesting game...the combat and junction systems were borderline broke, but for some reason I always enjoyed the game a lot. I perfectly understand the hate for the game.
4. FF6 , 2D greatness
5. FF10 , was never too crazy about the world, but fun game nonetheless.
6. FF12 , awesome gameplay and world...held back by poor story telling and character development
7. FF4 , not much to say about it. Very solid all around for its time. But completely outdone by VI.
8. FF13 , best combat system. The world was good, but the story falls apart once you get to Pulse. And linearity, ugh. At least X had a story reason for being linear.
9. FF10-2 , The story was stupid as hell, but great combat system and a variety of fun things to do
 
S

Shadow780

Member
1. FF7
2. FF8 (I switched this with 6 after some thought, overall I think it's a more interesting game)
3. FF6
4. FF5
5. FF4
6. FF10
7. FF13
8. FF10-2
9. FF9
10. FF
11. FF3
12. FF12 (terrible game)
13. FF2
 
R

rybrad

Member
1. FF6; This game blew my mind in so many ways at the time it came out. I still replay this game every year and love it more each time. It holds up unbelievably well with a great villain and gameplay.
2. FF4; I loved the original FF on NES but FF4 is what really sucked me into the FF series for good.
3. FF7; Major change for the series but still amazing and a big reason why I mowed a million lawns to buy a PS1. I especially enjoyed the side distractions and being able to make a sandwich during Knights of the Round animation.
4. FF12; Enjoyed the gameplay in this one, story didn't click for me but still a quality title.
5. FF5; Never played this until the Job Fiesta last year and had a blast with it. The job system was a bit too simple but still fun to play. I wish I wouldn't have waited so long to check it out.
6. FF1; This game was the second NES game I ever played (after Dragon Warrior) and was a formative experience in building my love of gaming. Changing to the advanced classes was one of the most badass things I remember as a kid.
7. FF10
8. FF9

The rest are basically a diceroll as I felt they were all fun enough, just nothing memorable for me.
 
R

RealDeadOne

Member
1. FF6
2. FF5
3. FF4
4. FF9
5. FF7

The rest of the games range from average to horrible. Despite being a science fiction kind of guy, the pre-7 FF games appeal to me much more, and I really dislike the post-6 art style. Note that I chose 6 as my favorite despite abhorring the "active time battle" mechanics, which attests to how strong a game it really is.
 
I

iKeepPlaying

Banned
1.- Final Fantasy 7
2.- Final Fantasy 6
3.- Final Fantasy 5
4.- Final Fantasy 9
5.- Final Fantasy 8
6.- Final Fantasy 1
7.- Final Fantasy 3
8.- Final Fantasy 11
9.- Final Fantasy 4
10.- Final Fantasy 10
 
DrewM1788

DrewM1788

Member
1. FF7
2. FF9
3. FF8
4. FF10 (8 and 10 are pretty much equal to me, but had to put 8 ahead due to nostalgia)
5. FF6
6. FF13
7. FF12

Still haven't gotten around to the earlier FF's and didn't put enough time into XI to give a rating.
 
Boss Man

Boss Man

Member
HiddenWings said:
1. FF5; Only Tactics does the job system better.
2. FF10-2; ...But this one comes close.
3. FF10
4. FF9
5. FF6

The others shift around too much for me to really rank them, and I still haven't played through 8 or 13.
Click to expand...
If you like the jobs concept, have you ever played FFXI?
 
Go_Ly_Dow

Go_Ly_Dow

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

I've enjoyed all of the above. I've played every single numbered FF game except for 11 and 14.
 
B

badcrumble

Member
1. FF12; Simply the greatest leap forward in presentation and sheer sprawl that the series has ever seen. The lack of random encounters, the lack of a separate battle screen, lack of an eventually-grating-even-if-it's-good battle theme, and free movement during fights should have become the baseline for the series going forward.
2. FF6; More than any other, the FF game that understood how to *very deliberately* play on our nostalgia (for example, the lovely ending theme is little more than revisiting almost every single musical leitmotif in the game). Literally the only FF game ever to have actual full consistency and identical levels of detail between cutscene-characters, field screen-characters, and battle-characters. The first FF game to start taking serious risks with the melodrama (see: the Opera Scene and the beginning of the World of Ruin, when you're barely doing but performing the story). Ridiculously easy to play, but every character's in-game special abilities were used to help reinforce the player's concept of their personalities, and that's incredibly valuable.
3. FF9; Sakaguchi's masterpiece, and harmed only by its incredibly slow battles. This game is incredibly full of life and personality, and the way the gameworld slowly keeps unfolding and getting bigger and bigger and bigger is reminiscent of the multiple-world-maps thing you found in FF 4, 5, and 6 and is such a delight. Wonderful soundtrack.
4. FF10; a deeply underrated gem because it's too damn easy, this game was a big leap forward in storytelling for the series and has probably the best-realized and most internally consistent game world in the history of FF.
5. FF5; so, so much fun to play, and designed with enough brute-force jobs and enough interesting gimmick jobs that pretty much anyone can build a party they're happy with.
6. FF7; the first true blockbuster of the series
7. FF10-2; Retarded fun. I logged like 240 hours on this game. Every single FF game should've had New Game Plus after this came out. Hell, they should've had it after Chrono Trigger came out (though FFX-2's NG+ is better since it resets your levels).
8. FF4; the beginning of FF as a truly AAA-effort series. It's fairly clunky to play nowadays, but I love the way it keeps mixing up your party on you and forcing you to find different tactics depending on who you've got with you.
9. FF8; It's got a lovely soundtrack and it's extremely fun to break, but it's mostly fun to break the shit out of the game and difficult to really play it straightforwardly. I love breaking it, but can't remember the last time I felt challenged by anything in the game as a result.
10. FF13-2; A well-handled mea culpa for nearly all of the things its predecessor got wrong, and a strong argument that Toriyama needs to stick to goofy-but-fun sequels and spinoffs.
 
S

scosher

Member
1. FF6
2. FF4
3. FF9
4. FF7
5. FF8
6. FF1
7. FF5
8. FF10
9. FF12
10. FF3

As you can see, I really don't like the direction Final Fantasy has gone.
 
T

TheExodu5

Banned
1. FF6; Beautiful soundtrack, fantastic artwork, a cast of memorable characters, and one of the most unique villains in video games. The mid-point offers an incredibly ambitious structure change to the game which pays off greatly.
2. FF7; The game that paved the way for the great Playstation RPG assault. Interesting, albeit convoluted story, solid battle mechanics, and the best paced game in the series. Not much to complain about.
3. FF4; A shining example of classic JRPGs. Memorable soundtrack, characters, and script (for better or for worse). Very much your standard fare, but a solid game nonetheless.
4. FF12; Great battle system, great semi-open world, though the pacing was terrible and the game seriously fell apart in the second half, leaving a sour taste in my mouth.
5. FF5; A good game. The job system is the highlight of this entry.
6. FF10; Slow pace, interesting plot. I had fun stat maxing and post game content in this one. It was a technically impressive game at the time of its release and enjoyed the freshly cinematic experience. It might not fare as well on a second playthrough.
7. FF9; One of the few FFs I have not finished. The incredibly slow battle animations and poor world map were big detractors. Seemed like a solid game from what I played, but I just couldn't stand the slow pace.
8. FF8; terrible story, terrible characters, terrible magic and summon system, terrible art style. It's just a bad game. Sorry.

edit: on second though...moved FF12 up a few spots.
 
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