Support NeoGAF

[Combichristoffersen]

1. FFX12; This is how the series should have progressed. No random battles, no separate battle screen, very open game, best battle system I've seen in any of the FF games I've played and an awesome main character; Balthier. Loved the story too, even if it kinda fell apart around the middle of the game. Not nly the best FF game I've played, but one of the best games in general I've ever played.
2. FF7; The first JRPG I played, and it's still a good game. It's not perfect, and the story is a mess, but I still love it for what it is.
3. FF9; I like this almost as much as VII due to the whimsical story and characters, and the music is awesome too. My only real complaint would be suddenly; Necron.
4. FF13; It's a divisive game, and for good reason. Very linear, a clusterfuck of a story, some truly godawful characters and a battle system that takes some time to get used to. Still, I can't help enjoying it for what it is. And it's purdy.
5. FF6; It's not really a bad game, but it never did anything for me. I played it after VII, VIII and IX, so it felt somewhat old hat to me. Never cared about the story, any of the protagonists or Kefka. Didn't like it much tbh.
6. FF8; Terrible story, a junction system I still can't get my head around, that shitty drawing mechanic, and a main character that literally was '..whatever'.
7. FF10; I wish I could hate it to death. Not even Auron and Lulu's tits could save this piece of shit, and Wakka is also the single worst character I've ever encountered in any video game. Awful game.

I also have FF11 for PC, 10-2 for PS2 and 13-2 for PS3, but I haven't played 11, only very briefly played 10-2, and won't start 13-2 until I'm done with 13, so I can't comment on those.

 

[jimmypython]

1. FF12
2. FF6
3. FF9
4. FF5
5. FF7
6. FF4
7. FF8 - I liked FF8. Junction system was very interesting. It was a great game until the final boss battle.
8. FF10
9. FF10-2
10. FF13

I really want to put Type-0 after FF7.....

In the case of FF13-2, true it is better than FF13 gameplay wise. But FF13 was at least polished at a mainline FF level.

 

[Chinpoko_Master]

1. FFX
2. FFXII
3. FFIX
4. FFVIII
5. FFX-2
6. FFXIII
7. FFXI

I would add FFVII but I simply haven't played enough of it.

 

[blackwatchplad]

1. FF5 ; inexplicably my all time favorite.
2. FF6 ; Not my favorite, I catch a lot of flack for that.... but it's spawned such beautiful artwork behind it.
3. FF4
4. FF7 ; Only the game, everything else it's spawned I wish never existed. With the slight exception of crisis core.
5. FF9
6. FF11
7. FF2
8. FF10
9. FF3
10. FF1 ; Because speed runs with an all red mage team, all with the name or a variant of the name Ed is fun.

Mystic Quest would of been number one!
Truthfully, I really liked that one a lot, but I'm not sure where I would put it.

That or Tactics, ...or even the not-quite-as-good tactics advance series would rank very high on my list.

 

[computers putin']

1. FF7
2. FF10
3. FF8
4. FF12
5. FF4
6. FF6
7. FF9
8. FF10-2
9. FF13
10. FF11

Haven't played 1,2,3, 5, or 13-2.( I'm gonna find a copy of 5 and play it right now though!)

 

[Wes]

1. FF7
2. FF9
3. FF12
4. FF11
5. FF8
6. FF10
7. FF13

 

[Entropia]

1. FF6 - This one is really dear to me, it was the first FF game I went out and purchased on my own. I remember reading Nintendo Power a LOT before buying it. I wasn't let down in the slightest when I started playing. The story is probably the strongest out of the lot, it has a great, varied character cast.

2. FF4 - Before 6, I spent a LOT of my time playing(renting) 4. I felt that the characters were really easy to get into and they had their own story to tell. My one drawback is that the US version (minus the DS) were fairly easy.

3. FF9 - I'll never forget when I got this for my Birthday when it came out. I was instantly sucked into it. The setting felt like where a Final Fantasy game should be. It was medieval, there weren't any cars or anything too far "Futuristic".

4. FF8 - A bit controversial having this ranked so highly, I'm sure, but I actually really enjoyed 8. The story kind of took a nosedive with the whole orphanage thing but I really enjoyed the game overall.

5. FF1 - The game that started it all.

6. FF7 - It's a fun game, I enjoyed the materia system and it really did bring FF into a more mainstream position, but I just don't like it as much as the ones I ranked above.

7. FF12 - I haven't beat it, but I actually do enjoy the openess of this game and I actually like the gambit system. It makes it seem as if I'm one character with some NPCs, but I can still take control when needed.

8. FF5 - has a good job system, but the graphics were like a total step down from 4. Everytime I've played it it's felt like a total drag.

9. FF3 - Another game with a job system, I have yet to beat this.

10. FF2 - A change of pace from 1 with the way that increasing your character power works. While I think that it could work, it just didn't properly do it. I have yet to beat this.

 

[SpacLock]

1. FF7

It's the only one I've been able to play all the way through.

 

[Pagusas]

1. FF7 - In a league of its own, its set the president for modern gaming, it made Playstation into the brand it is and just speaking the words "Final Fantasy 7" will instantly cause several people in a room to say "BEST GAME EVER MADE!"

2. FF8 - Thankfully I played this at the height of my teen years and the game resinated with me. For everyone else outside that specific range the game probably came off as a whiney bitch fit.

3. FF6 - A classic that I still believe isn't as good as FF7

4. FF10 - A fun if not flawed entry into the series. Far to linear for its own good.

5. FF9 - I HATE the art style, dispise it, thus why I hate 12 and 11 too. But damn if the game doesnt have charm.

6. FF10-2

7. FF5

8.

9.

10.

11. FF11 - The start of the end, this is when Square showed they no longer held the FF name to any sort of standard. A good game? Some would say. I say its just a nother boring as hell MMO that doesnt give a damn about the integrity of the brand name.

12. FF13 - Placed here to give it the 2nd worst rating, it is a HORRIBLE game, and I feel was the final nail in the FF coffin for me. No longer am I excited for our care about a new FF release.

13. FF12 - Literally the worst game i've ever played to completion. I hated it 1 hour in, I hated it even more at the end of the credits. A disgrace to the FF name, a terrible story, terrible pacing, terrible characters and a terrible combat system. This game has no redeeming factors. I am proud to put it at the bottom of this list and call it the worst FF ever made. Even 13 was better, but still so bad that I have no hope left for the series.

 

[Victrix]

1. FF12
2. FF6
3. FF4

edit: Can I somehow give negative points to FF13? And even more for 13-2? And pity positive points for FF14, a game that has (had?) so much potential, poor thing.

 

[njean777]

FF7-It was my first RPG I had ever beaten, and love the story and characters
FF12- put so much time into 12, and loved the battle system
FF13-2-sure the story is dumb, but the battle system is great, and I liked the quasi-pokemon aspect.
.
.
.
.
.
FF13- I really need to finish 13, still to this day have not beaten it, and even though I liked lighting the game is just to linear...
FF8- Now this game was a huge let down for me, I like Squall but the drawing system killed the whole game for me, I hate it to this day, and never finished it due to drawing.

The rest of the games I havent played enough to warrant putting them on this list, FF10 will change due to the vita release but as for the others I have not ever played most of them.

 

[Basch]

I won't vote because I haven't played through all of them completely yet, but if I did I'd surely be ranking FFVIII at the top. It had a great story, an amazing cast of characters, complemented by a beautifully realized world, plus it had the best soundtrack of the bunch. The game plays well even after all these years. VIII is simply timeless. The rest of my top 10 would be rounded out by X, IX, V, XII, XIII, VII, and IV. Don't know the order, but yeah I'd make sure to include those. Sadly, I haven't played much of VI yet. Same for I, II, III, X-2, and XIII-2.

 

[zkylon]

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

 

[Aeana]

FF8- Now this game was a huge let down for me, I like Squall but the drawing system killed the whole game for me, I hate it to this day, and never finished it due to drawing.

Really? Drawing isn't anything that terrible. If you junction to your magic stat, you'll increase the number of spells drawn. You can also avoid drawing entirely if you mod cards into spells instead.

 

[squall211]

1.) FFIV (I admit it's probably not the *best* FF game, but it has the best music, and is the one that invokes the most notalgia inside me, even more than the original)

2.) FFV
3.) FFX
4.) FFXII
5.) FFX-2
6.) FFVI (it would probably be higher if I had played through it more than one time)
7.) FFI
8.) FFIX
9.) FFVII
10.) FFXIII

 

[Murkas]

1. FF7. This is actually my second favourite but you're not letting me vote for Tactics.

2. FF9. Only got to disc 4 and couldn't carry on because the disc was too badly scratched so I never ended up finishing it. I do remember loving this game though!

3. FF10. I kinda liked this, wasn't so bad.

4. FF8. Only here because up to this point, these are the only mainline FF's I have played properly/finished. I thought the game was ok, just ok.

5. FF3. Played this one DS, didn't like it that much, I think the random encounter rate really annoyed me.

6. FF1. I played this game for an hour or so...

7. FF11. I made a character of some sort!

8. FF13. This was just bad.

These are the only mainline FF's I've played.

I will play FF6 one of these days....

 

[orion434]

1. FF4
2. FF6
3. FF7
4. FF1
5. FF5
6. FF9
7. FF10-2
8. FF10
9. FF2
10. FF13

 

[-Pyromaniac-]

Really? Drawing isn't anything that terrible. If you junction to your magic stat, you'll increase the number of spells drawn. You can also avoid drawing entirely if you mod cards into spells instead.

FF8 was awesome. It had it's flaws but it's experimental story/battle mechanics were pretty successful to me. Surprised that so many people disliked it.

Throw in the nicely fleshed out world, the amount of things there are to do, one of the best mini-games in vidya game history, some good characters, I don't know, I thought it was a fun ride. It was very grandiose in scope, some of it missed but overall I couldn't help but enjoy it.

The first time I beat the game I barely understood the whole junctioning thing lol. But 2nd time and on there are some really cool things you can do with it.

 

[JaseMath]

1. FF9 - Everything a JRPG should be and the textbook Final Fantasy game.
2. FF6
3. FF12
4. FF4
5. FF7
6. FF8

I haven't played FF10 or 13

 

[Nemo]

1. FF8
2. FF7
3. FF6
4. FF9
5. FF4
6. FFXII
7. FF5
8. FF1
9. FFX

 

[bigmakattack]

1. FF9
2. FF4
3. FF6
4. FF10
5. FF5
6. FF1
7. FF12
8. FF2
9. FF3

Never played 7, 8 or, 13.

 

[chiablo]

The good:
1. FF6 - Second only to Chrono Trigger on the SNES
2. FF4 - Never finished it, but the story is great.
3. FF12 - Fran gives me the weirdest boner.
4. FF1 - OLD school difficulty.
5. FF5 - First RPG with a class system that I'm aware of, it's sad it never made it to the states in its time.
6. FF3 - The DS/iPhone port is well done, so I commend them for that.

The Bad:
7. FF10 - Tidus laughing scene... nuff said
8. FF11 - If you don't maintain a subscription, your characters get deleted. wtf?
9. FF8 - http://spoonyexperiment.com/category/game-reviews/final-fantasy-viii/
100000. FF7 - Emo nonsense with shitty low-poly count graphics. The most overrated game of all time.

I haven't played the rest.

 

[Cetra]

1.FF9 - All you need to know is Vivi. One of the best character arcs and most lovable characters in the series.
2. FF6 - Just... too good. Dat opera scene!
3. FF4 - Great story and characters.
4. FF7 - My first Final Fantasy, hasn't aged as well as some of the others, but it's still near and dear.
5. FF11 - Still the best MMO made IMO. WoW is great, but FFXI nailed intense strategic MMO combat that was infused at all levels with reliance on team work. It also had rediculously endearing characters and some truly epic stories to tell.
6. FF10 - Awkward laughing scene aside, this tale of tradedy, fate, and loss was extremely well done.
7. FF13 - The combat. LOVED the combat. Lightning and Fang were pretty awesome too. The rest? Passable, but not up to par.


Also, I find it ridiculous that Final Fantasy Tactics isn't included in this. If it was that'd be my number one. It's far and away the best FF game.

 

[MadSkillzBahamut]

1. FF7; Love the story, the characters, the materia system, the OST,

Spoiler

it's also my favourite game of all time

2. FF9; Just great all around, I love the references also

3. FF6; best soundtrack in the series, great ensemble cast, the story explores quite mature themes also

4. FF10; I have a love-hate relationship with this game, sure the majority of the characters are uninteresting and the VA is some of the worst ever, but it has this magic about it that i can't quite explain, and it brings back fond memories.

5. FF5; dat job system

6. FF13; i actually enjoyed the story and the characters mostly and i loved the battle
system but i dont want to see another ff game ever like it again. The linearity didn't bug me.

7. FF4; It set the foundation for what ff was to become but that's about it really

8. FF8; it's not that bad but i was extremely irritated by a lot of the aspects and feels quite bland and mediocre. Also, the entire story and the plot twist are ridiculous

9. FF3; very grindy, but i like the job system more or less

10. FF1; just a game that i have played

I haven't finished ff12 yet so that's why it's not on my list. FFtactics should be allowed imo.

 

[ZombiePlatypus]

Of the ones I played:

1. FF7 - I don't care how cliche of a pick this comes across. I fully stand behind it. The fact remains that at the time of its release, there was nothing else in the RPG world out there in the same calibur. Plus, I think it's aged adorably.
2. FFX - Gorgeous and compelling tropical world, and a story that really puts a grip on you despite some of the more painful moments. (Like the awful laughing scene.) Also, I loved the Sphere Grid. Sure it's linear but it really pushed across a rewarding sense of character growth and progression. I also found the entire cast to be likeable. (Also, I actually enjoyed Blitzball.)
3. FF9 - Charming and adorable through and through. Just thinking about this game makes me smile.
4. FF8 - The story had its issues, but I still enjoyed this game and its plot. It still had a compelling and interesting universe. Not the aboslute best entry, but still liked it.
5. FF13 - What a massive let-down. I could tolerate the super linear and restrictive pacing and gameplay. What I couldn't accept though was the absolutely broken narraration (I have to read an index to find out what the hell's actually happening in the story?) and crap characters and dialogue. What a giant mess. I wanted to punch Snow the entire time. It's a shame too cause visually it's breathtaking.
6. FF12 - Ugh. So many issues with this one. An off-line MMO that you get to play with no friends, and an RPG with a story that blatantly just stops halfway through the game. Worst of both worlds. Hurray. Summons were underpowered and pointless, Chocobos weren't implemented in an interesting way, side-quests were boring monster-hunts that did nothing to add depth and background to the story, music was forgettable and most pointless main character ever. Basically a grindey dungeon-crawler with half-assed plot with beautiful visuals. There are some different and interesting ideas tossed in here that just don't come together nicely. The game really is a reflection of it's troubled and tumultuous development process. Pass.

 

[Senoculum]

1. FF12 - I love how people are torn right in the middle with FF12. It's not just an amazing RPG, but an amazing game. Epic scale, delectable art direction, and the world is so rich, I cry thinking how I can't live there. Loads of ancient ruins and creepy crawlies flesh out the world, and simply exploring was the most rewarding than any other entry. Lots of ideas were crammed in there too, and it's not a typical JRPG; it's above and beyond, there should be more like it.
2. FF8 - Another fantastic world brought to life.
3. FF10
4. FF7
6. FF13
7. FF10-2

 

[Seda]

1. FF10
2. FF12
3. FF6
4. FF8
5. FF9
6. FF4
7. FF10-2
8. FF1
9. FF13
10. FF2


This list changes depending on my mood.

And I pretty much consider 1 thru 8 all good games.

 

[Aeana]

5. FF5 - First RPG with a class system that I'm aware of, it's sad it never made it to the states in its time.
6. FF3 - The DS/iPhone port is well done, so I commend them for that.

You think FF5 is the first RPG with a class system, but you've also played FF3. Think about that. Though neither game is anywhere near the first RPG with a class system, unless you mean class-change system, in which case, DQ3 would be the first in terms of Japanese RPGs. (Not counting the class upgrade in FF1.)

 

[Jacobs]

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

 

[cpp_is_king]

1. FF6
2. FF4
3. FF7
4. FF10
5. FF13-2
6. FF12
7. FF9
9. FF10-2
8. FF11
9. FF13



9001: FF8
9002: FF14

 

[ZombiePlatypus]

1. FF12 - I love how people are torn right in the middle with FF12. It's not just an amazing RPG, but an amazing game. Epic scale, delectable art direction, and the world is so rich, I cry thinking how I can't live there. Loads of ancient ruins and creepy crawlies flesh out the world, and simply exploring was the most rewarding than any other entry. Lots of ideas were crammed in there too, and it's not a typical JRPG; it's above and beyond, there should be more like it.

Despite my distaste for the game, I will say that I adored the art-direction, aesthetics and liveliness of the world. Which just makes it sting so much more cause I really feel like its all criminally wasted on this game. But hey, to each his/her own.

 

[StuBurns]

It's pretty cool that XII is so divisive, I think it's horrid, it's really the MGS2 of the series in that way.

 

[spirity]

1. FF7

This was my first FF game, and my first rpg. For sentimental reasons 7 is my no1. On other days, it might swap places with FF8. Anyway, 7 was an absolute mind melt. I couldn't believe the scale and scope of this game. Each time I thought "this cant get better" - it did. Cant get better - you leave Midgard for the first time. Cant get better - you see the dead Midgar Zolom. Can't get better - Gold Saucer. Can't get better - the Aeris scene. On and on it went, an epic rollercoaster ride of some 100hrs.


2. FF8

It was the setting that really drew me in. The whole Garden thing - exploring it, talking to other students, that instruction panel in the classroom, the hotdogs, your dorm, everything about it made me want to be there, mixing with other students and going on field exams. I loved the more mature art direction of the characters, I loved the junction system, loved the ott summons, the soundtrack was fantastic and oh my god, the end sequence was, and probably is today, the most fantastic ending to a game I've ever played.


3. FF12

I couldn't understand the reaction to this when it landed. I loved the (relatively) open world MMO stylings of it, probably because at the time I was still into my MMO's. The gambits meant I could be as lazy or as involved as I felt like, and I spent a lot of time just toying around with them. I found the characters almost universally likable, and the art direction was right up my street.


4. FF9

As much as I love the style of 12, I have a huge soft spot for rustic, 'classic' looking games. The world of Gaia looked gorgeous, and although I prefer my protagonists to look a bit older, I didn't have a problem with 9's cast (Steiner could be a bit irritating however). Not much else to say, a great game.


5. FF11

At the time, 11's job system was a breath of fresh air, having always played MMO's that had your standard tank, dps, healer type classes where you didn't get an opportunity to experiment or blur the lines. I cherished the difficulty of 11 - I'll never forget my run from San d'Oria to Jeuno to get my chocobo license. That was some white knuckle stuff to get there, and I loved every moment.

 

[Mattdaddy]

1. FF6
2. FF7
3. FF4

And I would like to request sacrificing my remaining 7 votes to instead take votes away from FF9.

That midget child, half monkey creature that wields pocket knives is probably my most hated hero of all time. I couldn't even finish it. And then theres that frickin nutcracker ricola man. Gross cast.

 

[xzoowy]

1. FF6
2. FF12
3. FF4
4. FF10
5. FF7
6. FF1

Haven't played the rest.

 

[Rinoa]

1. FF6; not necessary to explain this, I replay it each year
2. FF8; really liked the world, story and design
3. FF10; felt like a truly complete product and excellently done for its time on JP version
4. FF7; not fond of the story but love the battles and gameplay
5. FF4; liked the characters, story and gameplay
6. FF11; excellent storytelling and epic challenge for an MMO during its height
7. FF12; great gameplay, pity about the game not being what it could have been
8. FF5; liked the gameplay
9. FF1; surprisingly still playable
10. FF9; liked vivi and rani but too slow to be ranked higher

 

[Rolf NB]

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

Also played some of the remaining ones, but they're not worth any points to me.

 

[jorgeton]

1. FF6 - The quintessential FF. Has yet to be topped in scope, character or depth.
2. FF8 - My favorite of the PS1 trilogy. Dawson's Creek the JRPG.
3. FF4 - This game left a mark on me, a great reminder of lazy weekends when i was a kid.
4. FF7 - The game changer for JRPGs everywhere.
5. FFX - Loved the world, combat system, characters.
6. FF12 - If it weren't for the second half feeling like padding (plot dies off, license grid options are very slim), I would name this my #1 FF. Would kill for an HD remaster of the Zodiac job version.
7. FF5 (GBA version) - Job system FTW.
8. FF13-2 - Love the soundtrack, improvements on FF13, wish it was 20 hours longer.
9. FF13 - Gorgeous A/V experience, one of the best (if not the best) battle system in the series. Too bad it gets in its own way.
10. FF9 - Hate the art style, love Vivi.
11. FF2 (GBA version)
12. FF1 (GBA version)
13. FFX-2 - Cannot stand the j-pop girl power bullshit. Wish they used the dress sphere system again though.
14. FF3 (DS version)
15. FF11
16. FF14 - Final Fantasy should not be an online RPG.

 

[finalhour]

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

 

[anaron]

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

 

[ScOULaris]

It's pretty cool that XII is so divisive, I think it's horrid, it's really the MGS2 of the series in that way.

I think FF8 is utter garbage, so I'm already shocked to see it doing decently well thus far in the voting.

Edit: Well, maybe not utter garbage, but definitely one of the weakest entries in the series.

 

[Alej]

1. FF12; EPIC Ogir Yensa is EPIC.
2. FF7; As an european, first FF.
3. FF10; Artstyle sucks, battle system too, the rest is pure gold.
4. FF9; Atrocious casting... Slow and boring. But, fantastic story.
5. FF6; Best 2D FF.
6. FF8; Broken growth system, broken battle system, not a great game.
7. FF13; I don't like job system when its not about choice, and this game is built about changing jobs on the fly so...
8. FF10-2; Idem.

 

[antipod]

1. FF6; First one I played and the one I still have the fondest memories of
2. FF9; Prefer the fantasy setting of FF9 to FF7
3. FF7; Almost up there. Much closer to FF9 than FF8
4. FF8; I miss the card games of FF8 and FF9, where FF8 had the best
5. FF12
6. FF10
7. FF13-2
8. FF13
9. FF10-2

I have merely touched the first five and have never played the MMO's so can't really make a judgement of them. Wouldn't be surprised if any of them at least touched place 5.

 

[Sapphire Dreams]

1. Final Fantasy 9; The best game in the series, fantastic dungeon design, great graphics, great music and a lighthearted adventure, even after all these years, it is still my favorite.
   
   [*]Final Fantasy 4; My favorite of the classic ones, still have the best protagonist in the entire series and the cast of character are quite likable and memorable.
   
   [*]Final Fantasy 7; Do I even need to talk about this game ? this is the game that introduced me to the series, and I am glad it did, it may not be the best in the series but I admire it for what it accomplished.
   
   [*]Final Fantasy 6; I may not worship this game as many people do, but nonetheless it is still fantastic and nice closure to the classic FF games .
   
   [*]Final Fantasy 12; It may have the least interesting protagonist in the entire series, the game is still fantastic, with a story that focus on political situations rather than big evil meanie (even though there is a big evil meanie but not like the other ones) and the scale of the game was huge compared to FFX.
   
   [*]Final Fantasy 1; Think about the plot of this game and then remember that this was released in 1987, yeah how many games in 1987 have a story like this one? few huh ? game-play wise it was good too !
   
   [*]Final Fantasy 5; Yeah Exdeath was a lame villian but the story of this game is still fantastic and probably the most mythology based game in the series.
   
   [*]Final Fantasy 13-2; I was genuinely surprised of how good this game was after playing XIII, the game-play is the best since XII, Serah is actually a very good protagonist, she is the best protagonist since Zidane from IX and the it has a lot of the extras that we missed since the PSX era.
   
   [*]Final Fantasy 10; A lot of people bashed this game and it is certainly a wasted potential, but I've played worse games and battle system alone make this game have a place in my list.
   
   [*]Final Fantasy 11; Didn't play it much but it is better than the rest of the series that is not on this list.

 

[genjiZERO]

I personally think all of these "list" threads should be simple polls like this. Although I wish there was a multi-choice auto-poll ballot application you could use so it doesn't have to be done by hand.

1. FF6 - everything about it's dope. Key FF staff: Sakagucgi, Kitase, Uematsu and Amano at their finest. Uematsu's best score.
2. FF7 - probably the best complete package, and most realised story, but missing the beautiful sadness of 6.
3. FF10 - Beautifully realised world. Great research done to create that world (especially with the tribute to the Ryukyuan variant of Shintoism). Stellar music. Rikki's song was great (she's also a wonderful singer in her professional career). It's probably tied with 7 overall... but I list 7 as better because I think 7 was more of an achievement for time in the technology cycle. I actually think it has the best game play mechanic in the series.
4. FF1 - it's what got me into gaming. When I was a kid I'd sit and draw the characters and maps and would make my own fan-fic. It's pretty fantastic for being so old. Square was really lucky the stars aligned on this one.
5. FF4 - Not nearly as epic as 6, but it's a great game none-the-less.
6. FF8 - Really underrated. There was a lot of criticism when this game came out. The story really makes no sense, and the Draw system is clearly flawed, but it's pretty fun to play - and the story is a lot better the second time through.
7. FF5 - Really, in my mind 4,8 and 5 are about the same. I put it last of those three because its world is slightly less realised than the others. Still a great game though.
8. FF9 - It's an ok game. I wasn't really that into the story and found the characters and concept kinda uninspired. Also, at its default settings it's too slow. It's not a bad game though.....
9. FF13 - The only good thing about this game is the gameplay. Everything else is atrocious - the story, characters (strangely in comparison to most people I think Vanille is a great character, but Lightning was lame), music..... everything. The world makes no sense at all. The gameplay is pretty good though, and admittedly the game is pretty to look at.
10. FF12 - This game would have been spectacular if there was an actual story. But because I sunk 100 hours into it only to discover that there was no story whatsoever I have a strong distaste for it. The gameplay was only ok. The characters and world were completely underutilized. It was the best dungeon crawl until Demon's Souls came out.
11. FF10-2 - It basically destroyed everything that was great about 10. That being said I can't say it was un-fun to play.
12. FF3 - Like almost everyone else I played this later in life. At that point it was too tedious to get into sadly. I also wasn't really impressed with the DS version.
13. FF2 - Same as above

I did not play 11, 14 and have not yet played 13-2. I'm not ranking Tactics, because it's not really a Final Fantasy game.

 

[jorgeton]

FF8 was awesome. It had it's flaws but it's experimental story/battle mechanics were pretty successful to me. Surprised that so many people disliked it.

Throw in the nicely fleshed out world, the amount of things there are to do, one of the best mini-games in vidya game history, some good characters, I don't know, I thought it was a fun ride. It was very grandiose in scope, some of it missed but overall I couldn't help but enjoy it.

The first time I beat the game I barely understood the whole junctioning thing lol. But 2nd time and on there are some really cool things you can do with it.

I hated HATED FF8 when I first played it, on second replay I was blown away by how great it was. It took me a while to wrap my head around the junctioning, but once it clicked, the game moved to the top of my favorite FFs list.

 

[Chronoexe]

1. FF9 love the history and characters, everybody hate the character design but I fucking love Garnet
2. FF6
3. FF7
4. FF10
5. FF1
6. FF12
7. FF8
8.
9.
10.FF13

 

[TheSeks]

FF12
FF8
FF1
FFT
FF4
FF5
FF6
FF10
FF9
FF7

Not voted/haven't played:

FF13 (yet), FF11 (MMO), FF14 (bomba MMO)

 

[TheContact]

1. Final Fantasy 7 (FF7) - My first FF
2. Final Fantasy 10 (FF10) - Still a fun game with great battle system, a decent story, great music.
3. Final Fantasy 6 (FF6) - I beat this only 5 years ago or so. My favorite sprite-based FF.
4. Final Fantasy 8 (FF8) - While 9 might technically be superior, something about the nostalgia of 8 keeps this in the top of my list.
5. Final Fantasy 9 (FF9) - A very good and somewhat underrated game. It was a nice homage to the past and it's Sakaguchi's favorite in the series.
6. Final Fantasy 13-2 (FF13-2) - I've only played a little bit, but it does seem to improve on the flaws in 13.
7. Final Fantasy 13 (FF13) - Finally a next gen RPG that feels like a true Final Fantasy.
8. Final Fantasy 4 (FF4) - This is where the series really stared to take off, imo.
9. Final Fantasy 10-2 (FF10-2) - While not as good as FF10, it was a surprise to me when it was released because it wasn't hyped that much and was released quickly.
10. Final Fantasy 1 (FF1) - It's just a classic. Deserves a decent spot.
11. Final Fantasy 12 (FF12) - Boring battles and uninteresting story keep this from being in the top of the list. It's still a fun game though.
12. Final Fantasy 3 (FF3) - Only just played this for the DS a few years ago, can't comment on original. It's fun though, I love the class system.
13. Final Fantasy 5 (FF5) - Can't say much
14. Final Fantasy 2 (FF2) - Didn't like the dialogue choosing options
15. Final Fantasy 11 (FF11) - Um, why is this a FF again?
16. Final Fantasy 14 (FF14) - See above

 

[adamma666]

1. FF4
2. FF7
3. FF6
4. FF5
5. FF9
6. FF13
7. FF10-2
8. FF1
9. FF3
10. FF2