Author Topic: Favourite FF game in the series?  (Read 45600 times)

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Favourite FF game in the series?
« on: 2008-05-02 20:53:46 »
Hey all, I'm sure this will have been done elsewhere on the forum, but wanted to ask anyway.  What is everyones favourite Final Fantasy game in the series so far?
It can be for any reason, whether it's the games story, gameplay had you hooked, awesome soundtrack, or even if you just liked the FMV's.

My personal favourite is FFX, because in my oppinion, it had a great lead character, who I hated at first, but as the game went on, I started to like him as he opened up more, and became more and more likeable.  As well as that, the story was incredible, surpassing imo the love between Squall and Rinoa.  And the soundtrack, with pieces like At Zanarkand, Someday the dream will end, and The ending theme, I think Uematsu outdone himself.

The sphere grid also.....

Anyway, other peoples favourites?

ps.  I don't expect this much explanation from other people as to why their chosen game is their fave, I just am use to defending FFX being my favourite, as many Squeenix rookies will just automatically say FFVII, cos it's "cool"

:-)

Xelane

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Re: Favourite FF game in the series?
« Reply #1 on: 2008-05-02 21:46:52 »
LOL I am one of those many people who like ff7 the most, but ffx definately gave it a run for it's money. I feel that ff7 is so great because of the charecters and thier personalities (although i don't care for tifa really) there is also the plot twists and the mandatory playovers cuz u didn't get it the first time.

The soundtrack was decent but it lacked the ability to really put you into the action. (like i felt with the battle music "challange" from ffx)

and last but not least, theres all of the cool moves you can get like most of the summons and some magic spells like ultima and shadow flare, and i also liked 4X cut paired up with cloud since it looked awesome (btw his regular attack in kh was 4X cut)

oh and who could ever forget the infamous SUPERNOVA? the greatest summon/magic attack i have ever seen, they really outdid themselves with alot of the elements

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Re: Favourite FF game in the series?
« Reply #2 on: 2008-05-03 07:55:36 »
Yeah, true.  I didn't mean people that actually have reasons are squeenix rookies, people that have reasons are fine by me :-P
What I meant was people who have only ever played FFVII, or not played any at all, and automatically say FFVII is the best.  Like the kind of people that will say for example Metal Gear Solid for the PSX is the best game ever, when it's quite clear that Twin Snakes on Gamecube is better.

However, you are right about the elements that make FFVII great, the summons were/are amazing, supernova sepecially.  And to be honest, if you use FF7 Music, and put in the AC soundtrack, that music can really get you into gear when you enter a battle and have Those Who Will Fight blasting through you're speakers.

I just feel that FFX had a better overall soundtrack, I bieeve Tidus was better developed than Cloud, the only thing that let me down in FFX was Rikku.  Everyone likes her for the same reason they like Yuffie.  She's young and hot.  Personally, she irritated me :-P  Maybe I don't feel the same about her because I have a girlfriend or something.  My team for FFX always, is Tidus, Yuna, and Auron/Khimari (I like Blue Mages).

yoshi314

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Re: Favourite FF game in the series?
« Reply #3 on: 2008-05-03 11:24:02 »
i love ff8 for the card game which really pays off (unlike the one in ff9), leveling up system, and the fact that squall's limit has so many variations depending on the enemy. i wonder why didn't this last feature come back in later games.

ff12 is also great, because the gambit system automates most things for you, which is a really convenient solution.

Quote
the only thing that let me down in FFX was Rikku.  Everyone likes her for the same reason they like Yuffie.  She's young and hot.  Personally, she irritated me
actually i like playing small, agile and quick characters, regardless of gender. that's what i like rikku for. plus, she's the first thief you get, and that's also the type of character i like (now that i think of it, yuffie was also a thief-type ;-) )

so i usually put aside barret, cait sith, kimahri and basch and rarely use them.

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Re: Favourite FF game in the series?
« Reply #4 on: 2008-05-03 11:45:15 »
I must say, even although I loved the gambit system in FFXII I really didn't enjoy the game.  Even although most complain about turn based combat nowadays, it's good old classic rpg fare to me.  I love it.  The real time/turn based battling of 12 kinda irked me.

The story also sucked majorly imo as it was mainly about politics, with only dashes of classic FF storytelling.

Although I have to admit, I completed it doing all the side missions, hunts, esper unlocking and such, so it mustn't have offended me that badly.  I put in about 90 hours then traded it.

LJH

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Re: Favourite FF game in the series?
« Reply #5 on: 2008-05-03 21:38:33 »
Final Fantasy X. No questions asked.

Challenges are especially fun... loved NSGNSNI and NSGRO. (No Sphere Grid, No Summon, No Items and No Sphere Grid, Rikku Only)
And I love the music. Especially Otherworld, and the boss theme.
« Last Edit: 2008-05-07 11:59:08 by LJH »

Lag.Com

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Re: Favourite FF game in the series?
« Reply #6 on: 2008-05-03 22:53:12 »
Serious Answer: FFIX. Believable characters, living world, bleeds emotion, more difficult than other 'recent' FFs.
Nonserious Answer: FFMQ. lol.

yoshi314

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Re: Favourite FF game in the series?
« Reply #7 on: 2008-05-05 06:34:23 »
btw i also like ff12 because every time i play it i think about vagrant story.

i don't know why but something about level of detail and design of characters in ff12 really reminds me of that psx game.

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Re: Favourite FF game in the series?
« Reply #8 on: 2008-05-05 18:55:07 »
True it is reminicent on Vagrant Story, but it's the whole story design, and levveling that's the issue for me.
If they had implemented the hunt sidequests into FFX, then awesome.
But the liscence grid really doesn't set well with me, having anyone as anything/everything.

It just takes away the pride and satisfaction imo of having ONE of each type of main job, tank, healer, black mage etc...

LJH

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Re: Favourite FF game in the series?
« Reply #9 on: 2008-05-05 22:44:27 »
You can still develop your characters that way, though.

I didn't like FF12 because the battle system... I really prefer the older, random encounters system...

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Re: Favourite FF game in the series?
« Reply #10 on: 2008-05-05 23:58:15 »
Random encounters - specifically, walking three steps, the screen transitions, battle for ten seconds then do the victory bit and a screen telling you what you've won, does my head in. Especially when you're fifty levels higher than what you're fighting and you just want to get from A to B. No, I'm glad it's evolving, battles in XII for the win and XIII's looks even more interesting.

gjoerulv

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Re: Favourite FF game in the series?
« Reply #11 on: 2008-05-06 20:20:41 »
Random encounters - specifically, walking three steps, the screen transitions, battle for ten seconds then do the victory bit and a screen telling you what you've won, does my head in. Especially when you're fifty levels higher than what you're fighting and you just want to get from A to B. No, I'm glad it's evolving, battles in XII for the win and XIII's looks even more interesting.

I 2nd that. Look forward! Don't rust in the past! Well I don't mind random encounters much though, unless it becomes annoyingly repetitive.
The things I didn't like bout XII was the esper system, the random treasures and the quickenings. Also those others "cut-scene" moves some bosses had was silly (*cough*Cid*cough*). The random treasures was ok if you just stroll through the game, but if you want everything it can be a serious pain in the ass.

The rare monster and the hunts was fun, but too many. Seriously, 80 rare monsters!? A true pain to collect all.

The gambit system is awesome, but why did they leave some key gambits so far out in the game? That's just annoying.

All this crap being said I really enjoyed the game, and can't wait for XIII.


For fav FF? It depends on my mood I guess...

Sefurosu

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Re: Favourite FF game in the series?
« Reply #12 on: 2008-05-07 00:16:11 »
I personally like FFVII the best. I believe that the compilation hasn't hurt it in any way other than in the minds of people who don't understand the story or haven't played them. Just the fact that it was probably the most revolutionary game ever should be a factor, but it was also the most in depth game up to that point, and with the compilation, it still is.

FFVIII was mt second choice, because if it weren't for Ultimecia, it would have been a lot better. And even then if you believe the theory that Squall is Grevier and Rinoa is Ultimecia it still makes sense and rocks.

FFX is a close third, just because although the story and music are awesome, I feel that it used a lot of new ideas that I personally don't like as much.

peteey07

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Re: Favourite FF game in the series?
« Reply #13 on: 2008-05-09 05:04:34 »
favorite FF game?
crap..
you got me thinking there heh..
well my top 3 were 7, 8, and 12.
i think 10 would be on there as well, but i havnt quite played too far into it.
the things that sh*t me about 10 and 12  are the license/sphere grids.
In 7 all you had to do was walk into a store, buy what you need, then walk away.
10 wasnt that bad because all i remember is that when you unlock a new magic (cure, fire etc) you would have it straight away.
in 12 you'd have to first unlock your magick, THEN go to the store and buy it.
Best story line by far, 7
Best battle system, 12
Best "makes you wonder," 8
Best emotion and cliffhanging (a thing that i love and hate at the same time,) 7
So i think, my all time favourite is Final Fantasy 7. I dont even mind the lego block character, which, thank god can be improved with a few mods nowadays,
i also love that rock boss music, gets me fired up heaps.and who the heck could forget the chocobo breeding, racing, and gold saucer :D
with all that stuff being said, i think alot of people will agree with me that number 7 is the best.
Btw, closely followed by FF12.

ViagraPolice

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Re: Favourite FF game in the series?
« Reply #14 on: 2008-05-14 06:44:32 »
Well the first Final fantasy game I ever played was Final Fantasy 8, so I would say that is my favorite since I have so many fond memories of it. I know a lot of people hated it cause of the junction system and the story, but I didn't mind it at all. The only gripe I had with it really was Ultimecia was a terrible final boss.

After that I'd say it's a close tie between 7 and 10. I didn't even really start playing 7 until I had already beat 9 and 10, so I got into it late in the game. That's probably why I don't automatically consider it the best FF game like a lot of other people do.

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Re: Favourite FF game in the series?
« Reply #15 on: 2008-05-14 06:54:52 »
Exactly, what I'm realy looking for is someone who perhaps started playing on FFVII then, after playing more games in the series decided it wasn't the best, even alhough it was their first FF experience.

FFVII was the first FF I ever played, then VI then VIII then IX then III, X, then finally so far, XII and I still stand by that X is my favourite by far, and that XII is my least favourite.  However I do agree very much about Ultimecia being a rubbish last boss, I do quite like the overall story of FFVIII though. :-P

LJH

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Re: Favourite FF game in the series?
« Reply #16 on: 2008-05-16 04:33:54 »
That'd be me. FF7 was my first but FFX was my fav (so far).

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Re: Favourite FF game in the series?
« Reply #17 on: 2008-05-16 16:18:05 »
It is the same story for me. I first played FFVII, then bought the new ones as they came out until FFX, when I gave up on the franchise.

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Re: Favourite FF game in the series?
« Reply #18 on: 2008-05-16 16:38:47 »
You gave up after FFX, as in, not liking it? :-(

Lag.Com

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Re: Favourite FF game in the series?
« Reply #19 on: 2008-05-17 09:56:34 »
Right. While FFX had the most polished game systems I've seen in the series, the plot and characters were terrible (not to mention the voice acting). It was a big letdown after FFIX's excellent characterisation and epic plot.

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Re: Favourite FF game in the series?
« Reply #20 on: 2008-05-17 10:18:37 »
Really?  I found the voice acting to be good, with the exception of Auron, who sounded like something straight out of a House of the Dead game.
Tidus' voice acting in particular, how it starts of all whiny, but by the end, the change in the tone of his voice shows his character has really matured due to the events of the game, and by the time the ending came, I genuinely felt sorry for him.

As for the others, the only ones that don't get enough characterisation, are Lulu, and Kihmari, although if you find the hidden quests (European and Japanese versions) you find out a little bit more about Lulu, and her previous Summoner she guarded.  You even get to fight her Aeon :-)

Storywise, I thought FFX was incredible, all the characters had a purpose, unlike some other games I've played where main characters take a back seat to others, such as Vaan, he gets totally blown off in favour of fleshing out Balthier, and Basche and Fran etc... Even although he is the games main character.

Tsetra

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Re: Favourite FF game in the series?
« Reply #21 on: 2008-05-18 18:52:47 »
*Spoilers Scattered Here and There*

That's a pretty hard question to answer. Immediately I want to say VII simply because I've easily played it the most and it's the only game I've spend time modifying in the FF series, but I'm not so sure. I have to rule out everything after X, because I'm not too big of a random encounter fan myself, but I also prefer the older menu-style battle system where you stand there and fight face to face - Revolutionary War style. I think the series should have taken a Chrono Trigger approach to battle encounters but that's just me.
VI would have been epic had it been developed in place of VII, having 3D graphics and being able to convey the emotions a lot better than in 2D. It had a massive cast of characters, and for being limited to such confined space on the cart, we still got to know them fairly well. Kefka had the potential to be a lot better of a villain, but he was still crazy and I liked him. Gameplay was ridiculously awesome. I think this was the last game in the series where we truly had characters who played uniquely. Afterwards we had to wait for our limits to charge before we could use cool moves. The Esper system was fun.
I think it's foolish when I see people call FFVII overrated. If you didn't play it when it first came out, please shut up. There was nothing cliche about it back then, it had a boatload of firsts for RPGs, even video games in general. The buster sword, while we can argue might be a ripoff of the Dragonslayer, was the first huge sword the masses got to experience. Cloud's spiked hair was the first time the masses got introduced to rendered hair like that, even if you already played games/seen anime with cartoon-looking hair similar to his. Sephiroth was also very unique. We look at it now of course and see just how unoriginal it seems, but back then it was without equal. I will say Cloud and Sephiroth often struck me as complete dumbasses though for things they did or said. There were a lot of extras in this game which kept me playing side-quests and screwing off.
I loved X. That game kept me up countless nights. Anyone who complains that Tidus is a whiny kid is missing the entire point, I think, and therefore should also please shut up. For someone who had their entire life ripped out from under them, lived under a shadow, and then is told he's not even real, I'd say he handled himself a lot better than most of us would have. Most of the characters in this game had a very compelling story. They even managed to fit the classic idea of an underdog team who's always depressed because of their losing streak finally winning a game seamlessly tied into it. Auron may very well be my favorite FF character of all time. The sphere system was OK, the aeon system seemed a bit overpowered but it was fun as hell.
Mystic Quest... just kidding. Sucked ass.
V had, in my opinion, the best implementation of the job system. The story was lackluster, and I really didn't find myself caring about anyone at all, but the gameplay was somehow addicting anyways. Spent a lot of time on that one trying to master all of my jobs.

Eh this is turning into a big review of all of them. Final Fantasy VII wins as an area of interest I spend time in, but as for the raw games themselves, I don't have a favorite. Just a couple I can easily discredit as being black sheeps in my opinion.

ye-roon

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Re: Favourite FF game in the series?
« Reply #22 on: 2008-05-23 05:42:00 »
well, lets make a post :)

My fav FF game is prolly Final Fantasy IX. The story and feel of the game was amazing. I also like the specific job system wich really lets you choose who to use and who not to use. Eventhough i ended up with Zidane, Dagger, Freya and Vivi/Amarant for the most part of the game. Zidane cause he can steal and i always want a steal option in my team, Dagger cause she looked better than the other baby healer. Freya cause i use a Spear user is all my FF games(spears ftw!) And Vivi or Amarant depending on the situation. If i need magic its Vivi, if i need Physical its Amarant.

My second fav is Final Fantasy VII. I know evryone is in to this game, but its really because its such a good game. Cloud for the sword, Cid for the Spear and Yuffie as ranged. All in back row(with a long range equipped with both cloud and cid). Never actually finished the game, did get to northen crator part 3 or 4 times and then stopped ^^.

I'm currently enjoying Final Fantasy XII. Although most of the battles are auto pilot. I feel less in control then with a basic turn based game like 1-9. This game does however remind me of Secret of Mana. It has the same kind of play style, only a bit more auto pilot then the trough(sp?) hack and slash that Secret of Mana was. And seeing as Secret of Mana started as and is in Japan named after the final fantasy franchise i guess thats no wonder. I only think that the: you can become evrything from this game is a bit too much. I am a fan of each char having its own weapons.

auxili160

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Re: Favourite FF game in the series?
« Reply #23 on: 2008-06-08 05:19:35 »
FFXI has the best atmosphere and universe than any other ff game. :P
FFVII is a great ff, though, because of it's awesome sci-fi theme. The medieval theme of Chrono Triger and the nes/snes final fantasys were cool. However, anime overkill hasn't served the most recent ffs very well.
FFX was fun, but very linear and didn't have much variety in the way of combat. I did play this game around 6 years ago, though, so my memory could be serving me wrong.
Wakku (or whatever his name was) was a character I would've preferred to not be so wacky. I felt Tidus wasn't very special. I mean, Cloud had his sword and military attire, Locke was a thief, Squall (I haven't played ff8 yet, other than the first half hour) had his bladegun and formal look. Tidus had... ? A vanilla sword and beachy hair. He also began the trend for "male leads with estrogen instead of testosterone" that annoys the hell out of me in the most recent FF games.

He was cool as a character, but presentation was 50% down the toilet in FFX. Many places were cool, but many were also too dreamy and random in its design. Maybe it made sense in regards to the plot, but I feel like the art design is more of a necessary evil rather than a pleasure.

I've beaten 90% of FF6/3. It was pretty great, but I find it hard for me to get involved with 2d games at this point. Well, it's not so much the 2d factor, as the combat is ace, but the field gameplay. Walking around on grids is a pet peeve of mine. Mother2/Earthbound, Mario RPG, and Link to the Past all got the field gameplay right.
FF6 had great music (especially the overworld theme), but I didn't like Terra. She felt like Aeris, a "divine plot device of godliness." Whenever she opened her mouth, I couldn't believe a word she said.
Locke was great. He was a regular Joe. Sometimes I couldn't help feeling he was JUST a regular Joe, but he definitely had a huge cool factor. Edward's spear gun was overpowered (lol) and his brother had fun attacking mechanics.
I felt the story was flat at some points, but it's likely just due to the whole medieval theme (which doesn't capture me as much as, say, ffvii's sci-fi theme).

I've played the first half hour of FF8, and the increase in graphics is nice (there are actual *gasp* TEXTURES! Not just gradients! lol). However, the hugely downgraded UI is disappointing. FF6 had a nice and cleaner UI, for fracks sake. My old rusty pc couldn't handle the overworld, so I'll probably play FF8 once I finish replaying FF7 since I have a new computer.


FF7 is my fave because it has captivating characters. They may not all have huge backstories or have character arcs, but these are not the traits of good characters. To put it simply: Barret was a bada*s with a big heart. Tifa was strong, both physically and mentally, and is such a "nice" person that calling her "hot" on account of her big breasts makes you feel bad. Aeris is a plot device, and relatively unflawed, but at least she was subtle and gave us a reason to care about her - her characteristics were those of a loving mother. RedXIII/Nanaki is an incredibly wise monk-like cat/dog who adds a wild flair to an otherwise urban sci-fi game, and his presence makes you feel like everything you're doing (even random encounters) is for a greater cause. Cid's big heart and childlike dreams makes him easy to WANT to have in your party - you want him to be a part of your success story and you want his dreams to come true. Cait Sith is one of the most original wacky characters I've ever seen and the only improvement they could have done is let the cat be the actual character rather than Reno, which I think robs him of lasting character value. Yuffie is spunky and energetic (Rikku is pretty much a copy of her, albeit more attractive in-game :P) and, while she doesn't have much of her own story, you feel like Square made the right decision as her great personality would've robbed other characters of screen time. Vincent is emo, for sure, but he's got a da*n good reason to be, and he has more style than any other emo character (being victorian-esque and intelligent serves Vincent well).

Sephiroth could've been done much better, and they could've capitalized on his craziness rather than hardly justified emotions. I do, however, like that he had this serial-villain quality to him. He was off doing his own things by himself and the characterizations I enjoy of Sephiroth are the ones I invisioned myself. So, while Sephiroth wasn't presented in an emo-ish preteen-pleasing way, at least they didn't provide full closure on everything about him. They gave us room to fill in the blanks.
Advent Children pretty much ruined Sephiroth, as they made his emoness and preteen-pleasing appearance, behaviour, and dialog pretty much undeniable.

Shinra was pretty solid for an "evil corporation". They were fun as enemies, due to their great characterization (thanks to the characters that represented them) and simplicity. They weren't shown as media conglomerates or rich politicians like most other games/movies we see today.

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Re: Favourite FF game in the series?
« Reply #24 on: 2008-06-08 07:57:16 »
Wakku (or whatever his name was)

Wakka

Tidus had... ?

Brotherhood, Caldabog, and Jecht as a father.  That man is cool as all hell.

Cait Sith is one of the most original wacky characters I've ever seen and the only improvement they could have done is let the cat be the actual character rather than Reno

HA, Reno is way too cool to be Cait Sith (the annoying bastard that he is), Cait Sith is Reeve, the Urban Development guy.

Vincent is emo, for sure

For the love of the gods people!  When this game came out, half the people of the world didn't even know what emo was, in fact I believe it was ACTUALLY used to describe a certain type of rock music, stop with all the emo bullshit, it's irritating.

(Rikku is pretty much a copy of her, albeit more attractive in-game :P)

Rikku (even although I don't like her) has much better limit breaks than Yuffie.

Shinra was pretty solid for an "evil corporation".

Okay fair enough I'll give you that one, but only because I didn't like Rufus, which was the point.  Yet when it comes down to Advent Children, I find myself liking him, and not being sure why...