Rankings of Final Fantasy games

[Flintlock]

You're counting XI and XIV, while I was counting XIII-2 and Lightning Returns, which are, of course, in the same setting as XIII, which is futuristic.

That leaves X and XII from the games you mentioned. I feel like X's society is more advanced than VI's but it's not so obvious because of how limited the use of Machina is. Look at (old) Zanarkand, for example. I can see the south-east Asian similarity though. I liked that it was a colourful game; we haven't seen that in a while either. I guess XII is fairly medieval.

 

[Lex]

I think you're hitting the nail on the head with why people didn't respond too well to XII when it was first released actually. I don't know, I just think we look at it differently.

I'm remembering forum/ fan reactions back from around the time X-2 was released and I used to lurk on just about every FF board and drink in the discussion. X-2 started turning people off, XI felt like a betrayal and people were starting to become jaded by the time XII rolled around, even though the hype for the game was unreal. Then it dropped and it was completely different in terms of feel, gameplay, story than any FF released prior (whether that's a good thing or not is arguable). Forum people started going "oh sh- it's because of Enix now, Sakaguchi's left, the winning streak is over". Then XIII happened and we all know how that went

It comes down to what makes Final Fantasy Final Fantasy. It feels to most long-time FF fans that IX/X were the last "true" Final Fantasy games for sure. I'm not saying that XII isn't better than most of them, but you could change the title and sure, you'd go "oh this is kind of like Final Fantasy" but you wouldn't be arguing for it to be called FF if it didn't share some small naming conventions and the miniscule use of the victory motif when you complete a hunt. XIII lacks even that small homage and could have easily dropped the title. Except the story is typical crazy convoluted FF fair. Arguably the story of XIII is more "FF" than the story of XII. Or at least, the way it's told XD.

I'm afraid I'm still a touch confused about what you're trying to get at re: everything is too similar now. Stylistically they're all human/realistic kind of thing? Well sure, but if graphics would have permitted this it would have been the case in every FF game IMO. Aside from IX, which maybe had the most diverse character design we've seen. Nobody looks particularly human in XIV either .

I don't think it's fair to use XIII-2 and Lightning Returns as a measure of different worlds since they're obviously going to share XIII's, there's not much that can be done about that. The irony in that is that XIII-2 and LR were drastically different from XIII in just about every other way, which for the most part was a big complaint XD.

Oh we, the fickle fandom. (but for good reason)

 

[Cthulhu]

IDK, I think XII is the most FF-like FF (?) of all of the others named after IX. But really, people should stop complaining - the named games are all standalone installations, and the only thing that connects them in any way is the name, parts of the combat mechanics and terms used, and parts of the team behind them.

Besides, VII / VIII were both modern/sci-fi too - which effectively means that the FF as a series, generally speaking, is more of a sci-fi instead of a medieval-like fantasy series.

 

[Clement Rage]

One of the virtues of FF is that every instalment is different, there are some similarities, but they're very different games. XII was hilariously Star Wars inspired, (especially the climax) but still a pretty good game. I'm not sure exactly what the core principles are (There's a guy named Cid, usually something in the plot to do with crystals?)

Does XII count as medieval when it has massive aerial dogfights as a matter of course?

I personally liked 13, the only thing I notice that's getting repetitive now is the need to

Spoiler

kill God

as a final boss, but even X2 and XIII-2 bucked the trend a bit. Things like the loss of the world map were a necessary casualty of better graphics, the cartoony overworld would take too much time to render properly and be too inconsistent with the other graphics.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

Besides, VII / VIII were both modern/sci-fi too - which effectively means that the FF as a series, generally speaking, is more of a sci-fi instead of a medieval-like fantasy series.

Well, let's think about it --

Overtly medieval: I, II, III, IV, V, XI, Tactics
Overtly modern or futuristic sci-fi: VII, VIII, XIII, XIII-2, Lightning Returns, XV
Some wacky combo of the two: X, X-2, XIV
Closer to steampunk than anything: VI, IX, XII

I'm probably leaving soemthing out, but I feel like it's pretty evenly balanced.

 

[Lex]

But really, people should stop complaining - the named games are all standalone installations, and the only thing that connects them in any way is the name, parts of the combat mechanics and terms used, and parts of the team behind them.

This is completely wrong Yop XD.

I - IX (and arguably X) all had very similar concepts and elements that just went tweaked from game to game, they had completely seperate stories but that's it.

ATB or variation - I-IX
World Map - I-IX
Airship (a real one) - I-IX
Towns - I-XII
People you can properly interact with I-XII
Nobuo Music - I-X

The gameplay is pretty identical from I-VI and VII-IX. The only thing you could really argue about is "equipment systems" (jobs in FFV, materia in FFVII, junctions in FFVIII) but these are just the ways in which you power up a menu in battle... which is functionally the same (for the most part) in all the entries.

X is where the departures begin, but it managed to do it in a way that was inoffensive to long series fans. XII really pushed the boat out. XIII could have been made by aliens. I enjoy all of them, I'm just saying there has always been quite a distinct formula and it's pretty much gone now, which is a shame.

 

[ForceStealer]

XIII is just as much an ATB as anything else. Just because it moved fast doesn't mean it isn't turn based. (And to really be pedantic, IV through IX are ATB, I-III and X are fully turn-based.) And so is XII, you can just move independently in XII, and in XIII you have the higher-level strategy thing going on.

The lack of a world map is probably the biggest single change (as the airship is related to that)...but that's not just an FF thing, that's JRPGs on the whole. Seems more a technological issue than a stylistic one. No one has been willing or able to meld the high quality graphics with the wonky proportions inherent to overworlds. And to make a world map as detailed as everything else, like XII did, would require a lot of processing power to fly over it at will.

Not that you're wrong, just, eh. I respect Final Fantasy its daring. As much as people pine for FF9, people ALSO express fatigue and European medieval fantasy every time another piece of media comes out like it. I appreciate their willingness to go in a completely different direction. And as much as people bitch about Square's willingness to try something new with the series, they're way the hell better at it than, say, Sonic Team.
That's also why I think people who act like XV signals that the series is just going to be an action game from here on out are overreacting. 1) XV is a special case that wasn't originally shooting for a numbered entry ANYWAY, and 2) why would you expect them to suddenly stop changing it up game to game? Unless XV sells and unbelievable amount, which I don't really expect, I don't think that's going to happen.

Got rambly there, sorry.

 

[Obsidian Fire]

Eh... XIII did not feel like an ATB system. ATB is pretty much a Turn Based system that's been sped up; heck, make it so that the ATB isn't set to active and it pretty much is a Turn-Based System.

XIII was more of a "figure out how to get the computer to do what you want it to" system and you happened to control the computer for one characters a little more finely then the others. And to be honest, most of the time I at least left the character I was controlling on Auto anyway because it was faster then Manuel. I could pretty much have had all three characters controlled by the computer and as long as I imputed what Paradigm should be active at any given time as well as what was being attacked the game wouldn't have played any different. Actually, the game would have been a lot less stressful if that had been the case... XIII's battle system is pretty much a simulation game with the window dressing of the ATB system. And to be honest, I really hope that's not the direction SE is going in. I like my games to have support for my OCD tendencies...

 

[Kuja9001]

Eh... XIII did not feel like an ATB system. ATB is pretty much a Turn Based system that's been sped up; heck, make it so that the ATB isn't set to active and it pretty much is a Turn-Based System.

XIII was more of a "figure out how to get the computer to do what you want it to" system and you happened to control the computer for one characters a little more finely then the others. And to be honest, most of the time I at least left the character I was controlling on Auto anyway because it was faster then Manuel. I could pretty much have had all three characters controlled by the computer and as long as I imputed what Paradigm should be active at any given time as well as what was being attacked the game wouldn't have played any different. Actually, the game would have been a lot less stressful if that had been the case... XIII's battle system is pretty much a simulation game with the window dressing of the ATB system. And to be honest, I really hope that's not the direction SE is going in. I like my games to have support for my OCD tendencies...

Heck no, auto is definitely not "faster" than manual. XIII's battle system is basically about how fast you can get trough a battle and auto-battle often chooses commands that go against that very principle.

Auto-battle would choose a dumb string like ruin>attack>ruin>attack>ruin. The animations for that type of string is slower than say attack>attack>attack>attack>attack especially if the target is launched.

I've seen high skilled players wreck Cid Raines literally in under 2 mins or less.

 

[Obsidian Fire]

^^It only does that if your MAG stat is about the same as your STR stat is. Otherwise it'll stick to whatever move is based on the highest stat. Which is why you don't want to fully max out everyone's stat crystals on the crystarium... What matters more is what Roles everyone has, which is what makes it a simulation game. 'Cause literally, the only thing you need to pick is what Paradigms are active at any point in the battle as well as what is being attacked. Which since you can only have one caracter under your control as opposed to the computer's means that you'll be controlling the comando most of the time. The entire game I was pretty much just staring at my other characters wishing I had control over what they were doing...

If I could have more direct control over the other characters, then I wouldn't bother with Auto, but since I don't I didn't really bother exploring how manual worked. It doesn't really heap that my preferred stat is speed, so it takes me longer to input commands then it takes the ATB to fill. So Auto really is the only way to go.

And I abhor XIII's battle ranking system and completely ignored it. I really, really, hope it doesn't come back. The entire point of having different characters/abilities/items/etc. is to give players many different options on how to beat the game. Making it so that there is only one "right" way to get good drops completely makes all of that worthless. Given that some players have more fun experimenting then winning fights fast... lets just say a lot of XIII felt like a slap on the wrist to that type of player.

 

[Claymore]

Eh... XIII did not feel like an ATB system. ATB is pretty much a Turn Based system that's been sped up; heck, make it so that the ATB isn't set to active and it pretty much is a Turn-Based System.

XIII was more of a "figure out how to get the computer to do what you want it to" system and you happened to control the computer for one characters a little more finely then the others. And to be honest, most of the time I at least left the character I was controlling on Auto anyway because it was faster then Manuel. I could pretty much have had all three characters controlled by the computer and as long as I imputed what Paradigm should be active at any given time as well as what was being attacked the game wouldn't have played any different. Actually, the game would have been a lot less stressful if that had been the case... XIII's battle system is pretty much a simulation game with the window dressing of the ATB system. And to be honest, I really hope that's not the direction SE is going in. I like my games to have support for my OCD tendencies...

And I abhor XIII's battle ranking system and completely ignored it. I really, really, hope it doesn't come back. The entire point of having different characters/abilities/items/etc. is to give players many different options on how to beat the game. Making it so that there is only one "right" way to get good drops completely makes all of that worthless. Given that some players have more fun experimenting then winning fights fast... lets just say a lot of XIII felt like a slap on the wrist to that type of player.

All of this.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

And I abhor XIII's battle ranking system and completely ignored it. I really, really, hope it doesn't come back. The entire point of having different characters/abilities/items/etc. is to give players many different options on how to beat the game. Making it so that there is only one "right" way to get good drops completely makes all of that worthless. Given that some players have more fun experimenting then winning fights fast... lets just say a lot of XIII felt like a slap on the wrist to that type of player.

Especially this.

 

[Lex]

I grew to enjoy XIII's battle system, but I think my point about it being completely different to the rest in the series has been illustrated here .

Also I enjoy the sci-fi/ futuristic settings arguably more than I do the medieval ones.

 

[Obsidian Fire]

^^Oh, I loved FFXIII's setting. I would have liked more time exploring it, which XIII-2 did a much better job of. I've found I like "magitch" settings as that justifies having high technology levels along with the more traditional magic powers. It'll be interesting to see how XV goes about combining the two...

 

[Flintlock]

1. VII (PS1)
=2. VI (GBA)
=2. IX (PS1)
4. XII (PS2)
5. X (PS2)
6. VIII (PS1)
7. IV (DS)

Now with added Final Fantasy V and a few other ranking changes:

1. VII (no change)
2. XII (up 2)
3. VI (down 1)
4. IX (down 2)
5. X (no change)
6. V (new)
7. VIII (down 1)
8. IV (down 1)

I intend to play XIII soon and I've been thinking of making a thread to track my progress, since similar "first time player" threads have proved popular in the past. Yay or nay?

 

[Lex]

Do it immediately. And persevere this time

 

[Flare]

I intend to play XIII soon and I've been thinking of making a thread to track my progress, since similar "first time player" threads have proved popular in the past. Yay or nay?

I say yay, hearing people play a game for the first time can be pretty entertaining. Especially since it's XIII which is a rather divisive game.
I think I equate XIII to being like VIII in that regard; seems like both games are either 'love it' or 'hate it' games (or something along those lines, though it doesn't have to be so extreme).

 

[ForceStealer]

I agree. I loved seeing Mog do that. I always remember the post how, even though he had already acknowledged he didn't like it and why he didn't like it, there was a post where he had nonetheless gotten wrapped up in the game. Something to the effect of "Can't...stop....Help!"

I always remember it when people talk about how awful the game was. As there must have been something that was hooking him in that moment, even if it wasn't enough for him to ever play it again.

 

[AvecAloes]

I think I equate XIII to being like VIII in that regard; seems like both games are either 'love it' or 'hate it' games (or something along those lines, though it doesn't have to be so extreme).

Is III so divisive a game? Could it just be games that have the roman numeral III are doomed to be divisive?

But seriously, I'd love to see someone go at XIII for the first time. I really did like the game. It was the first FF game to come out while I was fresh in RPG land, and I was really excited for its release. Bought it the day it came out, actually. It was obviously very different from the other FF games I had played up to that point (VII, IX, and X), but that didn't stop me from appreciating it for what it was. I always wonder if people who so strongly dislike it feel that way because they're so focused on the differences in the battle system/exploration aspect compared to the "classic" FF titles. I thought the story was compelling (if convoluted, but I felt the same way about VII's story, especially as a first-time player who had no idea really what I was getting into), and I really enjoyed the character dynamics of at least some members of the cast (read: not Snow). Honestly, even some of the characters I found to be insipid and annoying have since grown at least a little on me, given their development throughout that game and the rest of the XIII series.

Anyway, I want to see what you think as you play through XIII, Flint, so please, make a thread and see it through!

 

[Flintlock]

Alright, since so many of you seem interested, I'll get started this weekend.

 

[Roundhouse]

From the ones I've actually played:

(Note...I haven't necessarily finished all of these, so I'm just judging by what I actually experienced.)

1: FFVII [Consistently great. Music, story, characters, backgrounds are all ace. Biggest flaw are the character models.]

2. FFIX [Particularly strong character in the form of Vivi, more great music, and fun moments. Biggest flaw for me was Kuja...I found Garland more interesting.]

3. FFVI [Good/solid overall, nice sense of atmosphere in the second part. I'm not in awe of it or anything, as many seem to be, but it was a good game.]

4. FFVIII [Really good beginning, grabs me more than any of the above games except VII. Unfortunately seems to decline as it goes on, and that infamous plot twist is something I cannot take seriously. Possibly the biggest waste of potential out of these games?]

5. FFX [Surprising heartfelt quality. Melodramatic at times, then descends into silliness. It has some good moments and endearing characters, though.]

6. FFIV [Probably good for the time in which it released. Didn't do a lot for me, but there are some interesting bits here and there.]

7. FFXII [I was surprised at how little this grabbed me. I didn't really care about any of these characters. After I played some of this, I stopped getting new FF games.]

 

[Arianna]

Okay, so I've only played:

II Full
VI Half
VII Full
IX Part
X Half
XII Full
XIII Full
XIV: Reborn Part
XV Part

Without thinking much on it, my favorites, though I have to play some fully:

VII
II
XIII
XII
VI
X
IX
XIV
XV

Based on my opinion on the story, and/or elements of the story. Listed also in 'I would play again'. XIV and XV are really a tie for last place, as I do not want to play a MMORPG and I just couldn't get into XV.

 

[LNK]

9, 6, 7, 15, 8 and 12, 10, 13, 10-2, 13-2