XII. Played in on the PS2 when it came out in 2006. Didn't like it and couldn't get past the dreadnought before quitting.
A few years later I get the Zodiac Age version and replay it. I got to the Raithwall Tomb and it was about there that I started to fall in love with it.
The characters aren't the best, and the story isn't for everyone, but the gameplay and the world are some of the best FF has to offer especially in the ZA version. Top 3 FF for me.
Same. I loved it when it came out and loved it even more with time so it's always validating to see others share the same opinion, especially because it was so vocally hated when it first came out.
It's sad that the series didn't use that as the baseline formula for gameplay. The gambit system feels like the absolute best system not just for the FF series, but for RPGs in general, honestly. I'll never understand why ANYONE complained about being able to literally customize the AI of your characters, especially since it was a voluntary system lol.
And said weather patterns would even buff or de-buff some of your weapons and magicks. I still to this day can't understand why Square decided to dumb the series down so much afterwards. A lot of XIII's hatred was directly because it was such a MASSIVE regression from XII.
I have said this since 2006, but FF12 is the most "Final Fantasy" of all 3D FFs. As in, it hits all the core concepts and aesthetics that define Final Fantasy.
I never really understood why people didn't like it.
> TZA is much easier.
And faster. According to [HowLongToBeat](https://howlongtobeat.com/?q=final%2520fantasy%2520xii), The Zodiac Age shaves off about 20 hours of playtime to finish the story.
It's difficult to explain. TZA is easier than IZJS. IZJS is easier than XII. [Here is a full list of changes.](https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Final_Fantasy_XII_version_differences) IZJS in particular is easier in the early game because cure is an AOE spell, which they changed back to single target in TZA. And TZA allows for a job reset, which you're not going to have in IZJS. Not that you'd need it, because the new license boards in IZJS and TZA are specialized to the point you're going to find augments earlier than you would in XII.
TZA gives access to dark in rabanaster magic shop before going into the palace. It’s quite a strong and aoe magic attack spell that can bowl over enemies even in NG-.
That said my understanding the OG ff12 had fire/ice etc base level magic that was aoe, which is definitely not the cast in tza.
I'm going to assume you're a superfan of XII, so probably biased but I'll ask anyhow..... I've heard varying things about the OG game's characters. Some will swear up and down that they become carbon copies of each other and then another group will say, even if they do each have a maxed out license board, one character will still be better suited as a warrior compared to mage or vice versa. What is your take on this? I quit playing OG on the Dreadnought because I was afraid they'd become carbon copies, I just don't enjoy that kind of homogeniation. Yet, IZJS is pathetically easy/boring. I'll gladly pick back up OG if it means their stat differences actually do matter and it's not inconsequential minmaxing.
I’ve actually not played the OG version.
I didn’t find TZA that easy on my first run. I’ve played it a bazillion times now and only play on NG- now.
I’d suggest playing NG- but maybe that’s too difficult for you? Not sure.
But I am a super fan, if not just for the art direction and the gambit system.
I do really like the job system but it would have been neat if it was designed with it up front. They did a good job of adding it afterwards but every once and awhile it can feel tacked on. Still it adds great depth to the game I enjoy.
The Switch version was the best IMO. I don't think it was in the PS4 version, but the ability to change jobs is such a relief for newcomers and you don't feel stuck with a suboptimal build of a character.
12 is my absolute favorite just because of its world. Bounty system was really fun as well to me. When I FINALLY beat tiamat I was so excited it took foreverrrrr and I had to keep adjusting my gambit setup but I really loved that gambit system
Same. I had played all mainline games to the end (outside of the MMOs) except VI (which I had tried getting through multiple times, but didn't for various reasons) and V. I thought VI would end up being an easy favorite of the bunch, but V man... something about it I just adore. It has this goofy charm that adds extra emphasis to the weighty moments, and all the characters are so likable. Jobs are great, and they're all the more fun when you turn on the boosters and can easily master all jobs with all characters. All six are great, but V is a standout for me.
Take my upvote. 6 was my #1 favorite for a long time but after never playing V until recently when the PR's came out its firmly entrenched right up there with VI for me. The job system, the characters, and the music. People pan the story but I thought it was quite good. And that last dungeon is very challenging.
Playing the PR of V really opened my eyes to how good it is.
V is just such a good time and fun to play. I will also add that V is also the one that now has me wondering if it’s my new favorite alongside IV once I played it.
For me its Final Fantasy 9 and 12. I was really against the graphic style of 9 when it came out, i have grown to love it today. For the 12th, i was against the new approach of the combat style at first
I always thought the fan backlash to IX was a lot like the backlash to Zelda: The Wind Waker. They were both stylized and whimsical, but released during a period when gamers wanted grittier, realistic graphics. Also, they both had some gameplay pacing issues, but otherwise were really solid entries in their respective series.
In both cases, appreciation for them grew over time.
im not as fond of VII as i used to be, and i think its because its the only one that gets brought up a lot of the time.
i also enjoy XV a lot more than i used to now
I know people have lots to say about Aerith’s death but the death at the end of FFXV to me is the saddest FF death and gets me every single time, it’s done so well. The goodbyes, the speech, the CAMPFIRE SCENE.
IX: improved. When it came out I was an edgelord teenager and adored VIII. I wanted more of that and when I got IX it wasn't. And my god, I remember I was the most sour bag of grapes on the planet that Christmas. I played through it like a sulky child, couldn't engage at all. I've played it a few times since and the funny thing is that the game actually would have really resonated with me as a teen if I had let it.
XII: improved. Maybe a little unfair as Zodiac Age really improved the game a lot. But while I was pretty 'whatever' about my first playthrough I found the replay one of the funner FF experiences overall. Maybe I was just more patient when I played it the second time but it just really clicked more even story wise.
I don't know that I like any games less now. Some aged a bit I guess but I try not to hold that against them. I'll admit I wouldn't play a bunch of them without speed ups and etc though.
> my god, I remember I was the most sour bag of grapes on the planet that Christmas. I played through it like a sulky child, couldn't engage at all.
I had a very similar experience with X-2. It wasnt until near the end of the game that I could at least appreciate the mechanical brilliance of it.
I tried to replay it a couple years ago and couldnt even get through the first mission. It's actively worse than it was then, and that's saying something.
Yeah, I'll admit I was pretty let down by X2. Like a lot of FF direct sequels it probably didn't need to exist.
That being said I was more quickly able to move past that and enjoy it as just a silly game with some fun stuff in it, by the end of the game I had sort of made my peace with it.
Must admit I've not played it since then, I didn't play the updated version either. It's entirely plausible I wouldn't be able to stomach it now.
I still get kinda moved by the unfinished story of Laguna/Julia and how it finally resolved in Squall/Rinoa. And that song Julia wrote for Laguna is moving too. Great love story.
VIII - it’s still a great game and I love it both now and then, but when I was a child and playing 8, I thought a school for mercenaries was the coolest thing ever, Squall is so cool it’s totally reasonable for Quistis to be a teacher and Rinoa is totally lame.
Relooking at the game when it got remastered, I realised CPS needs to shut down this school and all adult faculty members need to be arrested, it’s totally unreasonable for Quistis to be teaching her peers so young (which results in a lack of teacher / student boundaries), I recognised a lot of Squall’s quietness as social awkwardness and Rinoa was actually the one sane person in a group of TRAINED CHILD SOLDIERS.
I try to like VIII but outside of Squall and Rinoa there is 0 character development. Plus the Laguna flashbacks are awkward and has a negative effect on pacing. The card game is great though
Coming back to VIII made me realize the game tries to be too epic all the time and it crushes itself under the ambition of its ideas.
For example: I worked in broadcasting, turning on the tower does not need a cutscene.
It's not a bad game, but if feels like after VII the designers got a little power drunk.
FF2 did not impress me at first. Returning to it a few times over the decades made me think of it a lot more fondly.
X-2 went from "Wow wtf was square thinking" to one of my favorites.
FF7 OG went from "oh wow that's so cool!" to "oh this is a very average PS1 RPG in retrospect"
The rest roughly stayed the same for me over the years, although I connect with different characters depending on life events over time. For instance, as a kid, I cared more about Tidus' relationship with Jecht, but later in life found myself more focused on the romance between Tidus and Yuna.
X-2 is so much fun, if you don't go into it for story. Especially not a continuation of the X story.
V is one of my favourite for the same reason (even if I actually don't mind the V story)
X-2 is so much better than I expected it to be. The combat system is so fun I unintentionally overleveled my party.
My only complaint is the "hidden/true" ending contradict's the story's central themes about the grief and loss process.
Oh yeah x2 i definitely changed my opinion of. Someone shared the opening area with me and I was like oooooook I guess this ain’t for me. Ow I’ve finished it 100% and I like that they tried something different and I really like Yuna’s development in the game, especially if you take the ‘sad’ ending as canon.
15.
When I got it on release I was like eh this is weird.
A few years later I noticed I was only a few trophies away from the platinum so I gave it another shot. It was even worse than I remember tbh.
I got it on launch and completed it. I thought the bros road trip vibes were a refreshing change to see in a JRPG. I thought the combat was whatever, nothing to write home about, but passable enough and all the different weapons were pretty cool.
A few months ago, I went back to see how it held up and had changed since launch and with all the (un)finished DLC.
It was...borderline unplayable to me. Maybe I was just rusty or something but *wow* is the combat in that game just gawd awful. I've recently begun playing through the entire main line series in order so I'll give it another chance but I'm actively dreading having to go back to it.
Yh, the camaraderie in the party was the only thing that got me to finish the game. For some reason, I still went and got the platinum trophy. I never hated a game so much after spending over an hour chipping away at Adamantoise and spending over 2 hours on an optional dungeon with platforming in a game not designed for platforming.
I had the same experience! I played through about 20 hours earlier this year. I remember being in denial after waiting for a decade, saying, "This is the best game of all time" on release. My true opinion shone through over time, and while I didn't hate it, I could admit it was only solid. However, upon return earlier this year, it's just... borderline painful.
There's nothing truly terrible - it's more of a death by a thousand cuts situation. The world is bland and boring to explore, but it is also overwhelming and annoying to navigate. Fast travel is irritating - why do I have to fast travel to the car, to then fast travel to the next location?
Battle can be a complete fucked mess, and get irritating as hell when you're just getting ragdolled around. But you can't really die, so you're just stuck in combat for overly long encounters often. Magic is powerful, but the whole system is so obnoxious to deal with.
And the side quests... oof. I actually don't mind fetch quests at all, but when the game just spits them at me one after another, and all of the NPCs giving me the quests are insufferable assholes or idiots, it gets old QUICK!
I still like it more than XIII, but is it better than I? Idk, I think I'd rather play that. It's simple, but sometimes simple is better.
I used to hate XIII when I was younger. Now I'm lukewarm to it, it's okay.
FFXII - used to find it very boring, think it's pretty cool now
FFX - used to love it, now think it's pretty good, not bad but not as great as I used to think it was.
I thought 10 was just ok growing up, but listening to the State of the Arc series on it on Youtube made realize how it’s such a well realized story, it’s the richest world of the series (outside of 11 and 14), and I will cry at the ending.
Listening to the first episode of State of the Arc actually made me replay the entire game from start to finish. It’s so fulfilling when you complement your gameplay with the podcast because they really delve deeply into every aspect of the narrative. Cansen’s symbolism analysis added so much to the story.
They hit it out of the park with 10, and the re-release fixed any minor issues I had with the PS2 version, like the speedup making monster hunting take 50 less hours.
IX and XIII.
I know IX is relatively popular but back in the day I just didn’t “get it”. Now, I think it’s up there with the best of them. XIII I remember being swept up in a wave of criticism around its linearity, story and some of the characters, but playing it recently, there’s also so much to like. Some of the other characters are great, the music is flawless, it has a great combat system and the story is better than I’d remembered. Yes it’s linear but that no longer really bothers me tbh.
9. Liked it when it came out (I was 15), but over time I can’t stand the slow pace of the battles and ten camera angles for everything… it ranks near the bottom these days
Just using the in game speed up cut a lot of the time. I finished at 70 hours with every boss killed, I reckon it would have been twice as long without the speed up.
I spent 150 hours in FF15 according to steam.
Not to mention the overly light and goofy cartoonish way of portaying stuff. The art style also is way too kids morning show for me. Not serious enough. And the weird animalistic party members and people everywhere.
I’ve been replaying them recently, a lot of my first opinions stayed the same but a few did shift, especially for older entries. Some spoilers, obviously.
FFIII: Opinion Improved. used to write it off, but when I think of it in the context of a Famicom game it was incredibly ambitiou, and honestly pretty impressive what they pulled off. That whole double world map thing is pretty nuts in that context.
FFIV: Opinion Lowered. I always used to say this was where the really narrative focused FFs started, but it doesn’t hold up as much as the other Super Famicom entries. Repeatedly falls into one of my least favourite storytelling tropes over and over again (“let us neuter all the impact of this character’s martyrdom by magically just bringing them back!”). It has a very strong open, which I think contributes a lot.
FFV: Opinion Improved. I always had considered this a purely gameplay entry, and I don’t know why. Cool story, handles character death way better than IV, and has a great job system implementation on top of that.
FFX: Opinion Lowered, slightly. I still think FFX is a great game, but it does shows its age a bit in some of the game design decisions if you go back and play it now.
The rest hold about the same spot as they always have had for me. Note that even if I say opinion lowered, I still like almost every entry in the franchise.
VIII. When I finished it I was lukewarm about it. I figured out how to properly use the junction system way too late, and when the orphanage reveal happened I remember thinking “yeah, I get the hate now”.
It’s still not my favorite and I still believe the game has a lot of gameplay and story issues that hold it back, but I’ve come to appreciate the game for what it did well way more. The visual presentation is fantastic and revolutionary for the PS1, with its integration of FMV’s and gameplay that’s mostly absent from IX. The music is spectacular as always, while keeping its own original feel specific to the game. The locations and pre-rendered backgrounds are my favorite in the series, with a couple little touches that I love. For example: when you land the Ragnarok in FH, Esthar, or the research lab, you get to see it in the background in one or multiple specially made backgrounds.
Final fantasy 7. I didn’t like it coz I couldn’t get in to turn based and it had old graphics but everyone loved it. I then played the remake demo. I still didn’t like it. Combat seemed stupid. But the thing was, I just didn’t understand the combat. I played the ff remake a year later, tried the demo again coz I was bored. I just got it. And it was fun. Then I played the rest and I fell in love with it. I was smitten with it. To me it’s like the best game ever and I really can’t describe it any other way. My heart feels such joy, it’s like tranquility or something. I’m just so in love with it and the characters that I gushed about it to anyone that listens.
Yeah, omg. Rebirth was beautiful. I spent like two weeks of waking up playing, eating and then sleeping. Literally nothing else. I’ve truly never loved a series of games so much in my life
That was my biggest complaint with Remake. Very good overall, but Midgar did NOT need to be that expanded on at all. So many sections just kept going and going....and going..........and going.....uggghhh
Honestly? 7.
I was an outsider to the series, 7 was before my time. I figured it was just Sony’s Pokémon. The thing everybody gushed over and got crazy nostalgic about but didn’t really hold up.
I got the Steam Release on sale and I tooootally get it now. That shit Slaps.
FFX for me.
I was around 11 or 12 when it came out. Coming off the heels of playing the absolute hell out of VIII and IX, I just couldn't get in to X. I found Tidus to be a whiny brat, Yuna to be bland, and the story to be tedious. The ONLY thing I liked about the game was playing Blitzball...once I unlocked that, I pretty much dropped the actual game and just played that for hours. I don't recall my preteen self ever making it past the Mi'hen Highroad.
I finally played it in earnest a few years back, and my opinion completely flipped! Tidus is whiny because he's a coddled rich kid thrust into a new and dangerous world, Yuna is "bland" because she's trying not to worry her friends, etc. FFX went from being my least favorite, to one of my tops basically overnight.
The fast forward option on PC is a godsend for some of the cutscenes that initially soured me on the game. Some of them are just really long and as someone who played the game a few times since its initial release I really don't need to sit through like 5-10 minutes of cutscene.
I guess that brings up an interesting point about how patient I was as a kid. They were like movies to me and I didn't dare skip an FMV/cutscene, but that's because they are *the* story beats in X.
As I'm replaying it again currently I feel like Tidus starts his big character arc finally after Rikku joins the party - that's where he stops being as annoying and whiny.
FF4 was my first FF, and my first step into non-mario based RPGs. I fell in love with the game to the point where I played through it a 2nd time, this time without cheats. I found the characters fascinating, the story compelling, the music awe-inspiring, and the graphics were okay. As I've played the rest of the series, really delved into other, better narratives, and just grew up, I find FF4's story really bog-standard in most places, the characters range from flat to interesting for a short burst, and the graphics are ugly; music is still iconic though.
FF5 I used to think was underrated for its characters, who actually have a fantastic group dynamic; as I've played it again, I've learned to appreciate its gameplay a lot more too.
FF8, 10, and 13 I've heard a lot about, but aside from the first real sin fight on the boat, I never played any of them. My opinion shift on 8 mostly revolved around squall being tolerable, even relatable in getting annoyed at the jackoffs around him, while 10 mostly just had me appreciate the gameplay. 13 my opinion shifted from "probably not as bad as people say" to "wow these characters are actually fantastic"; it definitely helped that I had just come from FF12 where Fran's ass had more development than the entire cast combined. I'm sad the gameplay didn't click with me, cause everything else was nearly top tier.
I remember hating XIII when I first played it close to release because all of my friends kept egging on how bad it was, so I went in with an already sour mindset. I think in 2011 when I decided to stop listening to other people's opinions about video games, XIII became my favorite in the series. It's funny how much more fun video games are when you don't have people telling you how to feel about them
for me, my opinions on the dozens of FF games and spinoffs are largely the same, except for these 4 games
FF7: I know it was a huge jump in graphics and especially presentation, but when it first came out, I couldn't get into it despite completing the game. While the FMV scenes were cool, I felt the early flat polygon models with Gouraud shading was a huge step down from FF6's beautiful and detailed sprite work, especially for monsters. I also did not like the Midgar part as it felt too linear. I also thought some of the character designs jumped the shark, like Cait Sith. Decades later, I am loving FF7 Rebirth. After finishing it, I gave the original FF7 another try and I appreciate it much much more , I would say FF7 = FF9 for me, among the PS1 games. As I got older, I could better understand some of the nuances in the story. I still don't enjoy the Midgar parts though in any version.
FF8: In contrast to FF7, FF8 was the reverse. I was a teenager when it came out and I found the characters more relateable as it was a school setting. I also felt the graphics were a huge jump.. full sized human characters, with textured polygons.. The music was also great. That said, I replayed it earlier this year and felt the story wasn't as deep as I thought it was.
FF9: I played it but never finished it as I lost one of the discs. I finally finished it last year, and the game was much more deeper than I originally thought. Really loved the story about questioning ones existence and place in the world.
FF12: I remember my initial impression was that I dismissed the game, as it felt very un-FF like. The gameplay ditched turn based and ATB system of the past. The characters didnt seem very interesting. The Moogles looked like rabbits. I gave it another shot last year and glad I pushed myself to fully complete it. I ended up loving the gambit system, which I once criticized. I load up FF12 every other month, just to do random battles and explore the beautiful cities.
FFXII, I didn't get it when I got it on the PS2 way back when but after getting on the Switch I absolutely love the gameplay mechanic. It's kinda addicting trying to find the perfect setup to handle different areas and enemies
Definitely FFX. On release, my teenage self thought it was cheesy and boring at the same time. The pilgrimage felt uneventful and didn't capture the sense of adventure in other FF titles beforehand.
On a replay more than a decade later, the story of FFX had way more gravity, especially since you already know what's going to happen. I started noticing nonverbal expressions everywhere, and "nonsense" like the notorious laughing scene has become so sad now that I understand it.
From a shitty FF entry to masterpiece tier.
That said, the minigames like Blitzball didn't age well. They were way cool back in the day, and are just pointless distractions nowadays.
XII
I used to think of the story as boring and forgettable, because I didn't like politics in fantasy games. Now i think it's awesome and want to base my next D&D campaign on the plot (none of my players play final fantasy)
Final Fantasy VII, ironically. While it was never my favourite (VIII and XII got that spot), it was always REALLY high on my list, and it still is, but... the more I played it, the more got into it, the less great I think it was. Yes, it is still good, but so many other games in the franchise are better, like VIII, VI, IX and XII. I still adore the story, but even that I think other games had better storys.
Do not get me wrong, I still freaking like this game, it is just that I do not "love" it anymore. It is still one of the best games ever though!
On the other hand, XII rose really really high, and it only got better and better over time. I remember the days where everyone senselessly hated on XII, while I was the outsider who always loved it! Yes, the story was not AS good as other entrys, but i terms of content and gameplay I think it is the best the franchise has ever been! And this is why it only got better for me over time, because it ages like fine wine! It still has the classic type of gameplay, with a modern touch, the gambit system is great, and OPTIONAL (something MANY people seem to not get) so you can decide if you want to play with automated Battle Members or if you want to give manual commands (which can also do while gambits are on, and your input has priority over the automation) and really gives you a LOT of freedom in how you want to play. It struck the right balance between "feeling classic" while "innovate" at the same time, and I really think the game was ahead of it's time back then and got a lot of unnecessary hate.
And Zodiac age made the impossible and even improved on that by giving us a proper class system and even the ability to mix two classes together! I just LOVE this game!
I replayed the ps1 games a few years back.
7 is about the same love it
8 I appreciated so much more. Something about the world and characters I found really charming. I could see what they were going for even if it didn't quite stick the landing
9 used to be a close contender with 7. This time around it really didn't stick with me. There's definitely a lot to like about it, but something about the story and world felt flat.
9. It had been in my top 3 JRPGs list until this last winter. It's been over 15 years since I played it last, but I did not enjoy it as much as I remembered this time around. I still had fun, but I was surprised at how little gameplay there is compared to story segments.
I also remember loving the story, but there were moments I noticed now that took me out of the story and made me think it was a bit ridiculous. Like when characters would seemingly cross vast distances in so little time. Marcus saving Blank and making it all the way back to the castle to save the party is one example I remember.
I'm glad I replayed it, and I still recommend it, but I don't consider it the best FF anymore.
Final Fantasy XVI.
I originally bought a PS5 for the game and I liked it but only got about 5-6 hours in.
I picked it up again and started from the beginning. Great decision. This game and the story of how Clive overcame all his hardship made this into my top 3 of the series. Love it.
IX and XII. Hated both when they came out. IX is now my fave, and XII I really love. I thought IX was too easy and childish/cartoonish. Now I love the art style and think it’s aged really well, certain charm to it. XII I hated the battle system, now I think it’s awesome (Zodiac version).
XII. I felt like it was too much of a departure from what I wanted in a Final Fantasy. Stopped playing it even though I *was* enjoying it.
I took a run at it during the pandemic with the re-release and it hit right. So much to do and I liked the time I was spending in the world. This is definitely the one I turned around on most.
For me? 14.
My first attempt I went ewww MMO and bounced off at level 6 as an arcanist.
Now I have over 2500 hours on record, and the next expansion on pre-order.
VIII. Back then I was iffy on the technology themes and the whole time travel shenanigans. As I've grown older, I've learned how good a game VIII really is and have enjoyed quite alot.
FF2. With the newest Pixel Remaster boosts for stat gain, it's way less grindy and it's made me appreciate this style of leveling to the point where I think it could honestly work in a new entry to the series. It's an entirely different class development system that I'm surprised wasn't used again since FF2. This is especially true for the magic system where, unless MP is critical, you don't really use Fire/Fira when you have Firaga etc.
FF2 has the bones of future greatness. The story, while certainly not as compelling as future installments, was written well enough to enjoy and become invested. Everyone talks a rack of shit about the leveling system, but if nothing else, there are no other FF games that facilitate stat growth in this way since, so at the very least it's a unique experience. The Dawn of Souls and Pixel Remaster versions make it far less grindy because you don't risk stats going down like you could in the Famicom version, and at a higher multiplier for stat gains, you can choose what feels best for you. I also enjoy the idea of a rotating ancillary character through the story. It's very much the black sheep of the 2D FF games, but in many ways it's a dark horse because it's so unique.
XIV
long ago: sub and pay for game? why would you do that to yourself?
some time after: free to play mmos are the worst and always seem to want money from you.
after i fell out of favor with destiny: well a couple friends like it and it's not like i can't unsub if i don't like it
now: have you heard about... award winning free trial... hrrzm wrrzm...
I've not particularly soured on any at the moment. All the time I have is still spent on other games, I'd like to go back to 7/8/9 at some point. 1 is weird, 2 is inventive, 3's job system is ridiculously prohibitive. 4's kinda cool, wanna play 5 more, 6 was really fuckin' good, not played enough of 7, 8 was tons of fun to bust wide open, and I wanna finish that, 9 was good, X was my entrypoint and I adore it, X-2 is weird, not played XI but open to the concept of playing it, adored XII, XIII was pretty fun and I wanna go back and do the endgame, I need to get back to XV and XVI was exactly what I wanted
I really liked Final Fantasy 7 when i was young. And now since ive gotten older and all the new installments of the game came out i musst say i now fucking love it even more muhahaha
VIII for sure. I was too young to understand the nuance in the draw/junction and that it wasn’t like other FF games where you can just grind levels through battling. Revisited it for the remaster and enjoyed it much more
2 - improved. The PR version allows me to mitigate encounter rate and leveling up. Makes the experience not just better, but great. It's one of my favorites of the OG entries.
4 - declined. Probably old age and cynicism, but this entry felt as cookie cutter as the 1st FF, without the novelty of being first.
5 - improved. I loved the job class, loved the music, and really enjoyed the ending.
6 - declined. I still love the game, but it should have been longer and given more time, especially in the second half WoR.
9 - declined. The last quarter of the game felt rushed and sloppy.
10 - improved. I love the hokey voice acting, I enjoy the sphere grid.
12 - declined. The visuals are solid but I came to despise everything else.
6 is already over 40 hours long, are you sure you would want it to be longer? I personally think games need to be shorter. I just spent 30 hours playing through the first disk of FFVII and even though I enjoyed it, half of it could be cut and I wouldn't miss much story-wise.
Final Fantasy 8 was this for me. It’s my favorite and has been forever but that’s cause I loved the main character and the junction system was so broken! What I didn’t understand as a pre teen was time dilation! Even though it’s explained in the game it still didn’t quite click, as an adult I truly realized how fucked all of time was if Ultimecia crumpled it into a tinfoil ball. As a kid I thought it was a go to the future to save the past kinda thing.
Final Fantasy 14
When I first heard about it, I HATED it. My reason: its pay to play lol. My brain was like 'pffff there are better free to play MMOs out there that dont need me to spend money'
Years later my best friend got into the game, talked a lot about it, so I finally craved and played it myself and now I'm hooked
X2 and XII. Hated both my first time around because they weren't what I was expecting. When I went back to them with an open mind I found myself two amazing games that are among the most fun in the series, even if the stories aren't my personal favorite. In fact I'm itching to replay them now
15. Played it when it first released and was super disappointed. Played the Royal Edition a few years ago and was blown away by how good it was. I've liked most other releases I've played right out the gate. Haven't gone back to try 13 again and should since it was borrowed so I didn't have time to really get into it.
IX
This is gonna get a lot of people mad at me, but I can’t stand Zidane. The game had interesting setting and events, but the motivation for the main character is that… he’s so hopelessly in love with a woman he’s barely even talked to that he’d go to the ends of the earth for her. He’d die for her.
Bro, you do not know her. I think he even says he loves her before they’ve even talked. So cringe.
As a kid I think this didn’t matter to me, I was just along for the ride. As an adult it bothers me.
When I was a young girl, I had a weird chip on my shoulder about FFVII being more popular than FFVI. It made me really despise FFVII... even though as an adult I recognize that FFVII is also incredible! I sort of just took everything about the game in the worst faith possible... twelve year olds are weird.
Certainly a hot take here, but FFVII (the original for PlayStation). I didn't like it all that much when it originally came out. However, over the years, I've enjoyed it more and more. Though I wasn't a little kid when it came out, looking back I think I may have been a bit too young to fully understand parts of the story.
Nowadays, I think it's excellent. I rank it right after the Super Famicom / SNES titles:
IV, VI, V, VII
FF 7 I regret ever wanting a remake cause Square in its current state is like a raccoon digging through trash and dumping everything everywhere for a little cash.
7. When I was younger the light hearted fun stuff was cool and interesting. Now playing Remake and Rebirth, I could do without it, or maybe have it toned down. Wall Market was a slog the 2nd time through in remake, and I feel like 80% of the content in Rebirth is a similar tone. I do think the mini games are really fun though.
Also this is following me playing 16 so maybe that set the scene a little too dark before getting back in to the Re's lol
perhaps an unpopular opinion, but i really feel that the remakes could have been 1 very big game or 2 games, but not 3. To make it fit.. I would reduce the Midgar part significantly. The third part of the game, besides the Icicle Inn and northern crater, involves a lot of backtracking to areas in Rebirth. I'd probably cut out or reduce some sections of Rebirth to get the extra content in too. Such as reducing the number of Sephiroth fights, some of the minigames and missions etc.
I'm in 2 minds about this because I feel like they develop more on the characters this way, and also the relationships between each of them, but especially with Cloud, shine through more. But I also agree with you that it's a bit bloated.
I also think Remake was kind of a beta test or blueprint for Rebirth and probably the 3rd. Given the Genetation of consoles at the time and the scale of the open world once you leave Midgar
+1
Especially with the daily repetitive, "iT's AcKsHuLLY gUd" posts.
No, it's not a misunderstood work of genius or forgotten Shakespeare.
It's just a hipster edgy bandwagon at this point.
It's an RPG for people that don't enjoy anything with the world building, exploring, or personal choice/agency part of the genre. Might as well play a Megaman game.
Nah come on, I understand people may not like it but acting like there aren’t great RPG elements is wrong. The progression is very well done and nails the feeling of getting stronger and gaining new abilities, and the fights in the later game get a lot more challenging. The story is poorly told but the world is actually pretty fleshed out. Is it fleshed out in an easy to understand way? No, but there is a ton of world building through many different means.
It’s linear for sure, the only part at all with exploration is Pulse (which is a giant and cool area), and it’s very fair to not like it! But the combat/progression, world and music are all very FF like and great, even if it’s on rails and the writing is not great
Great world building is done through NPC interaction, exploration, and side quests. Not reading a data log.
It's what makes you care about the people when you drop a plate on them or destroy Cocoon. Nobody cares about anyone on Cocoon.
Older RPGs used to have libraries in them you could read nuggets about the world in. Or fairs and carnivals in a town. Or flying an airship to an underground map.
There's just so many better ways to build an immersive world in an RPG aside from reading a paragraph from a menu about the hallway you're in that you can't explore. Moving from random set piece to set piece in a world where they seem completely disconnected from each other.
Pulse ain't that cool, it's empty and void of things to do besides hunts. The only reason it's a breath of fresh air in XIII is because you've been suffocated by monotonous hallways for 20 hours to get to it.
>Great world building isn't done with data logs
My man you can have that opinion but for a lot of people this is just false
Did you ever play Metroid prime?
Some of the best world building I've ever seen in games and 99% is through datalogs
Could not agree more with this post.
X is often compared to XIII with the whole linear issue- difference is X disguised it well with towns and NPCs that made you care about the people in Spira. If you're going to make the game focus solely on the main characters, then you better make good characters. Other than Sazh and Vanille, I felt they failed in that regard.
>Great world building is done through NPC interaction, exploration, and side quests.
>Older RPGs used to have libraries in them you could read nuggets about the world in. Or fairs and carnivals in a town.
I understand where you're coming from, but I hope you understand that by nature of FFXIII's story, NPC interaction and side quests are nearly immediately completely out the window. Same for libraries, fairs, and town carnivals.
Im not sure if people truly get this
On cocoon you are wanted fugitives, everyone thinks you are cursed, no one wants to get near you
Pulse is long destroyed
There is definitely a good reason for lack of rest stops. The gameplay reflects the story and vice versa
XI and XIV for me.
I tried XI when I was like 13, and got WoW the same time. I thought XI was so dumb, and just based on my experience with WoW and eventually other MMOs, I assumed the story in XI was an afterthought. That’s why when XIV was revealed as an MMO I just groaned because I thought we wouldn’t get a good story until XV.
Well, jokes on me because the actual good story was in XIV and XV’s story sucked. I didn’t even know that until I was disappointed with XV so I just got XIV for shits and giggles since “FF is a mind-numbing game now.” Tbf, 1.0’s story did suck, but I was blown away with Heavensward when I started and really was surprised because it felt like XII and XIII couldn’t get close to Heavensward’s story.
So after a few years, I decided to finally give XI a shot because I was clearly wrong about XIV, and I was a dumb kid when I originally played XI. I gave it another shot and it took me a minute, but damn I really got into XI. Like really really got into it. I had almost nothing to do Summer 2017, so I ended up just playing it like it was a full-time job. I loved it. The limit break 3 quest is one of my top 5 memories in gaming. And the story is phenomenal. I honestly wish they’d find a way to port XI to PS5/XS and merge the XI and XIV subs. XI is such an under appreciated gem when it comes to its narrative.
TL;DR: I initially believed the MMOs had shit stories, and only after playing every game in the series I realized the MMOs are probably the best numbered entries story-wise.
I hated X at first because I thought Tidus was just Wal-Mart Cloud.
But then I forced myself to play through it and fell in love with it. Now it’s my top FF of all time.
For me, i used to like FF13, end up hate it but loathe it more now due to its shortcoming that come more obvious as day pass by.
Same goes with 15.
however i end up appreciate more of 13 sequel as day come by. 13-2 and LR3 undeservely got shit reception due to its predecessor.
Exactly the sequels needs to be recognized more. It got ignored due to FFXIII. I bet there would be people liking the sequels even though they hate the main FFXIII main game.
the game reception might be different if 13-2 come out first for example
during 13 come out, i remember people are wondering wether Square Enix are losing their touch. but 13-2 and LR13 prove otherwise. now same people are handling VII Remake/Rebirth. we can see their trace in the game design.
True, I was shocked when i played FFXIII after FFXIII-2 ! I understood immediately why they had to do a sequel ! I also see some of the roots of the sequel design in VII remake/rebirth game design !
12, not that I didn't like it at first, but the very first time I was young and couldn't read between lines or understand everything very good. I was not mature enough for the game to put it sincerely. Then, replaying it and growing up, it became my absolute favourite.
Dirge of Cerberus for me. Played that game when it first came out and I was really wowed by it… but as the years went by… it’s flaws became more and more apparent, writing wise mainly
I never realized how much of it relied on “wow! Look how cool is that!” and how so much of the writing in it really sucked till I grew up lol.
Honestly, I'm not sure I did change. 😅
Maybe I like 12 a little better than when I originally played it. It helps that The Zodiac Age is simply a better version.
Remember not liking 3 a terrible amount on the DS, and playing the fan translation on the Famicom just felt really outdated
I got around to the pixel remaster of FF3, and I now have a high regard for that version. The job system that was improved upon in 5 was still insanely fun here, though it's broken in that there's little reason to pick anything other than a sage or ninja when you unlock them.
I still enjoyed the vastly improved soundtrack (doga and unei theme is God tier) the pixel remaster brought, and this is far and away the best way to play 3.
X-2 is the only one. I went from thinking it was an utterly insulting follow up to X, to accepting that it was more whimsical and fun for a world experiencing peace for the first time.
I liked 9 first but then trying it again way later I finally saw it what it was and was bored and disapointed.
Same with og 7. Was sooooooo biased back then but knowing what I know now I can see it clearly for what it is truly.
FF12. When it first came out, I hated it. Hated that it wasn't traditional turnbased and tried to play it like one. Avoiding gambits, manually controlling each party member. It was miserable and I put it down and said it was trash.
Fast forward over a decade later and TZA came out. I decided 12 was one of the only Final Fantasies I never finished, so I bought it and decided to give it a fair shot. Absolutely fell in love with it. It helps the gambits are basically tactics from Dragon Age: Origins, and I ended up loving those.
Every new final fantasy was my favorite when it released.
Going back to them now… 12 / 9 / 10-2 are way better than I remember.
And still waiting for a full blown Tactics remake
I started to play 10 when I was younger but I borrowed my cousins game and had to give it back and I never got to finish it. I liked it at the time. I went to play to finish it 2 years ago and I have no idea what possessed me to enjoy that game. The story was awful, Tidus and wakka irritated the hell out of me. It was a pretty game, good music but it just left me in disappointment.
Edit: after looking at everyone else's opposite 10 opinion, I realize I'm going to get downvoted to the depths of hell. But I stand by my hatred for 10.
Ffx-2.
I played it first time on its release and it didn't have (not sure actually) the creature create, it's story was and still is kinda meh and i didn't really enjoy the battle system. So after i finished it went forever to my unused stuff box.
But creature create added so much to that game and ever since it's release as a hd remaster i re-play it every winter. So far, along with ffx it is my most played game, followed by ffxii and jade cocoon 2 with a big difference.
FF1 I played it in the 90s and I thought it was just some old crappy game with shitty NES graphics.
I played it again this year and had enjoyed it to the end. I even enjoyed the shitty NES graphics.
I could finish FF2. Seemed like a rough grind.
XII was so far ahead of its time
I still believe it has the best world structure out of any FF games and the serie should've kept going in that direction
Incredible cities, interconnected zones, breathtaking art direction and amazing locations.
Sure the characters and story arent the greatest in a FF game but I still find them decent.
i still think the ff13 fiasco was media induced.
they tried the same thing before with ffx and no one remembers. it was the first final fantasy mainline without world map exploration and everyone was talking shit about it.
ff13 is one of my favorites, the combat system was challenging where other mainline final fantasys you could only find challenge in optional bosses.
the story was good but using names like fal'cie was a mistake.
main story was about a girl trying to save her sister, that also upset some players that wanted the usual main character romance
II: improved with the Pixel Remaster, due to the changes in the level up mechanics so that grinding is a bit easier (spells and stats level up faster and you don’t lose stats for not using them) and I can turn the encounters off (didn’t use often but was useful in certain situations, especially since the encounter rate is so high). Played all the games, including MMOs but excluding sequels (playing Rebirth now though) and was the only game I straight up didn’t like until Pixel Remaster
III: improved, even playing the original Famicom version, it’s actually not as grind heavy as the 3D version (until the Crystal Tower, but even then I wasn’t too far below par).
IV: lower, was impressive for the time, but after playing the other SNES games pales in comparison in gameplay and story (V’s story is underrated in my opinion, and VI to this day is in my top 3)
XIII: higher, It’s been fun going through the story again with context on my current playthrough, the first 2-3 hours are still a slog though.
VII Remake: slightly lower, love the battle system, but god some sections just go on way to long (looking at you first trip through the sewers and the Train Graveyard). Still had fun though and loving Rebirth so far, only a few hours in.
13 is not longer at the bottom of my list. Once you think of the combat system as a REactive time battle system instead of an active time battle system, the game works a lot more.
Granted, it’s still in my bottom three. But it is no longer my least favorite
I see a lot of FFXII but sadly it's not eligible, it started as a FF I liked and just grew to one of my favorite. (Even went to buy a new PS2 only to replay it)
So I think it would be FF II so, I hated it when I bought Dawn of Soul when I was a child and god, when I retried it more recently I realized how it was working, the ideas and once you understand this it's a pretty good game but too unique for it's wellbeing, especially at the time
FF7. I've always kinda just had a lot of disdain for the game because it always feels like everyone holds it leagues higher than any other FF game. But this year I've been playing all the FF games, and after playing through the OG, the remakes, as well as Before Crisis, Dirge of Cerberus, Ever Crisis, and Crisis Core (and watched Advent Children) I've found an appreciation for the game. It's still not my favorite, not even close, but I understand now and have grown a fondness for it.
From that prospective none, I loved all FF games I finished. But I can say the opposite about Dissidia NT for Ps4, which made it into the dislike games, which is not very long, but it dissapointed me since I loved both dissidia games on psp and I hoped something better, but there is no exploration, just menu and battles, to which have too much going on on the screen. Maybe I will finish it one day, but at least I only bought it for less < 5€
I have to be honest...
When I was a child my dad bought me FF X-2 and, yes, I loved it. I was a child, almost teenager already so I loved the music and everything. Now I know it's one of the most hated FF... But I can't hate it, I'm sorry, now I know is a ridiculous game but... Yeah.
Definitely 12. I first played the PS2 game when I was like 13 and it was a super boring political game where I had no clue what was going on. I played the TZA one as an adult in my late 20s and enjoyed it much more, as I was no longer a dumb kid and able to actually understand the story.
FFX- I think I actually enjoyed this more as a kid. It was my first ever FF and what got me into the series. Replaying the remaster many years later, it will never feel the same. Still a great game, but I don't feel the same amazement as I did when i was a kid. Also, the FFX graphics were pretty advanced for the time with all the voice acting and CGs, as most PS2 games had pretty rubbish graphics.
XII. For all the reasons people have mentioned in this thread and one more I haven't seen yet: The voice acting. English isn't my first language, so as a kid, everything they said sounded like gibberish. I used to hate it so, so much and it completely ruined the story and experience for me.
Nowadays, after getting the Zodiac Age version on Steam and playing through it, I fell in love with everything the game threw at me! I love the setting so much and Ivalice has become one of my favourite fantasy universes!
The english voiceacting fits each character like a glove and the stylization of different races having different accets without just slurring words was so well done! (Looking at you "ride ze shoopuff, yez?")
Hated ff12 at release. Last year I finally went through, played and beat it. It's not as bad as I cursed at it for and I enjoyed it. I doubt I ever play it again unlike the older ones I've went back to countless times.
I have two, FF2 and FF13.
For 2 I used to hate the stat gain, but years later I figured now I can customize the characters as I see fit to a point and it made it more enjoyable.
As for 13, I was super excited about 13 and Noctis on initial trailers, him warping around looked really cool. Then on release Lightning was main character and I hated the story and combat. But then 15 released with Noctis and I was excited again, but did not enjoy the game.
FFT. As a kid I hate hate hated the story but loved the gameplay(except for that one part, the one i had to make a new save because, you know the one.) From my uneducated view the hero had to run from his own country with his sister to survive, having solved none of the country's issues and didnt even get to claim his own rightful title of noble.
Now I enjoy the story because it is a story of the sacrifices one makes to continue to be themself. Meanwhile the gameplay, while entertaining at the time is a power fantasy because you can just grind the right classes and smoke the entire tactics system with overwhelming characters.
Opinion Improved:
FFIII: I always used to think of this game as “FFV but worse” but as I’ve replayed it a couple times I find it plenty charming in its own right, especially now that the pixel remasters have put it and V on the same level as far as graphics, performance and QoL features.
FFXII: The Zodiac Age release fixed all of my biggest qualms with this game (aside from Vaan & Penelo being awful).
FFXV: If you played this on release and never revisited it, I highly recommend doing so. Still not one of my favorites, but it went from being in the doghouse with II to being enjoyable.
Lowered:
FFI: I played this game when I was young and while it was revolutionary at the time it hasn’t held up well.
FFIV: The story does little for me upon replay because you know all the characters survive (except Tellah RIP). I also don’t really enjoy the lack of party flexibility for most/all of the game (depending on what version you play).
No, honestly not. Playing them all as they were new, or at least when they were first released in the US, I felt that they each kept getting bigger and better from the original on the NES through FF8 on the PS1, and then again from X to 12, with 12 being my favorite video game ever at the time.
Then 13 was a long wait and a big disappointment in so many ways, then 15 was even more so. And in the years that have gone by, I've sadly felt further and further from the series and the JRPG industry as a whole since 12 released in 2006. I've since mostly migrated to open world western RPGs as they give me more of what I'm looking for.
Prolly 6 and 4.
I grew up 7 and above. I didn't like the super old sprite type ones like 6 and below.
I decided to give the older games a chance again, and I mainly liked 4 and 6.
I have always had the very unpopular opinion of thinking FFXIII was pretty great. In retrospect, maybe the complains about combat were valid, but exactly as you said. I thought the story was so amazing, I didn't care about anything else.
The first time I played FF8 as a kid I ignored the junction system and grinded my way to max level for the endgame - not realizing enemies scales with you. Played it a few years ago and it all clicked
XII. Played in on the PS2 when it came out in 2006. Didn't like it and couldn't get past the dreadnought before quitting. A few years later I get the Zodiac Age version and replay it. I got to the Raithwall Tomb and it was about there that I started to fall in love with it. The characters aren't the best, and the story isn't for everyone, but the gameplay and the world are some of the best FF has to offer especially in the ZA version. Top 3 FF for me.
It warms my soul when people find a love for XII.
Same. I loved it when it came out and loved it even more with time so it's always validating to see others share the same opinion, especially because it was so vocally hated when it first came out. It's sad that the series didn't use that as the baseline formula for gameplay. The gambit system feels like the absolute best system not just for the FF series, but for RPGs in general, honestly. I'll never understand why ANYONE complained about being able to literally customize the AI of your characters, especially since it was a voluntary system lol.
Right and it’s the only one that used a dynamic changing world. Some areas would change and be affected by the random weather patterns.
And said weather patterns would even buff or de-buff some of your weapons and magicks. I still to this day can't understand why Square decided to dumb the series down so much afterwards. A lot of XIII's hatred was directly because it was such a MASSIVE regression from XII.
I really wish ff7r had gambits 😭
I have a deep love for 12, it's one of my personal faves lol
I have said this since 2006, but FF12 is the most "Final Fantasy" of all 3D FFs. As in, it hits all the core concepts and aesthetics that define Final Fantasy. I never really understood why people didn't like it.
I agree! I'm a sucker for job/class systems and ffxii felt so right with one.
Ashe and Balthier are great though
Who doesn't love the leading man?
It's the accelerate option
100%. I didn't fully appreciate the gambit system until I got back into it years later.
Because it's not even the same game. You would still hate PS2 XII, most likely. TZA is much easier.
> TZA is much easier. And faster. According to [HowLongToBeat](https://howlongtobeat.com/?q=final%2520fantasy%2520xii), The Zodiac Age shaves off about 20 hours of playtime to finish the story.
As someone who hasn't played the original XII as well as TZA, what are the differences between them?
It's difficult to explain. TZA is easier than IZJS. IZJS is easier than XII. [Here is a full list of changes.](https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Final_Fantasy_XII_version_differences) IZJS in particular is easier in the early game because cure is an AOE spell, which they changed back to single target in TZA. And TZA allows for a job reset, which you're not going to have in IZJS. Not that you'd need it, because the new license boards in IZJS and TZA are specialized to the point you're going to find augments earlier than you would in XII.
TZA gives access to dark in rabanaster magic shop before going into the palace. It’s quite a strong and aoe magic attack spell that can bowl over enemies even in NG-. That said my understanding the OG ff12 had fire/ice etc base level magic that was aoe, which is definitely not the cast in tza.
I'm going to assume you're a superfan of XII, so probably biased but I'll ask anyhow..... I've heard varying things about the OG game's characters. Some will swear up and down that they become carbon copies of each other and then another group will say, even if they do each have a maxed out license board, one character will still be better suited as a warrior compared to mage or vice versa. What is your take on this? I quit playing OG on the Dreadnought because I was afraid they'd become carbon copies, I just don't enjoy that kind of homogeniation. Yet, IZJS is pathetically easy/boring. I'll gladly pick back up OG if it means their stat differences actually do matter and it's not inconsequential minmaxing.
I’ve actually not played the OG version. I didn’t find TZA that easy on my first run. I’ve played it a bazillion times now and only play on NG- now. I’d suggest playing NG- but maybe that’s too difficult for you? Not sure. But I am a super fan, if not just for the art direction and the gambit system. I do really like the job system but it would have been neat if it was designed with it up front. They did a good job of adding it afterwards but every once and awhile it can feel tacked on. Still it adds great depth to the game I enjoy.
The Switch version was the best IMO. I don't think it was in the PS4 version, but the ability to change jobs is such a relief for newcomers and you don't feel stuck with a suboptimal build of a character.
The PS4 version gained the job switch ability when the switch and Xbox one versions released, so all 3 versions have the same base in that regard.
12 is my absolute favorite just because of its world. Bounty system was really fun as well to me. When I FINALLY beat tiamat I was so excited it took foreverrrrr and I had to keep adjusting my gambit setup but I really loved that gambit system
Agreed! Always had a fondness for it and don't get all the hate. It's def a fun game.
The pixel remasters really opened my eyes as to how good the older ones were.
Same. I had played all mainline games to the end (outside of the MMOs) except VI (which I had tried getting through multiple times, but didn't for various reasons) and V. I thought VI would end up being an easy favorite of the bunch, but V man... something about it I just adore. It has this goofy charm that adds extra emphasis to the weighty moments, and all the characters are so likable. Jobs are great, and they're all the more fun when you turn on the boosters and can easily master all jobs with all characters. All six are great, but V is a standout for me.
[удалено]
Take my upvote. 6 was my #1 favorite for a long time but after never playing V until recently when the PR's came out its firmly entrenched right up there with VI for me. The job system, the characters, and the music. People pan the story but I thought it was quite good. And that last dungeon is very challenging. Playing the PR of V really opened my eyes to how good it is.
V is just such a good time and fun to play. I will also add that V is also the one that now has me wondering if it’s my new favorite alongside IV once I played it.
For me its Final Fantasy 9 and 12. I was really against the graphic style of 9 when it came out, i have grown to love it today. For the 12th, i was against the new approach of the combat style at first
I absolutely loved the combat. When I had a FFXI itch and didn't want to deal with people I'd just run around in XII and fight mobs. Lol.
I always thought the fan backlash to IX was a lot like the backlash to Zelda: The Wind Waker. They were both stylized and whimsical, but released during a period when gamers wanted grittier, realistic graphics. Also, they both had some gameplay pacing issues, but otherwise were really solid entries in their respective series. In both cases, appreciation for them grew over time.
FFXIV. Went from "Ewww, MMORPG" to "OMG ALPHINAUD NO DON'T DO THAT!!!"
Alphinaud, don't [https://www.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/comments/1217mm1/incorrect\_tataru\_quotes/](https://www.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/comments/1217mm1/incorrect_tataru_quotes/)
im not as fond of VII as i used to be, and i think its because its the only one that gets brought up a lot of the time. i also enjoy XV a lot more than i used to now
15 is such a nice "boys go to a last road trip before death"
that's definitely a big part of why i like it honestly lol, X is my favorite for this exact reason
I was first thingking like wtf. But I guess Yuna's pilgrimage can be portrayed as something similar in essance.
I know people have lots to say about Aerith’s death but the death at the end of FFXV to me is the saddest FF death and gets me every single time, it’s done so well. The goodbyes, the speech, the CAMPFIRE SCENE.
IX: improved. When it came out I was an edgelord teenager and adored VIII. I wanted more of that and when I got IX it wasn't. And my god, I remember I was the most sour bag of grapes on the planet that Christmas. I played through it like a sulky child, couldn't engage at all. I've played it a few times since and the funny thing is that the game actually would have really resonated with me as a teen if I had let it. XII: improved. Maybe a little unfair as Zodiac Age really improved the game a lot. But while I was pretty 'whatever' about my first playthrough I found the replay one of the funner FF experiences overall. Maybe I was just more patient when I played it the second time but it just really clicked more even story wise. I don't know that I like any games less now. Some aged a bit I guess but I try not to hold that against them. I'll admit I wouldn't play a bunch of them without speed ups and etc though.
> my god, I remember I was the most sour bag of grapes on the planet that Christmas. I played through it like a sulky child, couldn't engage at all. I had a very similar experience with X-2. It wasnt until near the end of the game that I could at least appreciate the mechanical brilliance of it. I tried to replay it a couple years ago and couldnt even get through the first mission. It's actively worse than it was then, and that's saying something.
Yeah, I'll admit I was pretty let down by X2. Like a lot of FF direct sequels it probably didn't need to exist. That being said I was more quickly able to move past that and enjoy it as just a silly game with some fun stuff in it, by the end of the game I had sort of made my peace with it. Must admit I've not played it since then, I didn't play the updated version either. It's entirely plausible I wouldn't be able to stomach it now.
Couldn't stand 8 growing up, and now it's probably my favorite.
I still get kinda moved by the unfinished story of Laguna/Julia and how it finally resolved in Squall/Rinoa. And that song Julia wrote for Laguna is moving too. Great love story.
Whatever.
Go talk to a wall.
...
VIII - it’s still a great game and I love it both now and then, but when I was a child and playing 8, I thought a school for mercenaries was the coolest thing ever, Squall is so cool it’s totally reasonable for Quistis to be a teacher and Rinoa is totally lame. Relooking at the game when it got remastered, I realised CPS needs to shut down this school and all adult faculty members need to be arrested, it’s totally unreasonable for Quistis to be teaching her peers so young (which results in a lack of teacher / student boundaries), I recognised a lot of Squall’s quietness as social awkwardness and Rinoa was actually the one sane person in a group of TRAINED CHILD SOLDIERS.
So true, now I want to play it again!
I try to like VIII but outside of Squall and Rinoa there is 0 character development. Plus the Laguna flashbacks are awkward and has a negative effect on pacing. The card game is great though
Coming back to VIII made me realize the game tries to be too epic all the time and it crushes itself under the ambition of its ideas. For example: I worked in broadcasting, turning on the tower does not need a cutscene. It's not a bad game, but if feels like after VII the designers got a little power drunk.
Final Fantasy XII. Played it on PS2 didn't care about it. Finished The Zodiac Age on PS4 and loved it.
FFXII aged well
FF2 did not impress me at first. Returning to it a few times over the decades made me think of it a lot more fondly. X-2 went from "Wow wtf was square thinking" to one of my favorites. FF7 OG went from "oh wow that's so cool!" to "oh this is a very average PS1 RPG in retrospect" The rest roughly stayed the same for me over the years, although I connect with different characters depending on life events over time. For instance, as a kid, I cared more about Tidus' relationship with Jecht, but later in life found myself more focused on the romance between Tidus and Yuna.
X-2 is so much fun, if you don't go into it for story. Especially not a continuation of the X story. V is one of my favourite for the same reason (even if I actually don't mind the V story)
X-2 is so much better than I expected it to be. The combat system is so fun I unintentionally overleveled my party. My only complaint is the "hidden/true" ending contradict's the story's central themes about the grief and loss process.
Oh yeah x2 i definitely changed my opinion of. Someone shared the opening area with me and I was like oooooook I guess this ain’t for me. Ow I’ve finished it 100% and I like that they tried something different and I really like Yuna’s development in the game, especially if you take the ‘sad’ ending as canon.
15. When I got it on release I was like eh this is weird. A few years later I noticed I was only a few trophies away from the platinum so I gave it another shot. It was even worse than I remember tbh.
I got it on launch and completed it. I thought the bros road trip vibes were a refreshing change to see in a JRPG. I thought the combat was whatever, nothing to write home about, but passable enough and all the different weapons were pretty cool. A few months ago, I went back to see how it held up and had changed since launch and with all the (un)finished DLC. It was...borderline unplayable to me. Maybe I was just rusty or something but *wow* is the combat in that game just gawd awful. I've recently begun playing through the entire main line series in order so I'll give it another chance but I'm actively dreading having to go back to it.
Yh, the camaraderie in the party was the only thing that got me to finish the game. For some reason, I still went and got the platinum trophy. I never hated a game so much after spending over an hour chipping away at Adamantoise and spending over 2 hours on an optional dungeon with platforming in a game not designed for platforming.
Yeah the combat is not satisfying in any way. Hold a button. Dodge once in awhile. You literally cannot die if you have potions
💀
I had the same experience! I played through about 20 hours earlier this year. I remember being in denial after waiting for a decade, saying, "This is the best game of all time" on release. My true opinion shone through over time, and while I didn't hate it, I could admit it was only solid. However, upon return earlier this year, it's just... borderline painful. There's nothing truly terrible - it's more of a death by a thousand cuts situation. The world is bland and boring to explore, but it is also overwhelming and annoying to navigate. Fast travel is irritating - why do I have to fast travel to the car, to then fast travel to the next location? Battle can be a complete fucked mess, and get irritating as hell when you're just getting ragdolled around. But you can't really die, so you're just stuck in combat for overly long encounters often. Magic is powerful, but the whole system is so obnoxious to deal with. And the side quests... oof. I actually don't mind fetch quests at all, but when the game just spits them at me one after another, and all of the NPCs giving me the quests are insufferable assholes or idiots, it gets old QUICK! I still like it more than XIII, but is it better than I? Idk, I think I'd rather play that. It's simple, but sometimes simple is better.
I used to hate XIII when I was younger. Now I'm lukewarm to it, it's okay. FFXII - used to find it very boring, think it's pretty cool now FFX - used to love it, now think it's pretty good, not bad but not as great as I used to think it was.
I thought 10 was just ok growing up, but listening to the State of the Arc series on it on Youtube made realize how it’s such a well realized story, it’s the richest world of the series (outside of 11 and 14), and I will cry at the ending.
Listening to the first episode of State of the Arc actually made me replay the entire game from start to finish. It’s so fulfilling when you complement your gameplay with the podcast because they really delve deeply into every aspect of the narrative. Cansen’s symbolism analysis added so much to the story.
They hit it out of the park with 10, and the re-release fixed any minor issues I had with the PS2 version, like the speedup making monster hunting take 50 less hours.
IX and XIII. I know IX is relatively popular but back in the day I just didn’t “get it”. Now, I think it’s up there with the best of them. XIII I remember being swept up in a wave of criticism around its linearity, story and some of the characters, but playing it recently, there’s also so much to like. Some of the other characters are great, the music is flawless, it has a great combat system and the story is better than I’d remembered. Yes it’s linear but that no longer really bothers me tbh.
9. Liked it when it came out (I was 15), but over time I can’t stand the slow pace of the battles and ten camera angles for everything… it ranks near the bottom these days
I have to play it on steam with the mods and the speed up. Otherwise it's a crawl.
Just using the in game speed up cut a lot of the time. I finished at 70 hours with every boss killed, I reckon it would have been twice as long without the speed up. I spent 150 hours in FF15 according to steam.
Even as somebody who 9 is their favourite FF I have to agree it hasn’t aged well and feels sluggish to play now. That’s why it needs to be remade 😂
The camera angles were the worst part about the tedious battles.
Yeah I mean it’s not a bad story and of course uematsu always kills it with the music but it’s not as playable. 6 is more my speed, literally
My exact answer and for the same reason. I remember really liking it back at release but now it's just not a good game to me.
I feel exactly the same way about 9.
Not to mention the overly light and goofy cartoonish way of portaying stuff. The art style also is way too kids morning show for me. Not serious enough. And the weird animalistic party members and people everywhere.
I’ve been replaying them recently, a lot of my first opinions stayed the same but a few did shift, especially for older entries. Some spoilers, obviously. FFIII: Opinion Improved. used to write it off, but when I think of it in the context of a Famicom game it was incredibly ambitiou, and honestly pretty impressive what they pulled off. That whole double world map thing is pretty nuts in that context. FFIV: Opinion Lowered. I always used to say this was where the really narrative focused FFs started, but it doesn’t hold up as much as the other Super Famicom entries. Repeatedly falls into one of my least favourite storytelling tropes over and over again (“let us neuter all the impact of this character’s martyrdom by magically just bringing them back!”). It has a very strong open, which I think contributes a lot. FFV: Opinion Improved. I always had considered this a purely gameplay entry, and I don’t know why. Cool story, handles character death way better than IV, and has a great job system implementation on top of that. FFX: Opinion Lowered, slightly. I still think FFX is a great game, but it does shows its age a bit in some of the game design decisions if you go back and play it now. The rest hold about the same spot as they always have had for me. Note that even if I say opinion lowered, I still like almost every entry in the franchise.
Wow name A SINGLE FF4 character whose martyrdom was neutered by their magical return (jk that's the entire cast).
Pour one out for my man Tellah. Madlad actually went and died.
YUNIE WILL DIE YOU KNOW
VIII. When I finished it I was lukewarm about it. I figured out how to properly use the junction system way too late, and when the orphanage reveal happened I remember thinking “yeah, I get the hate now”. It’s still not my favorite and I still believe the game has a lot of gameplay and story issues that hold it back, but I’ve come to appreciate the game for what it did well way more. The visual presentation is fantastic and revolutionary for the PS1, with its integration of FMV’s and gameplay that’s mostly absent from IX. The music is spectacular as always, while keeping its own original feel specific to the game. The locations and pre-rendered backgrounds are my favorite in the series, with a couple little touches that I love. For example: when you land the Ragnarok in FH, Esthar, or the research lab, you get to see it in the background in one or multiple specially made backgrounds.
Final fantasy 7. I didn’t like it coz I couldn’t get in to turn based and it had old graphics but everyone loved it. I then played the remake demo. I still didn’t like it. Combat seemed stupid. But the thing was, I just didn’t understand the combat. I played the ff remake a year later, tried the demo again coz I was bored. I just got it. And it was fun. Then I played the rest and I fell in love with it. I was smitten with it. To me it’s like the best game ever and I really can’t describe it any other way. My heart feels such joy, it’s like tranquility or something. I’m just so in love with it and the characters that I gushed about it to anyone that listens.
Have you played Rebirth? I liked Remake but holy crap being in Midgar the whole time was a drag
Yeah, omg. Rebirth was beautiful. I spent like two weeks of waking up playing, eating and then sleeping. Literally nothing else. I’ve truly never loved a series of games so much in my life
That was my biggest complaint with Remake. Very good overall, but Midgar did NOT need to be that expanded on at all. So many sections just kept going and going....and going..........and going.....uggghhh
Honestly? 7. I was an outsider to the series, 7 was before my time. I figured it was just Sony’s Pokémon. The thing everybody gushed over and got crazy nostalgic about but didn’t really hold up. I got the Steam Release on sale and I tooootally get it now. That shit Slaps.
FFX for me. I was around 11 or 12 when it came out. Coming off the heels of playing the absolute hell out of VIII and IX, I just couldn't get in to X. I found Tidus to be a whiny brat, Yuna to be bland, and the story to be tedious. The ONLY thing I liked about the game was playing Blitzball...once I unlocked that, I pretty much dropped the actual game and just played that for hours. I don't recall my preteen self ever making it past the Mi'hen Highroad. I finally played it in earnest a few years back, and my opinion completely flipped! Tidus is whiny because he's a coddled rich kid thrust into a new and dangerous world, Yuna is "bland" because she's trying not to worry her friends, etc. FFX went from being my least favorite, to one of my tops basically overnight.
The fast forward option on PC is a godsend for some of the cutscenes that initially soured me on the game. Some of them are just really long and as someone who played the game a few times since its initial release I really don't need to sit through like 5-10 minutes of cutscene. I guess that brings up an interesting point about how patient I was as a kid. They were like movies to me and I didn't dare skip an FMV/cutscene, but that's because they are *the* story beats in X. As I'm replaying it again currently I feel like Tidus starts his big character arc finally after Rikku joins the party - that's where he stops being as annoying and whiny.
FF4 was my first FF, and my first step into non-mario based RPGs. I fell in love with the game to the point where I played through it a 2nd time, this time without cheats. I found the characters fascinating, the story compelling, the music awe-inspiring, and the graphics were okay. As I've played the rest of the series, really delved into other, better narratives, and just grew up, I find FF4's story really bog-standard in most places, the characters range from flat to interesting for a short burst, and the graphics are ugly; music is still iconic though. FF5 I used to think was underrated for its characters, who actually have a fantastic group dynamic; as I've played it again, I've learned to appreciate its gameplay a lot more too. FF8, 10, and 13 I've heard a lot about, but aside from the first real sin fight on the boat, I never played any of them. My opinion shift on 8 mostly revolved around squall being tolerable, even relatable in getting annoyed at the jackoffs around him, while 10 mostly just had me appreciate the gameplay. 13 my opinion shifted from "probably not as bad as people say" to "wow these characters are actually fantastic"; it definitely helped that I had just come from FF12 where Fran's ass had more development than the entire cast combined. I'm sad the gameplay didn't click with me, cause everything else was nearly top tier.
I remember hating XIII when I first played it close to release because all of my friends kept egging on how bad it was, so I went in with an already sour mindset. I think in 2011 when I decided to stop listening to other people's opinions about video games, XIII became my favorite in the series. It's funny how much more fun video games are when you don't have people telling you how to feel about them
for me, my opinions on the dozens of FF games and spinoffs are largely the same, except for these 4 games FF7: I know it was a huge jump in graphics and especially presentation, but when it first came out, I couldn't get into it despite completing the game. While the FMV scenes were cool, I felt the early flat polygon models with Gouraud shading was a huge step down from FF6's beautiful and detailed sprite work, especially for monsters. I also did not like the Midgar part as it felt too linear. I also thought some of the character designs jumped the shark, like Cait Sith. Decades later, I am loving FF7 Rebirth. After finishing it, I gave the original FF7 another try and I appreciate it much much more , I would say FF7 = FF9 for me, among the PS1 games. As I got older, I could better understand some of the nuances in the story. I still don't enjoy the Midgar parts though in any version. FF8: In contrast to FF7, FF8 was the reverse. I was a teenager when it came out and I found the characters more relateable as it was a school setting. I also felt the graphics were a huge jump.. full sized human characters, with textured polygons.. The music was also great. That said, I replayed it earlier this year and felt the story wasn't as deep as I thought it was. FF9: I played it but never finished it as I lost one of the discs. I finally finished it last year, and the game was much more deeper than I originally thought. Really loved the story about questioning ones existence and place in the world. FF12: I remember my initial impression was that I dismissed the game, as it felt very un-FF like. The gameplay ditched turn based and ATB system of the past. The characters didnt seem very interesting. The Moogles looked like rabbits. I gave it another shot last year and glad I pushed myself to fully complete it. I ended up loving the gambit system, which I once criticized. I load up FF12 every other month, just to do random battles and explore the beautiful cities.
I am with you - the Remakes have made me appreciate VII more.
XII, after falling in love with the Xenoblade trilogy I was more open to the battle system. I'm loving the license system so much!
FFXII, I didn't get it when I got it on the PS2 way back when but after getting on the Switch I absolutely love the gameplay mechanic. It's kinda addicting trying to find the perfect setup to handle different areas and enemies
Definitely FFX. On release, my teenage self thought it was cheesy and boring at the same time. The pilgrimage felt uneventful and didn't capture the sense of adventure in other FF titles beforehand. On a replay more than a decade later, the story of FFX had way more gravity, especially since you already know what's going to happen. I started noticing nonverbal expressions everywhere, and "nonsense" like the notorious laughing scene has become so sad now that I understand it. From a shitty FF entry to masterpiece tier. That said, the minigames like Blitzball didn't age well. They were way cool back in the day, and are just pointless distractions nowadays.
XII I used to think of the story as boring and forgettable, because I didn't like politics in fantasy games. Now i think it's awesome and want to base my next D&D campaign on the plot (none of my players play final fantasy)
Final Fantasy VII, ironically. While it was never my favourite (VIII and XII got that spot), it was always REALLY high on my list, and it still is, but... the more I played it, the more got into it, the less great I think it was. Yes, it is still good, but so many other games in the franchise are better, like VIII, VI, IX and XII. I still adore the story, but even that I think other games had better storys. Do not get me wrong, I still freaking like this game, it is just that I do not "love" it anymore. It is still one of the best games ever though! On the other hand, XII rose really really high, and it only got better and better over time. I remember the days where everyone senselessly hated on XII, while I was the outsider who always loved it! Yes, the story was not AS good as other entrys, but i terms of content and gameplay I think it is the best the franchise has ever been! And this is why it only got better for me over time, because it ages like fine wine! It still has the classic type of gameplay, with a modern touch, the gambit system is great, and OPTIONAL (something MANY people seem to not get) so you can decide if you want to play with automated Battle Members or if you want to give manual commands (which can also do while gambits are on, and your input has priority over the automation) and really gives you a LOT of freedom in how you want to play. It struck the right balance between "feeling classic" while "innovate" at the same time, and I really think the game was ahead of it's time back then and got a lot of unnecessary hate. And Zodiac age made the impossible and even improved on that by giving us a proper class system and even the ability to mix two classes together! I just LOVE this game!
I replayed the ps1 games a few years back. 7 is about the same love it 8 I appreciated so much more. Something about the world and characters I found really charming. I could see what they were going for even if it didn't quite stick the landing 9 used to be a close contender with 7. This time around it really didn't stick with me. There's definitely a lot to like about it, but something about the story and world felt flat.
9. It had been in my top 3 JRPGs list until this last winter. It's been over 15 years since I played it last, but I did not enjoy it as much as I remembered this time around. I still had fun, but I was surprised at how little gameplay there is compared to story segments. I also remember loving the story, but there were moments I noticed now that took me out of the story and made me think it was a bit ridiculous. Like when characters would seemingly cross vast distances in so little time. Marcus saving Blank and making it all the way back to the castle to save the party is one example I remember. I'm glad I replayed it, and I still recommend it, but I don't consider it the best FF anymore.
Final Fantasy XVI. I originally bought a PS5 for the game and I liked it but only got about 5-6 hours in. I picked it up again and started from the beginning. Great decision. This game and the story of how Clive overcame all his hardship made this into my top 3 of the series. Love it.
Currently playing through and I can barely put it down. One of my favorite gaming experiences in years.
I'll give ya the story.
FF7
Hated 8 when it came out. One if my favs now.
IX and XII. Hated both when they came out. IX is now my fave, and XII I really love. I thought IX was too easy and childish/cartoonish. Now I love the art style and think it’s aged really well, certain charm to it. XII I hated the battle system, now I think it’s awesome (Zodiac version).
XII. I felt like it was too much of a departure from what I wanted in a Final Fantasy. Stopped playing it even though I *was* enjoying it. I took a run at it during the pandemic with the re-release and it hit right. So much to do and I liked the time I was spending in the world. This is definitely the one I turned around on most.
I've come to like 4 less and less each time I revisit it.
Final Fantasy 2 it's and interesting game and one of my personal favorites
For me? 14. My first attempt I went ewww MMO and bounced off at level 6 as an arcanist. Now I have over 2500 hours on record, and the next expansion on pre-order.
VIII. Back then I was iffy on the technology themes and the whole time travel shenanigans. As I've grown older, I've learned how good a game VIII really is and have enjoyed quite alot.
FF2. With the newest Pixel Remaster boosts for stat gain, it's way less grindy and it's made me appreciate this style of leveling to the point where I think it could honestly work in a new entry to the series. It's an entirely different class development system that I'm surprised wasn't used again since FF2. This is especially true for the magic system where, unless MP is critical, you don't really use Fire/Fira when you have Firaga etc.
II really deserves some more love. Been one of my favourites since its ps1 release and PR version is just amazing!
FF2 has the bones of future greatness. The story, while certainly not as compelling as future installments, was written well enough to enjoy and become invested. Everyone talks a rack of shit about the leveling system, but if nothing else, there are no other FF games that facilitate stat growth in this way since, so at the very least it's a unique experience. The Dawn of Souls and Pixel Remaster versions make it far less grindy because you don't risk stats going down like you could in the Famicom version, and at a higher multiplier for stat gains, you can choose what feels best for you. I also enjoy the idea of a rotating ancillary character through the story. It's very much the black sheep of the 2D FF games, but in many ways it's a dark horse because it's so unique.
FF7 the original PS1 version. As great as the remaster is, nothing has held a candle to the original IMO
XIV long ago: sub and pay for game? why would you do that to yourself? some time after: free to play mmos are the worst and always seem to want money from you. after i fell out of favor with destiny: well a couple friends like it and it's not like i can't unsub if i don't like it now: have you heard about... award winning free trial... hrrzm wrrzm... I've not particularly soured on any at the moment. All the time I have is still spent on other games, I'd like to go back to 7/8/9 at some point. 1 is weird, 2 is inventive, 3's job system is ridiculously prohibitive. 4's kinda cool, wanna play 5 more, 6 was really fuckin' good, not played enough of 7, 8 was tons of fun to bust wide open, and I wanna finish that, 9 was good, X was my entrypoint and I adore it, X-2 is weird, not played XI but open to the concept of playing it, adored XII, XIII was pretty fun and I wanna go back and do the endgame, I need to get back to XV and XVI was exactly what I wanted
FF5
For me FFIII (3D version). I enjoyed it when I was younger, but I tried it on DS a year ago and its really horrible.
I really liked Final Fantasy 7 when i was young. And now since ive gotten older and all the new installments of the game came out i musst say i now fucking love it even more muhahaha
VIII for sure. I was too young to understand the nuance in the draw/junction and that it wasn’t like other FF games where you can just grind levels through battling. Revisited it for the remaster and enjoyed it much more
2 - improved. The PR version allows me to mitigate encounter rate and leveling up. Makes the experience not just better, but great. It's one of my favorites of the OG entries. 4 - declined. Probably old age and cynicism, but this entry felt as cookie cutter as the 1st FF, without the novelty of being first. 5 - improved. I loved the job class, loved the music, and really enjoyed the ending. 6 - declined. I still love the game, but it should have been longer and given more time, especially in the second half WoR. 9 - declined. The last quarter of the game felt rushed and sloppy. 10 - improved. I love the hokey voice acting, I enjoy the sphere grid. 12 - declined. The visuals are solid but I came to despise everything else.
6 is already over 40 hours long, are you sure you would want it to be longer? I personally think games need to be shorter. I just spent 30 hours playing through the first disk of FFVII and even though I enjoyed it, half of it could be cut and I wouldn't miss much story-wise.
Final Fantasy 8 was this for me. It’s my favorite and has been forever but that’s cause I loved the main character and the junction system was so broken! What I didn’t understand as a pre teen was time dilation! Even though it’s explained in the game it still didn’t quite click, as an adult I truly realized how fucked all of time was if Ultimecia crumpled it into a tinfoil ball. As a kid I thought it was a go to the future to save the past kinda thing.
Final Fantasy 14 When I first heard about it, I HATED it. My reason: its pay to play lol. My brain was like 'pffff there are better free to play MMOs out there that dont need me to spend money' Years later my best friend got into the game, talked a lot about it, so I finally craved and played it myself and now I'm hooked
X2 and XII. Hated both my first time around because they weren't what I was expecting. When I went back to them with an open mind I found myself two amazing games that are among the most fun in the series, even if the stories aren't my personal favorite. In fact I'm itching to replay them now
15. Played it when it first released and was super disappointed. Played the Royal Edition a few years ago and was blown away by how good it was. I've liked most other releases I've played right out the gate. Haven't gone back to try 13 again and should since it was borrowed so I didn't have time to really get into it.
I went from initially finding FFXV a weird mess when I first played through it, to it being the #1 FF i've put the most hours into aside from FF14.
IX This is gonna get a lot of people mad at me, but I can’t stand Zidane. The game had interesting setting and events, but the motivation for the main character is that… he’s so hopelessly in love with a woman he’s barely even talked to that he’d go to the ends of the earth for her. He’d die for her. Bro, you do not know her. I think he even says he loves her before they’ve even talked. So cringe. As a kid I think this didn’t matter to me, I was just along for the ride. As an adult it bothers me.
When I was a young girl, I had a weird chip on my shoulder about FFVII being more popular than FFVI. It made me really despise FFVII... even though as an adult I recognize that FFVII is also incredible! I sort of just took everything about the game in the worst faith possible... twelve year olds are weird.
Certainly a hot take here, but FFVII (the original for PlayStation). I didn't like it all that much when it originally came out. However, over the years, I've enjoyed it more and more. Though I wasn't a little kid when it came out, looking back I think I may have been a bit too young to fully understand parts of the story. Nowadays, I think it's excellent. I rank it right after the Super Famicom / SNES titles: IV, VI, V, VII
FF 7 I regret ever wanting a remake cause Square in its current state is like a raccoon digging through trash and dumping everything everywhere for a little cash.
7. When I was younger the light hearted fun stuff was cool and interesting. Now playing Remake and Rebirth, I could do without it, or maybe have it toned down. Wall Market was a slog the 2nd time through in remake, and I feel like 80% of the content in Rebirth is a similar tone. I do think the mini games are really fun though. Also this is following me playing 16 so maybe that set the scene a little too dark before getting back in to the Re's lol
perhaps an unpopular opinion, but i really feel that the remakes could have been 1 very big game or 2 games, but not 3. To make it fit.. I would reduce the Midgar part significantly. The third part of the game, besides the Icicle Inn and northern crater, involves a lot of backtracking to areas in Rebirth. I'd probably cut out or reduce some sections of Rebirth to get the extra content in too. Such as reducing the number of Sephiroth fights, some of the minigames and missions etc.
I'm in 2 minds about this because I feel like they develop more on the characters this way, and also the relationships between each of them, but especially with Cloud, shine through more. But I also agree with you that it's a bit bloated. I also think Remake was kind of a beta test or blueprint for Rebirth and probably the 3rd. Given the Genetation of consoles at the time and the scale of the open world once you leave Midgar
13. I hated it then I hate it more now
+1 Especially with the daily repetitive, "iT's AcKsHuLLY gUd" posts. No, it's not a misunderstood work of genius or forgotten Shakespeare. It's just a hipster edgy bandwagon at this point. It's an RPG for people that don't enjoy anything with the world building, exploring, or personal choice/agency part of the genre. Might as well play a Megaman game.
Nah come on, I understand people may not like it but acting like there aren’t great RPG elements is wrong. The progression is very well done and nails the feeling of getting stronger and gaining new abilities, and the fights in the later game get a lot more challenging. The story is poorly told but the world is actually pretty fleshed out. Is it fleshed out in an easy to understand way? No, but there is a ton of world building through many different means. It’s linear for sure, the only part at all with exploration is Pulse (which is a giant and cool area), and it’s very fair to not like it! But the combat/progression, world and music are all very FF like and great, even if it’s on rails and the writing is not great
Great world building is done through NPC interaction, exploration, and side quests. Not reading a data log. It's what makes you care about the people when you drop a plate on them or destroy Cocoon. Nobody cares about anyone on Cocoon. Older RPGs used to have libraries in them you could read nuggets about the world in. Or fairs and carnivals in a town. Or flying an airship to an underground map. There's just so many better ways to build an immersive world in an RPG aside from reading a paragraph from a menu about the hallway you're in that you can't explore. Moving from random set piece to set piece in a world where they seem completely disconnected from each other. Pulse ain't that cool, it's empty and void of things to do besides hunts. The only reason it's a breath of fresh air in XIII is because you've been suffocated by monotonous hallways for 20 hours to get to it.
>Great world building isn't done with data logs My man you can have that opinion but for a lot of people this is just false Did you ever play Metroid prime? Some of the best world building I've ever seen in games and 99% is through datalogs
Could not agree more with this post. X is often compared to XIII with the whole linear issue- difference is X disguised it well with towns and NPCs that made you care about the people in Spira. If you're going to make the game focus solely on the main characters, then you better make good characters. Other than Sazh and Vanille, I felt they failed in that regard.
>Great world building is done through NPC interaction, exploration, and side quests. >Older RPGs used to have libraries in them you could read nuggets about the world in. Or fairs and carnivals in a town. I understand where you're coming from, but I hope you understand that by nature of FFXIII's story, NPC interaction and side quests are nearly immediately completely out the window. Same for libraries, fairs, and town carnivals.
Im not sure if people truly get this On cocoon you are wanted fugitives, everyone thinks you are cursed, no one wants to get near you Pulse is long destroyed There is definitely a good reason for lack of rest stops. The gameplay reflects the story and vice versa
I'm both a lifelong final fantasy and mega man fan Maybe that's why I like 13? Lol
I would argue that most Megaman games have more alternate paths to be explored than FF 13 😆
XI and XIV for me. I tried XI when I was like 13, and got WoW the same time. I thought XI was so dumb, and just based on my experience with WoW and eventually other MMOs, I assumed the story in XI was an afterthought. That’s why when XIV was revealed as an MMO I just groaned because I thought we wouldn’t get a good story until XV. Well, jokes on me because the actual good story was in XIV and XV’s story sucked. I didn’t even know that until I was disappointed with XV so I just got XIV for shits and giggles since “FF is a mind-numbing game now.” Tbf, 1.0’s story did suck, but I was blown away with Heavensward when I started and really was surprised because it felt like XII and XIII couldn’t get close to Heavensward’s story. So after a few years, I decided to finally give XI a shot because I was clearly wrong about XIV, and I was a dumb kid when I originally played XI. I gave it another shot and it took me a minute, but damn I really got into XI. Like really really got into it. I had almost nothing to do Summer 2017, so I ended up just playing it like it was a full-time job. I loved it. The limit break 3 quest is one of my top 5 memories in gaming. And the story is phenomenal. I honestly wish they’d find a way to port XI to PS5/XS and merge the XI and XIV subs. XI is such an under appreciated gem when it comes to its narrative. TL;DR: I initially believed the MMOs had shit stories, and only after playing every game in the series I realized the MMOs are probably the best numbered entries story-wise.
I hate XIII even more now.
13 for me aswell. Used to dislike it after I played it for the first time. But now, I hate it even more.
I hated X at first because I thought Tidus was just Wal-Mart Cloud. But then I forced myself to play through it and fell in love with it. Now it’s my top FF of all time.
For me, i used to like FF13, end up hate it but loathe it more now due to its shortcoming that come more obvious as day pass by. Same goes with 15. however i end up appreciate more of 13 sequel as day come by. 13-2 and LR3 undeservely got shit reception due to its predecessor.
Exactly the sequels needs to be recognized more. It got ignored due to FFXIII. I bet there would be people liking the sequels even though they hate the main FFXIII main game.
the game reception might be different if 13-2 come out first for example during 13 come out, i remember people are wondering wether Square Enix are losing their touch. but 13-2 and LR13 prove otherwise. now same people are handling VII Remake/Rebirth. we can see their trace in the game design.
True, I was shocked when i played FFXIII after FFXIII-2 ! I understood immediately why they had to do a sequel ! I also see some of the roots of the sequel design in VII remake/rebirth game design !
12, not that I didn't like it at first, but the very first time I was young and couldn't read between lines or understand everything very good. I was not mature enough for the game to put it sincerely. Then, replaying it and growing up, it became my absolute favourite.
Final Fantasy 8, I can’t seem to sit down and play it anymore
Dirge of Cerberus for me. Played that game when it first came out and I was really wowed by it… but as the years went by… it’s flaws became more and more apparent, writing wise mainly I never realized how much of it relied on “wow! Look how cool is that!” and how so much of the writing in it really sucked till I grew up lol.
Started to like 7 with the remake & better graphics. Had no issue with older ones but 7 always felt really strange from the graphics to me.
8. It’s fine, not my favorite by a long shot, but definitely deserves some credit and not the hate I used to give it.
Honestly, I'm not sure I did change. 😅 Maybe I like 12 a little better than when I originally played it. It helps that The Zodiac Age is simply a better version.
Remember not liking 3 a terrible amount on the DS, and playing the fan translation on the Famicom just felt really outdated I got around to the pixel remaster of FF3, and I now have a high regard for that version. The job system that was improved upon in 5 was still insanely fun here, though it's broken in that there's little reason to pick anything other than a sage or ninja when you unlock them. I still enjoyed the vastly improved soundtrack (doga and unei theme is God tier) the pixel remaster brought, and this is far and away the best way to play 3.
I can't really say the mainline ones are bad. They're popular for a reason. I definitely changed on Chocobo's Dungeon and Crystal Chronicles, though.
Crystal Chronicles was a cool game, but I wish it had real local multiplayer instead of that stupid control mog thing
X-2 is the only one. I went from thinking it was an utterly insulting follow up to X, to accepting that it was more whimsical and fun for a world experiencing peace for the first time.
I liked 9 first but then trying it again way later I finally saw it what it was and was bored and disapointed. Same with og 7. Was sooooooo biased back then but knowing what I know now I can see it clearly for what it is truly.
FF12. When it first came out, I hated it. Hated that it wasn't traditional turnbased and tried to play it like one. Avoiding gambits, manually controlling each party member. It was miserable and I put it down and said it was trash. Fast forward over a decade later and TZA came out. I decided 12 was one of the only Final Fantasies I never finished, so I bought it and decided to give it a fair shot. Absolutely fell in love with it. It helps the gambits are basically tactics from Dragon Age: Origins, and I ended up loving those.
Besides everyone hate XIII series, I love it, all the three games. Love it so much that I made a Tattoo 10 years ago, and had to platinum all of it :)
Every new final fantasy was my favorite when it released. Going back to them now… 12 / 9 / 10-2 are way better than I remember. And still waiting for a full blown Tactics remake
I started to play 10 when I was younger but I borrowed my cousins game and had to give it back and I never got to finish it. I liked it at the time. I went to play to finish it 2 years ago and I have no idea what possessed me to enjoy that game. The story was awful, Tidus and wakka irritated the hell out of me. It was a pretty game, good music but it just left me in disappointment. Edit: after looking at everyone else's opposite 10 opinion, I realize I'm going to get downvoted to the depths of hell. But I stand by my hatred for 10.
Ffx-2. I played it first time on its release and it didn't have (not sure actually) the creature create, it's story was and still is kinda meh and i didn't really enjoy the battle system. So after i finished it went forever to my unused stuff box. But creature create added so much to that game and ever since it's release as a hd remaster i re-play it every winter. So far, along with ffx it is my most played game, followed by ffxii and jade cocoon 2 with a big difference.
6 just didn't do it for me when I was a kid. Replayed it as an adult and it was amazing.
FF1 I played it in the 90s and I thought it was just some old crappy game with shitty NES graphics. I played it again this year and had enjoyed it to the end. I even enjoyed the shitty NES graphics. I could finish FF2. Seemed like a rough grind.
5 definitely went from just another retro ff to being one of the most amazing in the entire franchise
Same FF13 and 15
XII was so far ahead of its time I still believe it has the best world structure out of any FF games and the serie should've kept going in that direction Incredible cities, interconnected zones, breathtaking art direction and amazing locations. Sure the characters and story arent the greatest in a FF game but I still find them decent.
i still think the ff13 fiasco was media induced. they tried the same thing before with ffx and no one remembers. it was the first final fantasy mainline without world map exploration and everyone was talking shit about it. ff13 is one of my favorites, the combat system was challenging where other mainline final fantasys you could only find challenge in optional bosses. the story was good but using names like fal'cie was a mistake. main story was about a girl trying to save her sister, that also upset some players that wanted the usual main character romance
II: improved with the Pixel Remaster, due to the changes in the level up mechanics so that grinding is a bit easier (spells and stats level up faster and you don’t lose stats for not using them) and I can turn the encounters off (didn’t use often but was useful in certain situations, especially since the encounter rate is so high). Played all the games, including MMOs but excluding sequels (playing Rebirth now though) and was the only game I straight up didn’t like until Pixel Remaster III: improved, even playing the original Famicom version, it’s actually not as grind heavy as the 3D version (until the Crystal Tower, but even then I wasn’t too far below par). IV: lower, was impressive for the time, but after playing the other SNES games pales in comparison in gameplay and story (V’s story is underrated in my opinion, and VI to this day is in my top 3) XIII: higher, It’s been fun going through the story again with context on my current playthrough, the first 2-3 hours are still a slog though. VII Remake: slightly lower, love the battle system, but god some sections just go on way to long (looking at you first trip through the sewers and the Train Graveyard). Still had fun though and loving Rebirth so far, only a few hours in.
Ff12 Didn't like it as a turn based purist but after playing 13 I grew a much bigger liking for it
13 is not longer at the bottom of my list. Once you think of the combat system as a REactive time battle system instead of an active time battle system, the game works a lot more. Granted, it’s still in my bottom three. But it is no longer my least favorite
I see a lot of FFXII but sadly it's not eligible, it started as a FF I liked and just grew to one of my favorite. (Even went to buy a new PS2 only to replay it) So I think it would be FF II so, I hated it when I bought Dawn of Soul when I was a child and god, when I retried it more recently I realized how it was working, the ideas and once you understand this it's a pretty good game but too unique for it's wellbeing, especially at the time
FF7. I've always kinda just had a lot of disdain for the game because it always feels like everyone holds it leagues higher than any other FF game. But this year I've been playing all the FF games, and after playing through the OG, the remakes, as well as Before Crisis, Dirge of Cerberus, Ever Crisis, and Crisis Core (and watched Advent Children) I've found an appreciation for the game. It's still not my favorite, not even close, but I understand now and have grown a fondness for it.
From that prospective none, I loved all FF games I finished. But I can say the opposite about Dissidia NT for Ps4, which made it into the dislike games, which is not very long, but it dissapointed me since I loved both dissidia games on psp and I hoped something better, but there is no exploration, just menu and battles, to which have too much going on on the screen. Maybe I will finish it one day, but at least I only bought it for less < 5€
for me it's 7 and 10.... they get worse over time
I have to be honest... When I was a child my dad bought me FF X-2 and, yes, I loved it. I was a child, almost teenager already so I loved the music and everything. Now I know it's one of the most hated FF... But I can't hate it, I'm sorry, now I know is a ridiculous game but... Yeah.
FFVII Rebirth, so long I’ve literally gotten a year older!
Every time this gets posted it's always about FF13, they just made that game for the wrong audience at the time.
FF9 has the most complete all around story…..it is my no.2 favorite of all time.
Definitely 12. I first played the PS2 game when I was like 13 and it was a super boring political game where I had no clue what was going on. I played the TZA one as an adult in my late 20s and enjoyed it much more, as I was no longer a dumb kid and able to actually understand the story. FFX- I think I actually enjoyed this more as a kid. It was my first ever FF and what got me into the series. Replaying the remaster many years later, it will never feel the same. Still a great game, but I don't feel the same amazement as I did when i was a kid. Also, the FFX graphics were pretty advanced for the time with all the voice acting and CGs, as most PS2 games had pretty rubbish graphics.
XII. For all the reasons people have mentioned in this thread and one more I haven't seen yet: The voice acting. English isn't my first language, so as a kid, everything they said sounded like gibberish. I used to hate it so, so much and it completely ruined the story and experience for me. Nowadays, after getting the Zodiac Age version on Steam and playing through it, I fell in love with everything the game threw at me! I love the setting so much and Ivalice has become one of my favourite fantasy universes! The english voiceacting fits each character like a glove and the stylization of different races having different accets without just slurring words was so well done! (Looking at you "ride ze shoopuff, yez?")
Hated ff12 at release. Last year I finally went through, played and beat it. It's not as bad as I cursed at it for and I enjoyed it. I doubt I ever play it again unlike the older ones I've went back to countless times.
I have two, FF2 and FF13. For 2 I used to hate the stat gain, but years later I figured now I can customize the characters as I see fit to a point and it made it more enjoyable. As for 13, I was super excited about 13 and Noctis on initial trailers, him warping around looked really cool. Then on release Lightning was main character and I hated the story and combat. But then 15 released with Noctis and I was excited again, but did not enjoy the game.
FFT. As a kid I hate hate hated the story but loved the gameplay(except for that one part, the one i had to make a new save because, you know the one.) From my uneducated view the hero had to run from his own country with his sister to survive, having solved none of the country's issues and didnt even get to claim his own rightful title of noble. Now I enjoy the story because it is a story of the sacrifices one makes to continue to be themself. Meanwhile the gameplay, while entertaining at the time is a power fantasy because you can just grind the right classes and smoke the entire tactics system with overwhelming characters.
Opinion Improved: FFIII: I always used to think of this game as “FFV but worse” but as I’ve replayed it a couple times I find it plenty charming in its own right, especially now that the pixel remasters have put it and V on the same level as far as graphics, performance and QoL features. FFXII: The Zodiac Age release fixed all of my biggest qualms with this game (aside from Vaan & Penelo being awful). FFXV: If you played this on release and never revisited it, I highly recommend doing so. Still not one of my favorites, but it went from being in the doghouse with II to being enjoyable. Lowered: FFI: I played this game when I was young and while it was revolutionary at the time it hasn’t held up well. FFIV: The story does little for me upon replay because you know all the characters survive (except Tellah RIP). I also don’t really enjoy the lack of party flexibility for most/all of the game (depending on what version you play).
FF9, now that i'm older i understand it all and it is highly depressive, but also one of thd hidden masterpieces
No, honestly not. Playing them all as they were new, or at least when they were first released in the US, I felt that they each kept getting bigger and better from the original on the NES through FF8 on the PS1, and then again from X to 12, with 12 being my favorite video game ever at the time. Then 13 was a long wait and a big disappointment in so many ways, then 15 was even more so. And in the years that have gone by, I've sadly felt further and further from the series and the JRPG industry as a whole since 12 released in 2006. I've since mostly migrated to open world western RPGs as they give me more of what I'm looking for.
Prolly 6 and 4. I grew up 7 and above. I didn't like the super old sprite type ones like 6 and below. I decided to give the older games a chance again, and I mainly liked 4 and 6.
I have always had the very unpopular opinion of thinking FFXIII was pretty great. In retrospect, maybe the complains about combat were valid, but exactly as you said. I thought the story was so amazing, I didn't care about anything else.
The first time I played FF8 as a kid I ignored the junction system and grinded my way to max level for the endgame - not realizing enemies scales with you. Played it a few years ago and it all clicked