Best Final Fantasy poll !!

would agree with ff12 being best this century, but ff14 is really good in terms of story & characters. would love a traditional ff game set in the ff14 world (seems like ff16 will be very similar to this so kinda hyped for it)
considering a run through the early games, never played ff2 and only a bit of ff3 on the DS before.

wait, 14? The MMO?

ff14 is pretty fun, i put ~30 hours into it when it relaunched and had a good time. the MMO life is not for me but if it were that's the one i'd play (after OG EQ and ultima online).

yeh the MMO, I burnt out of the gameplay after a while but the writing is easily the best in a ff game imo

you've piqued my curiosity, but for my own good I stay away from MMOs

ff12 had great combat but the story, characters, and settings were almost impressively bland

yeah for me 12 fandom is a giving-in to "look just give me mechanics that don't waste my time quite so aggressively and i'll stop asking to be moved." the vestiges of FFT's universe that actually remain can be fun tho if you are a huge nerd, which like, odds seem good

i was playing ffVII remake at my friends house before the latest lockdown started. thinking about playing ffX on PS3 with my gf and ffVI on my ipad to substitute

I've defeated neo-exdeath. i take back everything critical i've said about this game, it absolutely rules. love how the final battle is so intense that it feels like the game could collapse at any moment

hey now
https://ff6wc.com/

I haven't played an FF since 9 (though I did put decent hours into 7 Remake before giving up on the complexity of the combat system), but curious if anyone is playing 16? I'm not sure DMC-style button mashing combat is for me either but the discourse is what I'm here for.

Played the demo. Kinda played like a breezy God of War combat system with some seriously extended and overwrought cut scenes. Really gorgeous graphics though - feels like a PS5 exclusive for sure. Demo was entertaining enough, but I'll probably hold off. Game seems to be okay but not earth shattering with TOTL graphics. I ended up getting the cart of the FFI-VI pixel remasters and will likely bust through some of those instead if I get the itch.

Playing ffxiii right now. Such a pretty game, still holds up very well visually. I like the story movements. I heard someone say it best when they said this game is best as 1-2hr session thing, not a whole day binge. I am okay with the battle system as things move head in difficulty. Also very ahead of its time as a “plays itself” game in the vein of vampire survivors etc. perfect thing to play on the steam deck while baseball/something else is on the tv in the background.

ff16 is fun, of course i'd prefer an old fashioned Active Time Battle system or whatever but the DMC-lite character action stuff is fine. they were smart enough to load it up with TONS of minibosses and cinematic moments so it rarely feels like you are just tromping from trash mob to trash mob a la xenoblade.

looking forward to 16 when i can play it

would be interesting to redo this poll someday, i think V has increased in stature a lot over time now that its far removed from being The Weird one That Didnt Get Released Outside Japan

16 is unashamedly shallow, I'm enjoying how relatively undemanding it is tbh

The combat seems to be designed to make you think you're incredible at dodging without actually being that hard. Voice acting is really excellent, Finchy from the Office among others putting on fine work

XP of the first six V is my second fav! Thought it was a "lost classic" type back in the early 00's when I was able to play it on the PS2.

5 was the peak in terms of the core gameplay imo. Really enjoyed the remaster of 3 as well. 6 obviously towers above in most aspects.

I just realized that 7-9 are the only mainline games I played -- loved 8, enjoyed 7, but did not like the 9's story (mainly disliked the breeziness of the story or Zidane). Are the pixel remasters for the older ones worth checking out in my case?

everyone who plays RPGs should play FF6 at least once

and the pixel remaster is good

Unbelievable they’re like the only games NOT on sale on steam right now. Was expecting to buy that bundle today but can’t stomach the $100 asking price

Are the pixel remasters for the older ones worth checking out in my case?

Absolutely! These are all the FF games made for the NES and SNES, so sprite 2D graphics for the most part. The NES games are updated to SNES like graphics which is nice. The remasters also have nice quality of life improvements like "easy modes" where you can say, get 4x XP per battle or turn encounters off while roaming the map!

The plot and story of the games get more and more involved leading up to VI with that game probably having one of the most immersive for a 2D RPG game. Kefka in VI is easily my favorite FF villain and that includes VII and beyond. Still holds up and you can see how VI specifically has influenced a ton of modern indie RPGs too (Eastward is one that comes to mind).

Pro-tip I learned from Reddit before it began to eat shit, but they only sell the cartridge of the pixel remasters for the Switch in SE Asia, but you can play this cart in the US just fine - runs great on mine. Seems to be for sale still here (though price is now $80 yikes - I paid $70):
https://www.play-asia.com/final-fantasy-i-vi-pixel-remaster-collection-multi-language/13/70g0qp

So I got some extra time in my hands lately, finally bought the pixel remasters and have been breezing through them. Finished the three NES games (1>2=3) and now maybe a third of the way through IV and wow what a jump in quality. There's like, an actual story! You kinda get the best of 3's job system with the characters who rotate in and out (I'm aware V is apparently where the job system really hits its stride?). These remasters are vry vry vry pretty too. Also, a modern mp system finally! Love the DnD roots of the spell slots, but I feel like I'm finally playing a Final Fantasy game as I know it entering from the ps1 era with mp, story focus atb. Loving how every game innovates, every one I've played so far has been classic.

Looking forward to V, VI, VIII, IX, X-2, XIII-2, XIII-3, and finishing XIV, XV and XVI...... lol