Past Six Final Fantasy Games Ranked
 |
Andrew Weymes of The Nightly Gamer writes: The JRPG genre in general owes a lot to the now Square Enix series of games entitled Final Fantasy. Arguably, there have been JRPGs on the same level of a Final Fantasy game such as Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross, Persona 3, Persona 4 and many others but none of them have reached the level of popularity of the Final Fantasy series, especially not in North America. Any JRPG fan likely has fond memories of the past six entries in the series. From Final Fantasy VII all the way up to Final Fantasy XII, there have been a lot of memorable characters and storylines. Of course, like any series, some have been better than the others. TNG has compiled a list of the past six Final Fantasy games starting with the worst and ending with the best that the series has offered in the past few years.
6. Final Fantasy XI
There is certainly nothing wrong with a fine MMORPG and Final Fantasy XI is a nice addition to the genre itself but it's easily the worst of the past six Final Fantasy games. When you take away the compelling storyline and memorable characters of a series such as Final Fantasy, you aren't left with much. Final Fantasy XI relies solely on the established universe of Final Fantasy to draw the player in and while it works reasonably, it doesn't feel as immersive as any of the other entries in the series. As far as MMORPGs go, it's a pretty good game but as an entry in the Final Fantasy series, it's a bit of a suppressed memory that should remain that way.
5. Final Fantasy X
Far from being a bad game is the weakest story driven Final Fantasy of the past six entries in the series. Featuring one of the more aggravating lead characters in the series by the name of Tidus and a relatively annoying supporting cast of characters in general, Final Fantasy X just doesn't hold up when compared to the rest of the series. Compelling characters include Auron, Lulu and Kimahri but other well known characters such as Rikku, Yuna and Wakka just come off as incredibly annoying although they are endearing at times. The main problem with Final Fantasy X is that it doesn't have a very memorable lead villain. Seymour is neither memorable nor was he very intimidating throughout the entirety of the game. Final Fantasy X was the last Final Fantasy game to have a traditional turn based combat system for the most part and while this was very appreciated, it still falls short of taking the forth spot on this list for the reasons above.
4. Final Fantasy XII
Cleary inspired by the previous entry in the series was Final Fantasy XII. Rather than having a traditional turn based combat system which the series was known for, this game featured a more action based combat system that was very reminiscent of an MMORPG. This change was met with mixed results by long-time fans of the series but regardless of opinion, it didn`t ruin the series and actually brought a modern flare to a series that seemed rather stubborn concerning its gameplay mechanics. The storyline itself is one of the weaker in the past five story driven games in the series as it didn`t ever seem to get as personal with the characters as it needed to. Regardless, the cast of characters themselves are extremely charming. Vaan is a little reminiscent of Tidus and even with his odd clothing choice which consists of an extremely small, tight fitting vest, he`s somewhat less annoying than the lead character of Final Fantasy X.
The rest of the characters range from tolerable to memorable. Balthier is very charming and probably should have taken the place of Vaan as the lead as he seems to steal the spotlight quite often. Basch was actually quite a bit more compelling than Vaan and was originally going to be the lead character but it`s quite apparent that people rather their lead characters to be feminine, young men in JRPGs. The rest of the characters fall into the tolerable category. Penelo is the cute love interest of Vaan, Ashe is the standard tough princess and Fran is the eye candy. Final Fantasy XII may have upset a few people with its MMORPG inspired combat system and a somewhat lacking story but it`s still a fine entry in the series and easily takes the forth spot on this list.
 |
3. Final Fantasy VIII
The boldest and highest risk in the Final Fantasy series is more than likely Final Fantasy VIII. The art style of both the characters and the world around them was much less fanciful than other entries in the series. It`s a modern fantasy set in realistic world. To say the least, the entire concept and art style was and still is very intriguing. The storyline is a rather interesting one and the vibe present throughout the game feels more mature than the standard JRPG or other games in the series. Squall Leonhart remains as one of the more memorable lead characters in the series because of his unique look and his multifaceted personality. He begins the game as a very cold and uncaring person but as the game progresses, he becomes a much more open and trusting person. The leading female by the name of Rinoa Heartilly is one of the less memorable characters in the game simply because she doesn`t seem to have a unique look or personality when compared to other characters in the series or game.
The rest of the characters aren`t entirely memorable as they seem to be overshadowed by Squall but their are a couple of standouts such as a party member by the name of Selphie and a rather intriguing rival by the name of Seifer. Without ruining anything for those that haven`t played the game, the way in which the lead villain is revealed is quite interesting. At first it would seem that a sorceress by the name of Edea is simply a power hungry, maniacal villain but as the game continues, the true enemy is presented. From this point on, the game becomes much more compelling as the entire storyline becomes much broader than it would initially seem. The unique art style, memorable lead character and the very intriguing storyline all attribute to Final Fantasy VIII making the third spot on this list.
 |
2. Final Fantasy VII
Easily the most well known and popularized of the series is Final Fantasy VII. Regardless of your opinion on the popularity of this game, it cannot be denied that Final Fantasy VII popularized the JRPG genre in North America. Without the immense popularity of this game, the JRPG genre may have remained far more niche than it is today. Granted, JRPGs seem to have lost a lot of steam this generation when compared to first person shooters and other action games but the genre is still alive and well in North America. The characters in Final Fantasy VII are a very memorable bunch to the point of a few of them becoming icons. Cloud, Tifa and Sephiroth are among the most well known characters in the history of video games. That`s not to say that they are more compelling than other characters in the series but Final Fantasy VII was the first fully 3D Final Fantasy game and for that reason, it holds a special place in the hearts of those that played it.
People often forget that nostalgia can make a memory seem better than it was. For instance, Final Fantasy VII is the emblem of the JRPG genre for the most part in the same way that Resident Evil is the first name that most people associate with survival horror. Both series are excellent and deserve the recognition that they have received but at the end of the day, there are games that are equal or greater than them in their individual genres. Final Fantasy VII is a game with an entirely memorable cast of characters that include Cloud, Vincent, Tifa, Yuffie, Barret and Aeris. Each of these characters is memorable in their own right but almost all of them are overshadowed by one of the most memorable and recognizable villains of all time by the name of Sepiroth. This is the most well known of the Final Fantasy games and deserves most of the praise that it gets but that wasn`t enough for it to take the number one spot.
 |
1. Final Fantasy IX
The most underrated and most underappreciated Final Fantasy is TNG`s number one pick, Final Fantasy IX. Considering the fact that the previous two entries in the series before Final Fantasy IX went in a more mature direction, it was quite surprising to see the traditional feeling that surrounded the entirety of this game. It`s quite obvious from the character design that the creators of Final Fantasy IX wanted to evoke a sort of nostalgia in the hearts of fans of the series. This may not have worked for some but the adorable art style clearly won TNG over. The characters themselves are classic. Zidane, the lead character is an obvious thief. Garnet, the leading female is the classic princess. Vivi is the now iconic rendition of a black mage. Aldebert Steiner is the classic, brawny knight. Freya is mysterious outsider, Amarant is the martial arts master, Eiko is the standard child that must be present in your party in a JRPG and Quina is the comic relief for the most part. It`s quite apparent that all of the characters are quite cliche to an extent but that`s the point of the game. The Final Fantasy series started as simple class based RPG before character development was as important as it is. While all of the characters may fall into a standard class, they had the personality that one would expect from a game that was released in 2000. It`s a fine mixture of classic and modern gaming.
The main antagonist of Final Fantasy IX is the lovely Kuja. For those that thought that Sepiroth was a little too pretty to be a man, you clearly haven`t seen Kuja. He`s the type of villain that makes an insecure man very uncomfortable. Before playing Final Fantasy IX, one should ensure that they are comfortable with their sexuality as the tight fitting and revealing outfit that Kuja parades around in may create some confusing thoughts and feelings. Apart from his extremely unique look and style, Kuja is a relatively standard villain. He`s unabashedly evil and displays many other traits that a classic villain would such as speaking to himself as though he belongs in a psyche ward. Final Fantasy IX is a game that more than likely confused a lot of fans of the series. Upon first glance, it may appear that this game took the series backwards but it absolutely did not. Final Fantasy IX is like an homage to the series roots as well as an acknowledgement to the progression that had to be made in terms of art style, technical visuals and story progression. It`s an entirely charming JRPG that will appeal to those that still feel nostalgic about the classic JRPGs of old that were on the Super Nintendo. It successfully captured the nostalgia of the series while still being extremely impressive for its time. Even to this day, Final Fantasy IX is not an ugly game and will likely be tolerable to those that appreciate a classic JRPG. Without hesitation, Final Fantasy IX is easily TNG`s favourite Final Fantasy game in recent memory.
Written by Andrew Patrick Weymes
