I prefer RPGs that focus on Exploration, Item Collection and Gameplay. As a result, my favorite Final Fantasy games are:
1) Final Fantasy VIII - Very good gameplay which never got boring and added variety to gameplay beyond selecting menu commands. The world was vast as well, with many numerous side quests that sometimes were most fun than the main storyline. And items WERE the game. Junctioning is still my favorite Final Fantasy system, though many don't like it. And the characters were great, especially since the story focused on them instead of the characters being strung along by the story.
2) Final Fantasy VI - Good characters, and lots of them! The ability to play who you want makes this game good. And a good customization system later in the game makes gameplay fun. And my vote for the best music in the series.
3) Final Fantasy X - While the game had many problems from pacing to the rather lackluster (and often times conflicting and even laughable story, pun intended), the game has one thing going for it. It has one of the best gameplay engines in the Final Fantasy series.
After that...the Final Fantasy series kind of gets lackluster for me. I've played most of the others, but I just don't like them, most likely because they focus on story over gmaeplay. Especially FF IV, VII and Tactics, which seem to be peoples favorites. I felt that I spent more time following orders or reading long dialogue sequences then I did playing a game. And even then gameplay wasn't as fun as the three games I mentioned above.
One anomoly is FFXII. While I had a blast for the first 30 hours or so, I eventually came to the point about 5 hours before the end of the game and realized I had run out of 'story'. I tried to extend the game further by doing side quests, but found the only thing I could do is repetative hunts and search for Espers. So I couldn't pump any more gameplay out of it.
Six upcoming games you should look into:
