I haven't played anything after XI, and I never completed VIII or IX (finished disc 1 of IX before getting bored, and I honestly haven't given VIII a fair shake yet). With that in mind, here's my ranking:
7) II - The original was a failed experiment for the most part. The remakes improved the levelling system somewhat, but it's still highly flawed. The whole concept of prolonging battles to get boosts is annoying. And I have mixed feelings about the ability to go to some of the last towns in the game very early on. On one hand, it breaks the linear RPG mold, but on the other, it kind of breaks the game itself if you actually do it (though doing so takes considerable effort). But if anything, I'd probably have to say this is my favorite feature of this otherwise mediocre game.
6) I - It's a good game, but obviously very dated. I just don't have much to say about this one.
5) III - The job system is flawed (too many jobs are just worthless, as opposed to only a couple in FFV), and I'd say that by nerfing late-game jobs, the DS version is worse, not better. Still, the original version looks amazing for its time, and the DS version was the first decent RPG on the DS.
4) VI - It took me about five attempts to finish this one. The magicite system is highly imperfect (compared to the job system of V and the materia system of VII), and quite frankly, almost all of the new abilities introduced in this game completely suck. Also, I hate Kefka for the exact same reasons that many people love him. By having a villain who's completely evil and insane from the get-go, I just lost interest. There's a reason Shakespeare gave most of his villains some moral ambiguity. The other characters (with the exception of Shadow, who is legitimately great) also don't impress me much. Having said all that, the graphics and music are nice (the graphics are better than VII by a long shot), and the monster designs are probably my second favorite in the series.
3) IV - This one ranks highest in terms of nostalgia, being the first FF game I played (way back in 1992 or thereabout). It also has awesome characters (including the best Cid in the series), innovative gameplay, and a decent story (at least for its day).
2) VII - I understand how many people don't like this one. Its rabid fans are annoying, but that's no reason to hate the game itself. Rather, this game just isn't that great for people who insist on strict character classes or other mechanisms for making characters non-interchangeable. Fortunately, I'm not one of those people, and I love the gameplay in this one. Plus the story is my favorite in the series; I love the twists and turns and the intricate web of relationships woven between characters.
1) V - It's just the most fun in the series. And for how simple the story is, there's nothing there that I wish they'd taken out. Plus it has my favorite overall monster designs in the series and my favorite character in the series, bar none (Gilgamesh!).
