1. Final Fantasy VI
It's the best of the franchise without a doubt. All the peices that sky rocketed FF to worldwide fame with FFVII are present here and the plot is probably the best of the entire 16bit generation (with the only exception being Chrono Trigger)
2. Final Fantasy VII
What hasn't been said about FFVII? It was and still is one of the best RPGs ever made, the characters, detailed world, character development and combat systems, etc are all still some of the best of the series.
3. Final Fantasy VIII
While many people find flaws in FFVIII i never have, the story is top notch, a tale about fate that when really digested is amazing. add that with some of the most realized characters and the junction system (the best of an FF developmental system) and FFVIII really leaves it's mark.
4. Final Fantasy IV
This is the game that laid the groundwork for everything that Final Fantasy Became. The characters and world are beautifully detailed and the story unfolds in a way that really highlights its strongest points.
5. Final Fantacy IX
A return to the basics? not really. While the atmosphere of FFIX returned to early games in the franchise, the story and systems are as well designed and tight as ever. The only drawback i could find was the story kinda falls apart on disc 3.
