Favorite Final Fantasy and favorite Final Fantasy character?

[Shiken]

With all of these Final Fantasy ports coming to Switch and X-X2 coming to X1, I got to thinking about what everyone's preferences are when it comes to the franchise.  After all since each entry is so different and most are not even in the same universe, opinions will surely vary from person to person.

For me, the answer to my favorite Final Fantasy will vary based on my mood.  At one point in time, I would have said VII or IX.  But then I went back and played VI, which flipped my entire perspective on its head.  Any of these three could have been the answer at one point in time.  Even XIV had its time in the limelight for me, as someone who enjoys, but swore off of, MMOs.

At this point in time however, I have to go with X.  The reason I go with X is because in a world of open world games, it gets linear gameplay right.  At the time, people were quick to point out how linear X was compared to previous entries.  But the funny thing is, Final Fantasy games have always been linear, but through use of an overworld map they appeared to be open world.  Fact of the matter is though, world maps in older games serve as nothing but padding in the end.

Until you get an airship, the games heavily push you in one direction.  There are some side things to do along the way, but you never stray too far from your objective.  In X, you have the exact same thing going on.  The only difference is that there is no world map to throw things off.  Considering that there is just as much side content to do off the beaten path that there is in any other Final Fantasy game before it (unlike a certain trilogy), this reaults in a much more dense world with less filler content.  Furthermore the story is presented in a much cleaner and consistent manner, which leads to better story telling overall.  You actually feel like you are on a pilgrimage, and you never lose track of whats important.

Now some may argue that due to the use of an airship in older games, they become open world.  However I would argue that when you get the Airship in X, it is no different.  The only difference is that in the older games you have to fly though blank filler to get to where you want to go, once again creating an illusion of freedom, where as X just implies fast travel.  You have the same freedom, it is just implied differently.

Furthermore the battle system in X was great, as it was much more strategic than the other games as opposed to just clicking the first thing that comes to mind in the ATB system.  You had to think about who was acting next, and how best to approach the situation.

Now as for my favorite character in Final Fantasy, no matter what game I feel is on top in my mind at the time, my character of choice is always the same.  That is none other than Auron from Final Fantasy X itself.

Auron is cool and collected, and very mysterious throughout the game.  He is a strong warrior and is loyal beyond the bounds of life itself.  Through his wisdom, battle prowess, and unyielding frendship to Tidus' father, he pushed the main cast towards discovering the truth with their own eyes.  If not for him, the cycle may very well have never ended.  I mean, it was him that brought Tidus into Spira to begin with afterall.

In my opinion, while there have been many great characters in Final Fantasy, no one even comes close to Auron.  There is no hidden motive as mysterious as he is, he needs no redemption, and he knows what needs to be done.  In the end he knows he exists for one purpose, and he follows it through without hesitation.

So what are your favorite games and characters and why?  While I picked X and Auron, your two choices do not have to be from the same game.  I look forward to seeing how the rest of you view the Final Fantasy universe.

Last edited by Shiken - on 13 April 2019