Based on the results of this thread, here are VGChartz's Top Final Fantasy games. This includes not only main series games, but also spinoffs that bear the Final Fantasy name. Note that voter turnout was a bit low for this vote, so if you feel that a game should have ranked higher, it's your own darn fault for not voting.
Also, I'm sorry this thread is a couple weeks late. Late April and early May were crazy for me, and I lost track of more than one thing.
Anyhow, here are the Top 11 Final Fantasy games. Why Top 11? To continue the trend, and also because numbers 10 and 11 were closer than 11 and 12 or 9 and 10.
11. Final Fantasy V
SSqueezig into the bottom of the list is the only entry in the series listed here not originally released outside of Japan. By the time it was ported to the PS1, FF5 was already a relic of the past. And considering how the only other retail release of the game released in the West was for the GBA about 2 years after the DS came out, it's no wonder that this is a relatively obscure entry.
So why did FF5 get on this list in the first place? I can think of two reasons. First, though FF1 invented the Job System, and FF3 rolled with the idea, it was FF5 that truly let this idea flourish. Each character could choose from over 20 jobs, and potentially master all of them.Furthermore, you had a sort of cross-class system going on, where characters could mix and match jobs for hundreds of combinations. Considering how your party had four characters at a time, this allowed for something along the lines of 44 billion combinations. Really, I took out a calculator and did the math. S'about 44 billion.
Also, Gilgamesh.
10. Crisis Core
Released ten years after the original FF7 for the PS1, Crisis Core for the PSP was an oddity for the series. More of an action-RPG than series standard fare, this game put players in the shoes of the Zack, the dark horse hero of the FF7 epic. This is one of those Final Fantasy titles I missed out on, having never owned a PSP, so I'm going to take a look at what people had to say about it back in 2007.
"What makes Crisis Core so great isn't just one thing, it is many things. The presentation is the best I have seen on the PSP; the gameplay is simple and addictive with a great twist on the traditional JRPG, and the story is emotional and fulfilling." "With an incredible plot and accessible gameplay this is an instant classic. " "It doesn't matter who you are, if you own a PSP, you owe it to yourself to pick up this title. "
Considering the mixed reception of some of the post FF7 media related to the game, not bad at all.
9. Final Fantasy Tactics
The second and last spinoff on our Top 11, Tactics was caught in an odd spot upon release. It was a largely sprite-based isometric swords and sorcery Strategy RPG, released mere months after FF7 changed everyone's expectations for not only Final Fantasy, but the RPG genre as a whole. Fortunately, Tactics was able to stand the test of time.
The story alone would have made FF Tactics a classic. It featured a rich world with compelling characters and a complex plot, marred only by a poor translation. But the strategy part of the RPG allowed for greater, well, strategy in battles than previously possible. The class system from FF5 returns with a vengeance, and is as deep as ever. The presentation of the game was fantastic, as it was one of the best-looking and sounding games of the era in this Nintendo fanboy's opinion. And to top it off, the world of Ivalice was so compelling, that it would be reused years later for another entry on this list.
Foreshadowing!
7. Final Fantasy XII and Final Fantasy XIII (Tied)
The two most recent main series single player Final Fantasy games tie for the #7 spot. Or the #8 spot, depending on how you look at it. Which is surprising, considering how very different the two games are.
FF12 was a big open world, seemingly inspired by those newfangled "MMO's" that had been becoming a big deal outside the world of the PS2. It returned to the distant past of Ivalice, had a combat system that honestly reminds me of Western RPG's like Bioware's Knights of the Old Republic, a deep "gambit" system where you control the AI of party members that Bioware would later be inspired by when making Dragon Age (just thought that was cool), and a plot involving fantasy politics. Also, Balthier!
FF13 was a more linear, directed experience. It was the first HD Final Fantasy, and featured a very different setting, combining sci-fi elements with the fantasy the series is named for. Characters constantly change jobs over the course of battles, only one party member is controlled at a time, and a greater emphasis is put on the main cast.
Despite their relative newness, neither game is apparently particularly popular among the Final Fantasy fandom. After all, of the 12 "regular" Final Fantasy games in total, these are part of the lower six. For such recent games to have relatively poor reception is strange. Nevertheless, both games obviously have their fans, as they beat out a majority of the franchise.
6. Final Fantasy IV
In my opinion, FF4 is the quintessential Final Fantasy. Released early in the 16 bit era, this game had everything. The deepest plot in a video game RPG yet, loads of well defiend characters filling a variety of roles, tons of distinct places, a quick pace, tons of bosses and enemies, albeit with too many recolored ones, and that soundtrack! Plus, this is the game that tought non-D&D fans what bards were!
Most important of all, however, may have been the introduction of the Active Time Battle system. In this sytem, characters had to wait a period of time before acting, combining real-time and turn-based play styles. Basically, this was the core of the gameplay found from FF4 through FF9; half of the series.
You spoony bard!
5. Final Fantasy VIII
4. Final Fantasy X
3. Final Fantasy IX
2. final Fantasy VI
1. Final Fantasy VII
Other games voted for included:
- X-2
- The Original
- Tactics Advance
- XIII-2
- Echoes of Time
- Theatrhythm
- Type-0
- XIV
Note that three main entries, II, III, and XI, received no votes.
Notes:
- The PS1 was THE Final Fantasy platform. Of the 540 points derived from the votes, 231 of them were for games that debuted on the PS1. This is not including games that appeared on the PS1 but fdebuted on other platforms, like FF5.
- Just under 10% of points went to non-main series games, including direct sequels like X-2 as non-main series entries. This is a bit surprising, considering the sheer number of spinoffs and sequels in this franchise.
- Due to the low popularity of FF13 and 14 and the high popularity of games like Crisis Core, the 7th generation is the most spinoff-friendly generation in series history. The entire Nintendo era oF Final Fantasy got not a single vote for a spinoff.
- Theatrhythm is the only 8th gen game voted for. It got two low-ranking votes.
- Final Fantasy X actually got the second most votes, but these were lower value votes than those for IX and VI, averaging about 3.2 rather than the roughly 3.7 for those games. FF6 fans were actually the most diehard in terms of voting it highly.
Sorry for the incomplete OP, but you get the idea. I'm about to have an appointment, and just wanted to share this ASAP.
