1 - FFVII
2 - FFXII
3 - FFX
4 - FFIV
5 - FFVIII or FFIX

That's how it goes for me. I'm pretty sure XIII will earn a spot in there. FFIX is an amazing game though I agree completely with the OP. The story is amazing. I remember my first time playing through...

It's great cause at first your map is only of one continent. It isn't until later that you realize that the game world is in fact much bigger than you thought.

I think my avatar says it all haha. Vivi = best FF character ever.

For me it's tied with VI and IV (DS version, which I do like more than the original). Zidane was one of my favorite lead, who actually was a LEADER, and not a follower. Not emo and all this stuff.

Also, Kuja is my 2nd fav. baddie to Kefka. A lot of people in the West didn't fully understand that Kuja was intended to satirize the pretty boy aspect of alot of Japanese games and anime. I'll probably be playing it again pretty soon. Maybe time for the Japanese version on my next round.

it's soooo good, i loved that game in every aspect

ff9 is my 6th fav ff game in the series.

It's actually my second least favorite Final Fantasy (not including FFI - FFVI, as I don't like to compare those to FFVII and on) only ahead of FFX-2. (does that count?) I'd rank my Final Fantasy's like this.

FFX
FFVIII
FFVII
FFXII
FFIX
.
.
.
FFX-2 (decent game, but only relevant to complete story)

That said, other then FFX-2, I love them all and have beaten each of them (except FFXII) multiple times. I've only beaten FFXII once because I did absolutely every quest/hunt/rare monster in the game, so it took a long time. When I do play FFXII again, I'm just gonna stick to the main quest, hunts and important side quests.

But yeah, FFIX has an awesome ending and the games visuals blew me away when I first played the game 9 years ago. (they're still nice even today) Melodies of Life is also such a great song. The biggest disappointment for me was the card game, which just paled in comparison to Triple Triad. But it's a good sign when that's the biggest disappointment. I also liked how Leveling/Skill Learning worked, which is great fun for people like me who love powering guys up.

I agree with what you say.

Trance definitely was underwhelming and the story/characters seemingly lacked the depth and complexity of other games. The one exception is Vivi, who was a great character and had a story you really wanted to learn more about. But yeah, the game as a whole seemed simpler, more streamlined and traditional/classic. It just didn't have the epic sidequests and such that was found in other Final Fantasies.

Although, in a way, this is also the strength of the game. As the nature and mood of the game was a little lighter and more fun then what preceded it. With FFVII, FFVIII etc. I feel like I have to invest myself into the game to get the most out of it. With FFIX, I can just pop it in, sit back, start playing and enjoy the ride.

It is also my favourite FF, i really like the world and the cities were amazing too, i love lindblum. The card game was also really cool. But what really matters is the AMAZING Story, the really lovely characters and the soundtrack, Melodies of Life is a wonderful Song!

FFIX is in my opinion one of the best games ever made followed by FFVII, FFX and MGS4.

The limit breaks in FF8 weren't as good as the ones in FF7.  The whole drawing magic mechanism I hated a lot and that the enemies leveled up.  I got to the third disc and gave up.

Oh yeah !