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daavpuke

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Top 10 Final Fantasy Games

You know it's going to be a bad time whenever someone tries to determine the greatest video game of all time. Even when thousands of words are written on the subject, someone is going to trip over one part or the other. However, what I didn't expect was that just six words would be the biggest point of contention.

I mentioned that Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core is the best Final Fantasy and I stand by that statement.

As I was able to constantly get friendly reminders of my terrible opinions, I started to delve a bit deeper into truly ranking the top tier of the franchise and put them in a neat list. As an obvious caveat, I've not played every Final Fantasy in existence. I'm pretty fervent about this franchise, as someone who still eagerly anticipates the mobile battle royale game to get high on a list, but there are a ton of offshoots. So, I sadly cannot have an opinion on Dirge of Cerberus or Revenant Wings. I'm sure they're all fine properties. I still manage to pick up and play some outliers, which are in consideration for this list. If it's good Final Fantasy, it's on here!

This list will be ranked from 1 to 10, with Crisis Core being the best. You kinda sorta knew that one was coming already.

List items

  • The pinnacle of the franchise and truly underrated, Crisis Core just hits different. It's Final Fantasy that springboards off one of the most iconic protagonists, giving roots to an inspirational character. Moreover, the game gets perfectly crafted for the PlayStation Portable (PSP), which is rare for the platform. Gameplay anchors itself into popular mobile hooks, as well as making it a unique experience. Crisis Core also happens to have some of the PSP's best cutscenes, for an all-round banger that fires on all cylinders.

    Rank: 777

  • Final Fantasy Tactics fine-tuned its genre so well that games are still trying to emulate and replicate it, to a tee. This release is just so jam-packed with systems that all feel worthy of exploring, unlike some peers. The world building in here is also top tier and probably the closest I'll get to mentioning Vagrant Story. It's kinda hard to exactly describe the perfection of its turn-based gameplay, but it's just a beautiful game that rewards you for thinking and makes you feel smart for succeeding. It feels effortless to spend a hundred hours on this game and that's a feat few can match.

    Rank: S

  • The best of the numbers, Final Fantasy IX took the evolution of the series and melded its progress with their advancement in unparalleled visuals. Adding another layer of charm to its style, the game also has some of the most lovable characters in video games. We believe in Vivi supremacy. It's both a return to form for the main series as it is a bookend to what the role-playing game (RPG) represented. The card game might not be quite as good as VIII, but at least it approximates the feeling of the best mini-game in the franchise. If you like "classic" Final Fantasy, then IX is the best it has ever offered.

    Rank: S

  • This is the mother of all Final Fantasy, as far as I'm concerned. While the game is far from the origin of a success story, it is the iteration that turned the distant murmurs of the franchise into a global phenomenon. With a new look, a widened scope and characters with such power that they spun their own little cottage industry around them, the game resonates even today. Who is in Smash again? Exactly. Add to the gameplay collection a great set of distractions, like Chocobo breeding, to get one hell of a time-sink. Cait Sith is also the most fun the franchise ever got with individual cast members, in a game full of top tier characters.

    Rank: A

  • I don't know why Nintendo 3DS games are as overlooked as they are, but Final Fantasy Explorers deserves better. The game crushes the Monster Hunter formula to its bare essence. Systems offer all the hits, from jobs to monster raising, for the simplest iteration of "baby's first" in the grind variety of RPG gameplay. Explorers makes it effortless to venture out and slay an Ifrit for parts, craft those parts into better gear, then do it again; all in a topical Final Fantasy universe. You should go play Final Fantasy Explorers.

    Rank: A

  • Everyone loves blitzball! Well, that's not true, but it is a lot more fun if you're into arcade football games. This is the first time that a mini-game gets to be so central to the crux of the whole thing, with multiple characters tied to blitzball, as well as an antagonist. The game is the first iteration that evokes the modern era, complemented by one of the tightest and most compelling stories in the franchise. Final Fantasy X is probably the easiest entry point in the series, both faithful to its origins, as well as looking towards the future. Sometimes,a game's evolution is for the better.

    Rank: B

  • Final Fantasy fans seem some of the most reluctant to change, because people hated this when it was released. Why? I have no godly idea why, because this is a wonderful evolution of RPG gameplay once again, molding the static elements to be more interactive for the modern era. While still technically turn-based, combat gets a bit closer to action RPG peers, like the Tales series. Additionally, XII looks unreal for a PlayStation 2 game, both in its representation of Ivalice and the raw prowess of its visuals. Considering the turn the franchise was about to take, XII really combined the best of its elements and gave the historical PS2 platform the sendoff it deserved.

    Rank: B

  • Speaking of heated debates, I think I know the reason why a women-centric spinoff was despised upon release. People hate fun and this is definitely the most outright celebratory the franchise had been until then. Dismissed as a "dress up" game, due to some unfortunate naming, the systems within aren't that different from the celebrated jobs mechanisms, just breezier and fun. This game is just so much fun! Even the mini-games put a ton of effort into being a divertissement, rather than the regular chore feel of an RPG. As a spinoff, X-2 knew exactly the angle it had to work and it executed that perfectly, to a crowd of malcontents.

    Rank: B

  • The "classic" Final Fantasy never occupied much headspace for me. They're all great iterations of what the RPG genre originated as, but they were always a rough implementation that has since become all but obsolete. That's probably why VI is one of the most polished versions of this style; a tried and true representation of gameplay and story, straight as an arrow. With the ability to suplex a train and a cast that features a genuine wolf boy, the game is also blessed with one of the most effective villains ever created. Kefka lends a truly sinister tone to this apocalyptic story.

    Rank: C

  • Once more, an overlooked 3DS joint that seems to just have blown by. Its clever fusing of rhythm gameplay with RPG elements brought a unique flair to an already exceptionally different presentation. The exploration of the chibi art style in this game is like no other in its category. It's as if Gitaroo Man had a baby with osu! and it somehow followed the Final Fantasy universe. Anyone with immediate access to a 3DS should really pick up some Final Fantasy games.

    Rank: C
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