-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
-
We have made minor adjustments to how the search bar works on ResetEra. You can read about the changes here.
What is the best mainline Final Fantasy title? (I - XV)
- Thread starter AstoundingFox
- Start date
Proabably 14, and I've only played ARR so it sounds like my opinion of it would get even better if I played it more.
For me it's 14. Granted I haven't finished any of the others, but 14 is just SO GOOD (even solely for the story) that I have a hard time seeing what could top it. I think 14 might be my favorite game ever lol.
Yeah it definitely would. Heavensward by itself (not counting the other expansions) is really really good.
Yeah it definitely would. Heavensward by itself (not counting the other expansions) is really really good.
Executing brain-bending raid mechanics while keeping up with your rotation is intense, active, and satisfying. Watching a group perform everything correctly in sync is a triumphant delight. I play XIV primarily for the battle content and enjoy the story on the side when new patches come out.
VII and XIV after.
Since ARR XIV has come a long way.. incredible job from the producers on every expansion and crossovers.
Since ARR XIV has come a long way.. incredible job from the producers on every expansion and crossovers.
Last edited:
VII and VI. VIII also deserves an honourable mention for me due to being the first ever FF I played but it has its flaws. I think it has the best universe and music of all though.
I like X but it did remove some of the aspects I really enjoyed in previous entries, like the world map.
XII had some highs, but when I last played it, the plot just didn't leave much of an impression on me and felt somewhat "there" compared to previous entries.
I liked the premise of XV but I lost interest about an hour into the game and haven't felt a desire to go back into it since. I just didn't feel invested into the story and I couldn't connect with the characters that much. Cautiously optimistic about what XVI will bring.
I like X but it did remove some of the aspects I really enjoyed in previous entries, like the world map.
XII had some highs, but when I last played it, the plot just didn't leave much of an impression on me and felt somewhat "there" compared to previous entries.
I liked the premise of XV but I lost interest about an hour into the game and haven't felt a desire to go back into it since. I just didn't feel invested into the story and I couldn't connect with the characters that much. Cautiously optimistic about what XVI will bring.
Just because it doesn't suit you doesn't mean it's trash to everybody else who's giving the nod to it.
Near the top with VII and VIII (holding off on giving VIIR until it's done).
VII, then XII...
Hated X, liked X-2 more, never played VIII, tried and hated XIV, loved the one with Terra (don't know which number it is in the West, or the East, for that matter), I believe I played II and III on an emulator and, while enjoyable, never finished them, XV was decent, but I only played before patches and DLC, XIII bored the hell out of me and I never bothered with the sequels, never played IX...
Hated X, liked X-2 more, never played VIII, tried and hated XIV, loved the one with Terra (don't know which number it is in the West, or the East, for that matter), I believe I played II and III on an emulator and, while enjoyable, never finished them, XV was decent, but I only played before patches and DLC, XIII bored the hell out of me and I never bothered with the sequels, never played IX...
VII, VI, IV and IX are the strongest entries in the series for me followed by X-2 (and by extension X) for its gameplay and job system. I also love the lore of Spira. What is so great about these is they all have different styles and themes and that's where FF shines. If I had to choose one given my name on here you can tell it would obviously be VII but IV is close behind.
My personal favorites are IV, XIV, and XV. But honestly I think XIV has surpassed them all as the best mainline. Especially story wise.
VII > X > IX > VIII > XII > XV > XIII > V > IV > I > III > II
Honestly, those top 5 can move around any time depending on how I'm feeling. VII is a lot more fresh on my mind these days so I've put that up top, but it has easily been X or VIII sometimes. VIII was actually my first so will always have a special place in my heart. I think if I was forced to remove all others from existence and only save one of them, it would probably be VIII.
I've not really played XI, I'm still in ARR for XIV, and for whatever reason I've still not ever really got very far in VI that I don't feel comfortable putting them in that list.
Honestly, those top 5 can move around any time depending on how I'm feeling. VII is a lot more fresh on my mind these days so I've put that up top, but it has easily been X or VIII sometimes. VIII was actually my first so will always have a special place in my heart. I think if I was forced to remove all others from existence and only save one of them, it would probably be VIII.
I've not really played XI, I'm still in ARR for XIV, and for whatever reason I've still not ever really got very far in VI that I don't feel comfortable putting them in that list.
VI is peak 2D. 3D is between X and XIV.
XIII and XV are the worst.
VII aged badly but its still one of my favorites. Same with VIII.
XII is a weird one where I hate that it revolves around making the game play itself and I didn't like any of the characters except for Balthier and Fran. The plot isn't good but the script and voice acting are fantastic and the world building was great.
XIII and XV are the worst.
VII aged badly but its still one of my favorites. Same with VIII.
XII is a weird one where I hate that it revolves around making the game play itself and I didn't like any of the characters except for Balthier and Fran. The plot isn't good but the script and voice acting are fantastic and the world building was great.
Last edited:
VII > VI > XV > XII > VII Remake > VIII > IX > X > XIII
Not played the rest. Looking forward to XVI avidly, but dearly hope it's self-contained story wise. No anime movie prequel BS, no knowledge of anything going into it and that it features a tighter narrative than XV
Not played the rest. Looking forward to XVI avidly, but dearly hope it's self-contained story wise. No anime movie prequel BS, no knowledge of anything going into it and that it features a tighter narrative than XV
It's 6, but that's just my personal opinion.
What a game. How epic and deep it can be despite the technical limitations.
What a game. How epic and deep it can be despite the technical limitations.
It's sad how few of the responses include FFXII. Guess it just shows you how passed-over that game was on release, even though it's seeing somewhat of a resurgence lately.
Having just recently played XII and X back to back, I have to say I'd agree. X is wonderful for its charm, personality, OST, and unique world. It's a nice blend of old and new, even if the wonky dialog and animations hold it back a bit.
XII is incredible for its mechanics, mature story-line, and spectacular art direction. I find the game to look absolutely stunning, even today. The facial animations and voice work was way, way ahead of its time.
Having just recently played XII and X back to back, I have to say I'd agree. X is wonderful for its charm, personality, OST, and unique world. It's a nice blend of old and new, even if the wonky dialog and animations hold it back a bit.
XII is incredible for its mechanics, mature story-line, and spectacular art direction. I find the game to look absolutely stunning, even today. The facial animations and voice work was way, way ahead of its time.
X, 8, 7, 6, 9, 15, 12, 13
12 is one of the most boring games I've ever played in terms of either story and gameplay.
12 is one of the most boring games I've ever played in terms of either story and gameplay.
Well, I've only played VII (+compilation), X, XII, XIII (+sequels), and XV so far, but of those I'd have to go with VII.
Admittedly it was my first, so that probably colors my opinion a lot, but I also genuinely think it just has the overall best experience. Its plot is thoroughly explored and well paced/built up, it examines a lot of meaningful themes (eco health, capitalism, loss, one's personal identity, vulnerabilities, and flaws), every character feels properly realized and fully fleshed out, and the way the overworld and travel is handled makes the world feel cohesive and huge. The material and ATB systems are also pretty damn great, and that's coming from someone who doesn't much care for turnbased-type stuff. Also, just personal preference, but I love love looovvve the grungy 90s diesel/cyberpunk aesthetic it's got going on. *chef kiss*
IX is personally what's next on my list. I've heard a ton, a ton of great things about it and I'm looking forward to seeing where it ends up landing with me. :D
Admittedly it was my first, so that probably colors my opinion a lot, but I also genuinely think it just has the overall best experience. Its plot is thoroughly explored and well paced/built up, it examines a lot of meaningful themes (eco health, capitalism, loss, one's personal identity, vulnerabilities, and flaws), every character feels properly realized and fully fleshed out, and the way the overworld and travel is handled makes the world feel cohesive and huge. The material and ATB systems are also pretty damn great, and that's coming from someone who doesn't much care for turnbased-type stuff. Also, just personal preference, but I love love looovvve the grungy 90s diesel/cyberpunk aesthetic it's got going on. *chef kiss*
X is the latest FF I've played and it's made itself a pretty close second. Its story and characters are near equally fantastic as VII's -- only pulled down by it's super blegh combat system and incredibly eyerolly sexualization (srsly, Yunalesca has one of the coolest FF design concepts but what the fuck is she (not) wearing???? And don't even get me started on fkn Dona's fashion crime nightmare).
Personally, I really liked XIII, as well. I don't think it's as good as VII or X in the story department (especially since it's so convoluted and requires datalog reading), but I really liked all the characters and how much time it spent on each one's personal struggles. It's also got the best OST of all the FFs and a crazy fun combat system. Its sequels are very solid and enjoyable games, too, however I think they're best viewed separate from XIII as they kinda ruin and retcon its story and later walks back a ton of character development (LR is especially guilty of this and its secret ending is super ultra mega dumb lmao).
XII has my absolute favorite art direction and world aesthetic, but its story and characters were very boring to me, and its combat the worst out of 'em all. A beautiful, yet bland, experience.
XV I have a like-hate relationship with. Bros are fantastic to just run around with, the combat is kinda janky and simple but still hella fun, Prompto's photos are my favorite things ever, it is legit the most beautiful FF game in terms of graphics and lighting, has the coolest secret dungeon, and there are a lot of genuinely really brilliant story moments you can find shining through all the bullshit. But good lord is there a lot of bullshit. You can practically see the development hell in its every corner; the story's execution is an utter mess, it has a required viewing list, huge holes carved out for DLC, and characters and locations you can tell were once waaayyy more important but whose stories got axed. It's also super obvious they were aiming for an emotional response similar to something like VII or X w/ Noctis and Luna, but they flubbed Luna so hard it just falls completely flat. She is the most cardboard boring character ever, with no proper agency of her own and whose sole purpose is just to motivate and bring Noctis angst, and somehow they expect me to care about her?? Lmao.
Ardyn is a super fantastic villain, though, and the game fully fkn nails you in the feels over the bros' friendship. This game's ultimate blessing is its journey.
Hyperbolic Hot Take Bonus: FF7R is poo. Its combat is trash, the whispers are stupid, the purple sparkly blood sucks, its hallway simulator experience is worse than XIII's, and its skyboxes are ugly as fuck. Rufus' fight was cool as shit, though. Also Roche is flawless.
The worst FF game is FFVII: Dirge of Cerberus.
Personally, I really liked XIII, as well. I don't think it's as good as VII or X in the story department (especially since it's so convoluted and requires datalog reading), but I really liked all the characters and how much time it spent on each one's personal struggles. It's also got the best OST of all the FFs and a crazy fun combat system. Its sequels are very solid and enjoyable games, too, however I think they're best viewed separate from XIII as they kinda ruin and retcon its story and later walks back a ton of character development (LR is especially guilty of this and its secret ending is super ultra mega dumb lmao).
XII has my absolute favorite art direction and world aesthetic, but its story and characters were very boring to me, and its combat the worst out of 'em all. A beautiful, yet bland, experience.
XV I have a like-hate relationship with. Bros are fantastic to just run around with, the combat is kinda janky and simple but still hella fun, Prompto's photos are my favorite things ever, it is legit the most beautiful FF game in terms of graphics and lighting, has the coolest secret dungeon, and there are a lot of genuinely really brilliant story moments you can find shining through all the bullshit. But good lord is there a lot of bullshit. You can practically see the development hell in its every corner; the story's execution is an utter mess, it has a required viewing list, huge holes carved out for DLC, and characters and locations you can tell were once waaayyy more important but whose stories got axed. It's also super obvious they were aiming for an emotional response similar to something like VII or X w/ Noctis and Luna, but they flubbed Luna so hard it just falls completely flat. She is the most cardboard boring character ever, with no proper agency of her own and whose sole purpose is just to motivate and bring Noctis angst, and somehow they expect me to care about her?? Lmao.
Ardyn is a super fantastic villain, though, and the game fully fkn nails you in the feels over the bros' friendship. This game's ultimate blessing is its journey.
Hyperbolic Hot Take Bonus: FF7R is poo. Its combat is trash, the whispers are stupid, the purple sparkly blood sucks, its hallway simulator experience is worse than XIII's, and its skyboxes are ugly as fuck. Rufus' fight was cool as shit, though. Also Roche is flawless.
The worst FF game is FFVII: Dirge of Cerberus.
IX is personally what's next on my list. I've heard a ton, a ton of great things about it and I'm looking forward to seeing where it ends up landing with me. :D
You're asking an impossible question OP, on a good day I can't decide which one of them has the best OST.
Of course VIII, but XIV is getting better and better and im still in stormblood, so im excited to see shadowbringers and endwalker
I'm playing both XV and IX right now and they're my entry to the franchise. I've been enjoying IX a lot, it has a lot of heart that you just don't see in modern games. XV is good but I agree with the consensus that it wasted a lot of potential.
XII > IX > VIII > X > VII > IV > VI > III > II > I > V
I don't count XIII and XV cause I'd rather play a mediocre JRPG with another name.
I don't count XIII and XV cause I'd rather play a mediocre JRPG with another name.