Cheers! Upgrading from my old dying laptop in a few weeks, so hopefully I can make more technically impressive videos. Glad you enjoyed the video! I will def return to FF eventually. Playing Pixel Remasters prompted this video.
I think that FFV is the more humorous entry often gets forgotten. It’s one of my favorite because the characters so genuinely love each other, and the companionship and easy dialogue between them because of it. The plot isn’t deep, but the character dynamic makes this game a winner.
I agree. Every character has a lot of charm, even if it isn't very deep. It is just so obvious the story takes a backseat to the class system, but it def has charm galore.
The problem FF gamers expect every FF game to be a deep soap opera with lots of heartbreak and just won't let FF be any fun. Early FF games are easier to pick up and play again anytime, even after you've beaten the game several times already! Now they're just too big and I think like most of modern gaming they've forgotten that they're _games._
@@chrisrj9871 this is why I have come to love Dragon Quest so much as I get older. They have some melodramatic moments occasionally, but the grand adventure fairy tale narrative is just so charming.
If you want to play a “better” version of FF1, try Final Fantasy Renaissance. More classes, more spells, more equipment and all classes have special overworld and/or combat abilities.
I really find this list to be interesting. As someone why started from the original Final Fantasy back in 2018, I was hooked into playing the series. Which led me to play 2, 4, 3, was hooked by 7 and absolutely fell in love with FF9. The series is absolutely amazing, & I really enjoy how the first ten Final Fantasy games are being so unique given their development. My list: Final Fantasy IX Final Fantasy VI Final Fantasy X Final Fantasy V Final Fantasy Final Fantasy VII Final Fantasy IV Final Fantasy III Final Fantasy II Final Fantasy VIII Nice list, man!
1 and 4 are the 2 i memorized the most. i can pick up and play both games. the only challenge i give myself is how i customize my party in 1 and how if i get to the final boss at a higher or lower level in 4.
It's definitely the most replayable due to doing it with different parties, the length not being overly long, and learning different orders to play the game
I started with FF8 too, it’s true you either love it or you hate it. Back then even tho I hadn’t played FF7 I still knew it was a very important game in the series. All that said, for me, the best fantasy out of all of them by far is FFX. The story, the groundbreaking graphics at the time, the characters, the battles. Not only the greatest Fantasy of all time but quite possibly the greatest game of all time.
It's weird that I like Final Fantasy 2 more than Final Fantasy 1. Liking FF2 comes down to whether you like the leveling system or not, and I love it. FF3 takes what 1 and 2 did and combines them into the best FF game for the NES. Ranking the games I've played so far from worst to best, I'd rank them as 1, 2, 3, and 4.
for me the #1 slot is kind of a tossup between 6 and 10. I liked 9 a lot but it seems like an unfinished game: near the halfway point pretty much all the characters basically go mute and just stand around during story events.
Final Fantasy died when Final Fantasy 7 came along and changed all of Final Fantasy forever for the new generation of MTV gamers who never touched a 16bit RPG in their lives. 6 for life!!!
Ha, I like FF4, but I played it after 5-9, and it never grabbed me as much as people playing it in proper sequential order. I think it is a damn fine game for the time, but I personally prefer 5-10.
@@radicaldreamersteve5743 complete opposite. IV is the only one to ever "grab" me. no other one enticed me like IV. X had the sphere grid and that was it.
@@radicaldreamersteve5743 - FF4 was my first, and it was what brought me into RPG's in the first place, and it made me want to rent the game on NES. I doubt that can be said for anybody who played FF7 first on PlayStation.
@@chrisrj9871 I dunno. I played FF8 first - simply because that was the new at the time I got into RPGs - Shining Force 2 was my very first RPG and remains a favorite, but I digress. After playing FF8, my buddy and I went back to every other FF we could get our hands on, and every RPG we could get our hands on. I love good RPGs regardless of gen, 2D/3D, etc. Of course nostalgia is a factor, and PS1 is my favorite RPG console of all time, but I think the SNES/Genesis has amazing RPGs as well. I admittedly cannot get super into 8-bit RPGs because they are cryptic and tend to have a relatively weak narrative, but that said, DQ3, DQ4 and Ys Book 1&2 are absolute masterpieces. I think tons of FF7 fans probably played older FFs and liked them. Imagine the kids starting with FF16 😉.
My favorite is ff9 too!! Really hope remake rumors are true. I've heard a lot of people don't like it and especially chocobo hot and cold but that mini game is super fun to me (albeit tedious,) and REALLY hope it's in the remake (if the rumors are actually true)
What is with the hate on ff2. I liked 2, more ff3. ff3 had way too many gimmick dungeons and top of that all the switch of the airships at the end. It was annoying. The plot wasn't bad but the entire time I was just annoyed that ff5 had a better job system in it.
I think FF2 in most of its iterations is very experimental and requires an immense amount of patience. It was a potential path for RPGs in terms of level mechanics that never took off, so it remains an oddity. In all fairness, FF3 came out before FF5. I think the story in FF3 is incredibly weak, but the job system is cool for the time, but agreed it's nowhere near as evolved as FF5.
Just wrapping up my marathon or the entire numbered games in this series, and about a third of the way through reviewing the games Bottom spot - your bang on. The game gets really good IF you put an hour of grinding in at the start. Pixel remaster with exp boost and you should be singing!
Some do swear by FF2 being a fun game with some patience. It was always just hard for me to use said patience with FF2 with so many better RPGs, but glad you found more enjoyment than I did!
@@radicaldreamersteve5743 yeah, just because it gets better doesn't mean it's worth suffering through getting there. A lesson FF11 and FF14 would take and stretch to their extremes later on...
I think FFX overshadowed it upon release. People who gave it a fair shake really love it, but I think more casual fans may have skipped it or just assumed that it isn't as good as FF7 or FF10. I will say that FF9 is on the easier side of the spectrum. Most FF games are not super hard unless you do the side quests, but FF9 is easier than most other games in the series - Ozma is a super fun and difficult fight though.
I just replayed it for the first time since 2001. My ONLY complaint is that the save points are too far apart during long story beats. I don't always want to watch 20 minutes of plot when I have to leave for work in an hour lol.
@@allenyates3469 Fair point. I think the cutscenes and time action events and story were a draw at the time, but modern games have hastened sitting through stuff like that.
FF7 is the best game of all time. FF9 is middling at best. Side quests are stupid asf. What is up with that card game? After FF8’s killer card game, they follow it up with that absurdity? Tragic. FF9 wasn’t the best back in the day, it certainly ain’t the best nowadays.
I love FF7, so I have no issue with that being considered #1, and I agree with the card game. However, I disagree with FF9 having bad side quests and the game being middling.
Catching frogs and jump rope are great side quests? Come on man, you’re stretching the truth way too much. The music ain’t nearly as great either. FF6 and FF7 are the goats of the franchise.
@@stevenwargin5887 I did not enjoy catching frogs, but I did enjoy chocographs, which is the most sizable side quests in the game, and leads to the Ozma fight, which I had fun needing out and preparing for. On the contrary, I could not stand chocobo racing in FF7, though some of the other quests were awesome. The thing is, all this is opinion. I respect FF7 being #1 to many and I absolutely love that game. But I prefer FF9 for reasons I'd happily defend, but at the end of the day, it is an opinion.
I think my problem are with the boss fights. Most of them are either boring, or force you to lose. Case and point: Beatrix. And spoilers:
You never even get a proper fight to beat her in the game as a great endgame challenge. How cool would it have been to finally get a chance to shine against someone who beat you three times with a handicap?!
My rank: 10 - Final Fantasy 8 The story and characters are so weak, plus the draw system. It just is the one i least enjoy. 09 - Final Fantasy 2 The game is actually fine for a 8 bit RPG, it would be the best on the NES if it wasn't for the odd level up system, but it is there. 08 - Final Fantasy 1 I like it, how it feel as a first adventure Dungeons and Dragons and all, but it is too primitive. 07 - Final Fantasy 3 It's kind of a Remake of FF1 but with a job system, unremarkable. 06 - Final Fantasy 10 It's good, it do feel as a modern Final Fantasy, i wish in fact that the games after it still used it systems as a template.. But i'm not too found of modern FF. 05 - Final Fantasy 9 It's the close as one can get of a 2D Final Fantasy, but it's still a 3D Final Fantasy the "old school" isn't the best fit in my view. 04 - Final Fantasy 4 A classic, the best protagonist arc with Cecil, but except for Rydia i don't care for the rest of the cast.. Granted it do feel as a 8 bit Final Fantasy but good. 03 - Final Fantasy 6 A masterpiece in many aspects. It can be a little too melodramatic and the huge cast is not a good idea in my opinion. But all in all it is a contender for Number one in many other lists. 02 - Final Fantasy 7 Another masterpiece, the best 3D Final Fantasy hands down. I too don't care for most of the big cast but it got rid of the melodramatic feel of FF6 01 - Final Fantasy 5 Idk.. i just love 5 even though for most if not all it's impossible to be # 1, but i love the job system, i do care for the 4/5 protagonists.. I like that it is both serious and have a light tone.. plus the Light and Dark world fused was amazing. It is THE game that do feel as a Final Fantasy in the literal sense for me
Thanks for sharing. It makes me sad to see FF8 so low because of how much time I have sunk into that game over the years, but I respect FF5 as a number one pick. It is flawed, but that job system is incredible, and it makes the game very love or hate for most. Definitely underrated!
@@radicaldreamersteve5743 Yea, i do feel that there is no bad Final Fantasy so even though 8 don't click to me, now days i actually see how good of a game it is. The thing is that the competition is hard with so many good FF games ;)
@@Vanessinha91Pucca understandable! It does have many flaws, and it is def not for everyone. Your take on FF8 is essentially how I feel about FF12. It is good in many respects, but I find it tedious as a whole and hard to want to finish - and I never have.
I’m so glad I searched to see if you had dropped a new video. I love hearing about Final Fantasy
Cheers! Upgrading from my old dying laptop in a few weeks, so hopefully I can make more technically impressive videos. Glad you enjoyed the video! I will def return to FF eventually. Playing Pixel Remasters prompted this video.
I think that FFV is the more humorous entry often gets forgotten. It’s one of my favorite because the characters so genuinely love each other, and the companionship and easy dialogue between them because of it.
The plot isn’t deep, but the character dynamic makes this game a winner.
I agree. Every character has a lot of charm, even if it isn't very deep. It is just so obvious the story takes a backseat to the class system, but it def has charm galore.
The problem FF gamers expect every FF game to be a deep soap opera with lots of heartbreak and just won't let FF be any fun. Early FF games are easier to pick up and play again anytime, even after you've beaten the game several times already! Now they're just too big and I think like most of modern gaming they've forgotten that they're _games._
@@chrisrj9871 this is why I have come to love Dragon Quest so much as I get older. They have some melodramatic moments occasionally, but the grand adventure fairy tale narrative is just so charming.
If you want to play a “better” version of FF1, try Final Fantasy Renaissance. More classes, more spells, more equipment and all classes have special overworld and/or combat abilities.
I really find this list to be interesting. As someone why started from the original Final Fantasy back in 2018, I was hooked into playing the series. Which led me to play 2, 4, 3, was hooked by 7 and absolutely fell in love with FF9. The series is absolutely amazing, & I really enjoy how the first ten Final Fantasy games are being so unique given their development.
My list:
Final Fantasy IX
Final Fantasy VI
Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy V
Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy IV
Final Fantasy III
Final Fantasy II
Final Fantasy VIII
Nice list, man!
Thanks, and thanks for sharing. Just curious, why FF1 over FF7?
1 and 4 are the 2 i memorized the most. i can pick up and play both games. the only challenge i give myself is how i customize my party in 1 and how if i get to the final boss at a higher or lower level in 4.
Sounds like you tried the all white mage party in FF1?
@@radicaldreamersteve5743 too challenging. for giggles, i may try it.
@@rickylucas6503 ha, do not blame you at all.
FF1 is the one i replay the most. I've played it more than twenty times.
Facts
It's definitely the most replayable due to doing it with different parties, the length not being overly long, and learning different orders to play the game
I started with FF8 too, it’s true you either love it or you hate it. Back then even tho I hadn’t played FF7 I still knew it was a very important game in the series.
All that said, for me, the best fantasy out of all of them by far is FFX. The story, the groundbreaking graphics at the time, the characters, the battles. Not only the greatest Fantasy of all time but quite possibly the greatest game of all time.
It's weird that I like Final Fantasy 2 more than Final Fantasy 1. Liking FF2 comes down to whether you like the leveling system or not, and I love it. FF3 takes what 1 and 2 did and combines them into the best FF game for the NES. Ranking the games I've played so far from worst to best, I'd rank them as 1, 2, 3, and 4.
for me the #1 slot is kind of a tossup between 6 and 10. I liked 9 a lot but it seems like an unfinished game: near the halfway point pretty much all the characters basically go mute and just stand around during story events.
Good to see a new video, Steve. FF7 will always be my favorite! Tifa ❤️
Cheers! FF7 is so close to my favorite. Can't wait for the FF7 Remake part 2 next year.
Final Fantasy died when Final Fantasy 7 came along and changed all of Final Fantasy forever for the new generation of MTV gamers who never touched a 16bit RPG in their lives.
6 for life!!!
2 starts off slow but gets better later
Final fantasy VI Is the Best .
IV.IV.IV.IV. F O U R FOURRRRRRRRRR!!!!!
Ha, I like FF4, but I played it after 5-9, and it never grabbed me as much as people playing it in proper sequential order. I think it is a damn fine game for the time, but I personally prefer 5-10.
@@radicaldreamersteve5743 complete opposite. IV is the only one to ever "grab" me. no other one enticed me like IV. X had the sphere grid and that was it.
@@pw3ninja Fair enough. FF4 is definitely a compact little adventure. It has no real filler or waste.
@@radicaldreamersteve5743 - FF4 was my first, and it was what brought me into RPG's in the first place, and it made me want to rent the game on NES. I doubt that can be said for anybody who played FF7 first on PlayStation.
@@chrisrj9871 I dunno. I played FF8 first - simply because that was the new at the time I got into RPGs - Shining Force 2 was my very first RPG and remains a favorite, but I digress. After playing FF8, my buddy and I went back to every other FF we could get our hands on, and every RPG we could get our hands on. I love good RPGs regardless of gen, 2D/3D, etc. Of course nostalgia is a factor, and PS1 is my favorite RPG console of all time, but I think the SNES/Genesis has amazing RPGs as well. I admittedly cannot get super into 8-bit RPGs because they are cryptic and tend to have a relatively weak narrative, but that said, DQ3, DQ4 and Ys Book 1&2 are absolute masterpieces. I think tons of FF7 fans probably played older FFs and liked them. Imagine the kids starting with FF16 😉.
FF9 the goat for sure! 👑
My favorite is ff9 too!! Really hope remake rumors are true. I've heard a lot of people don't like it and especially chocobo hot and cold but that mini game is super fun to me (albeit tedious,) and REALLY hope it's in the remake (if the rumors are actually true)
What is with the hate on ff2. I liked 2, more ff3. ff3 had way too many gimmick dungeons and top of that all the switch of the airships at the end. It was annoying. The plot wasn't bad but the entire time I was just annoyed that ff5 had a better job system in it.
I think FF2 in most of its iterations is very experimental and requires an immense amount of patience. It was a potential path for RPGs in terms of level mechanics that never took off, so it remains an oddity.
In all fairness, FF3 came out before FF5. I think the story in FF3 is incredibly weak, but the job system is cool for the time, but agreed it's nowhere near as evolved as FF5.
Just wrapping up my marathon or the entire numbered games in this series, and about a third of the way through reviewing the games
Bottom spot
- your bang on. The game gets really good IF you put an hour of grinding in at the start. Pixel remaster with exp boost and you should be singing!
Some do swear by FF2 being a fun game with some patience. It was always just hard for me to use said patience with FF2 with so many better RPGs, but glad you found more enjoyment than I did!
@@radicaldreamersteve5743 yeah, just because it gets better doesn't mean it's worth suffering through getting there.
A lesson FF11 and FF14 would take and stretch to their extremes later on...
@@AFriendRemembers Ha, feel like you could add FF13 to that list too. Just play 40 hours then it gets good!
FFIV being lower than #2 breaks my heart
Great video!
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
FF11 beats them all out.
Never played it. It was certainly an ambitious attempt and seems very love/hate.
Final Fantasy IX is indeed the best. Also the most underrated, still don’t know why.
I think FFX overshadowed it upon release. People who gave it a fair shake really love it, but I think more casual fans may have skipped it or just assumed that it isn't as good as FF7 or FF10.
I will say that FF9 is on the easier side of the spectrum. Most FF games are not super hard unless you do the side quests, but FF9 is easier than most other games in the series - Ozma is a super fun and difficult fight though.
I didn’t care for the combat system, I also prefer the more futurist/sci-fi FF aesthetic. I think that’s most people’s indifference to IX
It came out after the launch of the PS2, and it had more cartoony looking characters when the trend in gaming was tilting toward realism.
I just replayed it for the first time since 2001. My ONLY complaint is that the save points are too far apart during long story beats. I don't always want to watch 20 minutes of plot when I have to leave for work in an hour lol.
@@allenyates3469 Fair point. I think the cutscenes and time action events and story were a draw at the time, but modern games have hastened sitting through stuff like that.
FF7 is the best game of all time. FF9 is middling at best. Side quests are stupid asf. What is up with that card game? After FF8’s killer card game, they follow it up with that absurdity? Tragic. FF9 wasn’t the best back in the day, it certainly ain’t the best nowadays.
I love FF7, so I have no issue with that being considered #1, and I agree with the card game. However, I disagree with FF9 having bad side quests and the game being middling.
This is the correct response
Catching frogs and jump rope are great side quests? Come on man, you’re stretching the truth way too much. The music ain’t nearly as great either. FF6 and FF7 are the goats of the franchise.
@@stevenwargin5887 I did not enjoy catching frogs, but I did enjoy chocographs, which is the most sizable side quests in the game, and leads to the Ozma fight, which I had fun needing out and preparing for. On the contrary, I could not stand chocobo racing in FF7, though some of the other quests were awesome.
The thing is, all this is opinion. I respect FF7 being #1 to many and I absolutely love that game. But I prefer FF9 for reasons I'd happily defend, but at the end of the day, it is an opinion.
I think my problem are with the boss fights. Most of them are either boring, or force you to lose. Case and point: Beatrix. And spoilers:
You never even get a proper fight to beat her in the game as a great endgame challenge. How cool would it have been to finally get a chance to shine against someone who beat you three times with a handicap?!
My rank:
10 - Final Fantasy 8
The story and characters are so weak, plus the draw system. It just is the one i least enjoy.
09 - Final Fantasy 2
The game is actually fine for a 8 bit RPG, it would be the best on the NES if it wasn't for the odd level up system, but it is there.
08 - Final Fantasy 1
I like it, how it feel as a first adventure Dungeons and Dragons and all, but it is too primitive.
07 - Final Fantasy 3
It's kind of a Remake of FF1 but with a job system, unremarkable.
06 - Final Fantasy 10
It's good, it do feel as a modern Final Fantasy, i wish in fact that the games after it still used it systems as a template.. But i'm not too found of modern FF.
05 - Final Fantasy 9
It's the close as one can get of a 2D Final Fantasy, but it's still a 3D Final Fantasy the "old school" isn't the best fit in my view.
04 - Final Fantasy 4
A classic, the best protagonist arc with Cecil, but except for Rydia i don't care for the rest of the cast.. Granted it do feel as a 8 bit Final Fantasy but good.
03 - Final Fantasy 6
A masterpiece in many aspects. It can be a little too melodramatic and the huge cast is not a good idea in my opinion. But all in all it is a contender for Number one in many other lists.
02 - Final Fantasy 7
Another masterpiece, the best 3D Final Fantasy hands down. I too don't care for most of the big cast but it got rid of the melodramatic feel of FF6
01 - Final Fantasy 5
Idk.. i just love 5 even though for most if not all it's impossible to be # 1, but i love the job system, i do care for the 4/5 protagonists..
I like that it is both serious and have a light tone.. plus the Light and Dark world fused was amazing.
It is THE game that do feel as a Final Fantasy in the literal sense for me
Thanks for sharing. It makes me sad to see FF8 so low because of how much time I have sunk into that game over the years, but I respect FF5 as a number one pick. It is flawed, but that job system is incredible, and it makes the game very love or hate for most. Definitely underrated!
@@radicaldreamersteve5743 Yea, i do feel that there is no bad Final Fantasy so even though 8 don't click to me, now days i actually see how good of a game it is.
The thing is that the competition is hard with so many good FF games ;)
@@Vanessinha91Pucca understandable! It does have many flaws, and it is def not for everyone. Your take on FF8 is essentially how I feel about FF12. It is good in many respects, but I find it tedious as a whole and hard to want to finish - and I never have.
I have it in good authority that playing The Zodiac Age helps immensely.
FF V was so good indeed, such shame we didn't have remakes for V and VI like III and IV
Final Fantasy 6 deserves to be above 7... also, FF8 should be even lower... like, before FF4, lol.
FFIV so low? bah, unsubscribe, fail
I always thought final fantasy was for the mentally stunted
Uh oh! An opinion! Gasp! 🤯
I suspect this is to be an obvious case of self-projection.