Poll of the Day > I've just finished playing FF9.

(+) Yeah! (+)

Here are my thoughts.

FF7 > FFX > FF9

These are currently the only FF games that Ive beaten. (Ive also played the FF7 Remake)

Before anyone comments i believe this is a totally valid take.

I would agree with your assessment. I don't think FF9 is bad, but I don't think it quite reaches the heights of the other two.

Any future FF plans?

*Edit*: damn, I tried to be first. :)

Out of those three 9 is the best and x worst imo
8 is best ff though

VII > IX > X >>> VIII

X is the beginning of the end.

Judgmenl posted...

Before anyone comments i believe this is a totally valid take.

I agree. Those are your opinions, and opinions are valid.

I liked FF9. I played through it once, then started over again. However, I got busy and couldn't finish.

WARNING: VERY UNPOPULAR OPINION
I actually liked FF9 better than FF7 and FFX. I've only played FF1 to FFX-2, and out of those everyone's favorite (FF7) is my least favorite. It was too dark and sad, and the story was confusing, with too much politics. Some parts of the game grossed me out. I also couldn't handle the sneak up and stab in the back parts. After seeing those kind of scenes anywhere, I am constantly nervous and watching my back. The story of FFX was too sad, and didn't quite make sense to me. Sorry, I don't get along with sad stuff. I think the FF games I liked best were FF4, FF6, FF8, and FF9.

wpot posted...

I would agree with your assessment. I don't think FF9 is bad, but I don't think it quite reaches the heights of the other two.

Any future FF plans?

*Edit*: damn, I tried to be first. :)

Im thinking about starting either X-2, FF12, or FF15 next. I havent decided yet.

For now Im gonna try to finish playing through SMT 3 Nocturne.

IX is the better game out of those three.

fishy071 posted...

WARNING: VERY UNPOPULAR OPINION
I actually liked FF9 better than FF7 and FFX. I've only played FF1 to FFX-2, and out of those everyone's favorite (FF7) is my least favorite. It was too dark and sad, and the story was confusing, with too much politics. Some parts of the game grossed me out. I also couldn't handle the sneak up and stab in the back parts. After seeing those kind of scenes anywhere, I am constantly nervous and watching my back. The story of FFX was too sad, and didn't quite make sense to me. Sorry, I don't get along with sad stuff. I think the FF games I liked best were FF4, FF6, FF8, and FF9.

I do, too, actually. For VII, the politics don't bug me, but there are some very poorly executed parts of FFVII in which characters do things that are contrived/don't make any sense. It's also... really poorly balanced, like... really, really badly. IX's biggest flaw, in contrast, is that it was clearly rushed towards the end. The game was clearly supposed to have more late-game content than it had. Unfortunate, because I think if it had been properly rounded out it would have been inarguably top tier for the series. As it is, it's still one of my favorites, though I don't think I'll ever play it again because while I was playing it, one of my relatives died, and the themes hit a bit to close to home to it all.

You can't experience the true peak Final Fantasy until you play Tactics and FF VI.

I finally beat a FF game. FFI lol. I've played through all of VI except the last dungeon.

ReturnOfFa posted...

I finally beat a FF game. FFI lol. I've played through all of VI except the last dungeon.

Did you like FF1? I think it's okay. I actually (now HERE is a spicy take) liked FF2 more, though 3 is almost certainly the best of the NES games. FF1 is about as generic as you can get without turning into Dragon Quest 1. FF2 was more ambitious, even though holy fuck that leveling system needs work to this day.

If you want an easy pick up and play to completion FF game, that would be either FFIV or FFV. Those two are incredibly easy to burn through.

HellSpawn666 posted...

Here are my thoughts.

FF7 > FFX > FF9

These are currently the only FF games that Ive beaten. (Ive also played the FF7 Remake)

FF9 is definitely enter than 10.

HellSpawn666 posted...

Im thinking about starting either X-2, FF12, or FF15 next. I havent decided yet.

For now Im gonna try to finish playing through SMT 3 Nocturne.

That reminds me I also bought FF10 during the winter sale. Not sure if I want to play it yet.
Have never played X-2.

Cashier posted...

Out of those three 9 is the best and x worst imo
8 is best ff though

wow great opinions, I would say exactly this

FFIX is GOAT!

Ten was trash.
eight was utter trash.

1,2,6,7,9 were legit.

even if dated by todays standards.

fyi, fun fact about 9 and some other games around that time (like Wild arms 2 if I recall) there is a hidden not so obvious two player option where you can assign diff characters to diff controllers so when their action timer rolls around p2 instead of p1 has control of that char).
its a bit odd but it is part of the game.

Conner4REAL posted...

Ten was trash.
eight was utter trash.

1,2,6,7,9 were legit.

even if dated by todays standards.

fyi, fun fact about 9 and some other games around that time (like Wild arms 2 if I recall) there is a hidden not so obvious two player option where you can assign diff characters to diff controllers so when their action timer rolls around p2 instead of p1 has control of that char).
its a bit odd but it is part of the game.

Yeah I agree with this actually. I beat 10 and I really hated it. 8 I couldn't get very far because I didn't like how any of it worked

HellSpawn666 posted...

Im thinking about starting either X-2, FF12, or FF15 next. I havent decided yet.

Well, for what it's worth none of those are very similar to 7-9-10.

X2 has combat with job changes and the storyline is, uh...lighthearted. Or cringey.
FF12 is becoming somewhat MMO-like with an openish world and a, uh...political storyline. Or boring.
FF15...well, you travel a nice open world in a car with friends: that kinda works. The plot (largely nonexistent) and battle are messes, though.

Gaawa_chan posted...

I actually (now HERE is a spicy take) liked FF2 more

Hmmm. Well, FF2 has a cute proto-plot: is that was you liked about it?

wpot posted...

X2 has combat with job changes and the storyline is, uh...lighthearted. Or cringey.
FF12 is becoming somewhat MMO-like with an openish world and a, uh...political storyline. Or boring.
FF15...well, you travel a nice open world in a car with friends: that kinda works. The plot (largely nonexistent) and battle are messes, though.

Fair summations, lol.

10-2, do NOT go into it for the story. You will be very disappointed, lol. Game is hella fun to play, though, imo. In a way it's sad because I think it could have had a good story with some effort, but uh... nope.

12 I quite enjoy, but it is very poorly paced and made some questionable baseline story decisions (for example, why is Larsa not a party member while Penelo is? That could have fixed a lot of other issues, too...).

15 had a solid premise that they did nothing interesting with in the story proper, the gameplay is also not that great... eh. It also makes some pretty weak gestures at previous games in the series, but when it does, they're usually not as good? Kind of odd. But a lot of people seemed to enjoy it so it's probably worth trying out at least.

Hmmm. Well, FF2 has a cute proto-plot: is that was you liked about it?

Probably, yeah. For really old RPGs, they have to do something beyond the barest minimum for me to even note them at all, so while FF1 has a class system that makes it worth replaying, I suppose, it doesn't really have anything else that sets it aside. I didn't hate 2's leveling system as much as others seem to (but it is not good) and I appreciated that it was at least trying to do something new in terms of gameplay and actually tried to do something more than the bare minimum in terms of story.

I've felt that way about a lot of really old games; I'm willing to forgive a lot gameplay-wise as long as they're doing something interesting and they aren't buggy to the point of being unplayable (and I get really mad if they're clearly incomplete). It's also why I hate FFVIII a bit less in retrospect (my GOD I hated that game as a kid), because they were definitely trying to do some unusual stuff there as well.

Also, I admit that I am fond of the Emperor as a villain. He's not especially deep in the original iteration but I think reworks of FF2 have done a good job of portraying him as a sort of... hmm embodiment of egocentric, powerhungry abusiveness, and very much a villain who didn't just wait around for the cast to reach him; he repeatedly makes a horrific mess of things, proactively, which is something you don't often see in villains from that era of video games, tbh. He's not phenomenal or anything, but yeah. Solid villain for such an old game.

Gaawa_chan posted...

I didn't hate 2's leveling system as much as others seem to (but it is not good) and I appreciated that it was at least trying to do something new in terms of gameplay and actually tried to do something more than the bare minimum in terms of story.

Agreed, more or less. The storyline was kinda neat for the era and I guess brokenly easy battles are more fun than brokenly frustrating battles. I thought it was OK while playing it. I did prefer FF1 for the jobs, though. I haven't played the remakes, but I can see where the Emperor could come out looking solid.

Gaawa_chan posted...

It's also why I hate FFVIII a bit less in retrospect (my GOD I hated that game as a kid), because they were definitely trying to do some unusual stuff there as well.

Again agreed. I would say FF8 is near my top 10 favorite games at this point, even though I hated everything to do with the characters and storyline the first time through. The gameplay is a lot of fun once you get your head around it (more fun than 7 and 9).

The characters and storyline is what Ive always loved about 8, even from my first play. And once the battle mechanics clicked, it became my favorite of the series and one of my favorites ever

X > VII > IX would be my ordering for those 3. All 3 are great and in my top 5 though. Play VIII and XII and youll have my top 5 for the series all done.

I heard FF15 was unfinished so that's probably the worst out of the entire series if true.

wpot posted...

I would agree with your assessment. I don't think FF9 is bad, but I don't think it quite reaches the heights of the other two.

My opinion at the time was that it was mostly hugely popular and led to all the "best FF evar!" praise it got mainly because it was a huge nostalgia bait game referencing all the prior FF games, coming on the heels of FFVIII which a lot of people hated at the time. It was also actual fantasy, after the growing steampunk and sci-fi that slowly crept over everything in the prior three games.

My opinion hasn't really changed. Though I think people today are less into it mostly because younger gamers don't really have the early FF nostalgia that it panders to, or have forgotten what it felt like at the time.



Cashier posted...

8 is best ff though

That's an odd way to spell "worst"!



Garlands_Soul posted...

8 I couldn't get very far because I didn't like how any of it worked

I beat the whole game, but spent most of that time hating it, hating everyone who made it, and hating myself for feeling compelled to finish it out of a sick sense of obligation to the franchise (and it's a very large part of why I no longer feel any sense of obligation to or fondness for the franchise at all).

The terrible mechanics didn't help, but I was far more turned off by the terrible characters, the terrible story, and the bland summons. Even the music was bland. (And I hated the card game as well!) About the only positive thing I can say about it was that the graphics looked nice (which has basically become the main selling point of the franchise ever since).

I still debate whether FFVIII is worse than FFXII, because I'm not sure which is the worse response to a game - apathy or hate. But those are still easily my two worst FF games ever made, without question.

Final Fantasy IX is the best Final Fantasy.

ReturnOfFa posted...

I finally beat a FF game. FFI lol. I've played through all of VI except the last dungeon.

The best FF game apart from 5.

ParanoidObsessive posted...

My opinion at the time was that it was mostly hugely popular and led to all the "best FF evar!" praise it got mainly because it was a huge nostalgia bait game referencing all the prior FF games, coming on the heels of FFVIII which a lot of people hated at the time. It was also actual fantasy, after the growing steampunk and sci-fi that slowly crept over everything in the prior three games.

As I recall FF9 had a "nice" reception: people liked it but I don't immediately recall best game evar stuff. Which seems about right. Heck, FF8 had just been released a year earlier (and 7 was basically a year before that) so people were still playing those two. It was a unique moment.

I think it grew in popularity during the FF12 era when it became clear that it was the last of the traditional/lighthearted/ATB/etc FFs and it DID pick up some buzziness around then. So basically the same thing you said: just delayed a little.

9 was a pretty good game with a slow battle system. Like glacial. And the final boss comes out of nowhere.

But seriously, that battle system. With the way the ATB filled during other attacks and the slow animations it was super easy to forget what order everyone will act in because you gave your commands minutes earlier.
I used to exploit this auto regen and auto potion. After every attack it would take so damn long to run through every character to heal that 450 HP. They would be back to full health from the regen sitting around waiting for animations. The party was pretty much immortal. Massive attack that does 5000 damage to everyone? No big deal, healed fully by the time 4 characters use potions.

SinisterSlay posted...

9 was a pretty good game with a slow battle system. Like glacial. And the final boss comes out of nowhere.

True. Oddly, the battle speed thing didn't bother me much. My issue with battle speed in IX actually also applies to VII and VIII; the battle intros take way, way too long. I can handle slow ATB, but having to watch those slow-ass battle intros every single fight is just... god... VII's isn't HORRIBLE, but it's still not good.

Final Fantasy IX was good in 2001, but there are games (and entire series) that just do Final Fantasy IX better now. It's been over 20 years.
Hell there were games before IX that did IX better.

Gaawa_chan posted...

True. Oddly, the battle speed thing didn't bother me much. My issue with battle speed in IX actually also applies to VII and VIII; the battle intros take way, way too long. I can handle slow ATB, but having to watch those slow-ass battle intros every single fight is just... god... VII's isn't HORRIBLE, but it's still not good.

Remember legend of Dragoon? Slowest battle start ever

Did you ever figure out how to play the card mini game?

wpot posted...

As I recall FF9 had a "nice" reception: people liked it but I don't immediately recall best game evar stuff. Which seems about right. Heck, FF8 had just been released a year earlier (and 7 was basically a year before that) so people were still playing those two. It was a unique moment.

I think it grew in popularity during the FF12 era when it became clear that it was the last of the traditional/lighthearted/ATB/etc FFs and it DID pick up some buzziness around then. So basically the same thing you said: just delayed a little.

i remember a lot of people hated it early on due to the style change. they had gotten used to the more (relatively) realistic leaning styles of FF7 and 8 and the change was really jarring for them, i guess. it was a slightly earlier version of the wind waker thing.

Judgmenl posted...

Final Fantasy IX was good in 2001, but there are games (and entire series) that just do Final Fantasy IX better now. It's been over 20 years.
Hell there were games before IX that did IX better.

Again, FFIX is still GOAT!

MagicalPrincess posted...

Again, FFIX is still GOAT!

Like, explain why.
I can go into detail about why it is not really an exceptional game. The only thing it's exceptional for is starting the trend of nostalgia pandering.

Nade Duck posted...

i remember a lot of people hated it early on due to the style change. they had gotten used to the more (relatively) realistic leaning styles of FF7 and 8 and the change was really jarring for them, i guess. it was a slightly earlier version of the wind waker thing.

The next one will take place in space.

Revelation34 posted...

The next one will take place in space.

see that sounds potentially awesome to me, but only if they decide to suddenly drop all the stupid shit they've been doing for like 20 years and go back to the way of the old games.

the main series has already been in space at least twice anyway.

Did you play Square Enixs Tetra Master Online?

Judgmenl posted...

Like, explain why.
I can go into detail about why it is not really an exceptional game. The only thing it's exceptional for is starting the trend of nostalgia pandering.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps/197338-final-fantasy-ix/reviews/72646

MagicalPrincess posted...

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps/197338-final-fantasy-ix/reviews/72646

That's actually pretty impressive. That probably puts you north of 45 years old.

fishy071 posted...

WARNING: VERY UNPOPULAR OPINION
I actually liked FF9 better than FF7 and FFX

Not that unpopular

FrozenBananas posted...

wow great opinions, I would say exactly this

Thanks, not knocking X I love its ost and it has lush visuals.
All three are great I should have said, I suck at articulation my thoughts and might have made it seem like I was implying x was bad.

Judgmenl posted...

That's actually pretty impressive. That probably puts you north of 45 years old.

How?