Skypp's Final Fantasy Rankings Part 2: Fanfare

Part 2: Fanfare
(Part 1: Here)

Re-pasted disclaimer from Part 1: 

This is a listing of my ranking of Final Fantasy Core games as of 2014.  I'm not going to go too in depth into the why's and how's of each game, as each game could and probably will eventually have its own post.  I am keeping to the Core numbered Final Fantasy games, excluding the MMO's(11 and 14), and excluding 3 as I have not finished it.

I am including some information along with the rank.  There will be 2 numbers after the game's title: the first is my game grade(1-10) in context of when it came out.  The second is what I'd grade the game today.  I would also like to point out that when I talk about "Graphics" I am also talking about the original versions, as the remake graphics of FF1 and FF2 are really really nice, and the 3D versions of 3 and 4 are pretty good.  Also I will try to keep non-vague spoilers to a minimum.

5 Final Fantasy 13 (8) (9)



Here we have an oddity.  While doing my list, this is the only game that I would rate better today than I did the day it came out.  Not only have I vastly enjoyed this game, it has only grown in my eyes as time has gone by.  Many of the people that heap crap on this game seem to praise 10.  A lot of the crap said about 13 is true of all JRPG's, and I believe its ripping and bandwagon hatred is more a symptom of the rejection of JRPG's in the last 5 years or so(an era I believe we are finally growing out of due to Bravely Default, Ni No Kuni and South Park).  Anyway, I loved this game.  I loved the characters, I loved that the characters grew over the course of the game(something that never happened to Tidus or Squall), I loved that everyone was there for a reason(sadly something that can't be said about a game higher on my list).  I saw visual things that stunned me.  I heard music that made me tear up.  I took part in a story that grew epic, world changing, and emotionally draining by the end.  Despite looking "modern", despite having not that great combat(hence the 8 rating), it felt like a Final Fantasy should.  Why did it go from 8 to 9?  The characters are still growing on me.  The Sazh and Vanille scenes in Nautilus are worth the play through alone(unless your're a sociopath determined to prove to everyone you don't give a fuck about anything).

4. Final Fantasy 7 (10) (8)

This was the first Final Fantasy that I played near its launch.  I remember playing the demo, I remember picking up the game, and I remember playing every bit of the 3 play throughs I played it in a row when I got it(I got a lot less games back then).  I can't really say anything about 7 that hasn't been said.  It was THAT revolutionary when it came out, even if you did not like it.  It ushered in a rush of JRPG's that have not happened since.  A whole generation of Japan's best got sent our way because of the success of 7.  Why do I rate it 8 now?  Well, the character models aren't even cute any longer.  The cutscenes, while amazing for their time, are very short.  Many of them are rendered at much less quality than the others.  The music, story, and presentation get high marks, and the Materia system mechanic ranks as my favorite of all games, not just Final Fantasy series.

3. Final Fantasy 12 (8) (8)

The Matsuno Final Fantasy.  The one that took place in an already established world.  The one that has a semi-Final Fantasy and a non-Final Fantasy as part of its universe.  This strange Single-player MMO-esque Final Fantasy is polarizing.  The combat is confusing to many(though it is very much like what Dragon Age did later), and the main characters don't seem like main characters at all.  But that story.  I really wish there was more story in between certain dungeons in the game, and I kind of wish the story became more apparent much sooner, but holy crap; when the story gets going, its hard to not be fascinated.  This is my pick for best overall story in a Final Fantasy.  When I rate story above all, you can see that I find faults with the game's pacing and presentation enough to keep it out of the #1 spot.  Basch is ranked 3 in my favorite characters of all time list.  My favorite duo of all time is Balthier and Fran.  My favorite villain of the series is Vayne by a wide margin.

2. Final Fantasy 9 (8) (8)

Final Fantasy 9 is the game that most exemplifies what a Final Fantasy should be.  It was Sakaguchi's send off to the series, and he pulled out all the stops for it.  The story goes from a small matter of royalty to a universe changing, epic story of survival.  The entire game is an exploration of identity.  Identity as a person, as a legacy, as a civilization, as a memory, and what defines all that.  My favorite character in all of gaming is Vivi.  My favorite sub-story in all of gaming is Vivi and the Black Mages.  The cutscenes are the best in the series, with practically all of them comprising of "oh shit!" moments.  The world is beautiful, my favorite setting of all Final Fantasy games.  The reason this game is not in the #1 slot is not nostalgia, as many will accuse, but because that aside from Vivi and a smidgen of Freya, the cast is rather weak on meaningful characterization.  Only Irvine is a bigger disappointment to me than Amarant.  Amarant's cool look wrote a "badass" check that did not get cashed in.

1. Final Fantasy 6 (10) (9)

The only Final Fantasy to score a 10 from me that was not a first of its tech generation.

Graphics?  It did things you would not think would be done on the SNES.  It looked so good that many PS1/Saturn RPG's looked worse.  From the gears in the town of Narshe, to the beautiful sunset on Cid's island, the world was full of interesting details.  Music? Best in the series.  Every character got a theme, and I could hum them all by the end of it.  Hearing a certain music floods my mind with memories of where I heard it.  Only 7 comes close with a couple of tunes that match 6's memorable score.  Final Fantasy 6's score is close to perfect.  The story is grand, and while it may not get 12 or 9 "epic" it is suitably world shattering.  On top of that, all the side stories fill all the pats of humanity that the main story doesn't touch.  You get Cyan's duty and family, Edgar's unresolved relationship with his brother, Setzer's hidden sadness, and Shadow's silent enduring of pain.  There are over 10 characters in Final Fantasy 6 and all except 1, maybe 2, get the spotlight.  Combat is fun and complex, the Esper mechanic is really awesome, and the fact that every character gets their own special attacks makes every character different and fun.  Sabin even uses Street Fighter style movements to do his abilities.

Final Fantasy 6 is a masterpiece of gaming, and taken as a whole, it still stands the test of time.  It only loses a point for its apparent bad(yet memorable) translation, and the aging of the graphics(despite still being very beautiful in my opinion).

Skypp's Final Fantasy Rankings Part 1: Bottoms Up

This is a listing of my ranking of Final Fantasy Core games as of 2014.  I'm not going to go too in depth into the why's and how's of each game, as each game could and probably will eventually have its own post.  I am keeping to the Core numbered Final Fantasy games, excluding the MMO's(11 and 14), and excluding 3 as I have not finished it.

I am including some information along with the rank.  There will be 2 numbers after the game's title: the first is my game grade(1-10) in context of when it came out.  The second is what I'd grade the game today.  I would also like to point out that when I talk about "Graphics" I am also talking about the original versions, as the remake graphics of FF1 and FF2 are really really nice, and the 3D versions of 3 and 4 are pretty good
too.

Also, I will try to keep vague on my spoilers.

11. Final Fantasy 8 (5) (3)

Final Fantasy 8 is the only "bad" rated game on my list of Final Fantasy games.  It got good marks for visual world design and the impressive sound track, but is dead last in having a horrible story.  Story is my most important factor in a Final Fantasy, and I much more enjoy the almost non-existent story of Final Fantasy 1 to the horrible story of Final Fantasy 8.  Characters could have saved the game for me, but my "last big hope" was Irvine, and then he turned out to be the biggest wuss of all.  Gameplay failures include: Junction Magic, Weapon crafting, level scaled enemy difficulty, lack of exploring on the final disc.  I dislike 8 so much that I feel bad that the 10th spot is near it, because the game in the 10th spot is good.  Why do I rate it lower now?  Well the graphics were too ambitious for its time.  While FF7's dated graphics are cute and funny, and the 16 bit era games are "retro cool" pixel art, FF8 just looks like a bunch of jagged spikey non-descript stick figures.  With Vagrant Story and Metal Gear Solid showing you can have decent polygon characters in this era, it just embarrasses the FF8 team.

10.  Final Fantasy 1 (10) (5)

Final Fantasy, the first.  When it came out, it was just as big a jump in gameplay and graphics as the mid-era Final Fantasy games were.  Compare this to its competition(Dragon Warrior, Zelda) and you see weaponry that changes depending on what is equipped.  You have items that can cast spells instead of just be used as usual weapons.  You have enemy artwork that look like paintings compared to the pixel approximations of the competitor games.  The world was amazing, taking you from the usual medieval vistas, to an underwater Atlantis, and even a space station full of robotic enemies.  Final Fantasy has been sweeping in scope from the beginning.  While unfortunately now we want more story, the game is short and still fun to revisit to see how things have changed, but mainly to see how things have not.  Final Fantasy is a legacy that has lasted even to the current games.

9. Final Fantasy 2 (8) (5)

This is a very controversial Final Fantasy.  Many feel that its experiment in mechanics was the biggest failure of all the games, and I would tend to agree.  I spent many fights attacking my own characters during battle so they would level up skills.  For this reason, I would give it an 8 when it came out instead of the 10 that it very nearly deserves for its innovations.  This game introduced plot into the series, and the now familiar non-player character becoming a player character but leaving to make room for a new non-player character.  It began as many legacies as the first, being the introduction of the Dragoons, Cid, and many others.  Evil Emperors, "false" bad guys, betrayal, death, nations at war, all these things are in Final Fantasy 2.  While I would not recommend it for casuals, people that know enough Final Fantasy to match me in debate should definitely play it so you can see where a lot of the legacy stuff comes from.  Fans of Final Fantasy 6 will see many many parallels.

8. Final Fantasy 5 (7) (6)

The much loved Final Fantasy 5 was hyped, in my opinion, because we did not get it.  When I think back on Final Fantasy 5, I malign the lack of character personality, the drop in emotion as compared to Final Fantasy 4(2 US), and the plot that is all over the place.  But.  Then I realize, this is because this game never got a good translation.  I thought about all the AMAZING things that happen in 5 and I realize the translation has sold it short.  If this game had modern graphics, cutscenes and a coherent re-write, we would have one of the most epic stories this side of the original Star Wars trilogy.  Multi-world space wars, generational evil epic battles, fallen heroes redeemed, honor bound enemies, its got it all.  The bad marks for when it was released include a general lack of graphical improvement over 4.  If you love the job changing system, this game does it best.  I loved the combinations and set ups I had in this game, and mechanically it might have been my favorite, though 7's might win that battle.

(note: I have played through the game on the PS1 and the GBA, and my view of the translations of both stands; the translations are crap)

7. Final Fantasy 10 (8) (6)

This Final Fantasy title is the nomad of my list.  It keeps going up and down in stature as time goes and I can not decide.  It will likely stay lower from now on as I feel Final Fantasy 13 did everything that X set out to do, except it did it much better, leaving me to rely only on its story and characters, something it lacks.  In fact, its character designs and characters in general are probably my least favorite cast aside from 8.  At least 8's characters looked like they belonged in the world and fit "together".  Final Fantasy 10's characters looks like they were created separately and thrown together for the hell of it.  Its characters, and indeed the game, is somewhat saved by Auron, who would rank high on list of "most badass characters" in games.  The game gets extra high marks for its pre-rendered cut-scenes and its musical score, which it ranks near the top.  Its beginning and ending is also ranked high, previously being my favorite ending to a Final Fantasy, though now it is behind both 12 and 13.  The beginning with the Blitzball invasion by Sin is still my favorite beginning to a Final Fantasy.  The song, "Otherworld", was perfect for it, I just wish the game kept that energy throughout.

6. Final Fantasy 4 (10) (8)

Final Fantasy 4(known as Final Fantasy II in US), was the first introduction to an epic plot to many JRPG fans in the United States.  The epic story of redemption is still one of the best in video games, now only starting to show its age because of bad translation.  There are, however, many translated parts that have survived and become much beloved.  There is emotion in the script, something that can not be said about Final Fantasy 5's translation.  It is a return to Final Fantasy 2's epic plot line with many supporting characters and overarching themes in the characters influencing their abilities(instead of a job class).  When it came out, it was just as much a game changer as 7.  It used advanced 16 bit graphics(particularly with the airships) and it went to places you never thought of.  Like the first it blended Tech and Fantasy into what Final Fantasy always has been, a blend of the two(and it did not start with 7 like many purists will have you believe).  I dock it points now because the graphics really need more detail in the overworld, and the translation stinks and is confusing.  Still, unlike 5, 2 and 1, I'd recommend casual RPG players give it a go, its very very important in gaming culture.

(note: I have not played the 3D remake)

There we go, that's it for now.  To recap:

FF8

FF 1, FF 2, FF5, FF10, FF4

Next up is my favorites list 1-5.  Remember, this is my "Favorites" list, not any other person's.  I'm not trying to argue with you and convince you to like them, like them in your own order.