Good assessment of FF8. It's my favorite series title and believe that most haters dislike it for one or more of the following reasons: junctioning, late game plot twists, romance. The junction system is divisive because if you understand how to exploit it, you don't need to worry about battles. It's the main reason I love FF8 because I find battles tedious and dull. The late game plot twists are commonly called out as convoluted or nonsense. The Time Kompression concept does require suspension of disbelief but other than that it's tightly written, bold, and unique. Hating on the romance has fallen out of fashion recently but back in the 2000s it was a common gripe. I just feel bad for those that can't appreciate the beautiful telling of the star-crossed lovers Laguna and Julia who are only able to realize their love vicariously through their children, Squall and Rinoa. I've played through and beaten the game at least 13 times in my life. Love the game.
Fang was the only thing really good in FFXIII. I liked her so much that I felt bad for her having to get along with a bunch of stupid characters. She deserved her own game.
I think final fantasy II embodies the 2nd game syndrome, where the devs don't know where to go with their mechanics, either vertically and build on already existing mechanics, or in this case Horizontally and try to do a new combat system that struggles to be understood so FF3 came around to the job system and 4 perfected the "each character with an assigned job progression, 8 falls in the same category FF13 to me was always an attempt of square to be more spectacle than substance Also, Subbed, love the presentation hope to see more of you
Yes absolutely, so common in 2nd games of a franchise… It did some things well, it’s just the least fun FF to play in my opinion. I think that’s what I liked about 13, 8 hours of cutscenes and pretty linear game so it doesn’t involve much thinking. Pretty easy to relax with. Thanks so much for the sub! I make a lot of Final Fantasy content so I hope to see you on future vids :)
I think XV’s beautiful, empty open world makes it, if not the worst, the most disappointing. So much space, so many pointless, boring things to do. I got so bored I couldn’t even finish it.
I just finished it and I think there is missed potential but I liked it a lot early chapters were slow but as the story progressed I grew more and more intrigued and man the final chapters were a gut punch after gut punch I didn’t think I cry that much. There are many plot holes but as the credits were rolling and stand by me was playing I forgot all that and felt very emotional.
2's leveling system was amazing for exploiting if you knew how to use it. You could dual equip shields to get max block rate early on (going to single shield once your blocking was high enough to dodge basically everything with only one equipped), and doing so would naturally level your unarmed attack to ridiculous levels such that you'd be putting out a lot of damage with fists alone. Also, damaging yourself intentionally to increase your max HP after each battle.
FFVIII was the first Final Fantasy game that I've ever played. Sure, the final part of the story is a bit of a mess but it is still a great game. I've enjoyed it more that FFVII and way more than FFIX. FFX also one of my favourites. FFXIII was a corridor game, beautiful landscapes but not much to explore (that trend started with FFX but at least there the story and gameplay were good). FFXV had the exploration but the world was empty. Felt like a lot of content was cut.
I don't think FF8 was necessarily hated by the mainstream audience, at least not back when it was released. It was more so from the fans later on as time passed.
FF7 came out when I was 10 yrs old. I didnt get it until around 12 yrs old. It was my first final fantasy. I was hooked. I loved it. On my 13th birthday, I got FF8. I didn't understand what was going on... I didn't know the final fantasy games where stand alone. I played it and was a bit disappointed. But the more I played it and accepted it as something unique and different the more I liked it. I was in high school at the time and really felt connected to the characters as they were all in a highschool setting. the love between Squall and Rinoa was really speaking to me. The themes were deep, beautiful... I grew to like it A LOT. then, I got curious and started playing other final fantasy games. I next got final fantasy chronicles. I was amazed. FF4 was a masterpiece... and chrono trigger. I then started playing a lot of other RPGs (granstream saga, zelda, legend of legaia and many others) and was in my teens a huge gamer always getting lost in the magical worlds. It was amazing... then I got final fantasy anthology. FF5 was good, made me think a lot of FF4 but bit different. I enjoyed it, but somehow prefered FF4. And FF6... meh. I really didn't like it much. What was the hype? I didn't get it. There were too many characters... I just kudnt get attached to any of them. Kefka was ok, but no sephiroth. The game had a steampunk setting... but I had already played FF7 and it was MUCH better (and in 3D!). If I had played ff6 before I prolly kud of seen it with fresh eyes but I just felt like it was a wannabee toned down FF7 (although ff7 was actually the ff6 wannabee since it came after, so ff6 was actually the one with fresh new look and theme, but I just didnt see it). eventually I got FF9 and was VERY disapointed (prolly my least favorite). I found it too long and after having played many final fantasy games... I didn't get it. I found FF7 was the best. Then FF4. FF8 was also amazing and fresh. FF6, FF5 and the others followed. still good but not amazing. But FF9... it was the same as the old games... back to castles and knights. Wtf? I didn't like this. I much prefered the advanced technology and magic of FF8. Other major issues was, I was a teen into animes and REALLY into Dragonball Z. So now my favorite RPG just came out with a long boring game about midieval aged magic, where the hero has a monkey's tail and sent from another world to destroy the world and had to face off his evil brother. Yep, I was totally turned off. Nothing was new or unique, it was an old style final fantasy game with a clear rip off of one of my fav animes. I was pretty much done with final fantasy at this point. (yet FF9 is considered a hit and FF8 not good today. I can't believe this. FF8 made me cry and laugh and so beautiful but FF9 a lazy rehashed rip off with no new ideas!) years later, I got a PS2. the slim one that had been out. I was in college and decided to try out FFX, give the series another chance. I was disapointed again (but not as much as FF9) I felt seymour was too much like sephiroth. FF7 was too popular. I wanted something different (and things only got worst later on with FF7 obsession. In truth, FF7 was and still is my favorite and I think the best, but because it was new, deep and great. I do NOT want more of it) Also, I never liked the dream stuff and I was mostly pissed at the size of FFX. Why was I paying for this game? it had no airship (u got airship but dont fly it just see a map with destination). No world map. I felt it was such a small game, small world and lacking. Looking back, its not a terrible game. Games at that time had shifted. I always liked the battle system and voice and feel was decent... but it was just I felt ripped off. It was expenssive yet felt empty. I think games even today are empty. even with large maps, there is a feel of empty content. Somehow, old games (FF4, FF5, FF6, FF7, FF8, ff9) where HUGE. every little area had size areas, houses, corners... they seemed to cram so much in so little and felt massive. Today it feel empty. story, areas, everything seems somehow lacking and it started in FFX. Sure, you got voice, amazing graphics... I guess it takes much longer to make models and content that they just cant fit so much into the games not more. FFX was my last for a while... Until I got FF12. I didn't get to play it much kuz my GF at the time didn't want me playing video games. I beat it in a couple weeks, really blew through it. I was like 22 years old. It was ok. I didn't like battle system and many things but didn't care much. I just got it kuz I had played every Final Fantasy and so got it just because. Then I didnt play video games for a LONG time (work, life etc) got FF15 a couple years back. I liked it. I had a huge world, a Grand Theft Auto (one of my fav games) kinda feel. I miss the turn based battle but i saw where the series was heading so wtv. The story was a bit empty and sucked, but the games play was fun. There was some bugs and issues. I could see how far the bar has fallen (old games are just, artworks). but its still fun to explore and play so wtv. I think Ive lowered standards too. I haven't got FF16 yet but might get eventually. my rankings for the games would be: amazing: FF7, FF4, FF Tactics, FF5 good: FF8, FFX, FF6 ok: FF15, FF12 meh: FF1, FF2, FF9 never played FF13 or the online ones...
I kinda get your FF4 and FF5 feeling. While 4 is great as a story, FF5 lacks deep themes like atoning for your sins etc. But FF5 is great in character customization. Kicking X-Deaths Ass with three dancers and a bard sure is funny. It's a matter of weighing story against mechanics.
Its shocking how FF games after 13 borrowed so much from its combat system. You would think Square Enix would want to disassociate itself from such a hated game.
@@HolyGrailGaming it really did. I played it about a year ago for the first time, I don't think the hate is justified even though the game is not perfect.
The problem with FF13 is that it gets good once you get to Gran Pulse, where you get all of your freedom and access to the mini quests. Why is that a problem? Because it's over half way through the game. You get freedom in 7 pretty much the moment you leave Midgar, which is very early. The tutorial shouldn't make up for over half of the game.
@@HolyGrailGaming Not exactly though. With X you can choose to level your characters however you like from any point in the game; you can go for mage Tidus pretty easily for example. Each character in XIII only has access to 3 paradigms before landing on Pulse. Lightning for example can only be a commando, ravager or medic; saboteur and sentinal are locked to her until Pulse.
Despite being a mess mechanically, FF8 is a good game due to its really impressive presentation (for its time) and the fun battles and characters. I see way more love than hate for 8 online. Nothing beats FF12 for me though, which is another polarising entry in this series.
FFVIII was the first final fantasy game I ever played, and it’s the reason I fell in love with final fantasy games. The junction system is confusing as hell, but it’s one of those “get good” kind of games - like a souls game, but as a turn based RPG. I wanted to see the story through, so I worked extra hard to understand the combat system, and ended up being rewarded not only with an epic story, but also with incredibly fun gameplay. The junction system demands a lot from the player, but it rewards you for your mastery. I sunk an embarrassing number of hours 100 percenting that game, and felt a sense of loss when I was done because I loved those characters so much. Not a lot of games do that for me. Imagine how surprised I was years later when I found out people didn’t like this game. I truly can’t get my head around it.
Been doing a final fantasy marathon. Finished 1 through 7 so far, loved it all! Currently on FF8. I Understand the system to a point. Just not crazy about the amount of grinding required. I do remember why ff8 is the black sheep of the mainline.
"Final Fantasy 13 was my first game in the series, so I might be a little bit biased", lol. Good video all the same, can't hate on you too hard, you seem genuine. But 13 is actually a war crime. It's hold-X, hold forward, auto-battle, cutscene, hallway simulator. I bought it full price at launch, so hyped. To this day it's my most despised game, hands down.
7 great, 8 better ( because i looked forward to it and was 100% commited ) 9, sucked at first but its actually amazing. 10, legendary. 13, legendary. 15. Shiii 16. Dogwater. Tactics is the best.
I loved 13. havnt played it since xbox360 . When my toxic ex threw it down the stairs. i spent hundreds of hours on it but never fully finished it. waiting for it to come to ps5 hopefully dont have to wait to long
13 felt for the most part like a nice playable movie. Nice in comparison to the difficult game mechanics in FF12. Yeah you can beat the shit out of 12, if you fully dive into programming mechanics, but als normal citizen it can be quite a mess.
@noamuth89 I actually really liked 12 as well. It just really bothers me when 13 gets shit on for being a "hall way" when 10 was one as well. Truth be told, 7 was one too, but it gave an illusion of freedom with the world map until you got the highwind with some freedom granted by the tiny bronco
FF8 is great when you play it again after some years. Each time you can try different things. While FF7 and IX kinda do the same things since you are so limited in different Materia until late game. FF13 for me: Playing once is kinda nice, but replaying it has no meaning. Replaying 13-2 and 13-3 is way more fun. And Lightning is a great character. The other members of the cast are terrible especially in this combination. Lighting together with characters from other games would work out quite well. She can be the joke buster like Squall to Xell, or a female Auron from FF10 and may be a better leader then "What ever" Squall. (I know that this is a translation error, but still he often comes up to this stereotype)
So for me I think Final Fantasy II is an okay game I like it that its trying to do something different with the level up system on weapons and it was an inspration to other RPGs that I know of that did it better such as Grandia, and Disgaea.
I mean same can be said about 15 and 16 too imo, those are decent games, just bad final fantasy games though. They're trying way too hard to copy other games/genre instead of sticking to what people like about final fantasy.
Then there is something wrong with me, FFVIII and FFXV are my favorites. Games are flawed but they are endearing, original and fun. FFVIII was my first FF. The junction system is daunting at first and people will tell you that all you do is draw but you don't have to. You just need to learn the refine abilities, card mod and mug and you are set. Want to be a tank? Buy 30 tents, refine them into Curagas and put them in your HP or VIT and boom. Easy mode for most of the first disc. Or mod the Sacred Card for 100 Dino Bones for easy quakes and watch your Strength go to the heavens. Final Fantasy VIII and XV have heart and if you take the time with them, you'll soon notice that their strengths out weight their weaknesses by a mile unless, you know, their not your thing which is perfectly fine. I replayed FFX and then followed with Shadow Hearts, a game that came out the same year and Shadow Hearts is a masterpiece compared to FFX. So yeah, different strokes and what not.
I personally really even all of those games, and think they are better than 12 for exemple however I wouldn't blame anyone for disliking them. Final Fantasy 2 was a messy game but I think the story is pretty good for a NES game, and they try something new which was the ground work for the SaGa series. FF8 is also mess and most things that I like about it, are also the reason why I dislike it. I like how different and costumasible the junction system is but also that it doesn't feel balanced. I like how absurd the story is, but I dislike how confusing it's Final fantasy XIII is my 4th favorite FF game only behind, FF9, Light returns and FF7, I love the music, the battle system and the characters, but it takes time to those things to become good (chapter 7 in my opinion)
Not every new version is an 'upgrade', but also great point people should really decide for themselves instead of jumping on a bandwagon based on other's opinions.
It’s so common in all media for people to just hate on something because others are 😜 pretty lame… It’s why I never really pay attention to mainstream reviews
2 introduced key words, and good leveling with the elimination of XP, story was decent with Leon, the betrayal within the party, I know, THAT party only lasted 2 minutes, but still haha. 8 is great for fan theories, and the leveling penalty was interesting, but the general game mechanics sucked, majorly. 13 was decent, GREAT story if you consider the trilogy, but 500+ years of character development does that to the story.
You haven't heard people say good things about Final Fantasy VIII? Well, it's nice seeing people who were in a coma since 1999 adjust to modern life so easily and even make RUclips videos.
It wasn't hype that made ff8 not do well either. I checked out the first time playing it after disc 1 and squall had huge ice thrown through him. I'm like, we've fixed a lot of problems in Final Fantasy but that looks, fatal. That's without getting into the story of FF8 being dog water. Because it is.
The level scaling isn't that drastic. I level Squall and Qusistis to level 100 before the fire cavern and Spotify is the only reason that I know what the game over music sounds like. Git gud.
FF8 and FF13 are my top 2 favorite final fantasy games. FF13 for me not only made the combat more intense and at least challenging for me, it also made realize a lot about myself that has a huge impact on my life. I gotta say Lightning as a character in the final fantasy series is just amazing for me. Love everything from her look to the way she is written and acted. Became apart of my top 3 favorite video game characters. FF8 characters werent much different, even though there was little to no voice acting, they were so special to me as i grew up. Being the first game in the FF series to ever play, the combat was so fun, the interaction with Zell and Squall mid combat, the summon system. Dont get me wrong the junction system was a disaster, but it never really affected me. I just learned and went with it. All that aside, i havent played much of the older ones. FF10 was ok, but i hated everything about the story and characters. Yuna and Tidus really ruined that game for me. FF7 i can only judge based on what i played. Which is leaving midgar. FF7 has been ramped up, promoted as the best FF game ever , and overhyped for years, that i just dont care to continue on with the game.
ff8 gets underserved hate,I understood the junction system as a 12 year old that barely knew any english... ff8 by far my FAVOURITE in the franchise also better story wise than Vii,i mean ok Vii had good story and sephiroth,but ff8 had true emotion in its story...
They should have build Artemisia more like Sephiroth, e.g. why she tries to do what she does more in detail. And of course a chorus singing "Artemisia!" in the final battle would have been nice.
@@noamuth89 artemisia was a pretty good vilian,it appears at the late stages,it was a hard and good fight for an FF boss(way harder than 7 and 9 final bosses) her final dungeon was the best(artemisia castle vs crator/memoria for me wins) yes,shes not sephiroth level vilian,but the emotions of the story of ff8,as well as its ending,its music,its characters ,and its system,for me was by far the BEST entry,hands down. it also had a lot of play time without it being a grinding game,lots of secrets,lots of things to do,with minimum grind(lvl 100 was easy task as well as max spells)
Did you know you can simply not hit autobattle? The game has much deeper and better combat than most FFs, there's actual skill involved in getting good scores. Can you beat the game with just autobattle? Probably, if you change paradigms accordingly (which already invalidates your argument as you've to change them manually). Then again, is that really so different than mashing Attack in other FFs? You can also beat them just by spamming Attack and healing
That's simply not true, genuinely try to beat ANY eidolon battle by only pressing auto-battle, you won't be able to progress through them, sure you might to beat some early chapter by only using auto battle but it isn't optimal and you won't be able to get good scores.
There are two titles which I'm not the biggest fan of: X and XII. Explanation: their primary protagonists weaken the main story. Much like how 'A good Bond villain makes for a good movie', a compelling protagonist can make for a great Final Fantasy game. Tidus is arrogant, preachy, incompetent, and I get being inexperienced is the idea for narrative.. He is meant to be the eyes for which the player is meant to view the world of Spira. What we got was a character who annoys everyone, and as we come to learn later on, his very existence only produces plot holes. Vaan doesn't have the same degree of hatred that I give Tidus, and that's simply because he isn't as annoying. He appears as the protagonist (for pretty much the same reason), but is then delegated to being a background character in his own story. Not enough is given to him to stand out as compelling or to possess real agency to drive the plot. In Final Fantasy X, Yuna and Auron make for more viable protagonist material, because they have actual stakes in the game. Yuna is in a moral quandary about the importance of sacrifice for what she has been led to believe for her entire life as 'the greater good'; Auron is out to avenge his fallen brothers in arms, after seeing the horrific dark reality unfold before him. Focusing upon these two specifically would've done more good for the story, as they lost the same person, but their reactions are very different and contrasting. Final Fantasy XII has THREE potential protagonists to pick from: Ashe, Balthier, and Basch. One is a princess who wants to secure the safety of her kingdom. One is a sky pirate who once served under the Archadian empire, but deserted it after seeing what it was doing to his father, believing it turned him into a madman. Basch, a once legendary warrior, framed for the murder of his once beloved king. Out to restore not only his honor, but to protect Ashe as recompense. This is what we had. If we focused more on this, and less on 'fish out of water' style protagonists, I think the games would've been much better.
Best thing they did to Tidus was kill him off at the end. So he wouldn't appear in the sequel. I get why they needed someone like him. You need a dumbass so that every detail can be explained to him in detail to get the player to know what is going on. XII would have a nice start with Ashes point of few from the beginning. Adding Van as an apprentice of Balthier or so.
@@noamuth89 Yeah, that's 'fish out of water' storytelling. I understand why they did it (allows the audience to observe the world through the eyes of the inexperienced, makes for easier exposition tie-ins to the narrative). My problem with that is Tidus is an unlikeable vessel.. At least for me. Yuna is in a way something of a fish out of water herself; many of the places she's visiting she's probably seeing for the first time, or merely heard of each temple in passing, in preparing for her pilgrimage. By that logic, we'd see this more for her character arc too. A net positive, as it would feel much more personal if she was the sole focus.
@@HolyGrailGaming I actually like FFXII, but that's its one big issue for me. Vaan (and by extension Penelo) are introduced as the leads. Outside of Penelo's brief interactions with Larsa, this oddly enough would put the deuteragonist above Vaan on terms of connection with the main plot. And while I would be clamoring for a natural flow of exposition dialogue, I fear that's what he's delegated to. It's unfortunate, because I have a long history of love for Final Fantasy characters, but Vaan has been the piece that never quite fits for me. Like he's a last minute decision, or an empty slate with the simplest of backstories. While he doesn't infuriate me like Tidus (or break the plot like him), Vaan derails some of its urgency. If he was written with a proper progressive arc as a recruit in a gang in Rabinastre, stealing a lot more frequently, from guards and townspeople, you can spin his background into something much more interesting than what we got. Then as the story progresses, he runs into a serious of shady debts with the gang's leader, and is commissioned to pull of a ballsy heist in the palace to raid the royal treasury. He meets Balthier and Fran, as per usual.. But now it's the street smart street rat against two seasoned sky pirates, developing a quick rivalry and possibly stronger chemistry between each other in the process. His beef with Basch could also have been drawn out more, let time pass before the truth sinks in that Basch DIDN'T kill his brother. A reluctant truce after Vaan tries to fight him, but Basch manages to briefly overpower him in their skirmish, but an irritated Fran splits them up and tells them to work together. Over time, they gradually learn to put aside their differences, maybe even have Basch try to act as a mentor figure to the young thief and draw him to a more righteous, noble path, but Vaan's aspirations and wanderlust make him look up to Balthier's profession as a sky pirate. That's just a few ideas I have.
im sorry FF8 was the best all time it was my first so i think im bias your right though i think what ever your first final fantasy game is it be your favorite
Good assessment of FF8. It's my favorite series title and believe that most haters dislike it for one or more of the following reasons: junctioning, late game plot twists, romance. The junction system is divisive because if you understand how to exploit it, you don't need to worry about battles. It's the main reason I love FF8 because I find battles tedious and dull. The late game plot twists are commonly called out as convoluted or nonsense. The Time Kompression concept does require suspension of disbelief but other than that it's tightly written, bold, and unique. Hating on the romance has fallen out of fashion recently but back in the 2000s it was a common gripe. I just feel bad for those that can't appreciate the beautiful telling of the star-crossed lovers Laguna and Julia who are only able to realize their love vicariously through their children, Squall and Rinoa. I've played through and beaten the game at least 13 times in my life. Love the game.
Fang was the only thing really good in FFXIII.
I liked her so much that I felt bad for her having to get along with a bunch of stupid characters.
She deserved her own game.
I think final fantasy II embodies the 2nd game syndrome, where the devs don't know where to go with their mechanics, either vertically and build on already existing mechanics, or in this case Horizontally and try to do a new combat system that struggles to be understood so FF3 came around to the job system and 4 perfected the "each character with an assigned job progression, 8 falls in the same category
FF13 to me was always an attempt of square to be more spectacle than substance
Also, Subbed, love the presentation hope to see more of you
Yes absolutely, so common in 2nd games of a franchise… It did some things well, it’s just the least fun FF to play in my opinion.
I think that’s what I liked about 13, 8 hours of cutscenes and pretty linear game so it doesn’t involve much thinking. Pretty easy to relax with.
Thanks so much for the sub! I make a lot of Final Fantasy content so I hope to see you on future vids :)
I’m gonna sub because you said IX was one of the best. It’s my favorite game of all time and I’m praying they remake it.
I almost don’t want them to because the original is so good still 😔 thanks so much for the sub!
I think XV’s beautiful, empty open world makes it, if not the worst, the most disappointing. So much space, so many pointless, boring things to do. I got so bored I couldn’t even finish it.
I just finished it and I think there is missed potential but I liked it a lot early chapters were slow but as the story progressed I grew more and more intrigued and man the final chapters were a gut punch after gut punch I didn’t think I cry that much. There are many plot holes but as the credits were rolling and stand by me was playing I forgot all that and felt very emotional.
ah I get what you’re saying, but think 15 isn’t so terrible
2's leveling system was amazing for exploiting if you knew how to use it. You could dual equip shields to get max block rate early on (going to single shield once your blocking was high enough to dodge basically everything with only one equipped), and doing so would naturally level your unarmed attack to ridiculous levels such that you'd be putting out a lot of damage with fists alone.
Also, damaging yourself intentionally to increase your max HP after each battle.
FFVIII was the first Final Fantasy game that I've ever played. Sure, the final part of the story is a bit of a mess but it is still a great game. I've enjoyed it more that FFVII and way more than FFIX. FFX also one of my favourites. FFXIII was a corridor game, beautiful landscapes but not much to explore (that trend started with FFX but at least there the story and gameplay were good). FFXV had the exploration but the world was empty. Felt like a lot of content was cut.
I don't think FF8 was necessarily hated by the mainstream audience, at least not back when it was released.
It was more so from the fans later on as time passed.
Yeah I wouldn’t know about when it was released, but it definitely gets a ton of hate these days!
FF7 came out when I was 10 yrs old. I didnt get it until around 12 yrs old. It was my first final fantasy. I was hooked. I loved it. On my 13th birthday, I got FF8. I didn't understand what was going on... I didn't know the final fantasy games where stand alone. I played it and was a bit disappointed. But the more I played it and accepted it as something unique and different the more I liked it. I was in high school at the time and really felt connected to the characters as they were all in a highschool setting. the love between Squall and Rinoa was really speaking to me. The themes were deep, beautiful... I grew to like it A LOT.
then, I got curious and started playing other final fantasy games. I next got final fantasy chronicles. I was amazed. FF4 was a masterpiece... and chrono trigger. I then started playing a lot of other RPGs (granstream saga, zelda, legend of legaia and many others) and was in my teens a huge gamer always getting lost in the magical worlds. It was amazing...
then I got final fantasy anthology. FF5 was good, made me think a lot of FF4 but bit different. I enjoyed it, but somehow prefered FF4. And FF6... meh. I really didn't like it much. What was the hype? I didn't get it. There were too many characters... I just kudnt get attached to any of them. Kefka was ok, but no sephiroth. The game had a steampunk setting... but I had already played FF7 and it was MUCH better (and in 3D!). If I had played ff6 before I prolly kud of seen it with fresh eyes but I just felt like it was a wannabee toned down FF7 (although ff7 was actually the ff6 wannabee since it came after, so ff6 was actually the one with fresh new look and theme, but I just didnt see it).
eventually I got FF9 and was VERY disapointed (prolly my least favorite).
I found it too long and after having played many final fantasy games... I didn't get it. I found FF7 was the best. Then FF4. FF8 was also amazing and fresh. FF6, FF5 and the others followed. still good but not amazing. But FF9... it was the same as the old games... back to castles and knights. Wtf? I didn't like this. I much prefered the advanced technology and magic of FF8. Other major issues was, I was a teen into animes and REALLY into Dragonball Z. So now my favorite RPG just came out with a long boring game about midieval aged magic, where the hero has a monkey's tail and sent from another world to destroy the world and had to face off his evil brother. Yep, I was totally turned off. Nothing was new or unique, it was an old style final fantasy game with a clear rip off of one of my fav animes. I was pretty much done with final fantasy at this point. (yet FF9 is considered a hit and FF8 not good today. I can't believe this. FF8 made me cry and laugh and so beautiful but FF9 a lazy rehashed rip off with no new ideas!)
years later, I got a PS2. the slim one that had been out. I was in college and decided to try out FFX, give the series another chance. I was disapointed again (but not as much as FF9)
I felt seymour was too much like sephiroth. FF7 was too popular. I wanted something different (and things only got worst later on with FF7 obsession. In truth, FF7 was and still is my favorite and I think the best, but because it was new, deep and great. I do NOT want more of it)
Also, I never liked the dream stuff and I was mostly pissed at the size of FFX. Why was I paying for this game? it had no airship (u got airship but dont fly it just see a map with destination). No world map. I felt it was such a small game, small world and lacking. Looking back, its not a terrible game. Games at that time had shifted. I always liked the battle system and voice and feel was decent... but it was just I felt ripped off. It was expenssive yet felt empty. I think games even today are empty. even with large maps, there is a feel of empty content. Somehow, old games (FF4, FF5, FF6, FF7, FF8, ff9) where HUGE. every little area had size areas, houses, corners... they seemed to cram so much in so little and felt massive. Today it feel empty. story, areas, everything seems somehow lacking and it started in FFX. Sure, you got voice, amazing graphics... I guess it takes much longer to make models and content that they just cant fit so much into the games not more.
FFX was my last for a while... Until I got FF12. I didn't get to play it much kuz my GF at the time didn't want me playing video games. I beat it in a couple weeks, really blew through it. I was like 22 years old. It was ok. I didn't like battle system and many things but didn't care much. I just got it kuz I had played every Final Fantasy and so got it just because.
Then I didnt play video games for a LONG time (work, life etc)
got FF15 a couple years back. I liked it. I had a huge world, a Grand Theft Auto (one of my fav games) kinda feel. I miss the turn based battle but i saw where the series was heading so wtv. The story was a bit empty and sucked, but the games play was fun. There was some bugs and issues. I could see how far the bar has fallen (old games are just, artworks). but its still fun to explore and play so wtv. I think Ive lowered standards too.
I haven't got FF16 yet but might get eventually. my rankings for the games would be:
amazing: FF7, FF4, FF Tactics, FF5
good: FF8, FFX, FF6
ok: FF15, FF12
meh: FF1, FF2, FF9
never played FF13 or the online ones...
I kinda get your FF4 and FF5 feeling. While 4 is great as a story, FF5 lacks deep themes like atoning for your sins etc. But FF5 is great in character customization. Kicking X-Deaths Ass with three dancers and a bard sure is funny.
It's a matter of weighing story against mechanics.
Its shocking how FF games after 13 borrowed so much from its combat system. You would think Square Enix would want to disassociate itself from such a hated game.
It did a lot of things well!
@@HolyGrailGaming it really did. I played it about a year ago for the first time, I don't think the hate is justified even though the game is not perfect.
The problem with FF13 is that it gets good once you get to Gran Pulse, where you get all of your freedom and access to the mini quests. Why is that a problem? Because it's over half way through the game.
You get freedom in 7 pretty much the moment you leave Midgar, which is very early. The tutorial shouldn't make up for over half of the game.
10 does the same thing (only giving you freedom near the end), I don’t mind though really.
@@HolyGrailGaming Not exactly though. With X you can choose to level your characters however you like from any point in the game; you can go for mage Tidus pretty easily for example. Each character in XIII only has access to 3 paradigms before landing on Pulse. Lightning for example can only be a commando, ravager or medic; saboteur and sentinal are locked to her until Pulse.
Despite being a mess mechanically, FF8 is a good game due to its really impressive presentation (for its time) and the fun battles and characters. I see way more love than hate for 8 online. Nothing beats FF12 for me though, which is another polarising entry in this series.
Agreed. FF8 is a solid game overall. And yes 12 is probably a top 5 for me despite what some people say!
@@HolyGrailGaming 12's world is my favourite in any videogame ever.
FFVIII was the first final fantasy game I ever played, and it’s the reason I fell in love with final fantasy games. The junction system is confusing as hell, but it’s one of those “get good” kind of games - like a souls game, but as a turn based RPG. I wanted to see the story through, so I worked extra hard to understand the combat system, and ended up being rewarded not only with an epic story, but also with incredibly fun gameplay. The junction system demands a lot from the player, but it rewards you for your mastery.
I sunk an embarrassing number of hours 100 percenting that game, and felt a sense of loss when I was done because I loved those characters so much. Not a lot of games do that for me. Imagine how surprised I was years later when I found out people didn’t like this game. I truly can’t get my head around it.
Been doing a final fantasy marathon. Finished 1 through 7 so far, loved it all! Currently on FF8. I Understand the system to a point. Just not crazy about the amount of grinding required. I do remember why ff8 is the black sheep of the mainline.
"Final Fantasy 13 was my first game in the series, so I might be a little bit biased", lol. Good video all the same, can't hate on you too hard, you seem genuine. But 13 is actually a war crime. It's hold-X, hold forward, auto-battle, cutscene, hallway simulator. I bought it full price at launch, so hyped. To this day it's my most despised game, hands down.
I completely understand why you feel that way. That's why I disclosed I was probably biased with my love for it.
A game isn't bad if people aren't able to appreciate it.
7 great, 8 better ( because i looked forward to it and was 100% commited )
9, sucked at first but its actually amazing.
10, legendary.
13, legendary.
15. Shiii
16. Dogwater.
Tactics is the best.
hahaha I wouldn’t say 15 and 16 are that bad, just not that good
@@HolyGrailGaming imo 16 was a play, a great idea but not my FF
Final fantasy 8 was the only one I beat. The JUNCTION format was the best about it. It made it challenging. My favorite one
16 was one of my favorite games ever made. Who doesn’t like it!? Y’all are psycho
glad you liked it!
Hehe, I actually like the Junction System. It took me some time to figure out how it worked, though.
One day I’ll fully understand it…
I loved 13. havnt played it since xbox360 . When my toxic ex threw it down the stairs. i spent hundreds of hours on it but never fully finished it. waiting for it to come to ps5 hopefully dont have to wait to long
One day hopefully… Crazy that it’s now the literal only FF game (aside from 11) that isn’t available on a PS5. I’m playing it on my Series S right now
13 has localization issues, but its nowhere near as bad as peoole want to claim
13 felt for the most part like a nice playable movie. Nice in comparison to the difficult game mechanics in FF12. Yeah you can beat the shit out of 12, if you fully dive into programming mechanics, but als normal citizen it can be quite a mess.
@noamuth89 I actually really liked 12 as well. It just really bothers me when 13 gets shit on for being a "hall way" when 10 was one as well. Truth be told, 7 was one too, but it gave an illusion of freedom with the world map until you got the highwind with some freedom granted by the tiny bronco
I really liked XIII but didn't like the sequel at all. LR is a bit better but it feels boring, it's like a "complete these sidequests to progress"
FF8 is great when you play it again after some years. Each time you can try different things. While FF7 and IX kinda do the same things since you are so limited in different Materia until late game.
FF13 for me: Playing once is kinda nice, but replaying it has no meaning. Replaying 13-2 and 13-3 is way more fun.
And Lightning is a great character. The other members of the cast are terrible especially in this combination.
Lighting together with characters from other games would work out quite well. She can be the joke buster like Squall to Xell, or a female Auron from FF10 and may be a better leader then "What ever" Squall. (I know that this is a translation error, but still he often comes up to this stereotype)
So for me I think Final Fantasy II is an okay game I like it that its trying to do something different with the level up system on weapons and it was an inspration to other RPGs that I know of that did it better such as Grandia, and Disgaea.
7 isn't the best, it just has the most universal appeal.
I mean same can be said about 15 and 16 too imo, those are decent games, just bad final fantasy games though.
They're trying way too hard to copy other games/genre instead of sticking to what people like about final fantasy.
To me it feels like they are trying to go from JRPG to westernized RPGs 😔
@@HolyGrailGaming Oh yes clearly, the inspiration they took for 16 are all from western rpgs it feels like.
Then there is something wrong with me, FFVIII and FFXV are my favorites. Games are flawed but they are endearing, original and fun. FFVIII was my first FF. The junction system is daunting at first and people will tell you that all you do is draw but you don't have to. You just need to learn the refine abilities, card mod and mug and you are set. Want to be a tank? Buy 30 tents, refine them into Curagas and put them in your HP or VIT and boom. Easy mode for most of the first disc. Or mod the Sacred Card for 100 Dino Bones for easy quakes and watch your Strength go to the heavens. Final Fantasy VIII and XV have heart and if you take the time with them, you'll soon notice that their strengths out weight their weaknesses by a mile unless, you know, their not your thing which is perfectly fine. I replayed FFX and then followed with Shadow Hearts, a game that came out the same year and Shadow Hearts is a masterpiece compared to FFX. So yeah, different strokes and what not.
That’s why I think it’s good to form your own opinion. If you like the games, who cares what others think :)
North America was too dumb for the first 5.
Genuinely believe ff16 cid was based off of Thunder god Cid from final fantasy tactics. Im serious, story/personality/....
All i can say is F8 - grind grind grind F13 the intro is ridiculous 1/2 hour before you get any magic
sucks, ff8 is still my most fav game and we will never see a remake or any kind of news. RIP
I personally really even all of those games, and think they are better than 12 for exemple however I wouldn't blame anyone for disliking them.
Final Fantasy 2 was a messy game but I think the story is pretty good for a NES game, and they try something new which was the ground work for the SaGa series.
FF8 is also mess and most things that I like about it, are also the reason why I dislike it.
I like how different and costumasible the junction system is but also that it doesn't feel balanced.
I like how absurd the story is, but I dislike how confusing it's
Final fantasy XIII is my 4th favorite FF game only behind, FF9, Light returns and FF7, I love the music, the battle system and the characters, but it takes time to those things to become good (chapter 7 in my opinion)
I really enjoy 12, but respect your opinions!
You really don’t get why Lightning gets a lot of hate?
I have a few guesses
There's dumb games and there's dumb players.
FFVIII is considered great. Don't let the internet fucking fool you
Not every new version is an 'upgrade', but also great point people should really decide for themselves instead of jumping on a bandwagon based on other's opinions.
It’s so common in all media for people to just hate on something because others are 😜 pretty lame… It’s why I never really pay attention to mainstream reviews
8 was my favorite
2 introduced key words, and good leveling with the elimination of XP, story was decent with Leon, the betrayal within the party, I know, THAT party only lasted 2 minutes, but still haha. 8 is great for fan theories, and the leveling penalty was interesting, but the general game mechanics sucked, majorly. 13 was decent, GREAT story if you consider the trilogy, but 500+ years of character development does that to the story.
Still hate XV... I dislike even X. But I love IV, V, VI, IX and XII. Never played VIII, XIII and XI/XIV. XVI i just ok.
You like what you like! It’s good to have your own opinions.
I didn't mind 8 ... it was just Long and boring.
A list of the crapiest Final fantasy games so far is, FF1, FF2, FF3, FF4, FF5, FF6 ,FF13, FF13-2, FF13-3, FF14, FF16 there all done
bait
You haven't heard people say good things about Final Fantasy VIII? Well, it's nice seeing people who were in a coma since 1999 adjust to modern life so easily and even make RUclips videos.
tru
Sorry, 13 is garbage.
Not the first time I’ve heard this, definitely won’t be the last
Why?
Final Fantasy 8's problem is the game doesn't want you to play it. Leveling is bad. That's wrong.
It wasn't hype that made ff8 not do well either. I checked out the first time playing it after disc 1 and squall had huge ice thrown through him. I'm like, we've fixed a lot of problems in Final Fantasy but that looks, fatal. That's without getting into the story of FF8 being dog water. Because it is.
The level scaling isn't that drastic. I level Squall and Qusistis to level 100 before the fire cavern and Spotify is the only reason that I know what the game over music sounds like.
Git gud.
I don’t always mind enemies scaling with you in RPGs, but agree it’s a bit of a mess here
It also doesn't want you to cast spells. It's maddening
Only hardcore grinders would face any issues. If you're a normal person who doesn't run around in circles for hours, you'll be fine
Eh ten is good in concept but combat wise 8 kills it and ff13 is trash.
FF8 and FF13 are my top 2 favorite final fantasy games.
FF13 for me not only made the combat more intense and at least challenging for me, it also made realize a lot about myself that has a huge impact on my life.
I gotta say Lightning as a character in the final fantasy series is just amazing for me. Love everything from her look to the way she is written and acted. Became apart of my top 3 favorite video game characters.
FF8 characters werent much different, even though there was little to no voice acting, they were so special to me as i grew up. Being the first game in the FF series to ever play, the combat was so fun, the interaction with Zell and Squall mid combat, the summon system. Dont get me wrong the junction system was a disaster, but it never really affected me. I just learned and went with it.
All that aside, i havent played much of the older ones. FF10 was ok, but i hated everything about the story and characters. Yuna and Tidus really ruined that game for me. FF7 i can only judge based on what i played. Which is leaving midgar.
FF7 has been ramped up, promoted as the best FF game ever , and overhyped for years, that i just dont care to continue on with the game.
I doubt X is on anyone’s top 3.
I can guarantee you it’s on most people’s top 3 right after 6 and 7
ff8 gets underserved hate,I understood the junction system as a 12 year old that barely knew any english...
ff8 by far my FAVOURITE in the franchise
also better story wise than Vii,i mean ok Vii had good story and sephiroth,but ff8 had true emotion in its story...
They should have build Artemisia more like Sephiroth, e.g. why she tries to do what she does more in detail. And of course a chorus singing "Artemisia!" in the final battle would have been nice.
@@noamuth89 artemisia was a pretty good vilian,it appears at the late stages,it was a hard and good fight for an FF boss(way harder than 7 and 9 final bosses) her final dungeon was the best(artemisia castle vs crator/memoria for me wins)
yes,shes not sephiroth level vilian,but the emotions of the story of ff8,as well as its ending,its music,its characters ,and its system,for me was by far the BEST entry,hands down.
it also had a lot of play time without it being a grinding game,lots of secrets,lots of things to do,with minimum grind(lvl 100 was easy task as well as max spells)
FFXIII the FF Game that plays it's self. the game is trash everyone in the game is hallow. The game was boring and graphics doesn't make a game good
Did you know you can simply not hit autobattle? The game has much deeper and better combat than most FFs, there's actual skill involved in getting good scores. Can you beat the game with just autobattle? Probably, if you change paradigms accordingly (which already invalidates your argument as you've to change them manually). Then again, is that really so different than mashing Attack in other FFs? You can also beat them just by spamming Attack and healing
I like 12 🤷♂️
That's simply not true, genuinely try to beat ANY eidolon battle by only pressing auto-battle, you won't be able to progress through them, sure you might to beat some early chapter by only using auto battle but it isn't optimal and you won't be able to get good scores.
There are two titles which I'm not the biggest fan of: X and XII.
Explanation: their primary protagonists weaken the main story.
Much like how 'A good Bond villain makes for a good movie', a compelling protagonist can make for a great Final Fantasy game.
Tidus is arrogant, preachy, incompetent, and I get being inexperienced is the idea for narrative.. He is meant to be the eyes for which the player is meant to view the world of Spira. What we got was a character who annoys everyone, and as we come to learn later on, his very existence only produces plot holes.
Vaan doesn't have the same degree of hatred that I give Tidus, and that's simply because he isn't as annoying. He appears as the protagonist (for pretty much the same reason), but is then delegated to being a background character in his own story. Not enough is given to him to stand out as compelling or to possess real agency to drive the plot.
In Final Fantasy X, Yuna and Auron make for more viable protagonist material, because they have actual stakes in the game. Yuna is in a moral quandary about the importance of sacrifice for what she has been led to believe for her entire life as 'the greater good'; Auron is out to avenge his fallen brothers in arms, after seeing the horrific dark reality unfold before him. Focusing upon these two specifically would've done more good for the story, as they lost the same person, but their reactions are very different and contrasting.
Final Fantasy XII has THREE potential protagonists to pick from: Ashe, Balthier, and Basch.
One is a princess who wants to secure the safety of her kingdom. One is a sky pirate who once served under the Archadian empire, but deserted it after seeing what it was doing to his father, believing it turned him into a madman. Basch, a once legendary warrior, framed for the murder of his once beloved king. Out to restore not only his honor, but to protect Ashe as recompense.
This is what we had. If we focused more on this, and less on 'fish out of water' style protagonists, I think the games would've been much better.
Best thing they did to Tidus was kill him off at the end. So he wouldn't appear in the sequel.
I get why they needed someone like him. You need a dumbass so that every detail can be explained to him in detail to get the player to know what is going on.
XII would have a nice start with Ashes point of few from the beginning. Adding Van as an apprentice of Balthier or so.
@@noamuth89 Yeah, that's 'fish out of water' storytelling.
I understand why they did it (allows the audience to observe the world through the eyes of the inexperienced, makes for easier exposition tie-ins to the narrative). My problem with that is Tidus is an unlikeable vessel.. At least for me. Yuna is in a way something of a fish out of water herself; many of the places she's visiting she's probably seeing for the first time, or merely heard of each temple in passing, in preparing for her pilgrimage.
By that logic, we'd see this more for her character arc too. A net positive, as it would feel much more personal if she was the sole focus.
I understand your points, but I love both games 🤷♂️
@@HolyGrailGaming I actually like FFXII, but that's its one big issue for me.
Vaan (and by extension Penelo) are introduced as the leads. Outside of Penelo's brief interactions with Larsa, this oddly enough would put the deuteragonist above Vaan on terms of connection with the main plot. And while I would be clamoring for a natural flow of exposition dialogue, I fear that's what he's delegated to.
It's unfortunate, because I have a long history of love for Final Fantasy characters, but Vaan has been the piece that never quite fits for me. Like he's a last minute decision, or an empty slate with the simplest of backstories. While he doesn't infuriate me like Tidus (or break the plot like him), Vaan derails some of its urgency.
If he was written with a proper progressive arc as a recruit in a gang in Rabinastre, stealing a lot more frequently, from guards and townspeople, you can spin his background into something much more interesting than what we got.
Then as the story progresses, he runs into a serious of shady debts with the gang's leader, and is commissioned to pull of a ballsy heist in the palace to raid the royal treasury. He meets Balthier and Fran, as per usual.. But now it's the street smart street rat against two seasoned sky pirates, developing a quick rivalry and possibly stronger chemistry between each other in the process.
His beef with Basch could also have been drawn out more, let time pass before the truth sinks in that Basch DIDN'T kill his brother. A reluctant truce after Vaan tries to fight him, but Basch manages to briefly overpower him in their skirmish, but an irritated Fran splits them up and tells them to work together. Over time, they gradually learn to put aside their differences, maybe even have Basch try to act as a mentor figure to the young thief and draw him to a more righteous, noble path, but Vaan's aspirations and wanderlust make him look up to Balthier's profession as a sky pirate.
That's just a few ideas I have.
im sorry FF8 was the best all time it was my first so i think im bias your right though i think what ever your first final fantasy game is it be your favorite
I also think it’s a good game, just saying that most people don’t
I much preferred 8 over 9 and 10
Exactly what I meant when I said it’s good to form your own opinions :)