What was the last great Final Fantasy in your opinion?

I would say FF10 was right when things started to go down hill. I remember at the time thinking it was oversimplified, but heck, I'd take that kind of oversimplified than FF13. Which has also go me thinking - why are people so optimistic about FF15? There really hasn't been a great FF in so long. Am I on to something, SW? What was the last great FF in your opinion?

FF9. FF10 I really don't like, but I can respect it for being a major leap forward, 12 was good, better than 10, but that's about it, 13 was a colossal disaster. 14 is really good, though.

Hopefully 15 will be great.

Final Fantasy XIV and before that XII.

The only truly bad FF's are II, X-2 and XIII series

The last FF that I thoroughly enjoyed was FFXII. Hated it at first, but once I got over my expectations of what FF "should" be, I found it to be a really good game. Better than most of the previous titles in a lot of ways.

The last truly great FF though? Either VI or IX. I think VI is the better game, no doubt, but IX was pretty rad.

And yeah, no hype for FFXV. The best I can hope for is that it's not a total fucking disaster.

Wasn't there a demo? did people like that?

This is basically how I'd break the series down:

GOAT TIER:
Final Fantasy VI
Final Fantasy IV
Final Fantasy IX

GREAT TIER:
Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy V

GOOD TIER:
Final Fantasy XII
Final Fantasy XIV

MEH TIER:
Final Fantasy X

SHIT TIER:
Final Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy II
Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy III
Final Fantasy XIII

FFIX was the last great one. X was still good, but yeah their was a notable decline. XII I have a real fondness for, largely due to the FFTactics games, but I don't think I'd feel the same way if it wasn't set in the same world as those. XIII was bad, pure and simple, and I've not played the other two games in that trilogy. XIV was great, but been an MMO I don't really hold it to the same standards as the single player entries.

I don't really know what to expect from FFXV. I'm excited for it, simply because I don't think they can do any worse than they did with XIII, and if it's somehow possible that they can, that's gonna be a special kind of bad that I want to experience.

Oh god, thing again?

In my opinion, it was FF9, but that amounts to nothing when we try and find the last good FF game.

Some will say 6, or 10, or 7, maybe 12, but no one will say 13 or 8 so i don't care much.

I really enjoyed FF10, but it was far from being as good as Final Fantasy games typically used to be. So I'm gonna say FF9.

In the main serie I think VI and VII were my fav.

IX was fun but I hated Zidane.

X was boring and way too easy.

XII also quite boring, too MMORPG without the MMO.

XIII was ok for me but I did prefer XIII-2 and LR.

I was meh but at the same time, where everything started.

Never played II nor III.

IV was good and some amazing part.

V had some good ideas but still not as great as IV.

VIII was a disaster to me.

My ultimate Final Fantasy is Tactics

8,9 and 10. I started on 8 and that got me into Final Fantasy. After 10 it wasn't as good.

FF12

Final Fantasy XIV

Before that, Final Fantasy XII. Both are top tier.

@SolidGame_basic: funny you mention 10. A co worker knew I played games, heard I couldn't get through 7 and lent me 10. Said this will blow me away. But I couldn't get through the opening cinematic with the blonde kid in his half shirt/vest. Just not my thing.

XII International Zodiac Job System.

All went downhill from there. Actually the series has been meandering in mediocre territory since after V, but XII IZJS was the last high point. Shame it was Japan only.

Final Fantasy XIV 2.0-Current has been amazing. For single player, I'd have to say FFX. I've tried to love XII, but the story does nothing to make me interested in it. I do like the battle system and the open environments in XII. I didn't hate or even dislike XIII, it just had some pretty large flaws that kept it from being a great FF game.

@cainetao11: you're just mad the mets are better than the yanks this year

Truth is, he plays games for escapism and Tidus might as well be his twin.

FFXII. Kinda broke the mould, and it took some getting used to, but I really enjoyed it.

FF9 for me.

Wasn't great but it's the last one that I feel is worth a damn. I thought having a tail was a little strange.

But-

After the Japanese cringe fest that was 10....I said goodbye to the series.

Great? Final fantasy XII

Decent: lightning returns

To me the series is doing quite well and I'm looking forward to FF XV

FFIX was excellent.

XII was good but not great. But I never played the international version.

@charizard1605: you forgot @GOAT: FFT: War of the Lions and Duodecim @Great/Good

This.

FFXII

Easily better than any RPG this gen.

I have The Witcher 3 sitting on my PS4 harddrive and can't even be bothered to boot it back up to finish a single play thru, when I played FFXII I could hardly put the game down and I was never a fan of Final Fantasy games before.

FF12

Great? Final Fantasy 6

Good? Eh I guess FF9, FF12 has a cool gambit system, but that combat is fucking dog shit. Also next to Titus, actually worse than Titus, Vaan might be weakest protagonist that series has had in the sense that he is completely pointless to that fucking plot.

X has really shitty characters, the sphere grid is an overdone skill tree done worse than skill trees in good western rpgs.

13 is mega shit, doesn't even have an actual battle system it's so dumbed down.

8 I admit to not playing in a long ass time, but I don't remember hating it, but the way that draw mechanic is described, I'm 90% sure I'd end up hating it today. I never really cared for FF7, it was a fine game, but typical jrpg bloat, horrible characters, and even shittier plot.

I like Square's non final fantasy stuff more, sans Kingdom Hearts, that series is trash, and it's trash with Disney. What a misuse of excellence.

I actually liked the XIII series, wouldn't call it "great", I wouldn't call FFVII "great" either but I understand it's importance in gaming history though.

Crisis Core, a much better story than most Final Fantasy games and was the last great game SquareEnix put out before they completely fell down the gutter.

This 1000x

XIV

For single player XIII, one of my favorite games in the series

Final Fantasy 14

Non-MMO? I liked XII, even though it was a tortured game designed by committee. All of XIII and the development debacle of FFvXIII is where everything got crazy.

FFXI - just because I don't know anything about it.

I had to check dates for this one. My choice is Lighting Returns as it turns out it was released a few months after FF14 (A Realm Reborn).

Lightning Returns is one of my favorite games in the series. The story has some problems, like overexposition but I liked the arcs for the different characters and the end-of-the-world theme. As for gameplay I really enjoyed both the new combat system and the departure from the classic Final Fantasy formula.

9

Tactics. FF VIII was a laughable atrocity. IX was a forgettable and kind of bland experience. X is one of the top 10 worst games I've ever played. XII was alright, but not "great."

VII, and if you disagree, well......then you're wrong, I guess.

FFX was great - stuff you guys!

FFXIV

XII for me. Really enjoyed it and would love a remaster.

I'm going to say FF10 was the last good one.

@SolidGame_basic: Yeah that must be it. IN my lifetime I've watched the Mets win a grand total of one WS championship. Yanks? 7 titles of their league dominating 27. I've been through the dry years with NYY before. It all comes full circle.

Main series: 11, 10 if you for some reason do not accept 11.

The average spin-off was much better than the main series this / last gen. (including this gen because I didn't liek the 15 demo).
While I didn't like Explorers at all, Record Keeper on the phone and Theatrythm are both great games

Anything made after SquareSOFT became Square-ENIX.

Without question; Lost Odyssey. :P

I thought 3 was surprisingly fun. I played the DS version, which might have had some improvements over the NES version, though. It definitely belongs a tier above 13. So does 1. Hell, everything is a tier above 13.

FF XIII was great.

Would have thought Final Fantasy XII was the last decent Final Fantasy game