My Top 5 Final Fantasy Games. What's yours?

Ok, so to get started I decided to make my Top Five out of all the Final Fantasy games I have played. For those of you who don't know what it is, Final Fantasy is a classic videogame series (you should play it if you still haven't) with lots of fans around the world, and considering Final Fantasy XIII is going to be released outside Japan in a few days I figured this would be a great opportunity to do this.

Of course, I haven't played all the games in the series, I've only played IV,VII,VIII,IV,X,X-2 and XII, but I doubt I'd choose any of the old ones anyway because I'm not a big fan of old pixelated games. Not that I'm criticizing those who like them or anything, just saying. So here goes my Top 5, out of those Final Fantasy games I have played (oh, it includes some spoilers, be warned!):

5 - Final Fantasy IV

As I said, I'm not the biggest fan of old games, they just can't keep me as interested as modern games, with all the evolution in graphics, gameplay and music. Still, this must be a great game, because it still kept me playing for a while until I started losing and finally lost interest. But don't judge me, I still got to the part where Cecil turns into a Paladin, I just can't get as immersed in the storyline and the characters as in modern games!
Well, there were lots of characters to choose from, and they were constantly leaving your party and coming back, which is not the most usual thing, but other than that it's pretty much your usual RPG, fortified by a solid interesting storyline, your usual ATB battle system, and a bunch of towns and dungeons. Recommended for RPG fans, and specially fans of Final Fantasy.
I must say, though, that I really was forced to put Final Fantasy IV in 5th place because the competition (X-2 and XII) is simply not up to Final Fantasy standards, considering the technology available when those games were made, and what Square had done before. Maybe I should talk about that too, so here goes a part where I talk about those two games (if you're not interested, just jump to number 4!):

About Final Fantasy X-2 and Final Fantasy XII:

It seems like I'm not the only one with the opinion that both these games, each in its own way, is an embarassment to the Final Fantasy series, because most fans will agree with me on this. Why is that? Because after Final Fantasy X, the series creator, Hironobu Sakaguchi, had to leave Squaresoft, after wasting tons of money with a weak Final Fantasy movie noone cared about. That and Squaresoft joined Enix, forming Square-Enix. Since this merging between these two companies, the Final Fantasy games were never the same again...

Final Fantasy X-2 was the first sequel to any Final Fantasy game, because normally each title has it's own independent story, but this one was the continuation of the story of Final Fantasy X. Unfortunately, the game just sucked. It seemed more like a Barbie game than Final Fantasy, as you had to control three girls around, change their clothes while you fighted, and instead of following a linear storyline, you could go anywhere in your big ship and perform different missions, but it just didn't work. Many of the missions were pointless, the story was weak, and the game was obviously just an easy attempt to make some money out of the naive fans who asked for this sequel. It just seeemed like a rip off from the movie Charlie's Angels, and was simply too girly to work.

Final Fantasy XII came with even bigger expectations than X-2, because XI was an online game and the number XII meant it belong to the main franchise. While the game has it's good points, with huge cities and environments to explore, it fails on crucial points, which used to be the strongest aspects of Final Fantasy.
First one: the story. There are hardly any plot-twists, the plot is just, "ok we're in this place, and we wanna go to that other place, so we go through 4 fields of monters so we can watch a cutscene in that place, which will give us a reason to go to some other place, where we will be able to watch another cutscene". The characters are certainly the worst in the series, because they simply have no development as the story goes on, most of them having no reason to be involved in the story anyway, and the only thing you'll know about them when the game ends is like, the place where they were born, and if you're lucky something that happenned during their lives and they're sad about. I don't even think the characters are each other's friends in that game, really.
Add to that a battle system that you just have to set-up so you can then watch the battles without touching a single button, and the most repetitive sidequests ever (battles and more battles) and the result is a game with lots of potential and effort put into it, but which doesn't work for very obvious reasons that should have been addressed.

In my opinion, Final Fantasy ended at X, because Square-Enix isn't the same as Squaresoft, it's another game company, and it's just not as good as Squaresoft. They just won't be able to bring the series back, no matter how much they try, because they're not the same people who made the good games. Honestly, I never expected Final Fantasy XIII to be good, and the reviews so far seem to be proving me right: as it could be predicted, it seems to be a good game, with lots of money and effort put into it, but simply not up to Final Fantasy standards. Nowadays, the only reason Final Fantasy, with that name, still exists, even though the creator of the series is no longer involved in it, is one: money. It sells. You know you're gonna buy the next title, because you're a fan, and me too. Square-Enix will use this trump card while they can, but be advised: the games will never be as good as their predecessors.

And this concludes my Square-Enix rant and my mention of those two below-par Final Fantasy games. Now let's go on with my Top 5...

4 - Final Fantasy VII

Yeah, I know you probably expected this one to be at least in the Top Three, but it's not. Everyone seems to consider Final Fantasy VII the best in the series, and after playing IX and X, I had to see for myself. The result was not a major disappointment, but I don't think this game is the big deal everyone made it to be.
I think the reason everyone love this game so much is because, for many people, this was their first Final Fantasy, and that is a big influence on one's opinion, as you will be able to see from my Top 1 choice. But if you include the factor of time, while this game still has some great points, the further titles outclass it.
While the story is good, at many points it seems to be left unclear/unexplained. Concerning the graphics, while I still tolerated the graphics of VIII and IX, the polygonal models used for characters aren't very much up to today's standards...
The battle system is your usual thing, but I wasn't a very big fan of the Materia system, as it enables every character to do any ability, which can take a bit from the strategic nature of the class-based RPGs. Sure you can make a white mage, a black mage, etc, but are you really gonna have a pure white mage on your team when you could give him/her some black magic too to help in battle?
Anyway, it's still a very good game, and a true classic for it's time, but Final Fantasy VII ranks 4th in my Top 5. On to number 3...

3 - Final Fantasy VIII

After having played most of the modern Final Fantasies, and reading not-so-good opinions about this one, I didn't expect much from it, just wanting to have a good time playing it. Still, it surprised me in a positive way, as the story develops in a very interesting fashion, the plot is not overly complicated, each character has its own unique personality, the graphics are great for it's time, it's a very pleasing game. I specially found the Laguna flashbacks a very funny part of the game, which gave the adventure two different tones, and an extra bit of mistery.
Many people seem to criticize the Draw system, but while this game is still a everyone-can-do-everything RPG, I found it to be an interesting innovation. The way you had to Junction magic and the way GFs work made Final Fantasy VIII a different, innovative RPG, and I think it was a good change.
On the negative side, some parts of the plot were not very well handled. For example, the love between Squall and Rinoa, which seems to be the main point of the plot, develops in a really strange way, for the majority of the first two CDs, the guy doesn't seem to give a **** about the girl, even defining other priorities for himself when she's at the risk of falling off an airship, but shortly after, when Rinoa faints, he starts saying he wants to hear her voice again, he wants to protect her, blah blah blah. It happens that suddenly, which I found ridiculous. Another negative point, about the battle system, is that if you really put yourself up to it, you can Draw lots of magic and overpower yourself for the rest of the game, but that's just a personal choice.
Overall, I found Final Fantasy VIII to be a great game and a step-up from Final Fantasy VII. Maybe if VII had VIII's graphics I'd have a different opinion, because the game would have a different feel, but I'm still going to put VIII over VII in my Top 5. Now let's see number 2...

2 - Final Fantasy X

The first Final Fantasy on the PS2, and one of the best games ever released for the console (the last true FF in my opinion). Awesome graphics (specially FMVs), awesome story, maybe the best in the series, awesome characters, awesome battle system, awesome minigames and sidequests, everything about this game was awesome! The plot had some really great twists, the ending was maybe the best of the series, I loved the Sphere Grid System, because it gave every one of your characters a different functionality, and only towards the end of the game could you make everyone be anything, the option to change party members during battle worked very well, the summons were stunning, almost every point of this game is near perfect!
The major flaw of this game, in my opinion, were the summons, more specifically their Overdrives, because in the end of the game, especially in the hardest bosses, one easy way to kill them is to just enter the battle with every Aeon in overdrive and unleash them one after another, which isn't very challenging or strategic. The English voice acting can be a little annoying too, but you got used to it. Personally, I didn't mind the linearity, because it keeps you involved in the storyline.
Final Fantasy X was one of the greatest games I have ever played, and when asked about my favourite Final Fantasy, I always say IX and X, because I like them both too much. Still, and even though X is the only Final Fantasy I have completed twice (and the second playthrough was even better than the first!), I'll leave it in second place. So, obviously, my first place is...

1 - Final Fantasy IX

This one seems to be overlooked by people many times, and I don't know why, or maybe I do: because after VII and VIII, they're so used to RPGs that they fail to see that everything the previous two had, this one has even better. It was my first Final Fantasy, and it gave me a wonderful experience from the beginning to the end. Hironobu Sakaguchi seems to agree with me when I say Final Fantasy IX is the best Final Fantasy ever.
The story is never predictable, you never know where you're going next, there are always things happening, funny things, sad things, mysterious things, which make you get very involved in the world of Final Fantasy IX. Every city has it's own personality, it's own kind of inhabitants, every continent is a new different world to explore, the more you find, the more exciting you will find this game. Each of the characters has it's own story and personality and they are all very likeable, their different personalities make their interactions very funny and interesting, and they all develop very well along the plot and find new things about themselves.
The graphics are a little step up from Final Fantasy VIII, with the normal sized humans giving places to big headed all-kinds of weird people that make this game a very exotic experience.
The battle system isn't very innovative, but it's very solid and always works well, except for the Trance System, which is very poorly handled because you will hardly ever be able to use it, and even more rarely will it be in the right situations. I love the fact that each character has it's own class, because it makes the game more strategic and you have to thiink and plan things well when choosing which party members to use in battle.
The music, I still haven't mentioned the music in this Top 5, because I must say: even though the soundtracks of VII, VIII and X are all very good and kind of at the same level, I think IX has the best soundtrack in the series, with plenty of epic themes for all kinds of situations, which you will still remember even long after you've played the game (at least I do...).
The minigames are also excellent, from the most simple to the most complex, with a great variety between them, providing a fun break from the storyline.
If you have never played a Final Fantasy game, and you want the true Final Fantasy experience, this is the title I recommend to you, as it is almost flawless in every aspect.

Well, and I guess that's all, this big post was my Top 5 Final Fantasy games. Why don't you comment and tell me what your Top 5 is? You can even disagree with me if you want!

About Final Fantasy XIII, I have already ordered it, even though I don't expect much from it, and I promise you that soon I will post my extremely detailed, spoiler-free review of the game, so you know what to expect! So don't even think about not coming back everyday, you hear me? Add the Legendary Blog to your Favourites immediately, so you can come back often and see what I've got to show you!