Which Final Fantasy Game Has the Best Storyline?

[Han_Shinwoo]

@FFaze: lol, well, it does have a good storyline after all, if you care to see all of its story parts ^^

anyways, I like FF8's storyline better, that's my number one tho'
I really like the story, so touchy~

 

[Ahlchamest]

I absolutely loved Final Fantasy X!! Such an epic storyline, one of the very few that got me teary eyed at the end

 

[Cathoblepas]

i like 8..and 10 but if you have tried ff rings of fate...I really love it

 

[Sum1sgruj]

The story I enjoyed the most- would probably have to be FFVII.
It was very suspenseful and entertaining without being drawn out to the point where it becomes static.

As far as FFVIII goes,, I like the concept, but the way they played it out.. like the orphanage thing- it comes together too fast in the middle and too slow in the end.

FFX had a great storyline. It's just too bad the gameplay took a backseat

 

[Busta]

To me it's still FFX. The depth of the story and the appeal it has for me to keep replaying it to figure out more and more each time I go through a play-through.

Trying to comprehend the different worlds, time-periods, characters' pasts, enemies, alliances, relationships, etc. It is one of the harder games to get a grasp on story-wise, but it makes for great discussion, theories, and diving into the game multiple times to understand it better piece by piece.

 

[TifaL]

FFX was very touching & very developed. It definitely went into each character very thoroughly and even made a FFX-2 to go into what would happen to each character as they developed even further.

 

[Valkyrur]

This one's hard, considering how I usually focus on storyline when playing the Final Fantasy series. If I had to pick, I'd have tied IX and X, but since I had to choose one, I picked IX because of it's meanings.

IX was rather lighthearted and with a good lesson in it's story. It's about life - the meaning of it, the worth of it. There is, as usual, a focus on the romance aspect, but what really stuck is the life lessons.

In that sense, I'd think that this game is probably a good recommendation for kids... If they do pick up the lessons anyway.

 

[Link2010]

I'm gonna go out of the box and say X. I say out of the box because VII is that game that everyone thinks of when they hear Final Fantasy. VII has the most interesting/mind boggling plot but X was just plain moving. X was the only FF game where i was seriously choked up at the end. I was really teary eyed and extremely glad I beat it when the rest of my family was out

 

[RainbowXtina]

I had only played IV (nds version) and VII so I can't decide yet. haha. I haven't even finish VII (almost there) but I love both of them. I find IV storyline quite predictable but I love the characters. VII is very suspenseful and have such a complex storyline if you try to understand it properly.

I hope to play VIII and VI later since I can only play the games on my computer. I don't have Playstation.

 

[OzDok]

Oh look, FFVII has the most number of votes despite having one of the weaker storylines in the series. What a surprise.

I'd probably say FFIX, because of the fact that it blooms as an evolving storyline. Unlike FFVII, where it switches antagonists at Disc One and stays like that for the rest of the game, throwing in a few plot twists, FFIX starts off as a simple act of crime. It then becomes a case of a girl worried about changes in her mothers behaviour. Then it becomes a war between two kingdoms, then three. There are so many involved storylines and subplots that make it such a masterful story.

Take the story between Zidane and Garnet for example, that's a real love story. Not an instant "He's the prince and she's the princess" story like in FFVIII, a genuine burgeoning of affection and trust between two people. The story is strong all the way through, from the beginning to the end.

Not to mention that FFIX was originally intended to be a spin-off, but they loved the finished product so much that they decided to make it an official number game.

ARGH I LOVE FFIX.

 

[Ayumi Hamasaki]

FFX.

The story is well thought, doesn't have too many holes, makes you emotional, etc etc. The story is way better than people give it credit for. It's not boring, it's not shallow, it's not some environmental "warning" bull, it's a good old fashioned story.

And there were several times that I cried during FFX which is rare for a Final Fantasy, much less a video game.

 

[Saints&Storms]

Definitely Final Fantasy XII, its one of the only games that had a story line that was qualified as an actual story-line, it definitely set the Final Fantasy games back into the good ole fashion themed story, in my opinion it was movie quality and had great set of characters, and I like that they all played an important role to the back story.

 

[Emerald Fire]

Given that I have spent six years writing up a full-out novel for this story, I think it's only fair that I judge it to have the best storyline. Otherwise, I wouldn't have spent those six years writing it up.

But as for why... well, I think they went into a lot of depth in the storyline. That's what I love the most about a game: how involved I become in the world the game is set in, and how emotionally attached I become with the characters involved.

I felt this way with Final Fantasy 7. I felt it was a well-constructed world with a lot of depth to it that went back years: not just something that is developing recently. The history goes back about thirty years to the time of Vincent, or perhaps even further if you consider the Cetra arriving on the Planet and Jenova's arrival. And even when the main story was over and done with, they still found places they could go even further: something that has proven difficult with the other games.

I mean, I can't picture what they'd do further with FF8, for example. The only thing I can think of is if they did a 'spin-off' like FFX-2, set with further missions for SeeD culminating in another sorceress battle.

Plus I have great empathy for Cloud. I know people get annoyed with his 'emo-ness' (and it is annoying, especially in Advent Children where you just want to beat the sense back into his spiky head!). But the feelings of inadequacy and the struggle to protect everyone he cares about: and the lack of confidence he feels when he can't... I can sympathise with it. And then watching him try to overcome those feelings to achieve his goal. I like that in a character. It's something they tried to do with Zidane but never quite managed. Squall managed it to an extent. Tidus... he's probably my least favourite main character. He didn't really change or achieve anything, except to develop some respect for his father right towards the end. And as for FF12... exactly who was the main character in that?

Um, I think I'll leave it there. XD

 

[polydorr]

I voted for VIII, since it is my favorite. The 'best' would be more difficult to define.

VII had a great story, but I thought the final payoff was a bit weak.

VIII is both moving and satisfying.

IX had a surprisingly awesome ending.

X went back to the whole "we have this awesome romantic pairing, and now they're separated indefinitely."

XII was good. Some of the characters were on the weaker side though, which diminished it just a little bit for me (I did enjoy it a lot).

 

[Kaie]

XII gets my vote. It really stands out from the other numbered FF games in my opinion, because its focused more on the world than the characters in it. It just felt more...believable, I guess. Instead of some backwater orphan kid or random warrior saving the entire world from an unbelievably insane and overpowered menace that should really destroy them utterly so there isn't even enough to wipe the floor with, you have accomplished, but fairly ordinary (by FF standards, anyway) people out to save nations, through political intrigue and intelligence, trying to avoid relying on those super-fantastic magical powers that other FF characters have always relied on so much.

I found the political intrigue far more interesting than your standard sappy-crappy-everyone's-happy love story that numbered FF games have always seemed to favour; an FF game with no romance for once was highly enjoyable and appealing. I have issues with it - mainly in the form of Vaan and Penelo - but the game not focusing so much on them made them just minor annoyances, as opposed to the character-centered Final Fantasy games, in which those dislikeable characters became major annoyances.

Totally agree with this. I loved the different cultures and how they were affected by the wars. They also took the time to show some of the politics that went on in the empire and you even got to visit it, so you got a deeper understanding of that part of the world as well.

I, for one, would love to see more Ivalice.

 

[asm]

I'd almost be willing to wager money, that the Final Fantasy most people pick as their favorite is with a high probability, the first one they ever played.

This is something (along with "what is the best FF ever") that I've given thought towards before. I guess it'd be a random guesswork between 4,5,6,7 or 9 in both these categories. Personally I kind of agree with Lezard Valeth though, there are some recurring cliches that are at times pretty annoying, as is overtly obfuscating the plot(s). The recurring cliches are the love stories (always!), many of the characters just happening to be royalty or in some way, unique for the entire universe in some almost paranormal way.

 

[GarryKE]

I have to admit Final Fantasy X was probably the one that done it for me. The emotional storyline with its twists. With the second part a close second.

 

[Tucker]

Hands down FF7.

I like the modern world mixed with a fairy tale world. The characters are deep, and the whole Mako and lifestream and the way everything intertwines is just genius.

 

[deathlike]

FF VIII is my choice, because I like the story and fun to play. once you start playing it you will enjoy it and won't stop playing it until you beat the game. And also I like some part of the game that I can relate it to the real world. .

 

[Valvalis]

For me I tried to separate out actual "storyline" from the way the story is delivered. The newer games all have the great graphics and better translations, so the delivery is more polished and made to be more evocative. However, if all the games were made on PS3, or all on SNES, and I examined just the story elements themselves, ultimately it comes down to a tough choice between IV and VI.

I had to go with VI, in the end. IV was my first and it had a brilliant fantasy, fairy-tale sort of feel to it that I loved, but I think VI had the most interesting story overall and some of the best emotional moments. Having a huge cast of characters made for a ton of interesting subplots, and yet they all tied in with the main story somehow as well. And the range of character types was superb--

Spoiler

-lost, confused woman transcending two races
-brave, charming treasure hunter/male love interest
-lecherous yet responsible young king
-level-headed martial arts disciple
-beautiful young female general designed for battle/female love interest
-seasoned, respected older knight who fights to get revenge for his lost wife and son
-fashionable wandering gambler with airships and serious love life issues
-innocent-hearted wild animal boy abandoned by kooky father
-rogue assassin with a tragic past, and just enough of a heart at times to make you smile
-spunky, tough little artist girl who can take care of herself
-her kooky old grandfather who is also a wise mage
-a Moogle who represents the will of his people and their involvement with the main story
-a yeti
-a mimic

...and those are just the playable characters Everyone had some sort of baggage, and no one was really classified as some "huge hero" type; it felt more real because it was a bunch of people coming together for the sake of saving their world, and they were often shown to have emotional issues and doubts along the way, especially in the WOR. Even the NPCs contributed by giving you a good feel of how life was during the events that unfolded.