I will now review all the Final Fantasy games I have played, i.e. 1-10, not counting gameboy ones.
NES Generation
FINAL FANTASY I
Gameplay: 8/10
Solid gameplay, with a few flaws. I don't like the idea of "buying" magic, especially at the huge costs. The lack of the auto-targeting system was annoying at first, but I got the hang of it. This takes a little more planning than the later Final Fantasies, where all you have to do is hack away at any enemy you see and you'll kill them fast. But Final Fantasy took more thought than the later ones. You had to think about what you'd do before you even started, and if it was your first time through often you'd rarely make the best possible class choices. This game often took several times through to actually complete, and even with my game-beating file I still can't always get past the last boss. It wasn't much of a challenge for me, but only because I read a walkthrough and picked the easiest party. Honorable people who don't read walkthroughs will have some problems. Personally, I like it that way.
Graphics: 4/5
Very good for its day, but utterly drab now. Other people would give this a 1 in a heartbeat because it doesn't match Final Fantasy X, but those people are frankly dickless graphic-chasing idiots. Graphics don't matter much anyway.
Music: 4/5
This could have used some work, even in its day, but not much. Most of the "bad" sounds are because of the NES's MIDI-like grating, so you can't blame good old Nobuo on this one. The fact that there was no boss music (not even for the last boss!) was disappointing, but it has been fixed for sure in the remake. *phew*
Sound: 3/5
There was hardly any sound to begin with, so that loses a few points. Of course, the sounds they did have were pretty annoying. They were using the "primitive" powers of the NES, and couldn't exactly do the best on this.
Other Factors: 4/5
The storyline seemed to me like a generic sort of thing a bad DM would cook up. However, I did like the little "minigame" that you can play on the pirate ship. Slider puzzles are always fun.
Overall: 23/30
Not a bad game by any means. Its problems can and will, for the most part, be fixed in the PSX remake, Final Fantasy Origins. I strongly recommend it. And while you're at it, get a ROM or something and see the original. It's worth a go.
FINAL FANTASY IIj
Gameplay: 8/10
Once again, solid gameplay. If you don't know the "select/cancel trick" (any FFIIj site or board will elaborate), it can be tedious, however. The unlucky character at the end who can't use select/cancel will unfortunately be a wuss if you don't go through the painstaking amount of leveling up without it, so that loses a bit. Plus, it, too uses the magic buying system so it's not quite as "realistic." I did like the fact that you could equip a character with just about any weapon and make them whatever you wanted them to be at virtually no cost. You could have the main character (who is usually stereotyped as a tough guy who uses some magic, but not much) be a physical wuss with tons of magic. Or you could have the stereotypical "wimpy mage girl" be an axe-wielding powerhouse. I like that system.
Graphics: 3/5
Tsk, tsk, Square. I expected more from you. This looks worse than its predecessor. Then again, I may be being unfair because my ROM is glitched. What I could see clearly did look worse.
Sound: 3/5
Again, grating and annoying like its predecessor.
Music: 4/5
I liked what I did hear, but I never really got very far in the game so I didn't hear much. Unfortunately, Nobuo can't control the NES sounds.
Other Factors: 4/5
I liked the system of having to talk to certain people, learn certain things, and tell people what you learned from others, like the "Wild Rose" password early in the game. The leveling up, as I mentioned, was tedious to say the least, and that was a problem.
Overall:22/30
Not as good as its predecessor, but a good game nontheless. I look forward to getting the Final Fantasy Origins package. Maybe then I'll finally beat this game and be able to give a full, in-depth review.
FINAL FANTASY IIIj
Gameplay: 8/10
This game introduced the job system that was used in FFV, FFT, and will be used in FFX-2. Leveling up was back to normal again. Also, there was a small catalyst for changing your characters' jobs. After each battle, your party earns capacity points. Changing jobs costs capacity points, even if you are changing back into a wimpy Onion Kid (your original characters). Again, magic was bought, not learned. Anyone could learn magic, even if they were unable at the time to use it due to class restrictions. There were certain points of the game where you had to do certain things that could be considered a nuisance but realistic. For example, there are several parts in the game where you have to be mini to enter. Overall not bad in the most important category.
Graphics: 5/5
Backgrounds were more well-done during battle, and some of the characters just plain looked badass in battle. Enemies actually disintegrated before your eyes instead of flashing and disappearing. Of course, technology was better so this may be unfair.
Sound: 3/5
It wasn't as annoying as its predecessors, but the difference is marginal. Square never was very strong in this field anyway.
Music: 5/5
Kudos to Nobuo on this game's excellent (for NES) score. I'd like to hear this redone with adequate equipment.
Other Factors: 3/5
The job system was more primitive than how we know it, but that is only to be expected as it was in its early stages. I found this game quite difficult because items are expensive and you have to be well-equipped in case you need to suddenly change classes from warrior to mage, or vice versa. As a result, to keep the item stock steady you need to fight a lot of battles because gil is scarce. I don't have that kind of patience.
Overall: 24/30
Beats the earlier games, but not by much. It is sad that this game was never released in the U.S. I strongly recommend getting an emulator (I prefer NESten to NESticle) and finding a fan translation of this excellent game.
SNES Generation
FINAL FANTASY IV HARDTYPE
Gameplay: 10/10
Square finally ditched the magic buying system. Now only certain characters could use certain types of magic. It's definitely difficult enough (I still have trouble beating the last boss, and there was one boss I finally beat on the umpteenth fight). On the whole, this game's playing is awesome.
Graphics:4/5
This isn't at all bad. Some spell animations could use some work, though.
Sound: 4/5
On the whole, pretty good. Kain's jumping sound is very annoying, however.
Music: 5/5
Incredible. Once again, the great Uematsu has outdone himself. Definitely up there as one of my favorite videogame scores of all time.
Other Factors: 4/5
I was a little peeved at the fact that characters had to act when they came up, rather than holding off on their action but switching to someone else. The storyline is awesome, but somewhat predictable.
Overall: 27/30
Ranking as one of my favorite Final Fantasies for sure. The flaws are minimal, the game is great, PLAY IT!
FINAL FANTASY IV EASYTYPE
(known in the U.S. as Final Fantasy II)
Gameplay: 9/10
This is essentially the same game, but some character abilities have been removed, like Dark Cecil's Dark Wave. Also, as the name suggests, the difficulty takes a small drop.
Graphics: 4/5
Exactly the same.
Sound: 4/5
Exactly the same.
Music: 5/5
Exactly the same.
Other Factors: 3/5
In the U.S. version, there is less swearing, some ability names have been changed, and it's on the whole cleaner, which is a little bit disagreeable. They could at least have called the Black spell "Flare."
Overall: 25/30
In my opinion, not as good as the harder version. If you don't want to get a fan translation of FFIV Hardtype, and you don't want the horrible load times of FF Chronicles, pick it up and give it a go.
FINAL FANTASY V
Gameplay: 8/10
This game uses the Job system of Final Fantasy IIIj, and that would later be used in Final Fantasy Tactics and will be used in Final Fantasy X-2. Magic was bought again because of the job system, losing some reality points. Difficulty is pretty good. It takes a lot of experimentation, and often some restarts, to get this game done. I still haven't beaten it.
Graphics: 4/5
There is very little variation between this game's graphics and FFIV's graphics. It is marginally better.
Sound: 5/5
For a change, it isn't as annoying! The Lancer's Jump sound is not at all like Kain's, so there isn't any fault.
Music: 4/5
Uematsu did a pretty good job on this, about as good as some of the better Nintendo composers like Koji Kondo. Nothing really wrong with it.
Other Factors: 4/5
The main villain is pretty badass, and some of the jobs are pretty cool. Character customization is a plus. However, the storyline lacks originality (to an extent).
Overall: 25/30
A good game on the whole. Worth a shot for sure.
FINAL FANTASY VI
Gameplay: 10/10
Can we say fun? This by far is one of the best Final Fantasies. Magic was learned in a more realistic way than buying, and in my opinion it's one of the best systems. The Esper system involved acquiring and equipping Magicite to learn spells and get stat boosts. Two characters, Terra and Celes, learn certain spells at certain levels without Magicite a la FF4. This system is overpowered, however. This game is fairly easy in the earlier parts if you level up to a certain point early on. The second half of the game is somewhat hard, but there is no set order of places you have to go once you get the airship. Leveling up is important and easy later on.
Graphics: 5/5
Amazingly done for sprites. For the first time, the characters' map animations are the same as their battle animations, meaning that it's not ugly on the map and cool in battle. The world map is slightly tilted, offering a cool effect, and the airship is controlled from a back camera angle, making it easier to see surroundings and how far to go.
Sound: 4/5
The typical Final Fantasy sounds. Jumping sounds quite cool now, but it still gets annoying in the menu.
Music: 5/5
Pure goodness. This has the best final boss music, the best world map music, the best just about everything music. Kudos to Nobuo!
Other Factors: 5/5
The storyline is by far the best out of all the Final Fantasies. The villain is arguably the coolest, and the chemistry between the characters often reaps chuckles.
Overall: 29/30
The Best. Final. Fantasy. Period. No questions asked.
PSX/PS2 Generation
FINAL FANTASY VII
Gameplay: 9/10
This is a fun game. The materia system is pretty cool, and this game has minigames and subquests galore. The battle system is ATB, just like in most post-NES FFs. Some of the bosses can be frustrating *coughrubyweaponcough*, but other than that, it's easy. One problem I have is that the last boss is a complete pushover, provided you've done the subquests.
Graphics: 4/5
Others would rate this higher or lower, due to its breakthrough FMVs and its blocky regular graphics. One must bear in mind that no other Final Fantasy had hardly any polygons at all, let alone FMVs, making it better in comparison. To those who call it worse, remember they started the project in 1995 and never actually released the game until '97. Personally, I think it's just average.
Sound: 3/5
Slightly below average. Nothing more to say.
Music: 4/5
Stunning, for the most part. A few numbers bring it down, like the Wutai music. The general Midgar music is pretty bland, though. It's really cool that the last boss has his own choir.
Other Factors: 3/5
Okay, so it's a pretty good game. But this section kills it. For example, everyone says this game has the most evil/coolest villain. He's just a long-haired pretty boy with a long sword... and his own choir. Anyway, he's not really that cool. The main character is a bit too psycho for my taste. Normally this would all be bearable, but this is at least one of the most hyped Final Fantasy games in the series' 16-year history. The storyline is pretty decent, though.
Overall: 23/30
In my mind, I often compare this game to Star Wars, Episode I. It's fairly good on its own, but it is simply unable to live up to its predecessors, and its own hype. Don't worry, though. It gets worse.
FINAL FANTASY VIII
Gameplay: 7/10
I hate to say it, but this is the best part about the whole thing. The junction system is a good innovation, but they should have stuck with something more traditional. Junction was waaaay overpowered. It was too easy to induce limit breaks, too. The amount of sidequests makes it seem almost forced.
Graphics: 3/5
This definitely does not display the PSX's potential. Everything looks really blocky and grainy and ugly. The characters don't look too good. FMVs look okay.
Sound: 3/5
Bleaugh. Sound is bad. There's really no explanation.
Music: 2/5
Tsk, tsk. I expected much more from Nobuo. The music sucks. Unlike previous soundtracks, you don't want to just sit and listen to it.
Other Factors: 1/5
This is the very very very very... weak point. The storyline sucks ass, too much focus on the cheesy love story. The characters are not developed, there's too much coincidence, and the main villain's purposes are retarded.
Overall: 16/30
The only reason I could possibly think of for getting this is so you can say you've beaten every FF. This game is easily the worst Final Fantasy that has been made or will be made.
FINAL FANTASY IX
Gameplay: 9/10
The item-ability system is excellent. Having four characters in the party again is good. The sheer fun factor is incredible. It's not too easy, not too hard.
Graphics: 4/5
This is blocky, too, but the animation is smoother. The enemies look great, as do the weapons.
Sound: 3/5
This gets a little annoying at times, but it's decent.
Music: 5/5
Nobuo gets back on his feet and composes a superb score for the ninth installment of Final Fantasy.
Other Factors: 5/5
The storyline is awesome, and the characters are fun. The villain is better than most of the era.
Overall: 26/30
One of the best PSX-era Final Fantasies, hands down.
(I'm kind of out of order here, but bear with me.)FINAL FANTASY TACTICS
Gameplay: 10/10
Four-star gameplay in the first Final Fantasy strategy game. The variety in classes is mind-blowing. You'll want to go through it time and again just to see what other classes are like. There aren't too many sidequests, but the ones that do exist are fun. It's fairly hard, though, so if you're the type that plays on easy mode whenever possible, this may not be for you.
Graphics: 5/5
This game looks simply excellent. The attack animations are smooth, and the characters are incredibly well-done.
Sound: 3/5
This is okay, I guess. The sword-swipe is overused.
Music: 4/5
The score is pretty good, although it doesn't match up to some of the others.
Other Factors: 4/5
The storyline is incredibly dramatic, with a plot twist at every turn. The main character's relationship with his sister is questionable, though.
Overall: 26/30
Square's first strategy game comes through for them. It is easily one of the better PSX titles.
FINAL FANTASY X
Gameplay: 8/10
This is the game's strong point. It's quite fun, actually. There are tons of ways to get a limit break (or "Overdrive," as they call it), and the sphere grid is innovative yet, like Junction before it, overpowered. This game is way too easy. Blitzball is really fun.
Graphics: 4/5
The FMVs are good, but apart from that, the characters could have been done better. The backgrounds are well-done.
Sound: 2/5
Regular sounds are pretty good, but the majority of the voice actors really suck.
Music: 3/5
It could be better. What more can I say?
Other Factors: 2/5
The storyline sucked, as did the villain. It was way too short; I did almost all of the sidequests before my file wiped and I was only at 80 hours (60 of which was sidequests).
Overall: 19/30
Final Fantasy's PS2 debut was a financial hit and a gameplay fiasco. Definitely not worth the sequel that's coming.
