I wrote this post about my favorite FF games in the PSN thread... only to be ridiculed quite quickly for writing such a long post
Oh well, that's why I post mostly in here.
My favorites in the main numbered FF games (in descending order of preference):
FF6 - I'm not sure if nostalgia plays into this decision, but I was amazed at the depth of the character development and story in this game. For people who did not grow up on NES and SNES JRPG's, it may take them longer to get used to the "retro aesthetic," but the visuals of FF6 were incredible for its time, and the music is STILL top notch. It's hard to create beautiful sprite work (see Dragon Fantasy book 2 as an awful counter-example), so FF6's visuals and music still hold their own today. The esper mechanic is interesting, though it also makes the classes much less distinct by the end of the game as everyone can learn the same spells. The defining point for FF6 is its rich story and the interplay and camaraderie between the cast's many players. I will never forget Kefka's digitized laugh or the story moments of Cyan, Locke, Celes, and many others. I want to cite specific examples but I think players should experience them for themselves
FF12 - I know, I know, I'm probably in the minority here, and I totally get that. However, as an ardent player of the MMO FFXI (which I won't count in this list), I thought FF12's gameplay mechanics simulated an offline FFXI quite well, though I still missed skillchains. The world was expansive and beautiful (sometimes to a fault due to the long distances of travel), but I appreciated it at the time as it made the world feel huge and alive. Now as I've gotten older, I prefer fast travel systems as opposed to long periods of travel (15 minute waits for airships in FFXI, I'm looking at you). The story was forgettable but overall inoffensive, and I actually liked most of the characters. I also think FF12 had the best English dub in the series. The world was full of secrets, and my favorite part of the game was sneaking through high level areas among enemies who would one-shot me to get the Zodiac Spear early. However, just like FFXI, FF12 had too many obfuscated secrets and mechanics that would have been impossible to uncover without a walkthrough or strategy guide. I found this mystique charming back then but I'd probably hate it today.
FF7 - Everyone knows about this game by now. I'm pretty tired of the constant shilling (the Advent Children movie and Dirge of Cerberus were awful, though I quite liked Crisis Core. In fact, Crisis Core is one of my favorite games on the PSP, and the ending still gives me chills to think about even today!), but I cannot deny that I absolutely loved this game when it came out. Sure, the story is a bit too convoluted for its own good and sometimes it felt like they threw in weird plot twists for seemingly no reason other than to shock you, but the materia system is still my favorite gameplay mechanic of a main FF game. Music is still great, visuals are quite dated now but passable, but lord... I wish I could skip those summon cutscenes.
FF4 - Having completed the DS remake a few years back, I definitely realized I had rose tinted goggles when I thought FF4's plot was revolutionary. Looking back, it's silly how I thought all the "sacrifices" in the game were so brave and heroic, and the characters are rather one dimensional with the slight exception of Cecil and a couple others. Still, the plot was deep for its time and the visuals and music are still gorgeous. FF4 also introduced the ATB which was a great step up in my opinion over most turn based systems (with the exception of, in order of preference, Shadow Hearts 2, Grandia 2, FF10).
FF1 - Classic. I probably spent the most hours on this game overall than any other non-MMO game in my life. I've beaten the game probably over 8 times (3-4 times on the NES, 1-2 times on GBA, another on PSP, and once again on iOS), including 4 WHM and 4 MNK challenges. Story is stupid, characters are practically non-existent, but I still love the class system. Seiken Densetsu 3 does the class system better (I think the job selection of FF3, FF5 and FFT are good but have little weight when you can switch on the fly).
FFX - I never beat FFX due to real life tearing me away from video games around this time, but what I did play I loved. This would probably be higher on the list if I had ever finished it. I'm looking forward to the HD remakes on the Vita!!!
FF5 - Boring story, boring characters, and somehow I felt the visuals took a step back from FF4. However, the job system was interesting, even if a bit broken, and it was one of the first games that made me eager to develop new strategies for non-boss battles. Overall rather forgettable for me though, with few memorable moments or songs.
FF2 - The first true story I witnessed in any game. It's pretty silly by today's standards, but the innovation of the leveling mechanics and keyword/password conversation system was quite interesting. Unfortunately, it doesn't really stand the test of time, as it's rather counterintuitive to become stronger by constantly hitting myself in battle.
FF3 - Eh... I could never get into this game. The job system is decent but the overall pacing is just too slow.
FF8 - Someone is going to mail me a letter laced with Anthrax for this placement. I couldn't get past the first 4 or 5 hours because I hated the main character and the junction gameplay mechanic. I read up on the plot later and was glad I never gave it a second glance. /ducks
FF9 - Never played this so I can't give any judgment.
As for non-mainline FF games, Crisis Core is probably my favorite, followed closely by FF Tactics and Mystic Quest. I don't know why... Mystic Quest, as dumb as it was, holds a special place in my heart.
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? How the hell did I miss?
