Why Final Fantasy VI Is Still The Best Of The Franchise

Final Fantasy has been noted as one of the best game franchise titles of all time. The latest in the series may be Final Fantasy XV but Final Fantasy VI has still been noted as the best game in the franchise.

[ninsigma]

I must play 6 again. I didn't get very far as the game froze and I lost my save. Never went back to it. I've heard lots of great things about it though. Fingers crossed for the ps4 collection this year so I can play it on that!

[naruga]

NO ..FF VI is not the best and its far behind FFVII ...end of story ...all publications trying to appear serious game critics and name 6 as the best ...but they are just clueless as f...k about games ....

@all below who consider FF6 as the best and answer with some nerdy comments....i will just answer this..... look the thumbnail people!! ...this caricature is the main villain of the game (compare this thing to Sephiroth who became instantly a representative icon for the video game culture along wiht Mario , Sonic , etcetc) ...end of discussion

[joab777]

6 is pretty damn good. Only FF in which the villain actually accomplishes their goal of destroying the world! 7 is my personal favorite though.

[ninsigma]

7 is my favourite too, no other ff game or very few games in fact come close to it imo but people can think 6 is better if that's what they actually think...

[Irishguy95]

Joab...its not the only one.

[Vkviz]

I gotta agree. I think too many people let nostalgia influence their opinions of VI. VII is superior in pretty much every way

[Pennywise138]

The generation gap between 6 and 7 I think is what makes it so divided among players. PlayStation 1 from Super Nintendo was a huge leap in technology. Take that away and 6 holds up really well. Personally 4 is my favorite but I know I'm usually alone on that.

[DragonKnight]

FFVII wishes it was as good as it's older brother FFVI. FFVI is superior in all aspects but visuals. Saying FFVII is the best is a cliched sheep response. Everyone knows the best FF game is FFIV.

[jznrpg]

Its always debatable

[TFJWM]

The majority of people that think FFVII is the best are usually the people that FFVII was their first FF.

The world and character building was far superior in FFVI(FF3).

[kyzer1978]

Agreed. 6 is great but its just not on the same level as 7.

[_-EDMIX-_]

It is not a yes or no because it is something subjective, it is not based on falsehood or truthfulness.

It seems you are having an extremely hard time comprehending this...

[ShinRon]

6, and Tactics are the exceptional entries to the series, 4, 7, 9 and 12 are amazing, 8, 10, 13 and 15 are varying levels of bad.

Never finished 5 and 1 doesnt really hold up but for its time it was awesome enough to replay a couple times.

[il-JumperMT]

only people who lost jrpg virginity to ffvii think vii is best ff. its not even in top 3 ff and its villain is quite bad compared to other villain in the series.

[Nathan_Hale53]

7 isn't the best in the series, top 2-3 but not the best, I am a firm believer on VI being king. Don't get why you are so against that idea when VII is generally the one people see being the best.

[BenjaMan64]

Uh... Mario is a short, chubby plumber who's good at jumping, and Sonic is a funny animal who runs really fast, and yet you consider them representative icons of video game cultures. Why should Kefka, a clown-like sorcerer that betrays his emperor, becomes a god and devastates the world not also be considered also a gaming icon? I've been gaming since the early 90's, so I'm not that clueless regarding gaming culture, child.

Those who say "end of discussion" sometimes say that because they know their arguments are weak, and try to finish the discussion before anyone can easily come up with a valid counterargument.

[Aceman18]

FF6 will always be my favorite, with FF9 my 2nd, and FF4 my 3rd. No other FF game will ever breach this top 3 for me.

[Maybay]

I know people want VII remastered, though I'll take VI for the Switch instead. Also, Chrono Trigger wouldn't hurt 😎

[meganick]

It astounds me that SE does nothing with the Chrono Trigger ip. A turn based remake and a proper sequel would be great.

[nitus10]

FF4, FF5, FF6 and even Chrono Trigger were turn based and optionally active turn based although you could easily switch between the two battle methods. Even action based RPG's are a form of active turn base with the action being controlled by a set of statistics associated with each character and even each enemy with some randomization thrown in.

[NukaCola]

Yes, I would like to see both these games sort of kept in their same form but with high rez graphics, 60 frames, and awesome particle effects. The FF1&2 games on PSP were cool like that. Putting 3D effects over pixel sprites. The game design was pretty cool looking. I am Setsuna is legit fun though and lives in the spirit of Chrono Trigger. VI(III) and CT were the two defining RPGs in the SNES age for me. Honorable mentions are EVO Search for Eden.

[nitus10]

Personally, I despise so-called retro pixel art for modern games.

I don't have anything against original games like those on the NES and SNES since those type of graphics were the best for the day. Even games on the PS1 were pixelated by PS2 standards and I am quite sure the developers tried to do the best the could with the hardware rather than pander to some retro look.

[TheDreamCorridor]

For the Switch!?

Lolhahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah ahahahahahah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[DragonKnight]

"though I'll take VI for the Switch instead."

https://cdn.meme.am/cache/i...

[Themba76]

i agree with this article its definately the best by far

[Pantz]

FFVI is great, many do consider it to be the best. The fact is though FFVII has made the top of more lists since it's been out than any other. Any small bit of news or story on FFVII or it's Remake gets more hype and more posts than any, ANY other game. Any of the FF can be the personal best for many but the facts remain the FFVII is on another level beyond all the rest.

[luckytrouble]

That's nostalgia. Pure and simple. VI undeniably has a better story and a stronger villain. VII just had a bigger impact on the series as the first 3D title. I think of VI like IX. Both came out too late on their respective systems and were overlooked despite being some of the best experiences Final Fantasy can offer, while VII on the PSI and X on the PS2 continue to resonate as some of the most acclaimed titles due more to good release timing than necessarily being timeless or industry altering games.

Final Fantasy is a good lesson on how release timing and platform choice in a series can define an entry's legacy.

[Ogygian]

Everyone thinks the first FF they played was the best.

I tried playing VII once, but the poor graphics forced me to stop. I'm excited for the remake though - perhaps I'll be able to see what those who worship the game do.

[Kombatologist]

FFVII appealed to a casual audience, myself included. That's why it has such a cult following. Anyone who remembers playing FFVII at launch can attest to all the hype surrounding it. In fact, it was a TV ad that convinced me to get it. I literally had never played a JRPG before. FFVII was like a gateway drug, as it introduced me to Chrono Trigger, FFVI, and so forth.

And that Aerith scene. Man.

[Dasteru]

@spartanlemur:

VII was the first FF game i played and it is 6th best imo. VI was the 8th one i played and it is my favorite. I am not a nostalgic person at all.

My play order as far as i recall:

VII
VIII
IX
X
X-2
I
XII
VI
IV
V
III
II
XIII
XIII-2
LR

Order of preference:

VI
IX
IV
XII
V
VII
X
VIII
III
I
XIII-2
LR
II
X-2
XIII

[FallenAngel1984]

FFIX says different

[MRMagoo123]

so does 8 and 7 imo I don't think 6 is that good i mean its a fun game and easily better than 15 and 13 but its not above 7, 8 or 9 and I have the game sitting right next to ps1

[Dasteru]

Far better than 7 or 8, debateable on 9. Both are about equal.

[BlackIceJoe]

There is no definitive version, because each person has a personal preference. I myself like Vlll over Vll, but that doesn't mean my voice is more important than anyone else's. We all are different and what l like someone else might not like or what they like l don't like. If we all could agree on everything, then everything that gets made would become unoriginal and who wants that? So l personally like how each man and woman has different tastes.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Agreed.

[DogJosha]

Yeah, it pisses me off when these articles try to claim someone as a "game expert" as if their opinion matters and ours don't.

As far as my opinion, while I agree there is no definitive FF, I would say the PSX era of FF is the pinnacle of FF. Sure they were improving graphics, but they never compromised. Exploration was kept in tact and gameplay was ever evolving. The thing that really set it above the rest for me though was the focus on non-battle related side quests like chocobo raising, card collecting, and so on.

[Butters360]

He's remains one of the very best, and FFXV's villain just narrowly beats him. He completely wins, even in defeat.

[Asuka]

Yeah though I wish there was more meat to his story (or the story overall really), he definitely got his way no matter what his outcome came to be. Really liked his english dub as well, personally =p

[PhoenixUp]

Every Final Fantasy can be the best in the franchise for different people

[CrystalFantasy]

FFXIII is my favorite but objectively, FFIX is probably the best one. It's a timeless classic.

6 is goodish...

[MRMagoo123]

13 is your personal favourite??¿¿

[nitus10]

Having liked FF12 I I rather liked FF13 and FF13-2 as well since the "Paradigm" system was a more streamlined version of the "gambit" system. Also like FF12 there were no random encounters for FF13 (FF13-2 did have random encounters but was less linear), unlike all other FF games. Sure FF13 was fairly linear but then again so were most of the other FF games (10 especially and I still liked that game).

For FF13 being a RPG you have to think what would you do if you were in their situation (you are dammed if you do and dammed if you don't) and once you do that I actually found that the best team was Lightning, Snow and Vanille since it was pretty easy to power up their weapons and they complemented each other. Of course, other players may choose a different party for a different style of gameplay and that is the whole idea of an RPG.

If you think that all you needed to do was spam the "X" button for FF13 then you are not playing the game correctly since the game being active turn based will autoplay unless you make a change such as a different "Paradigm" or a special action.

[DragonKnight]

"FFXIII is my favorite"

And for a second time.

https://cdn.meme.am/cache/i...

[TC731]

FF6 was okay. The whole "find your good party members a second time" thing is BS.

[nitus10]

IMHO "find your good party members a second time" was interesting especially when you consider the reasons why you had to do that.

[goldwyncq]

VII, IX, and X are way better.

[SIdepocket]

Have to agree, VI was one of the best (better than VII IMO). Few games of that era had the level of story that VI did...Chrono Trigger being one of the notable exceptions.

[Ogygian]

I played VI two months ago. It's the best 2D FF, but IX (which I'm playing through now) is much better.

I cannot comment on VII for I haven't played it.

[Vkviz]

Nope, it's still VII

[salazarnaruto52]

FFIX is the best

[johndoe11211]

So let me get this straight, you submit an article with a clickbailt headline like "Why Final Fantasy VI Is Still The Best Of The Franchise" and then the entire article consist of only 3 lines defending the argument and the entire defense rests on the premise "because the gaming experts say so"? Seriously????? How the hell did this get approved??

[Gh05t]

You answered your own question: "you submit an article with a clickbailt headline"

[Sharingan_no_Kakashi]

Ffxv is my fave.

[iofhua]

My favourite will always be FF8. I loved the complexity of the Junction system. The GF's gave it a "gotta catch them all" feel before Pokemon was ever a thing. Triple Triad was my first game-within-a-game and it was really fun. Most of all, I loved the characters and the story. The last disc was probably one of the most climatic battles to save the world I've ever played.

[Kakashi Hatake]

Agreed, unfortunately 8 gets more hate than any of the final fantasy games.

[goldwyncq]

The story wasn't even that remarkable. It was the generic "rebels vs empire" plot that turned into a "rebels vs cliched omnipotent madman hellbent on destroying everything" plot halfway through.

Kefka wasn't that great of a villain either. Sephiroth, Kuja, Caius, and Ardyn all stomp on him.

[DragonKnight]

First says this...

"The story wasn't even that remarkable. It was the generic "rebels vs empire" plot..."

Then goes on to describe FFVII with this...

"rebels vs cliched omnipotent madman hellbent on destroying everything"

"Kefka wasn't that great of a villain either. Sephiroth, Kuja, Caius, and Ardyn all stomp on him."

With special emphasis in reference to the first 3 I submit this response.

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

[Derceto]

Because FF XV had absolutely no threat of dethroning it? Pretty easy conclusion to make.

[Nintenzo]

Getting tired of these "this one is the best" articles. Just shout your love for it without setting it up against the other entries into the series

Oh and FF VII is objectively the best one

[DragonKnight]

"Oh and FF VII is objectively not the best one"

FTFY

[link2Dpast]

these types of articles always cause an uproar lol, luckily its on the positive end. As which one is the best, honestly its all perspective, i played 6 a few months ago and about halfway i stopped. its was great no doubt about that but i lost interest, not saying i wouldn't go back to it but it seemed to demanding, and after a few hours the story seemed to be reaching. The beginning really had me and the aura to it but then it slowly dissapeared, i definitely could see nostalgia being a big push in claiming the position on the "best" but its over hyped and yes i know its Snes but it was pretty ugly game, sprites were not good and Chrono trigger and legend of mana were just as beauitlful going the sprite route. I personally go with FF9 being the best. Characters, world, enviornment,music, and story which went back to the crystal Arc. It seems to have a special magic to it, the accumulation of all the prior sequels all in one and it defiantly hit the note in everyway the others did, they hit that magic which made all other unique and brought it to 9.

[Chaos_Order]

While I think FF6 is still a very good game, for me personally it isn't the best FF for a few reasons:

- The environment lacks variety, with towns and dungeons often looking the same.
- You can succeed very easily for most of the game by using certain character skills over and over again, with little reason to mix things up and get creative.
- Most of the boss fights, at least IMO, didn't feel all that epic or exciting.
- This might be controversial, but I HATED the turn the game took after Kefka tore the world apart. Much of the world building and various story threads were thrown out of the window, catching fish for Cid was annoying and stupid, and trotting to different random parts of the globe building up your party again felt like a chore after hours of having a full team at the ready.

I'm a little defensive when this opinion crops up because I once had an elitist friend who believed that FF6 was by far the best in the series, and that anyone who liked FF7 was either an idiot, or hadn't played FF6. It's actually a pretty common viewpoint within the fandom...

Personally, I think everyone is entitled to their own opinion. My favourite is FF7 followed closely by FF9.

[nitus10]

You do know that FF4 (1.5MB), FF5 (2.5MB) and FF6 (3MB) were on the SNES so the graphics and world/dungeon layouts would not be as good or as detailed as FF7's (on four 600MB CD's) which was on the PS1. In fact FF8 and FF9 were on four 600MB CD's as well.

Now contrast that to FF10 and FF12 which were on one 4.7GB DVD for the PS2 with the games having much better graphics and detail as well.

Note: Games sizes for the SNES are in brackets.

[Chaos_Order]

I'm aware the SNES was capable of less, but that doesn't matter. My point still stands. If a game was released on Atari 2600 I'm not going to pretend it's amazing just because the 2600 was a really weak console. I like to view games as they are, by the same standard. Otherwise I'm saying "This game is really good, but only if you played it at the time." I think true classics stay great for decades. In fact, some of my favourite games of all time are over 15 years old, as judged by the same standard as games released this year.

[jznrpg]

I like them all for different reasons. Even loved the gameboy Ff in black and white. Too hard to pick a favorite as they all have a special place in time

[Kakashi Hatake]

My God, FF9 and 6 have the most obnoxious fanboys. I've played 9 and prefer 7, 8,and 10 over it. Don't get why it's so overrated, the battle system was horrible. I haven't played 6 but I'm positive the love it gets is from nostalgia. And from what I see of Kefka, he's the most overrated villain ever. Can't believe people think he was a better villain than Sephiroth. Sure a clown man is a better villain than a badass mercenary with a long katana. Come at me with the disagrees now.

[rhap]

I preffer FF9, but 6 is pretty good I agree.

[ShinRon]

Wow that article was dog shit

[NextGenCeo]

Nope best FF game in FF history "Final Fantasy VII"

[il-JumperMT]

Kefka best villain ever made.

[Smokingunz]

You all are spewing garbage smh, gotta love n4g snd it's crazy subscribers. 6 was great from what iv played but sorry 7bis the best. Why u think they kept bringing back the game on many different modern consoles and is now making a remake. 7 sinned off into side games and a movie and square still uses its real time cgs to power their most recent movies cough cough kings glaive, everybody has their own opinions but to say 6 is better than 7 u guys are smoking on some good crack please get it together. If 6 was the best in the franchise why hasn't square remade the game yet? And why aren't fans shouting for remake like they are with 7 huh? Smh.