The Five WORST Final Fantasy Games

We take a look at the Final Fantasy franchise and the five worst games it has produced.

[_CoD-Pro_]

Is this your first blog?

[SquareEnixFan]

I loved FF13 and FF8 is my third favorite Final Fantasy behind 10 and 4. My personal list would just be FF12 five times.

[CosmicTraveler]

Final Fantasy VIII is my second favorite, Its a fantastic game! Final Fantasy XIII was also indeed a good game, you have to play the game not comparing it to the earlier FF's

[versusALL]

This list is stupid, first of all Final Fantasy XII was one of the greatest Final Fantasy's, the story is great, the environment, and while the characters aren't the best it still is a good game. Same goes for Final Fantasy XIII. While I can't say the same for FF's 1 & 3. I would have to agree VIII though, god I hated that.

[Daver]

XII and XIII were the worst. What games did you play? lol

[gaden_malak]

I agree with VersusAll, 12 was awesome. Second favourite behind 7 (with 9 and 8 to follow).

Have 13 but yet to play it.

[elbeasto86]

XII and XIII were good games. What the hell made you so jaded?

[sobekflakmonkey]

Final Fantasy's VI, VII, VIII, IX and X were my favorite.

In order, it would be:
1. VII
2. VIII
3. VI
4. IX
5. X

[SLLCKGT]

5? Lol. Theres no such thing as a bad FF, 2 most least liked is X-2 and XIII, but no way 5 FF games.

[Da One]

How bout you play FFI-FFXIII like i'm doing just for the sake of beating them all.....I can tell you, you can pick 5 bad FF games....it's not hard

play FFI and FFII(especially) they didn't age well and FFII sucks plain and simple

[nolifeking]

At least I&II have the excuse of being old as dirt. XIII was just a bore to play, as was X2 and XII.

[tablav]

XIII is the only Final Fantasy I have been unable to complete, but that's because I don't really enjoy the combat system (more of a fan of the old turn-based combat), but I still loved every second of the story and WILL complete it one day when I have the time and patience. I certainly don't think there is a bad FF game though. Everybody just has their own preferred style.

[T3MPL3TON]

I can agree on FF13. I personally didn't like 12 either but that was simply based on the way it played, the story and everything else was fun. I don't see how anyone could hate the first FF. There was nothing wrong with it. It established the brand, and cause people to care enough to even let it get to the 13th game.(I don't count the spin offs.)

[consolez_FTW]

Only two bad Final Fantasy, X-2 and XIII. Those were the only ones I never completed.

[haymoza]

I agree with all of them except 8.

Good read. And people who liked XIII wouldn't know a good RPG from a soiled underwear... that made as much sense as FFXIII's storyline, but my point stands!

[Eamon]

Guys, since I never played Final Fantasy VIII, does the author make any sense when he criticises its story and Squall?

I was put off by the Draw magic system so I played like half an hour. But I do hear FF8 is quite literally a love story with emo teens.

[Jack-Dangerously]

Have you played VII?

He's no worse than Cloud, who I never had a problem with. This ISN'T coming from a fanboy, I have only played 7, 8, 10, & a little of 13.

I liked the game thoroughly. If you like Final Fantasy I see no reason why you wouldn't enjoy 8.

To me it's personally worth twice what they are charging on psn.

I hope this helps.

[Eamon]

lol, Cloud wasn't actually emo in FF7. His character was drastically changed to angsty emo in Advent Children. And a LOT of people played ff7 only after seeing that film. And a lot more people still consider Cloud an emo after that film.

The Cloud in FF7 is a lot different to Advent Children.

But thanks for the reply about FF8.

[Marceles]

Cloud was never emo lol...if anything he was full of himself.

[Rocket Sauce]

Squall is an asshole, but that's why he's so great. He's the most human Final Fantasy character. He's got realistic problems and it's fun to watch him deal with social situations he doesn't understand at all.

The story is ridiculous, sure, but that's pretty much par for the course with these games. I dug the hell out of it.

[Baka-akaB]

Cloud is as crappy as Squall HOWEVER Cloud is surrounded by an excellent cast of characters .

Squall is already annoying and yet surrounded by characters that are cringe worthy ... especially Zell and Selphy .

Not to mention that FFVII got at least one of the most memorable boss of all videogames .

Finally , and that one is obviously even more a matter of opinion , Cloud make sense as a character . After all he had memories of being someone else .
I dont feel that sense from Squall's backstory and the others from FFVIII .

After all VIII was the one with the ridiculous and convenient concept that most of the party knew each other at an orphanage but forgot it all ...
Worse one of them remembers it all , and say nothing while being a member of the party for most of the first part of the game ? I almost threw the disc away after than scene .

[jakerhodes]

I'd say that Cloud is a lot more of a sympathetic character than Squall. Cloud set out to be a SOLDIER and failed, managed to save a young Tifa from Sephiroth and then was captured, drugged with mako and subsequently saw his friend shot.

Squall just wanted attention from Ellone.

[Baka-akaB]

yes Cloud had far more "xexcuses" for the way he acted , especially at the beginning of FFVII , and in the end , after his world litterally broke down from learning the truth about himself , he still pulled through , and truly became the hero and first class warrior he was pretending to be .

In comparison Squall is a jerk most of the game because of a momma/sister complex and out the blue is thrown into a romance with the heroine just because ? Urg ...

Squall's anger didn't seem to have any context unlike Cloud's angst . That's what would make him emo , unlike cloud imo .

[WhiteLightning]

@jakerhodes

"Squall just wanted attention from Ellone"

Whaa....

Omg, have you actually played the game <sigh>

Probably played it like twice or rushed through it.

[elbeasto86]

@jakerhodes So you're just gonna ignore how Squall was part of a school that trained soldiers (known as SeeDs) that went out on missions and that Squall was originally sent on a mission, to help Rinoa, that jumpstarted the whole story? Don't simply things dude. Tell everything and explain why you don't like it and then I'll give you respect.

[Hicken]

I'd say Squall makes a lot more sense that Cloud, and without all the identity issues.

Squall's mother died in childbirth, so he never knew her. His father was a POW in another country. He was raised by his "sister" Ellone, who was then taken away by soldiers. The kids he grew up with at the orphanage were all split up. His profession required that he forget in order to get stronger(since the trade-off for using a GF was that it erased your memories). In the end, he winds up alone.

What more do you want from him?

[SageHonor]

Predictable list

[Jack-Dangerously]

To me that's kind of like saying "here are the five WORST desserts"

Not everyone may like it but it's still sweet to me.

[Neoninja]

I think X2 should replace VIII, but for the most part I agree with list. Although opinions are like butt holes, and everybody has one lol.

[jakerhodes]

I was only including the mainline of the series, no sequels or any of the MMORGPS.

[Eromu]

As long as FFV isn't on the list I'm fine.

[helghast102]

I & III are fair play, but they aren't bad games.
None of the main series FF games are bad, save for XIV, but that's obviously getting resolved.
XIII is a great game, don't even kid yourself saying it's not.
VIII is also very good, don't complain about "Y I HAV 2 DRAW EVERYTHING" because you don't need to do that at all, it's called Refine-Magic.
Haven't played XII, but I REALLY want to, looks like something I'd enjoy.

also lol'd at this "I cannot complete this game. Not because it is too hard but because it doesn’t grip me in the slightest."
Same can be said about VII, the whole Midgar scene was boring as hell, but as soon as you got your ass out of there the game started to shine.

And since when was linearity considered a bad point? seriously? are you going to tell me that the past FFs weren't linear?

[jakerhodes]

I don't claim that my opinion if fact, I realize that gaming is subjective. I didn't like GTA IV either but plenty of people did and I wouldn't say they were wrong to do so.

I like freedom of choice in games which is why FF XIII really grated me. It's like the game plays itself...if I wanted that I'd watch a good movie.

[EazyC]

I think FF is the only non-sports game that could really have a "5 worst" list, by which time I think it's time to put a franchise to rest.

....bar NFS (can't think of others) =••••

[helghast102]

Final Fantasy is a franchise in the loosest sense of the word.
Each game is a completely different RPG sold with the Final Fantasy name to garner interest (excluding direct sequels).
This is why I can't stand people complaining that XIII is too different, DIFFERENT GAMES PEOPLE, if XIII had a different name there would be a lot less scrutinizing, damn it would probably be called one of the greatest games this generation, but people can't let go of the past.
...I think I wrote a little too much, most of this isn't even a direct reply to you! haha

edit: I know what you mean about the digits scaring people off, I had suggested that my friend try the games out and he was really hesitant towards it because of how many there were and he thought it was all some grand intertwining story, took a while to explain that they weren't, and now he's a huge fan.

[EazyC]

They should give them different names then... The digits "XII" (12!? my god!) is instantly going to scare off newcomers! I see what you mean though, I'm not much of a FF fan myself, but thats cool to know ;)

[Too_many_games]

No way is FFVIII one of the worst.

[WhiteLightning]

This blog is full of fail

FF8....are you kidding or are you just following the crowd of haters of this game

Squalls character development was the best in the entire FF franchise...to a selfish lone jerk to a heroic brave leader. Obviously people just remember the bad side of Squall from the start and LOL emo teen.....oh and Cloud wasn't emo or depressive, he was worse then Squall, Squall had a reason for being like that (Orphanage, Ellone leaving him, no Mother/Father)

Sorry say what you want about FF8 but it's an amazing game which in my opinion is better then FF7. It deserves some love and it needs a sequel or prequel.

Oh and the draw system is brought up again...beause it's not like FF7...there was nothing wrong with the draw system, you could find the pink spots (island heven/hell) and draw magic from them. Drawing magic in battles wasn't the only way to gain it...I never did that and I had a ton of magic by the end

I hate people who hate on FF8 when they sound like this guy who obviously hasn't played it

[MrSpace]

I agree. FF8 is amazing and people just call FF8 because it wasn't as good as the last game that came out before it, and which FF game was the last one that came out BEFORE FF8, that's right FF7. People tend to be sheep and think because everyone else is hating a little on FF8 they have to aswell. I agree aswell that the blogger might not of even realized the great character development for Squall. Bottom line is if you call Squall an emo, judging him from his character from the start then what the hell does that make Cloud then.

[Baka-akaB]

Cloud reasons were easily better . What's the guy supposed to do when he basically get "injected" memories that arent even his ?

And instead of sinking into despair wholly when learning he was a fake , he still rose to the occasion , and again became the badass hero he believed himself to be originally . To each their own , but it seems a far bigger accomplishement and evolution than for Squall .

Yeah lots of explanation were given for squall's initial behavior (wich still lasted for a great portion of the game) , but they felt flat and superficial to some of us .

Also i dont care how Cloud regressed into angst in the movie , it's a stupid action movie , not the game itself .

"I hate people who hate on FF8 when they sound like this guy who obviously hasn't played it "

You're being even worse , you decide that people can only dislike the game if they didnt play it . That's BS .

"People just call FF8 because it wasn't as good as the last game that came out before it, and which FF game was the last one that came out BEFORE FF8, that's right FF7. People tend to be sheep and think because everyone else is hating a little on FF8 they have to aswell"

That's sheep behavior right there mate . Like it or not , not everyone started at ff7 . Plenty started before , plenty afterward . Stop acting out on some weird paranoia ... FFVIII was a massive success , and hardly met harsh criticism back then , bare a few of us .

Besides some friends , you had to go online to even find people thinking badly of the game at all

[WhiteLightning]

"You're being even worse , you decide that people can only dislike the game if they didnt play it . That's BS"

Not when he's saying things along the lines of "Oh the draw system was crap, you have to draw from battles"...that's not all true you can draw outside of battles. "Squall just wanted attention off Ellone"...erm no...if you understood it Ellone made a promise to Squall saying she would never leave him...she did and he could never trust people again. See what I mean, the guy is not telling the entire story and what made it so great, which makes it look like he didn't play or finish it.

Oh BS Cloud was worse, he was pure emo who was a bit bland. Squall had all that character development built up around him and it seems people ignore it and just focus on the version of Squall we meet at the beginging of the game which suggests that they didn't play the entire game.

I'm not deciding on anything your just coming to stupid conclusions.

[Baka-akaB]

fine then ,if you were only talking to him , my bad .

I'm just tired of that common ultra defensive stance of shooting bullets at ff7 to defend ff8 , with both unrelated either way , or claims that "haters didnt play the game at all" .

I guess i'll just leave it at an obvious difference of opinions here .
I also dont feel like championning further FF7 , hardly my favorite , and even less Cloud , even further from my favorite character .

[Relientk77]

Final Fantasy VIII should NOT be there

other than that, I am ok with the list.

[elbeasto86]

I never played FF1 or FF3 (not meaning FF6 which was awesome) but as for the rest they shouldn't be on this list. FF12 and FF13 were great games. FF8 is my favorite of all time. This list is dumb. You can make anything sound dumb by simplifying the story and mechanics and whatnot. Hopefully your next blog doesn't make you sound like a dick.

[CLOUD1983]

I agree that XIII is the worst FF ever and as haymoza say:
"people who liked XIII wouldn't know a good RPG from a soiled underwear... "
well said haymoza, the only thing I disagree is that VIII is worst than XII that was stupid imo XII was teribad to play, FFXII is like playing an MMORPG and exp with a bot the only difference is that u move the party to the mobs everything else is automatic.. also the main char was the most useless I have ever see in any FF for me the main char was Ashe and this fcking Star Wars theme pissed me off, I love the movies but I hate what SE did with their clone..
The truth is that FF die after X and that was the last FF Squaresoft did after X for the past 10 years we get one crap after another and guess what all those games were SE work is that coincidence? I don't think so..

[JonnyBigBoss]

FF12, FF13, and FF14 all disappointed me terribly. I loved all of the others, even FF11.

[Arknight]

I basically agree with the list except for VIII and I. I can still play Final Fantasy I to this day and it has about 1000 time more exploration and secrets to find than Final Fantasy XIII.....all without pointless CGI cutscenese...who knew!?

If anything, II should definitely be on that list because it just plain sucks.

[gamejediben]

Well we can argue all day about which FF is worst. I personally despised FFXII but there are many people who hated XIII more.

But the question of which game is best has only 1 answer: FFVI.

Deal with it.

[Hicken]

This is obviously a Sephiroth fangirl. Nearly every person who played VII first says VIII was crap. Likewise, most people who started with those early PS1 games found increasing hate with the new titles.

XII and VIII probably had the most complete, most engaging stories in any of them. XIII may well have given you the most complete view of a world and its people... along with X.

Nothin to see here. Just a random hater.

[l1username1l]

X-2, Crystal Chronicles, MYSTIC QUEST? Come on, all these were much worse games then VIII. Not to mention having FF1 and 3 on the list due to age just makes you look like a idiot.