I brought this up in one of avatar's RPG threads but it kind of (understandably) got buried because it was a little off subject even though it was related.

I guess with Final Fantasy XV I've kind of been thinking about Final Fantasy a little more. I am interested in Final Fantasy XV... but to be honest I don't think I'll make a point of buying a new console to play it. I have a very bad habit of buying newer games and never playing them... and then they get sold off for a fraction of what I bought them for. Need to stop doing that... so I've stopped doing that.

But this got me thinking about role-playing games in general. I can't deny Final Fantasy's place in my interest in the genre at the beginning of the PS1 days (yes, Final Fantasy VII was my first RPG...) but at the same time I can't help but feel Final Fantasy (as a whole) isn't nearly important to me as it once was. I don't think you can take away what those games meant to me back when I played them when younger... but I don't feel a craven need to revisit most of them,

I guess I should kind of do an overview status/feeling I have for each game.

Final Fantasy
Preferred Version: PS1 Origins
To be honest I don't have any real gripes with the original Final Fantasy (unless we're talking about the PSP version and its annoying "extras") but something about this game - or rather fans - DOES bug me. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people criticize this thing for its lack of story... when this actually WAS a lot of story back when the game came out. I just don't get why people can't judge the game against the other games of its time.

Final Fantasy II
Preferred Version: PSP
For some dumb reason I kind of like Final Fantasy II... even though it's still kind of broken even after all the tweaks Square has made to it over the years. The reason is probably due to its similarities with SaGa Frontier. I like how the story is somewhat of a precursor to FInal Fantasy VI in some ways.

Final Fantasy III
Preferred Version: PSP (have it on PSP but originally played it on DS)
I know that Matrix changed Final Fantasy III quite a bit for this remake (the original is much harder if I recall) and I enjoyed this one well enough. It's starts off kind of slow but near the end it really picked up in some ways. I can't really say it was worth the way however....

Final Fantasy IV
Preferred Version: SNES Easytype (yes, I'm a coward)
I will fully admit that the PSP version is probably much better then the SNES original... but I actually think Final Fantasy IV is rather difficult in some ways and that doesn't really combine well with the fact that I've always been at odds with this game. I can't deny its quality and place in history yet the game just doesn't click with me. If I had played it before VI and VII it would probably hold more stock with me.

Final Fantasy V
Preferred Version: Everyone says the GBA  (but I've only played the PS1 version despite owning GBA).
To be honest I really had no hardcore beef with this game outside the technical hiccups on the PS1 version... I just lost interest when unlocking the ultimate weapons in the third part. I can't say for sure when the hell I'll ever get around to trying it again... if ever.

Final Fantasy VI
Preferred Version: SNES (yeah, I know it's broken to hell but I originally played in on the SNES)
I originally played Final Fantasy VI on the SNES soon after Final Fantasy VII and I thought it was the superior game... at least from a narrative standpoint. Of out most of the FF's I feel this is the one I really need to replay because I don't really know how it stacks up with me anymore. I hope I enjoy it as much as I did when I was younger but that was a long time ago.

Final Fantasy VII
Preferred Version: PS1 (but it doesn't really matter in this case)
Final Fantasy VII is one of those games I kind of overplayed as a kid. I own the game... but to be honest I really have no desire to replay the damn thing.

Final Fantasy VIII
Preferred Version: PS1
I'm really split on this one... I dislike many of the characters and story archs in Final Fantasy VIII, but I DO like the battle/game mechanics even though they are insanely easy to break with little effort. In that sense it's a lot like Chrono Cross to me... but I don't recall Chrono Cross being broken even though I'm sure someone can probably provide an example of that.

Final Fantasy IX
Preferred Version: PS1
Along with Final Fantasy VI this is the one I'm most interested in revisiting. I know the battle mechanics aren't as deep as VII or VIII (but that was done on purpose) but I can't help but feel the characters and more old-school characterization make this one more attractive... even though I'm far from being a Kuja fan.

Final Fantasy X
Preferred Version: Last played on the PS2... have the PS3 HD on my shelf
One of the last J-RPGs I ever got into, this is another one I think I could revisit without much resistance. I can't say I'm completely won over by the story, although I forgot some of it like everything related to Seymour who just comes off as lame to me. I liked how this one was turn-based and not ATB.

Final Fantasy X-2
Preferred Version; None
I've owned this three times (two PS2 and one PS3) and I've never had the drive to even start it.

Final Fantasy XI
It's online and I've never tried it nor do I ever want to. Making this a part of the numbered continuity was so damaging to my view on the franchise. When I was younger I liked knowing that I had played all the games but this comes along and I knew I couldn't say that anymore. I don't have a vendetta against it and I don't have a problem with it existing but just wish it was called "Final Fantasy Online" or something.

Final Fantasy XII
I bought this the day it came out... and ten hours in I really regretted it. I felt the game pretty much played itself honestly. Mechanics like gambits were cool in theory, but I couldn't help but feel those would be much more useful in a game like Star Ocean where the AI isn't the brightest.

Again, these are just some ramblings. I don't hate Final Fantasy but I honestly don't feel the need to follow it anymore.

Final Fantasy will always hold a special place in my heart. Once upon a time, when I was a kid, you learned what games you loved real quick by measure of if it was a franchise you have bought from before. My first Final Fantasy was 2 (4) on the SNES, and after that Final Fantasy would get my *Insta-Buy*. I have noticed that many franchises that I have loved over the years have lost their *Insta-Buy* status. There used to be a magic that if a new FF came out you would love it and that would be that. Somewhere along the way Square-Enix lost their magic. Its funny too, that same kind of FF-ness is present in a game like Bravely Default, but gone are the Chocobos, Cid, Moogles, and anything else that would be known as a series staple. Mechanically and story-wise it does a fantastic job of preserving its heritage but I gotta admit, I have no love for 15 right now myself. I think its partially because technology has become so prevalent in the games that they begin to lose some of their identity. Its easy to forget at times that FF was originally a medieval style romp.

My personal favorite FFs have got to be

2- I know its a weird one to like, but I really enjoyed the story and I especially have a soft spot for some characters like Gus and Ricard. While the leveling was off kilter its easy to see how that kind of stat progression has really become indicative of the Western RPG style.

5- I loved the job system and of course my main peeps Galuf and Faris. The story was engaging and it was an absolute blast to play one of the "lost" Final Fantasys after being treated to SNES 2 and 3.

9- Threw back the whole formula back to 16 bit days while feeling overall progressive. Learning movies through weapons and AP points was a joy and the story was surprisingly serious in tone. I love how the game addressed mortality and the soul. Standout characters were Amarant Coral and Freya.

Crystal Chronicles- I know it was that stupid GBA to GCN thing but I had 3 other friends with Gameboys, and we all wanted to play. It was fun using teamwork to get through all the dungeons and fun arguing over who was gonna walk the chalice to the next area. That and the soundtrack by Kumi Tanioka was super special, especially if you love Gaelic instruments.

Tactics Advance- It had all of the fun of Tactics but added an additional layer of strategy by adding judges to the game. I realize this was not a welcome addition for many but I thought it really added rather than subtracted. Being set in the fantasy world of Ivalice and being able to take control of unique races like the Bangaa and the Viera was really cool. Much like 9, the story was much more serious than it let on preaching escapism from a cripple little boy with no mother and a father that has forgotten how to live.

As the years go on, the less I recognize Final Fantasy, and I sincerely wish it didn't have to be that way.

You just had to open that can of worms, didn't you?

Alright, HERE WE GO.

Final Fantasy
Only ever played it on GBA, which, from what I understand, was a "dumbed down" version in that it was considerably easier than the NES original, or the PSP remake. I am perfectly okay with this, since I don't really need my turn-based RPGs to be difficult (especially since the remedy is usually "grind for hours"), and as a result, I ended up quite enjoying this. It was more fun than I expected, and it looked quite nice too.
The encounter rate was through the roof though.

Final Fantasy II
Again, only ever played the GBA version, but I never got very far because goddammit I HATE that SaGa style leveling up system. Random stat increases instead of just earning XP will NEVER sit well with me.
Put it down after an hour or two.

Final Fantasy III
Only played the 3DS remake. Found that it suffered from that intolerable difficulty I described above, put it down after a few hours.

Final Fantasy IV
I have a strong love-hate relationship with this one.
That is: I hate it, and yet I've played pretty much every single existing version of it.
It's probably because, at its core, it's an exciting game where lots of cool stuff happens, with a great soundtrack to boot, but it is ruined, again, by a difficulty that I found impossible to enjoy.
Mind you, I never played the US version on SNES, which is supposedly easier than the original JP version (I think it was even rereleased in Japan as FFIV Easy Type or something?). I might have enjoyed that version a lot more.
The DS version is probably the most horrible installment of it. Not only was it super-unforgiving, it also was a lot SLOWER and had frequent framerate drops because of the "need" to make everything 3D. Blegh.
The PSP version is probably the best one, since it looks the nicest and plays smoothly.

Final Fantasy V
Only ever played the PS1 version. Love the job system, and it's actually quite an enjoyable game for the most part, but it kind of falls apart near the end. I remember the final boss being frustratingly hard, and I used some kind of weird item glitch to insta-kill him.

Final Fantasy VI
I think this might actually be the first FF I ever played (not counting Mystic Quest), and one of the first turn-based RPGs I ever played, and it took me a while to get into it. I would not get used to turn-based combat until Chrono Trigger came along and showed how it's f---ing DONE (and firmly started/cemented my love for the genre itself).
It's never been my favorite FF, but it's one of the better ones for sure, and you've gotta love the balls they had to just go and destroy the world halfway through the game.
I disliked having to balance a party of 14 characters though, especially when they forced you to split up into 3 groups for the final dungeon.

Final Fantasy VII
It's been ages since I last played, but I poured SHITLOADS of hours into this when I was in college. Absolutely one of the all-time bests, although I wonder how much I'd enjoy it if I replayed it now. I should probably try and find out one of these days.

Final Fantasy VIII
With Ashley on this one. Hate pretty much the entire cast (although Rinoa remains my biggest video game crush to this day, but pretty much only for her looks, haha), but the gameplay systems were all just so completely unorthodox and unique that I found myself really enjoying it, even if they were broken as hell.
One thing that always irked me: if you're going to make an XP system where characters always need the same amount of XP to level up (i.e. 1000 points in this case), and you're going to scale enemies to level up along with your party, it's a really dumb idea to increase the amount of XP each monster drops as its level gets higher. This means that, as your party levels up, monster will drop more XP, actually making it EASIER to level up, which doesn't make any sense.
They should've handled this more like FF Tactics: enemies scaled here too, but they would yield equal experience, because the XP you earned was relative to the level of the character attacking.

Final Fantasy IX
I don't think there's anyone who doesn't like FFIX. It's not my favorite, since it plays things a little too safe, but it does pretty much everything it does really well. And I love the Chocobo digging mini-game.

Final Fantasy X
Loved the JP version, then played the JP International version (i.e. the Western version) on the HD collection, and stopped playing near the end. I did NOT like the addition of those super-powerful Aeons that just showed up out of nowhere and wiped you out without mercy even though you hadn't saved for a while. Screw that BS.
But yeah, the original game without the stupid extra bosses remains one of my all-time favorites. Love the sphere board, love the cast and story (man, dat ending), love the variety of the environments, even love the puzzle temples.

Final Fantasy X-2
Despite being directed by Toriyama, whom I consider to be the cancer of the FF series, I actually rather enjoyed this one. It was dumb and pulpy (not to mention redundant) as hell, but the Dress Sphere system (i.e. job system) was cool and the battle system was nice and speedy. And, dare I say it, I even quite like the soundtrack.

Final Fantasy XI
Never played it. Not interested either.

Final Fantasy XII
Finished it about twice. It's definitely not bad, but it's nothing noteworthy either. This is the game that Xenoblade tends to get compared to, but it's not in FF's favor.

Final Fantasy XIII
Very very pretty-looking trash. The most horrible cast in recent memory doesn't help either. To be fair, once you get to Chapter 11 (I think it was) and you get to explore that wide open field, it actually gets fun, but the entire slog leading up to that is completely and utterly boring because there's NOTHING to do but walk and fight. No mini games, no towns, NOTHING.

Final Fantasy XIII-2
A lot better than XIII, but still such horrible horrible writing and characters. The combat system of XIII is pretty much carried over wholesale, and while it's not a bad system, it's not good enough to carry a second game either. I never bothered to beat the final boss though.

Final Fantasy XIV
I have zero interest in MMORPGs, but I'll be damned if I didn't really enjoy this one.
I played for about a month, which was enough (especially since multiplayer instances get more and more important as you progress, which were easily the least interesting part of the game for me), but I quite liked what I played.

Final Fantasy XV
The demo made me very hopeful. I think they have great potential on their hands here.

Shout-outs:
Some of my all-time favorite FF experiences have been spin-offs: The Dissidia games are FAN-TAS-TIC, and Theatrhythm is hugely addictive.

I have nothing to contribute to this discussion that hasn't been said before. I also have not played or cared about a Final Fantasy game since X and the series is beyond redemption at this point. It's certainly not going to be the thing that rekindles my long-gone interest in JRPG's. As technically impressive as FFXV looks, there's nothing there that makes me interested in playing it. But who knows, those Squenix stockholders might all enjoy it.

That said, Final Fantasy VI remains the single greatest JRPG ever made. I almost dread to see what would happen if the current Square Enix teams went back and tried to remake this. Not perfect, but as close as the genre will ever get. And for it's faults, Final Fantasy VII (and Tactics!) was a worthy game to smash open the door in the west for the great JRPG wave of the late 90's/early 2000's. In retrospect, it's a bit of a shame Final Fantasy IV didn't quite do the same thing early on for the SNES. And to this day, I still enjoy the original Final Fantasy (NES version).

*raises hand*

This one tried too hard to make LIKABLE characters and everyone seemed shallow or overly stupid to me. The whole thing about "returning Final Fantasy to its roots" sounded good on paper, but never quite took off. I found this one technically challenged too, felt like it was straining the Playstation in everything from graphics to loading times to battle response times. The pacing was awful. It was really noticeable when Final Fantasy X came out and everything just zipped along. After 10 hours, I was out on this one.

Edit: Oh, and need I mention the Strategy Guide that was nothing more than an advertisement for Playonline links?

1:  I remember playing this a decade ago when I was amassing an NES game collection.  I think I finished the game, but I can't remember.  It really wasn't memorable for me.

6:  I got most of the way through it and just got bored with it and put it down forever.

7:  I've undoubtedly played this more than any other game, period.  I know each time I want to replay a game (of any franchise) I plan to breeze through it but I end up grinding through to complete everything.  A couple playthroughs ago I was a master of the snowboarding game at the Gold Saucer.  My most recent playthrough (on Steam release), I made one hella fast Gold chocobo after breeding a couple dozen.

8:  I've played this a few times, good music.

9:  This one was a bit odd, but I've still played it a couple times.

X:  I played this pretty much to 100% completion back on the PS2, and played it again recently when it was released in HD.  The super bosses in that release are just plain ridiculous, I skipped the top couple just because I wasn't willing to farm sphere levels for another dozen hours just for the sake of a chance at beating them.

X-2:  Same as above.  This game is pretty much all side-quests, fluff and fanservice, but Rikku is my favorite FF character so that's fine with me.  The new dress spheres were kind of interesting.

Supposedly the FFX/X-2 HD release had some kind of rogue-like game included but I didn't bother to play it because I wanted to get a start on the Kingdom Hearts HD releases.

I won't go into a rundown of each title, but suffice it to say the core numbered Final Fantasy games since FFVII - yes, including FFXIII - are dear to me and I hope to revisit them all for years to come. FFVIII is my favourite for many reasons. The earlier games were mildly diverting (FFVI being the best of them) but they simply do not look, sound, or feel good enough to qualify as truly epic in my book.

The shift in attitudes towards FF and Square-Enix in general, at least going by the vocal internet majority, is something I find quite surreal. Ever since the PSX era these games have unequivocally put their artistry first - the visual design, music and atmosphere of their worlds - and I don't feel this has changed. Criticisms levelled at the gameplay, fun factor, character tropes etc are valid but they are just as true of the older titles as the new.

FF1 - This was the third main series FF I played (after IV and VI).  More accurately I should say it's the third I TRIED to play.  The difficulty was too much for me on the NES and I didn't feel the need to stick with it, as the game has next to no story.  I have the opposite opinion of Ashley.  I don't care much if a game was good for its time.   I generally won't play a game to try to appreciate its history in gaming. It needs to be enjoyable during the time period in which I'm trying to play it.  I can respect FF1 for beginning the series, but attempting to suffer through it without rose-tinted nostalgia glasses in a post-FFVI world was just painful.  I did find the game more tolerable when I beat the easier PS1 version, but I cannot say I enjoyed the experience much.

FF2 - Never got around to playing it.  I cannot imagine I'd enjoy it.

FF3 - I just played this for the first time a few months ago on the DS.  I didn't care much for it.  Again, probably pretty nifty for its time, but I don't find that it's held up well (at least this version).

FF4 - My personal favorite.  For the longest time I would have cited VI as my favorite, but I have problems with the second half of VI, and I think IV is just oddly charming.  While not a retro gamer in the least, I am horribly prone to nostalgia.  I'm sure that factors in.  I've played it a few times on the SNES, once on PS1, and once on the DS.

FF5 - I tried this on an emulator around the time of FFVIII, hoping to enjoy it the way I did IV and VI.  The story and characters are a step back from IV and all I could think was "holy crap this job system worked so much better in Tactics", which at the time was the only other RPG I had played with a job system (I don't count FFI).  I did beat the game when it came out on the PS1 and liked it marginally better, but overall it's the black sheep of the SNES era FFs for me.

FF6 - Loved the game and soundtrack quite a lot when it came out on the SNES.  For awhile I cited it as my 2nd favorite game, after Chrono Trigger.  I was always meh about the world of ruin though.  That whole part of the game was holding it back, and has been part of the reason that I've never replayed it since the SNES days.  My nostalgic love has also diminished just a tad, and thus FFIV has taken VI's place on my favorites list.  I really should play through VI again.

FF7 -  Sat in a long release day (actually the night before) pre-order pickup line at Babbages for this one.  I thought it was a very good game, but I still find it overrated.  Never liked Aeris either.

FF8 - Sloppy... The story was a mess.  Half the soundtrack was amazing, the other half terrible.  Half the characters I liked, half I hated.  But, as others have mentioned, it was fun to play.  And don't get me started on my old obsession with Triple Triad.

FF9 - Amazingu doesn't think there is anyone that doesn't like FF9... but I guess we're starting to pop out of the woodwork now!  I found this game BORING.  The characters were wholly uninteresting to me, the soundtrack mostly disappointed, and I just found the gameplay to be a slog.  In this game's attempts to bring FF back to its roots, I think they just put together something dull.

FF10 - Despite disliking Yuna, and hating those damn temple orb puzzles, I still loved this game when it came out.  This was especially shocking to me because I couldn't stand the demo (the beginning of the game) that was released before hand.  I was already claiming the game was garbage just from that demo.  BUT-- I got invested in the story, which I actually found really beautiful in the end, and the strategic new battle engine was a blast.  I recently replayed the PS3 version and I feared the game would not live up to my memory, but thankfully it did.  I'm still a fan.  IV, VI, and X are the games I'd rank highest in the entire main series.

FF10-2 -  BLEEEEEEEGH!  It doesn't exist!!  It doesn't exist!!!

FF11 - I played this bad boy for 9 years.  I have some really great memories here, but it's pretty unfair to compare 11 or 14 to single player RPGs.

FF12 - I liked the game well enough while playing... but I have forgotten everything about it.  My only memory of the entire experience was running around shouting "I'm Basch fon Ronsenburg!"  This is definitely the least memorable game in the series (but not the least enjoyable).

FF13 - I enjoyed the new battle engine quite a bit, but... the writing... oh dear lord... The first thing I think of with 13 is how it may be the worst written RPG I've ever played.  I just... I just... can't get over it!!

FF13-2 - The ridiculousness of the story and awfulness of the writing actually eclipsed FF13, at least in the seven hours I played before quitting.

Lightning Returns - No way.  I refuse to try it!

FFXIV (A Realm Reborn version) -  I played for a little over a year, and may go back one day, but it just made me miss FFXI.  Still, it's not fair to compare this to the single player games.

Non-Main Series Games I've Played:
FF Mystic Quest- I like it!  I do!!
FF Crystal Chronicles- I had a BLAST playing this multiplayer.
FFCC Ring of Fates- Decent single player, fun with a friend!
FFCC Echo of Time- Better single player than RoF, but worse multiplayer.
FFCC Crystal Bearers- Doesn't exist!!  DOES. NOT. EXIST!
FF Tactics- The job system done right!  Loved it!
FF Tactics Advanced - I had fun, but longed for the game to be more like the original.  I didn't play any tactics titles after this.

This is pretty much what did it for me, combined with my lack of interest in online games, general disinterest in the merry-go-round of composers for various games since X and Tetsuya Nomura character designs:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_Enix

"The business model of Square Enix is centered on the idea of "polymorphic content", which consists in developing franchises on all potential hardware or media rather than being restricted by a single gaming platform.[21] An early example of this strategy is Enix's Fullmetal Alchemist manga series, which has been adapted into two anime TV series, two movies, and several novels and video games. Other polymorphic projects include Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Code Age, World of Mana, Ivalice Alliance and Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy. According to Yoichi Wada, "it's very difficult to hit the jackpot, as it were. Once we've hit it, we have to get all the juice possible out of it"."

Just...too much. SE got greedy and (I feel) took their fans for granted.

Wow. I know the point of running a business is to make money... but there is just so much fail in this quote.

Here is my reflection:

Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy was released when I was 9 years old, and I loved the game.  At least at the time, there was something very cool about working hard to improve your characters, and then reaping the payoff of doing that.  I'm talking about fighting Ogres to afford the Silver Sword, searching through the ocean for Kyzoku because they drop a ton of GP, etc.  And because you could save your progress, the effort you put in was always preserved.

Final Fantasy IV
Being in the US, the next FF available to me was IV, and I loved that one too.  A much more complex and immersive story than I, which was good for me as I was older at the time :)  Tellah avenging his daughter, Kain appearing to defect, when he was really under Golbez' control.  A pretty decent villain in Golbez.  As for the music: I know most people rave about VI's music, but IV is my personal favorite.

Final Fantasy VI
I found FF VI to be great as well.  Another immersive story.  Relics were cool.  That said, I did feel like: because Espers allowed any character to learn any magic, that characters were less distinctive in battle than in IV.  FF VII, with its Materia system, also continued in this direction.

Final Fantasy VII
FF VII is a game I enjoyed as well.  Having gotten so much enjoyment from I, IV and VI, it was cool to see VII bring the RPG genre to a wider audience.  Suddenly, RPGs seemed more less "nerdy," if you will.

Post FF-VII
After that, I was in college, and didn't play VIII or IX.  I did play through X with a friend of mine at age 20.  I definitely enjoyed the game, though with a lot of real-life stuff going on, it was hard for me "into the game" as much as with the earlier titles.

Years after I left college, I did play through FF I, IV, VI and VII once more - and I enjoyed each very much.  I never did seek the other games I haven't played.  If I ever did, FF V would probably top my list.  That said, I'm not sure I have the time or the motivation to play new games at this point.

Final Fantasy Music
Fast forward to today: it turns out my biggest hobby is building and listening to my stereo system.  Lucky for me, there is a ton of Final Fantasy music available, and I seek it out pretty avidly (though only for games FF I through X).  I listen to this stuff on a very regular basis, and of all the FF titles I never played, FF III is the music I've connected with the most.  Somewhat ironically: while many complain about the inconvenience of hi-res releases (Blu-Ray and DVD), I love the improved sound quality these titles bring.

I do think it's remarkable how much enjoyment I've gotten from the series: playing the games when I was younger, playing through again years later, and now much later, enjoying all the old music.  So even though I haven't played a FF game in years, the series continues to hold a special place for me.

As a footnote: if you're curious to see what's in my music collection, have a look at the Square Enix folder here.  All of these are physical releases, complete with obi:

http://vgmdb.net/db/collection.php?do=view&userid=18272

Only listing those that I've played.

Final Fantasy - Obviously a classic, though I'd have to venture far and wide to find one who'd also say "timeless". It's anachronistic (though nowhere nearly as much as Dragon Quest) and clunky and requires deliberation, patience and discipline. I actually like to play it, though I admit I'm in the minority.
Preferred version: PSP
Memorable moment: Changing classes

Final Fantasy II - I think Kawazu's first game as designer, and it bloody shows. Unintuitive, sloppy, dick-stompingly hard. Aside from many of it's far-reaching influences, there is almost no reason to play this broken shell of a game.
Preferred version: PSP
Memorable moment: Any time I stopped playing.

Final Fantasy III - A wonderful game, very open-ended, with lots of replayability. Hardest game in the series, depending on the version. Introduced the now-beloved job system and somehow managed to keep it more balanced than any other game in the series. I love it to pieces
Preferred version: Famicom
Memorable moment: Naming all my characters after dead musicians. Hilarity ensued as "Tupac" was frequently and brutally killed almost every battle during his tenure as my white mage.

Final Fantasy IV - About as by-the-books as JRPG's can get. While later FFs offered loads more customization than this, it made up for it with a now classic story and a simple, refined gameplay system. ATB changed Final Fantasy forever.  Also nearly impossible to break, and Golbez might be the most efficient villain Final Fantasy has ever seen. You had to fight as dirty as possible just to get anywhere in the hard version.
Preferred version: PSP
Memorable moment: Kain's wavering allegiance.

Final Fantasy V - Wonderful evolution of the job system from FFIII. Light hearted story compared to the byzantine plot of the previous game.  I may not have the most positive opinion on the overall tone of the game, but the lighthearted nature of it made the serious bits all the more dramatic.
Preferred version: GBA
Memorable moment: Gilgamesh just being Gilgamesh.

Final Fantasy VI - Managed to do more with clever sprite manipulation than most modern games do with entire cutscenes. One of the best narratives in the series, and the soundtrack simply hasn't been equaled, let alone bettered. Gameplay is horribly broken; Between the incredible amounts of game-breaking glitches and balance issues, I have to imagine this was a playtester's nightmare. Still one of the best entries in the series. Long live Ted Woolsey.
Preferred version: SNES
Memorable moment: Kefka saying he'll destroy the planet, and then going ahead and doing it, Watchmen-style.

Final Fantasy VII - Probably the most ambitious Final Fantasy ever made, there's literally nothing you can say about this game anymore. Probably my favorite Final Fantasy title of all time, for a multitude of reasons. A flawed masterpiece. Too easy, materia removed any sense of personality from the cast, Enemy Skills were broken as hell, but the atmosphere, scope, narrative and character development were all top notch as far as I'm concerned.
Preferred version: Eidos PC release
Memorable moment: The scene immediately following Aeris' death. Watch the subtle body language of the cast as they react to her murder. Some of Kitase's finest work.

Final Fantasy VIII - Easily the most polarizing game of the series. It really was a big, hollywood-style production, full of glitz, glam, and all the latest tech. For all it's missteps (completely ignoring all the interesting side characters, or unbalanced, sloppy battle engine among others), it's a grand work. Possessed Edea is the best Final Fantasy villain the numbered Final Fantasies have ever seen. Also, dat Triple Triad, tho.
Preferred version: Eidos PC release
Memorable moment: The assassination mission at the end of disc 1

Final Fantasy IX - Charming and heartfelt throwback to the days of yore. It was a solid, satisfying game that offered a decent challenge. To this day, I don't get the card game at all, but I love Chocobo Hot and Cold. The world was just so fun to explore. Fantastic visual style, too.
Preferred version: Wasn't this only released on the PS1?
Memorable moment: Fighting Ozma the first time.

Final Fantasy X - Aside from VII, I don't think a world in Final Fantasy ever felt as big and alive as Spira did. It was probably the best part of the game. The sphere grid was a very interesting way of developing characters, and I loved the inescapable feeling of vague sadness lent by the presence of Sin, the lovecraftian demigod serving as the game's primary antagonist. A truly unique game in many ways, though it's flawed. That dub has to go, though.
Preferred version: HD remaster
Memorable moment: The destruction of Zanarkand at the hands of Sin in the game's intro truly set the tone of things to come.

Final Fantasy XII - equal parts brilliance and disappointment. Matsuno created a rich world and populated it with wicked characters, but then Kawazu took over and was given creative reign on the rest of the project, and it bloody shows. Final Fantasy XII as a result, feels like a deeply inconsistent game, though it's really difficult to notice that at first blush. Still, I love the visual design and music. Just like any Matsuno-helmed game, it nails tone and atmosphere down to the ground.
Preferred Version: PS2, IZJS version.
Memorable moment: Exploring Rabanastre for the first time.

Final Fantasy Tactics - Now THIS is how Final Fantasy should be. Check out that job system, that story, that music, that mostly mature take on storytelling, the moral ambiguity of it's major players . . . This is about as close to a Shakespearean story that video games have ever seen. It's broken and unbalanced, but the amount of freedom the game gives you is impressive. Can't wait to go through it again.
Preferred version: PSP
Memorable moment: My teleporting, dual-wielding bad-ass monks beating the everloving piss out of anything that moved, rendering boss fights as easy as Sunday morning.

Ones that I didn't play all the way through
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance - Go to hell, Judges.
Final Fantasy 4 Heroes of Light - I actually really like what little I've played
Final Fantasy X-2 - Nope. Just can't do it.
Final Fantasy XI - Bleagh, MMO's.
Final Fantasy XIII - Awful. Seriously awful. Same goes for it's sequels.
Crisis Core - Very hit or miss. Dat ending, though.

It has been a real treat to read everyone's posts thus far. It's safe to say that Final Fantasy is the one series that imprinted on my gaming history more than any other, and the nostalgia has been coming in waves as I've been reading your responses (helped by some classic Uematsu tunes, of course). Instead of sharing general in-depth commentary on the games*, I've been thinking of other memories that are coming to the surface for each title that has shaped my FF experience.

FFVI - Some dude I went to middle school with was telling me how the next Final Fantasy was going to be absolutely crazy. FF II US had been out for a while at this point, and news of what the next FF was going to be was starting to come through in Nintendo Power. He was telling me about how there was going to be a ninja (true), it was going to take months to play (relatively true), and that you were going to be able to shoot guns (not true, although honorable nod to the Chainsaw). I didn't really get into FF or FF II, but he was a huge fan and talked about FF III for days on end. One day he was like, "The world blows up in the game and you keep playing." At that point I was like, alright, I'm in.

The Christmas after FF III was released, I only asked for two things: FF III and Donkey Kong Country. I knew my parents had bought it for me, and was getting so antsy to play the game that I begged them to give me my present a few days early. So, on December 22nd, my dad gave me a present that was roughly the size of two SNES boxes stacked on top of one another, the bottom of the first box touching the top of the second. I ripped the paper off, and when I opened it I was rewarded with an unofficial guide to FF III. Which meant: A) I was getting the game! But, B) I had to wait three more days knowing that I couldn't have it until Christmas morning. Cheeky move, pops. Moral of the story? Be patient, and don't bust your parents' chops.

FFVII - One of my VII replays was when I was 20 or so, and was going through some severe depression. I wouldn't leave the house, wouldn't go out to meet my girlfriend, and could barely get up enough energy to get through the day at work. FFVII was my touchstone, the only thing that made me feel like things were going to get better. The emotions I felt while playing, the way the music touched my heart, those things made me feel alive and reminded me that not all was lost. Dramatic? Yes, but also true. If the way I felt when I heard Anxious Heart, or when I visited the Gold Saucer, was real then that means that my life could bring me those kinds of feelings as well. I would play the game for hours on end, and when I was too exhausted to stay awake anymore I would save the game and let the music play on loop all night while I slept curled up on my little two-cushion loveseat, the TV still powered on while Cloud waited patiently for me to wake up the next time. "Main Theme of FF VII" and "Costa del Sol" calmed my mind more than anything else could. As Uematsu's music carried me off to sleep, I was falling asleep to the hope for a better future for myself, and to the comfort that only FF VII could give.

The other games bring up less important memories, like the barrage of FFVIII "9/9/99" commercials, or how to a college kid IX felt like a step back. X was graphically impressive and the Sphere Grid was dope for the time. As I'm writing this, I'm realizing that every FF after VII affected me less than the one before it. XII came in went in an OCD'ers binge of trying to collect everything and explore every map while trying to do, I don't know, something about nethicite or magitite or Crystal Light. What I will say, is the obvious statement that, for me, Uematsu's big three (VI/VII/VIII) are still super important to me and bring up vivid emotions while listening back to them. IX not as much, but surprisingly X's fresh injections from Hama/Naka hit pretty hard.

But, for me, as much as I've shit on it in the past for one reason or another, maybe because I wanted to seem cool by going against the grain or by publicly putting the game down to make myself feel better about what I had experienced while playing it back when I was depressed and chained to the couch, FF VII is the defining game of my life. In a way, VI is the best game from back when life seemed light and care-free, and VII is tied to a time when, just like the characters in the game, I realized that the world is a dark, scary, and fucked up place to live.

* Couldn't resist. FFVI is my fave of the old, VII is fave of the new, VIII is weird-good, IX is weird-not-as-good, X is better in memory than execution, and XII is more of a FF remix than legit FF. Tactics is too overwhelming for me, but the OST is legend.

Let me preface this by saying that my tortured relationship with the Final Fantasy series really started with FF4.  I adored FF4, and FF6 and FF7 only cemented the love and OCD that lead to countless purchases all over the series. In fact, my entire game soundtrack collecting hobby started with trying to get all of the FF OSTs. My special relationship with this series had been about music more than anything, and I love many of the soundtracks to games that you will see me deride in the below. My falling out with the series began with FF8, and Square's subsequent milking of FF7 and the Nomurageddon that followed put the final nails in the coffin. That said, the series will always have a special place in my heart even though I know its current forms are just not for me.

Final Fantasy I
My first experience with this was watching a friend play it. I had no idea what was going on, but it looked tedious. I didn't really play it myself until the PSX version was released (long after I had already played many other FF games), but there wasn't much story so I gave up on it quickly. I later put some time into the GBA version which was a lot more fun, but still largely unsubstantial, so I dropped it. I also picked up the PSP version for my collection but never got around to trying it.

Final Fantasy II
I tried this for the first time when it came to the U.S. on the PSX, but the weird leveling system was an immediate turnoff. Although I later purchased the GBA and PSP versions for my collection, I never revisited the game.

Final Fantasy III
I bought the DS version on release as a curiosity, but the high difficulty and job system were both turnoffs for me, and I never played much more than an hour or two.

Final Fantasy IV
My first real Final Fantasy experience. The same friend who showed me the original NES Final Fantasy showed me this one on SNES and I immediately fell in love with the world, story, music and characters. This was an epic fantasy the likes of which I had never seen in video games. I later borrowed it from him and played all the way through. I hated the grinding, but I loved everything else. Even later, I bought his copy from him to have for my personal collection. To do this day, I still consider FF4 to be the prototypical JRPG. Since then, I've bought the PSX, GBA, DS, and PSP versions as well. Of those, the only one I put much time into was the DS version which I thought was a pretty nifty remake.

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
I picked this up when it finally came to the Wii after years in mobile exile. I played a little bit of it, but it was readily apparent that it wasn't nearly as good as FF4, and I abandoned it quickly.

Final Fantasy V
By the time I was old enough to understand how the U.S. missed out on this game, I had already finished FF4, FFMQ, and FF6, so I wanted to track this one down. I imported an SFC copy, printed out a English guide, and gave it a go. I eventually lost patience with having to constantly try to translate things and gave up on it, but I picked the game up again when it was finally released in English for the PSX a few years later. I played halfway through the game until my OG PSX broke down. The flat story, dull characters, and job system all wore on me, and I didn't like it anywhere near as much as FF4 or FF6, so I wasn't motivated to continue playing it after I got a new PSX.

Final Fantasy VI
After loving FF4, I was so pumped for this one, and it was the first FF game I purchased at launch. $75 was a sh!t ton of money for a poor teen in the 90s, but it was worth every penny. I played the crap out of it, and I was completely immersed in the world, characters, and music. The switch from linear to non-linear halfway through was totally unexpected, and the myriad secrets and tricks kept me busy for months. I still maintain that this is the best mainline FF game. I later picked up the PSX and GBA versions.

Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII
I played this terrible Feature Phone game at E3 once. Enough said.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
By the time this reached U.S. shores, I was so burned out on FF7 related products that all I could muster was a brief playtest at a friend's house. It seemed decent from the little I played.

Final Fantasy VII
Oh, FF7. The PSX's killer app, and the game that made JRPGs a thing in America. I have mixed feelings about this game mainly due to what happened after it. The game's legacy is a victim of its own success with spinoff after spinoff further dragging its name through the mud. That said, I loved the game when it first came out. It did so many things that had never been done before, and it amazed on so many levels. Before Square systemically destroyed my love for it with all the pimping, my main criticism was how convoluted the story became in the second half. I never liked that, but FF7 remains the last FF game I truly enjoyed.

Final Fantasy VII Dirge of Cerberus
I always liked Vincent in FF7, so I was curious about this, but I never got a chance to try it, and the damning reviews didn't give me much reason to seek it out.

Final Fantasy VII Snowboarding
Another terrible Feature Phone game, this was basically the minigame from FF7, and it was pretty bad.

Final Fantasy VII G-Bike
I haven't had the chance to try this FF7 minigame spinoff. I wonder if it's any good.

Final Fantasy VIII
After enjoying FF7, I went into this with an open mind, and I eagerly played the demo that came with another Square title (I can't remember which). I was immediately turned off by the Draw System. It seemed so grindy and disrespectful of the player's time. I later bought the game for my collection, but the thought of dealing with the Draw System made it a low priority and I never got around to playing it seriously. FF8 also marked the moment where my current hatred of what Nomura has done to the Final Fantasy series began.

Final Fantasy IX
When FFIX was announced, I was overjoyed to see a return to a more classic style FF game, and I eagerly picked this one up. Unfortunately, the game came out at the wrong time, and school, work, and real life never made room for it. I was deep into my game CD hobby by this time, so I mostly experienced this one through the soundtrack. The same would later prove true for the remainder of the series.

Final Fantasy X
I was nearly done with college when this was released, and the Nomura designs, Tidus, and Blitzball all turned me off. I know I played a demo of it and was underwhelmed. I now have it my collection for PS2 and PS3.

Final Fantasy X-2
I liked the cheeky, light-hearted approach to this one, and the dress system sounded interesting to me. I liked the little I played of my copy, but I didn't want to dig into it without having first played through FFX, so it ultimately ended up as another one for the collection where I now have it for PS2 and PS3.

Final Fantasy XI
I played this once at E3. Once I saw it had the standard MMO battle system and was in fact a full blown MMO, I knew it wasn't for me.

Final Fantasy XII
I first played this at E3 years before the demo that came with DQ8 was released, and thought it was quite promising. In that early demo, the battle system was more like Parasite Eve or Vagrant Story, and I liked it quite a bit. Once I got my hands on the demo that came with DQ8, however, any warm feelings I had towards the game evaporated. At that moment I made the decision to stop collecting mainline FF games after the FFX series.

Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings
I was always a bit curious if this RTS was better than the disappointing Heroes of Mana, but sadly never got a chance to  try it.

Final Fantasy XIII
When this one was first announced, I was blown away by the quality of the graphics and was actually a bit curious about the whole Fabula Nova Crystalis concept. My distaste for Nomura and the mixed reviews kept me from buying it, but I tried it a friend's house and enjoyed the battle system.

Final Fantasy XIII-2
I tried the demo for this one, and played all the way through it. I really liked the battle system, but the story and Nomura-isms were utter nonsense, so I didn't purchase it.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
I also tried the demo for this (just last year!). Again, the battle system was very enjoyable, but nothing else about the game made me want to buy it.

Final Fantasy XIV
I don't like MMOs, so I've had no reason to try this. I have the two original soundtrack CDs that were released for the original FFXIV, but I'm still disappointed that Squenix has only released subsequent OSTs on Bluray, ending my FF music collecting ways.

Final Fantasy XV
I'd like to try this, but I'm not buying FFT0 for the privilege of doing so. The character design for this one has me at full on Nomura hate, but I would like to try the battle system. Maybe someday.

Final Fantasy Mystic Quest
After completing and loving FF4, I borrowed this from a different friend and was disappointed that it was so simple, but the fantastic music kept me going and I played through to the end.

Final Fantasy Tactics
I bought this on release on the strength of the Final Fantasy brand with no idea of what I was in for (SRPGs weren't common in the U.S. in 1998). I remember being intrigued by the story, but I hated how there was no exploration and how the enemies were scaled to your level. I really tried to like it and get into it, but I just didn't have the patience for it, and ultimately gave up after 7-10 hours.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Another FF game I probably shouldn't have bought, this one was always destined for the collection. I played a little of it and I remember thinking it was ok, but not for me.

Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift
Bought this as a gift for my sister, but never tried it myself.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
This game was a BIG DEAL when it came out because it signaled Square's long awaited return to making games for Nintendo consoles. Sadly, it wasn't very good. I love me some Action/RPGs, but there was nothing fun about this, and requiring GBAs for local multiplayer made things even worse. I eventually sold my copy as it really had no place in my collection. I never tried Ring of Fates, Crystal Chronicles, Echoes of Time, or My Life as a King.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Dark Lord
Actually a really solid, somewhat different take on the tower defense genre, I remember enjoying the demo for this one quite a bit.

Crystal Defenders
An ok Tower Defense game, but the demo never motivated me to buy it. I haven't tried All the Bravest, Record Keeper or any of the other recent mobile-only ones.

Dissidia Final Fantasy
A nice excuse to remix FF tunes, the game itself is a dreadful fighting game that I wouldn't wish on anyone. I never tried its followup. Was that any better?

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy
I wasn't expecting to like this one, but I tried it and I did. The aggressive DLC and my lack of time for this type of game kept me away from buying it, but I broke down when the sequel came out.

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call
After enjoying the demo, I picked this one up but haven't had much time to play it. I'm still not thrilled with all the DLC, but I'm glad this tribute to FF music exists.

Final Fantasy Type-0
No demo has been released for this one, but everything I've seen and read makes me pretty confident that I would not enjoy it.

Chocobo Dungeon 2
I remember freaking out when I heard this was coming to the U.S. I had the soundtrack for the original and this sequel for awhile, and my excitement was largely based on the music. Back in the late 90s/early 00s, I had no idea what a Mystery Dungeon game was, and I had no idea what a Roguelike was. All I knew back then was that Chocobos and their music were amazing. I was in for a huge rude awakening, and I soon regretted my purchase.

Chocobo Racing
As one of the first FF spinoffs to really remix FF music, I was crazy about the soundtrack to this game. Like, really crazy. My sister and I would play the OST constantly and we loved it! Fortunately I had the opportunity to play this horrible game at E3 before it reached U.S. shores and I saved $40, but I still love the soundtrack!

Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden
The first and only SD game that is related to the FF series, and one of my favorite games of all time. I got this when I was in middle school for Christmas and LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it.  I poured over the included map, adored the heart wrenching story and beautiful music, and have played through it so many times. Too bad the GBA remake didn't do the original justice.

It was Brave Fencer Musashi... which I LOVE the hell out of...

I just sold my copies of FFVII and FFVIII to my friend, but Musashi... no. That's one stays. Easily the hidden gem of Square's 32-bit line-up IMO.

These two games right here are probably the BEST games with the words Final Fantasy in the title of the past 15 years or so.

I don't think DLC is a problem in a game that comes with over 220 songs right out of the box, plus they've got a lot of non-FF music available now, which I'm totally cool with.

As for Dissidia, the sequel is even better than the BRILLIANT original.
I don't know what brought you to dislike it (have you tried visiting a doctor? ) but if it's the actual combat system you don't like, then the sequel won't change your mind, because it's 95% the same, only with more characters and content.

I just didn't think the game was fun at all, but I'm glad you were able to enjoy it!

Yes, BFM was great. It took me a little while to get into, but once I got over the hump I loved hell out of it too.

And yet STILL no FFTA music in Theathrhythm. Drives me a little bananas given how many totally non-related game tracks have been offered as DLC.

For me, I have only finished the first 10 games of the main series and then maybe a few spin-offs, such as the Tactics games. I can't remember which was my first but the earlier ones I discovered during the PS1 era. It's possible FF7 was my first actually. My brain insists that it wasn't but I'm not actually sure I could have played any of the others up to that point - I didn't play any on the SNES. But during that PS1 age, I got all the collections and then kept getting them and replaying them after that, on GBA, PSP, DS and so on.

FF7 will always be special to me due to the sheer amount of content and things to find in that game. The scale of it still baffles me to this day. Snowboarding game, the bike bit, the tactics minigame and a massive amount of game world all beautifully represented.

FF4 is probably my most played. Not entirely sure why. Maybe just because it was rereleased so many times and I happened to pick it up each time.

FF8 for me gets a special mention for the music and world, both of which I thought were amazing. But the game felt so constrained in comparison to 7. I love the character design though. Personalities, not so much.

FFX I have recently replayed and it is one A to B walk for the entire game. Beautiful locations, again I love the character design but the gameplay is hugely lacking any sense of exploration for me and that kills it. I have played FF-X2 twice but never finished it and the two together, even though there is still much to love in FFX, are probably why I never played any new main FF game after these.

FFV - Job system and music are wonderful. In terms of charm, FFV is a winner.

FF6 - I don't know why I'm switching in and out of roman numerals at all. That just seems entirely arbitrary. I loved FF6 when I first played it but I have never played it since and I'm not sure why. Just about every other from 1-10 I have played twice at least. I have the PS1 version staring at me on my Vita every time I turn it on but still haven't gone to replay it. Maybe it's about time I did...

FF1-3 - These have much to love. I really enjoyed the GBA version of 1 in particular. The last version of 3 I played was the DS one with the little 3D people and so it felt completely different. I don't know why but I preferred the 2D remasters that still felt retro. And 9 I liked but didn't love it. I can't remember what happened at the end but have this memory of it fizzling out a bit.

Like many here, Final Fantasy has been a massive part of my gaming life. The OSTs to FF7 and 8 are what brought me to this very site back in the day. I still treasure my FFVI Piano Collections book which I don't remember how much I paid for but it was a silly amount.

And still after all these years, when I retire I want to buy that little diner in Junon Harbour.