Top 10 Final Fantasy Video Games

It's time we take a look back to the video game franchise that immersed into the world, or worlds of Chocobos, Airships, and spiky-haired guys with enormous swords. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Final Fantasy Games.

We’re in the midst of putting together the Top 10 JRPG’s of all time, and due to our one game per franchise rule for lists of that nature, we need to determine which of these games is the best to represent this series. For this list we’re including anything from the main series, sequels or spin-off, but they must have “Final Fantasy” in the title to be eligible for this list.

Despite being game that brought the franchise into HD, and the first game of the numbered series that starred a female lead character, Lightning. The game introduces players to the world of Cocoon and the oppressive government, The Sanctum, who are at constant war with the land of Pulse below. Our heroes soon find themselves being forced to fight for the opposing side, after being branded as “L’Cie”. This title later went on to spawn two sequels and they, weren’t as good as this game. To be frank, the game barely squeaked it’s way onto the list, thanks to issues with it’s combat system and extremely linear gameplay.

Despite the original title being released on the Famicon in 1990, Western players would have to wait 16 years before it was finally released in a 3D remake for the Nintendo DS. The game puts players in control of four Light Warriors who set out on a quest to save the world. Just your regular generic Final Fantasy story arc, but the game makes up for this with the introduction of a Job system, with a choice of 23 jobs for each party member, unlocking potentially unlimited party customizations.

Originally released as “Final Fantasy II” in North America, The fourth installment in the franchise can be considered responsible for the series' subsequent success. Many of the elements it introduced became staples for future titles, such as it's active time battle system, and its standard class designation for all its main characters. The game also brought a certain depth to the characters that the franchise hasn't yet experimented with, following the Dark Knight Cecil. Cecil feels he has lost his humanity for following unjust orders by his king, and starts a quest for redemption to undo the evil he had a hand in causing.

This title marks a time where Final Fantasy developers attempted to experiment a bit outside of their tried, tested, and approved formula. Along with the realistic character design, the game adopted a MMORPG style of combat, prompting a switch away from the traditional turn-based style the franchise has become so familiar with. The game follows Vaan and Amalia, in a story to reclaim Amelia’s kingdom after it was conquered by the Arcadian Empire, complete with cinematic airship battles. Let’s be honest though, the real stars of this game were sky pirates Balthier and Fran.

The 8th instalment in the numbered franchise became another pioneer of originality with it's new innovations. After the success of FinalFantasy VII, for this entry Square pushed forward a more focused love story and greater emphasis on the futuristic world this game is based in. In this game players followed the story of a group of candidates of the military academy “SeeD” in their goal to stop the sorceress Ultimecia The unconventional Draw and Junction system was adopted as the new style of gaining abilities and powering up characters, assisting the series in moving away from the traditional leveling system.

The idea of a tactical-based role-playing game ran over with great success in this title. The game returned back to it's 32-bit roots but combined it with 3D isometric battlefields, rendering a whole new style the franchise hasn't yet seen, along with an unforgettable class system. Tactics takes place in the Kingdom of Ivalice, which is in the midst of an internal struggle following a 50 year long war and the death of the King resulting in a power vacuum and struggle for dominance. The game received a retelling in 2007 with the release of Final FantasyTactics: The War of the Lions, on the PSP.

#9 was perhaps the franchise's last attempt to return to it's roots following the more darker themes from the previous entries in the series. The ninth instalment sought to go back to cartoon-y character designs that references the retro entries, and even had some returning characters such as Garland from the first Final Fantasy game. What begins with a theater troupe plotting to kidnapped the Princess Garnet turns into an even bigger quest where each character has to struggle with their own identity. Overall the game serves as a nice nostalgia blast for long time fans, but one thing still felt weird - that bizarre Coca-Cola tie in commercial.

This breakthrough title brought Final Fantasy into the age of full 3D environments and voice acting, as it was the first of the series to be released on the PS2. In the world of Spira a colossal monster known as “Sin” has ravaged the world for centuries, and it falls upon Tidus who unexpectedly arrives in Spira to guide Yuna on her pilgrimage to defeat Sin. Featuring an unforgettable cast of characters and possibly the best love story in the series, the game was the last to implement a turn-based battle system, yet still fell very engaging and tactical. Sometimes it’s best to stick with the basics.

This highly-acclaimed game is probably the one that introduced you to the franchise, and honestly what else is there to be said about it that fans don’t already know about? From it's influence in narrative, combat system, and some really fun mini games throughout the adventure, Final Fantasy VII did it all for those who had a PS1. With too many memorable moments to mention, the series of prequels and sequels, along with it's own movie, all leave no question as to why the game is the best selling in the franchise.

Before we unveil our pick for Top 10 Final Fantasy Games, here are a few honorable mentions:

“Final Fantasy V” (1999)

“Final Fantasy” (1990)

“Dissidia: Final Fantasy” (2009)

“Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core” (2008)

Now this vote was close, and we mean really close between 6 and 7. Alas, in the end, it was ultimately the sixth installment that won out to be the unsurpassed title in the series. Originally released as “Final Fantasy 3” in North America, the game was the last to be released on the SNES, and yet it was way ahead of its time. This was in part thanks to a diverse and colorful cast of characters, the elaborate summons, compelling storyline filled with amazing cinematic moments, that opera sequence, oh and the greatest villain in the series in the form of Kekfa Palazzo. It all adds up to one of the most unprecedented role-playing experiences of all time.

Do you agree with our list? Which Final Fantasy title did you find legendary? For more awesome Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.