I hated 2. I had to use some weird cheese builds (shields and fists) to make it less stupid. The story is a bit dark, but everything about it is completely broken, and had to be fixed. I just hope the Pixel Remaster version fixes a whole hell of a lot. I am still leery of ever touching it again.
3 suffers from very few things that really kill it: The Crystal Tower not having a GODDAMN save point. This was remedied in the Remaster at least. What probably isn't fixed is the game forcing you down certain jobs to do anything. Splitting enemies, small hallways, the final boss even? Better have those jobs wink wink, or fuck you. Not quite FF5's freedom.
8 is a mess of silly ideas and execution, but I'll be damned if it doesn't have some energy and weirdness to at least be memorable. The OST is amazing too...so I'm willing to look back fondly on it.
12 and 13 can fucking rot. They are not Final Fantasy games to me. They are the first attempts Square made to "modernize" the gameplay, which didn't really happen until 15 and 7R anyway. 12 just lacked any spark and intrigue that felt like a FF game to me. It was a serviceable western style RPG, but everything about it, from the Gambit system, to the different composer (good in his own way, but it didn't feel "Final Fantasy" to me), and every character not named Balthier and Ashe just made it the first FF game I ever dropped...then I dropped AGAIN in the same place (Raithwall). Tried Zodiac Age and lasted only two hours. This game gives me PTSD.
13 is its own problem. It's trying for a slick, fast moving system, but it just annoys the hell out of me. I'm not the best for "strategic, fast moving combat" and gearing up for certain systems. It introduced the Stagger system, but other than that and music that felt like FF again (having X's composer), I wasn't all that interested.
15, 7R, and 16 are at least attempts to streamline the action combat to the point where I can deal with it enough to enjoy the characters, style, music, etc. 15's whole open world was a damn mistake, but what story is there, and Ardyn is amazing....so whatever.
so, 2, 3, 12, and 13 can die in a fire. Everything else is either godlike (4-7, 9 and 10), or good enough in some ways to mask some bullshit that isn't for me.
NES: 2-3
SNES: All are great
PSX: 8
PS2: 12 (Yes; I love X-2 more than 12)
PS3: Yawn
PS4/PS5: 15, though it has Ardyn at least
"Evening caress, Always yearning, I must confess, The stars aren't burning"
Copernicus - Candlemass