Board 8 > So which mainline, non-online Final Fantasy has the best main gameplay system?

(+) Yeah! (+)

From what I remember:

FF: Basic, but the scroll/MP system was kinda annoying. It's still pretty fun how much you can customize your party though.

FF 6: Great combination of individual character playstyle with customization, and fun to play.

FF 7: Average but doesn't mean it's bad. Materia system is decent...but yeah, nothing really sticks out.

FF 8: Draw/junction system is infamous but I was too young to really get it. Would have to replay it someday.

FF 9: Simple, fun, and easy. I like the way you learn skills and abilities. Trance can be hit or miss because you are forced to use it whenever the bar is full...

FF 10: Like FF9, but more polished. Good thing you can swap party members in battle, though that makes it rather easier. I also like the sphere grid as it allows for some versatile party building.

(FF X-2): Really fun to play around with.

FF 12: Terrible, it's basically a bad freeroaming ARPG. And you have the Gambit system which ranges from useless to needlessly confusing to might as well watch an LP since you're not playing. And license board lol.

FF 13: I've never played it but it sounds kinda confusing with the Paradigm Shifts?

FF 15: Looks slick, but I've heard complaints that it devolves to warp-slash to win.
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10 or 10-2, easily

13 is also pretty up there. That trilogy has a lot of problems but the battle gameplay wasn't really one of them.

5 is my favorite of the classic ones.

FFV and its job system
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10 forever.
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Definitely 10 of the ones I've played.

You're missing the correct answer, FFV
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V

Come on bro
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Raka_Putra posted...

FF 7: Average but doesn't mean it's bad. Materia system is decent...but yeah, nothing really sticks out.

I can think of two things that stick out

three if you include the sword
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Oh wait if X-2 counts that's fantastic too

Job change mid-battle is fun times
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bravely default, easily
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X-2 isn't mainline. But that's the answer if it was.

Without it, honestly, it probably is VII. The materia and Limit system is better than jobs (FF, III, V) endurance (II) vanilla (IV) Esper (VI) Draw, Limit Break and GF (VIII) vanilla, Trance, and equipment (IX) sphere grid, Aeons, OD and swap (X) Gambit, Concurence, and license grid (XII)
Crytalium (XIII) and AP grid, Action, and Techs (XV)

5 or 10 or 12 I guess
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Raka_Putra posted...

Trance can be hit or miss because you are forced to use it whenever the bar is full...

This alone makes FF9 a bottom tier battle system for me. Could not hate how that worked more.


X was really great.

X-2 was really rewarding once you got past the early game and started to have a lot more options in combat and were able to double/triple class or however that worked exactly.



I think 8 is going to be my favorite because of how OP you can be if you are good at a children's card game, but i wouldn't call it the "best".
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Final Fantasy XIII is my favorite in the series largely because the battle system is so amazing

X-2 and Lightning Returns both had amazing battle systems as well
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Forceful_Dragon posted...

I think 8 is going to be my favorite because of how OP you can be if you are good at a children's card game, but i wouldn't call it the "best".

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Anagram posted...

10 forever.

X isn't one of my favorite games but it probably had my favorite system of the mainline games (assuming you're discounting Tactics and X-2). Switching in battle meant you used more people, sphere grid was good and equipment being customizable was nice too.

XIII did certain aspects better and probably would have been better if the crystarium system wasn't so restrictive for so damn long. It should have been truly open or at least as open as the sphere grid was (which was still limited). Also it basically being an auto-battle manager takes it down too many pegs. Your task wasn't so much picking abilities, it was just picking the right job combination for the right time which was stupid easy once you had a few combinations set up

KingBartz posted...

5 or 10 or 12 I guess

Me too
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X
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5 is the best and I'm guessing you haven't played since you didn't list it? Perfect timing to try it out with Four Job Fiesta coming soon.

IX is great if you're a snail maybe
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VIIl
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X-2 legitimately has the best combat system in the series.
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WazzupGenius00 posted...

5 is the best and I'm guessing you haven't played since you didn't list it? Perfect timing to try it out with Four Job Fiesta coming soon.

IX is great if you're a snail maybe

Yes, not yet! Which version of FF5 is the best? (I assume there are at least half a dozen version by nwo).
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I'm always going to say X
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X
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Does Lightning Returns count as mainline or not? Cause it's LR if it does.
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X-2. Best system by far improving on FFV.
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5, 10, and 13 all strike me as reasonable answers; glad to see others have spoken up for 'em already. 6 is quite good too but not quite in the upper echelon for me.
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I think it's between 10-2 and 13 (maybe LR). Like 10 is pretty good but it's also pretty slow. I hear they nerfed some stuff in the remake though like Quick hit, which was the most op skill in the entire game. That said I like 13 because of how fast it is and that you need to make on the fly choices. 10-2 is good too, the only think I think I think puts 13 above it is that I think there is a little more to having to change the formation of like multiple characters to fill a team role versus just individuals. I also think the overall combo and stagger system in 13 is better.

As for Lightning returns. It's fun like 13 and fast paced, but I also think it's a lot easier to manage.
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polish alert

Anyway the only ones really worth considering here are 5, 10, 10-2, 12, and 13 imo. I don't like all of these systems but they're the only ones that offer anything that isn't done better by another entry.

I side with 10 I think.
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Tactics, but it's not mainline.

Which brings us to X, which implements some of the elements of Tactics, and thus is probably the pick.
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X-2 probably the clear winner here. Its full of cringe everywhere else but the battle system is legitimately great.

V is probably runner up(So many different ways to play, great if you love to customize your strategy).
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VIII has the best gameplay just because of the sheer depth and customization of the Junction system. You can basically play the game however you want and it's brilliant. Of course it is so easy to break the game with little effort but you can choose not to either. My most replayed game by far, even more than FFVII.
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Raka_Putra posted...

WazzupGenius00 posted...

5 is the best and I'm guessing you haven't played since you didn't list it? Perfect timing to try it out with Four Job Fiesta coming soon.

IX is great if you're a snail maybe

Yes, not yet! Which version of FF5 is the best? (I assume there are at least half a dozen version by nwo).

GBA is the best version
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