Really, the only thing this thread is missing right now is a healthy dose of Fifthfiend.

No, that's about all I want to say. Alternate Univers MagusGil is totally Magus from the SNES universe, which led into Chrono Cross. That's about all I really need to say on the matter.

DID SOMEONE SAY CHRONO CROSS!?

( All I will mention about Chrono Cross is that it manages to make Lavos the most badass villain ever because it's implied that he's been collapsing alternate timelines into ones where he suceeds. )

But yeah no seriously, Snake, FFT and FFXII "turdfests"? FFVII the best?

What the fuck are you high on?

FFT was far from goddamn perfect but it had a fuckton of awesome things - though, granted, I hated delayed magic and the brave/faith mechanic.

FFXII had fun sidequests, a great world to explore, a nice plot and, while I may agree that Vaan and Penelo aren't all that great - both of them are interestingly crazy awesome in FFTA2, though - it still has some nice characters.

Just to mention again, FFX-2 had a nice combat system, but fuck missables* and fuck having to change classes all the goddamn time to use strong magic and shit.

* = yes I'm aware FFXII has the goddamn Zodiac Spear, but it's a far smaller problem than goddamn missing classes.

I always enjoyed making Penelo into an Assassin using Sword Dance with a katana.

I dare the wrath.
 

Chrono Cross: it was a terrible sequel to Chrono Trigger, though it had some great ideas (such as Lavos collapsing timelines). Take it out of that context, though, and it's a pretty good game with some plot holes and Deus-Ex-Whattheheck, but then again the last tends to be my experience with many Square titles.

I must needs play FF9 and FF12. I am seriously harming myself by not doing so.

I really want to talk more about that, but I don't have time now! Later.

Related: I need to finish playing the amazing Shadows of Colossus (I've seen it all already, I just need to do it myself, too).

Yes, play FF9. And try to play FF12 Zodiac edition. It's much better than the normal one.

Oh nnnooooesssss I disagree with you
Clearly it's the end of the world

But yeah I'm just not fond of FFT or FFXII's characters, aesthetics, worlds, or plotlines
Like I wish I could do what tactics has requested and give you like a point-by-point, blow-by-blow account of where I feel they went wrong? But that would require me replaying two games that I haven't touched in years that I really dislike, and I don't exactly have time these days to waste on games I have poor memories of.
Each game's biggest problem, however, was a complete failure to draw me into their stories and make me care about their characters.

FFIV was a decent enough game, but I hated not being able to assemble my own party. Though my disdain over the fixed party is nothing compared to my utter hatred of having to use Edward for any measurable length of time.

It seemed like, by the end, you were stuck with the most incompetent characters that you had met along the way (barring Rydia). Edge was too full of himself to make a half-decent ninja, Kain was far too prone to brainwashing, and Rosa was a perpetual damsel-in-distress. Cecil was okay.

After the Giant of Bab-il, I expected to get Golbez for a bit. I was disappointed.

FFV allowed quite a bit of customization, which is a big winner for me. The story wasn't fantastic but I still love the game.

FFVI was excellent and a strong contender for best FF overall. Granted, I think most people felt a bit pidgeon-holed into using a select few characters but I thought the range of selectable party members was nice to have.

The World of Ruin could have been handled better, but I enjoyed Kefka and his insanity. Sometimes a good villain doesn't need motivation beyond "its fun."

FFVII had my favorite ability system. Materia offered a wealth of customization options and the game had some nice extras to it (Ruby/Emerald, Golden Saucer) and I wound up doing literally everything there was to do in that game. I have yet to invest nearly as much time into another FF title which, I suppose, speaks volumes as to which FF is my favorite overall. To be honest, I found the storyline to be frustrating to follow and ultimately irritating. Rufus was far superior to Sephiroth as a villain and, in my opinion, looked cooler to boot. I never did understand the obsession with Sephiroth...

Cid and Aeris were my party members in that game.

FFVIII....I'm not touching this one. If nothing else, draw says enough.

FFIX was fun and had a decent system for abilities. I fully agree that being unable to obtain Beatrix as a permanent party member was border-line crippling though. She is one of my favorite FF characters to date.

FFT stands out for the sheer amount of customization available which is why I love it so much. Sure, it was easy as all hell to break, but it wasn't hard to be creative as opposed to min/max too. I remember having a blast on the final Gafgarion fight with an all-magic party who all had teleport.

I rarely invest myself in a FF storyline as they tend to get a bit too crazy by the end, but my favorite is FFVII prior to getting into the whole Sephiroth clone, who is Cloud really bit.

e: Oh yeah, I haven't played anything beyond IX so....no comment =D

At least my arguments aren't "I hated them so they're shit" ::V:

Again, FFT has some crazy problems, but it, along with the ogre battle series, laid out the mechanics of a lot of SRPGs. FFXII also has some of the best gameplay instead of cinematic bullshit and none of ohnomylead'sdeadfuck.

Edit: Also, hey, Terex has the same problems with FFIV I have woo!

Ok. most controversial opinion in this thread, and something no one who's ever heard me talk about RPGs will be surprised about...

Breath of Fire 3 is the best Jrpg of all time. Better than FF7 by a long shot