I too am going to number from the entire series
1) FF VI. Really there is no competition. This is the last FF game Square made that wasn't style over substance, but at the same time its style is so good. The story is the only FF story which I have played and haven't found glaring plotholes, the characters are ALL lovable, the villain is the only truly badass FF villain there ever was (I'm sorry Sephiroth fans, but the only reason Sephiroth seemed menacing was that we were told he was. On the other hand no one wants to even look Kefka in the eye, cause he might get mad and kill your entire family, chop them to pieces and then eat them while he makes you watch). And do I have to say anything about the music? This game's soundtrack is Nobuo's magnum opus.
2)FF VIII. Ok this is mostly nostalgia. The game is full of plotholes (which could be half covered if Square just accepted the fan theory of Ultimecia being Rinoa), the junction system rocked, but the drawing spells system sucked (even though I found a solution for this, by having something keep the button pressed down, with the memory cursor setting on, and I went to eat something while my characters drew spells). But at the same time I'm a sucker for love stories (even though this is a teen boy fantasy, of this really unlikable shut in being liked by everyone around him, and the cutest girl falling madly in love with him), and half of the cast was really likable (Zell, Rinoa, Quistis) which is more than I can say for the cast of most other Final Fantasy games). Plus I really liked the world being influenced by real world settings (Balamb being Mediterranean, Dollet Central/Eastern European, Galbadia Western European, Esthar basically being a more futuristic Japan). And the action sequences were breathtaking. I still love the garden battle sequence.
3)FF IX. Lovable characters give this game such a high spot on my list. Poor Vivi
4)FF XIII. Yes I loved this game. The setting was nice, the art design is spectacular, the battle system is very fun and very strategic (well once you get past the first 15 hours) and I actually didn't mind that the game took so long to open up. It gave me new stuff to do gameplay wise, instead of using the same attacks and strategies for the entire game. Half of the cast was unbearable (Snow, Vanille and Hope PLEASE DIE), with Vanille's voice actress having a problem deciding if she's Australian, British or American (good thing she didn't add a Scottish accent to the mix). On the other hand FF13 had perhaps the best written character of ANY FF game, Shaaz. And Lightning and Fang were cool
5) FF XII. I haven't beaten this game yet, but I loved the story, I loved the setting, I loved the cast minus those fucking kids, and I liked the battle system. Also there's this guy
Girls want to fuck him, and guys want to be him
. It had been years since the last time I liked an FF character this much (played this game in 2008 for the first time)
FF games which left me indifferent :
FF7 (really don't understand the hype for this game. I understand it was most people's first FF game, so it makes sense they have a soft spot in their hearts for the game, but to say this is better than FF6 is blasphemy)
FF4 (played it half way, it was ok)
FF games I played and HATED
FFX. HORRIBLE VOICE ACTING, very VERY VERY VERY unlikable characters, boring as hell story, great battle system and leveling system (the only thing I liked) and no world map (which I always loved in previous FF games, and I couldn't wait to see what the world map on a PS2 game would be like, only to be greatly disappointed).
After the shock of FFX I got used to the fact that FF game won't ever have a world map again (in the classic sense), so that's why I didn't mind it as much on FF12's corridor world map, and FF13's plains of boredom.
I haven't played 1 2 3 and 5
BTW MrPopo new sig