Difficulty:

Very Hard

Time Spent:

40 to 100 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Overrated"

I can certainly see the appeal of this game. The character system is rich, though hugely time consuming and exhausting. Some of the characters are great and lovable. It has some pretty good music too.

So what makes this my least favorite Final Fantasy?
A) The storyline is EXTREMELY slow, and quite unrewarding until the end. There are no FMV scenes except the introduction and the ending. It takes about one hour to complete each quest, and then that's it. No satisfaction. We just move on to the next annoying quest.

B) I think the main villain is annoying and uncool, although some people consider him somewhat original. This is obviously subject to opinion.

C) Waaaay too many encounters. It seriously slows the game and the plot movement. It was extremely painful playing through the game trying to reach the conclusion of the story. This could be a good thing for people who love to spend alot of time playing the game, but it's quite a frustration for people who just want to get it over with.

D) There's nothing special about the main plot at all. It's pretty plain, predictable and sometimes cheesy in my opinion.

That about sums it up. I've played all Final Fantasies from 7 to 12 other than X-2 and 11. FF12 was my least favorite, due to the lack of imagination in the story and characters, but even that one was a more pleasant experience. Other than those two, I've enjoyed every single one of them to death.