Final Fantasy IV: I played the 2007 DS remake of this game! I thought it was cute, but also super grindy. The story didn't really grab me, but I liked the characters...or, more accurately the character designs lol. Probably one of my less favorite FF games, but I'm not a hater about it, because I find it really interesting to see how the series has progressed from older titles.

Final Fantasy V: I played the GBA version of this game and LOVED it. The job system is so incredibly fun, and I find the localization genuinely funny. Love Faris, love Gilgamesh, love Bartz, love the job system. Did I mention it's hilarious? I don't find the story super gripping or anything, but the combat and humor absolutely make up for it IMO. Faris being an unapologetically gender-nonconforming character is also really really cool to me.

Final Fantasy VI: I played this on the SNES, and despite some of the questionable translation choices, I think it's great! The ensemble cast (that still spends most of the game focusing more on the 2 women, as it should) is so fun. There's some really interesting stuff going on in this game: first example that comes to mind is Shadow's backstory being told entirely through his nightmares. And also the fact that you can just permakill him halfway through the game?! And, of course, the train. Actually, everyone's unique scenarios were really interesting. And the opera house. Okay, that's probably enough examples, but my point is there's a lot of great moments in this game! Seriously, I lost my mind when I first played through the opera house scene...it's so good??? The fact that they actually sort-of sing? The fact that there's a giant octupus hiding in the rafters who crashes in halfway through, and they briefly try to pretend that's part of the show? The fact that they're performing in an opera in the first place? I love fun and I love spectacle.

I also really, really love Terra. Her arc is super moving to me, and I feel like she's the blueprint for a lot of the characters who came after her (especially Cloud). Like, she tranced so he could omnislash. Also she's an amazing character in her own right, of course. I really do like that she's essentially the protagonist. Go women.

As a side note...I'm really sorry for killing Cid with the fishing minigame. My bad dude.

Final Fantasy VII: This was the first FF game I ever played! I have it on Switch (and also a Japanese playstation copy). This one has been talked about to death, obviously, so I probably don't have to explain why I love it. It's such a fascinating game. Cloud is such a wonderfully written protagonist. I also really like Yuffie. This game is so iconic for a reason.

I DON'T like general fandom attitudes about this game, or the compilation. I think they're both hugely disrespectful of the things this game was originally trying to say. This has not stopped me from watching Advent Children a ridiculous number of times. I don't know what's up with that either.

Final Fantasy VIII: I played the Xbox version of this game and honestly...I think it kind of sucks. However I still had fun (partly because I was playing it with a good friend), and there's some parts that feel like they could be almost compelling if the game wasn't constantly going off on another tangent. Extremely extremely mixed feelings on this one. There's a lot of parts that are so fun that it really, really feels like it's so close to being good but it's...not. I really liked the goofy high school aspect (the entire party being teens, Selphie's blog, them trying to host a school dance between life-or-death missions, the hot dogs...), but it felt under-developed to me, because this game was literally going in 50 directions at once. I also didn't like the junction system, at all, but that may just be a me problem. As a positive, though, I think Ultimecia's castle is one of the best final dungeons I've ever seen. That shit was so cool.

...I think this game deserves a FF7R style remake SO BADLY. The plot is such a mess already that you could basically do anything with it. Seriously, if they put the energy they're putting into 7R into a remake of VIII instead, it could be something really amazing. I think about this a lot.

Final Fantasy IX: My beloved, obviously. I don't know if I'd say it's my favorite FF game, but it's definitely up there. I have it on Switch, and also a Japanese playstation copy that I've played a few hours of, just to be able to experience it in its original format. Yay!

This game is so incredibly charming. The gameplay is definitely not the best, but the gorgeous prerendered backgrounds, fun characters, and generally delightful scenarios make up for it IMO. I can never get over how much I LOVE the premise this game opens on. Once again I love spectacle. I love heists. I love an eclectic group of characters thrown together by fate and a beautiful FMV. I love you Final Fantasy IX.

If you want even more in depth thoughts, you can read my very long backloggd review of this game here.

Final Fantasy X: I have the Switch X/X-2 HD remaster, which is ironically a graphical downgrade from the original. I have to be honest, the first time I played this game I thought it was like...middling, as Final Fantasy games go. Which is to say, I still thought it was pretty good, but not my favorite. I love Tidus and Yuna (best FF romance everrrrr), I love the entire concept of Spira, and blitzball, and I think the voice acting is actually really funny. What I didn't love was like, actually playing the game. I wasn't big on the combat, or the sphere grid, or any of the minigames (the fact that blitzball actually sucks to play is so tragic, because I do think it's a really fun concept). Most of the game felt like walking from one cutscene to another, with not much of note happening in between. But I did like those cutscenes. And Seymour's boss theme.

When I finished, I told myself I was never replaying this game (but maybe rewatching all the cutscenes). However, when I finally got around to X-2 it hit me like a truck, and Yuna shot to the top of my list of favorite FF characters. I also think I might've been too hard on the gameplay just because the sphere grid confused me so badly half my characters were NOT GOOD lmfao. Now, I actually really want to replay. I think I'm going to like it a lot more the second time through, but we'll have to see!

Final Fantasy X-2: I love this game so, so much. I'm its biggest defender idgaf. I fully acknowledge that the story is wacky, the new characters it introduces aren't developed the best (I'm sorry Paine you're so cool), and that it has a less serious tone than FFX (although really, I think a lot of people gloss over how much weight fantasy water soccer was holding in FFX's plot for a while)...and I do not care. The job system and combat are super fun to play. I literally sunk so much time into just messing around with different jobs, and with the creature creator. I think the X-2 version of the ATB system is really, really cool, and I wish the series hadn't basically dropped it after this, because I would love to see it expanded upon. Chaining attacks is so cool? I got like 99% on this game the first time through (I was following a guide because I wanted the secret ending, because...WAHHHHH....but I also love the regular ending), and while not every quest/minigame was great, I actually really enjoyed how much this game was built around a bunch of shorter quests. I love to have little tasks to do, I love the semi-non-linearity of each chapter, and I loved how goofy so many of them were. I fondly remember the monkey quest, just because it was so funny.

The real reason I'm this game's biggest fan is definitely because of Yuna, though. I think her development is so strong, and so personally meaningful to me, that it makes up for the fact that she's...basically the only one who gets a real arc. I already loved her in X, but seeing how she has to try and move on, and figure out who she wants to be after changing her entire world, is so moving. She's crashing on her cousins' couch, she's getting part-time jobs, she's changing her style, she's trying on different outfits and abilities, she's finally letting herself be angry, and selfish, and silly. She's a pop star. She's pushing herself to be cool, and making mistakes, but she's having fun! This is her story!!! I would actually die for her. She deserved this game, and also the world.

Final Fantasy XII: I played the Zodiac Age version on Xbox...and then bought my own Switch copy because I liked it way more than I was expecting. It definitely takes a little while to get going, and to really open up the gambit system, but once that happened, and I started decimating monsters without even touching my controller, I was hooked. I think this game has really strong worldbuilding, at least with regard to how its locations are designed, and how expansive the world is. It kind of feels like a more down-to-earth version of FFIX, with how lived-in its cities feel. I don't know why all these characters from a desert kingdom are white blonde people, though. And even beyond the whitewashing, the character designs are not the strongest. Ashe is a princess-turned-rebel-fighter and she is wearing a hot pink miniskirt?

Despite this, I LOVE Ashe, and I think her arc is really interesting. I'm also a Vaan defender, because I think he's a really interesting foil to her. And Balthier is obviously cool as hell...and almost definitely gay lol. I also love the hunt system (I dunno why FFXV's sucks in comparison). I definitely wasn't fully following all the political intrigue the first time, so I need to replay this game to have a more solid opinion on its story and character arcs, but I don't hate the concept of the party essentially being a small part of a much larger plot. What I CAN tell you for certain, though, is that I seriously enjoyed my first playthrough.

(I also played the DS sequel to this game, but it was not that good LOL)

Final Fantasy XV: I played this on Xbox and hated a solid 95% of it. How is it possible for mainline Final Fantasy to be this bad. I was not that interested in the characters. I barely believed these guys were friends. I can't believe every party member goes and has their development OFFSCREEN (I know you can buy the DLC, which I have seen, but like...that is ridiculous)?!? I can't believe Lunafreya is barely a character despite being the protagonist's love interest. I was not interested in the open world, because it felt so barren. There is so much walking and driving in this game just to go do anything. Noctis' powers are super cool, Aranea is awesome, the music is pretty great, and there's a couple cool moments in this game, but...it was so hard for me to be invested. Like, I just cannot.

What I CAN be invested in is the fact that I could absolutely fix this game. Final Fantasy XV does not deserve all the time I've spent thinking of ways it could be better. Like, if you get me started on this game, I will not stop. I think it absolutely sucks, but it did not have to, or at least it didn't have to suck THAT BAD. In the end, I get that its development was kind of hell, but like, we were robbed. We were so robbed. I have to stop talking now.

Tales of Symphonia My feelings on this game are so mixed, for a lot of reasons, but mainly because I think the way it handles racism is downright insane a lot of the time, and while Zelos is a really, really interesting character, I could've done with about 50% less sexual harrassment from him, especially towards Colette, who is...sixteen.

For the longest time, I was ready to give up on this game, just because the beginning is not especially strong, and for some reason my game kept defaulting to hard mode, so I could never actually get past those first few hours. But once I figured out how to change the difficulty, I did, and...despite it all I loved this stupid fucking game. Colette and Kratos are definitely my favorite characters. Angel toxicosis was a lifechanging plot point for some reason. I had fun playing this despite it not even having free run. The music rocks. This game has genuinely become such a huge inspiration to me, but I can never recommend it to anyone ever because of the aforementioned issues. Worst best game ever. Why am I so obsessed with Kratos, this is becoming a real problem for me. If I ever replay, I'm absolutely killing off Zelos for him. Oh, and I played it on Steam.

Tales of the Abyss MY FAVORITE TALES GAME WITHOUT A DOUBT. Maybe even my favorite game ever. I played the 3DS port, because I love my DS. This game was so good. This is one of the few games that has actually made me cry. I can't even fully explain, because everything about this game fucking GOT me. This game was like tailor made to make me insane. Luke fon Fabre is such a great character. I was literally shaking during all of Act I, because I could see what was happening, and I could see WHY it was happening, and I felt so bad for him and was so scared. I was also super impressed how well this game balanced its darker tone against the classic Tales Of silliness.

I love all the characters. Anise is my best friend, Jade is incredibly funny (what is going on between him and Peony and Dist. Hello?!?!), and Asch is my favorite because he just made me so, so sad. The worldbuilding/magic system is fascinating, and I actually really liked this game's spin on Tales Of combat. I have so many thoughts on this game I literally cannot figure out how to get them all out here. But I love it so, so much.

Tales of Vesperia I played the Definitive Edition on Switch, and this game...is awesome. Besides the story, which is complete bullshit. I don't care a ton about that, though, because I think despite the actual plot and lore being a hot mess, the characters' development and relationships are super, super well done. The term 'found family' is so overused by fandom, but I think the Vesperia party genuinely deserves it. Yuri Lowell also definitely deserves his insane amount of popularity. He's a really great protagonist...although he probably doesn't have his shit together as much as most people seem to think.

Do not, under any circumstances, play Vesperia under the expectation that just because it's a good game, that means it has a well-written story. However, if you just go along for the ride...it's great. Probably my 2nd favorite Tales game. The cast is awesome. There's a crazy amount of side content, at least in the Definitive Edition. Also, one of your party members is a literal dog who fights with a knife, and you can do a sidequest to try and get him to pee all over the entire world. What else am I supposed to even want from a game after that.

Tales of Zestiria I have a toxic relationship with this game because...I kind of hate it. The story is not that good. I feel like almost none of the character's arcs were followed through on in a satisfying way, and they could've done way more with them. And jfc, why is its worldbuilding so weirdly Catholic-guilt-fueled? As in, if you ever have a negative emotion, you're evil and possibly need to die. Am I the only one who thinks this is an awful premise for a game. I feel crazy. I thought we were just here for a vaguely King Arthur-y adventure JRPG. With yaoi bait. I also didn't enjoy the gameplay a ton, but this may have been more due to the fact that I played it on a PC that was NOT cut out to run this game, so it took me forever to walk anywhere or do anything because of all the lagging. Oops.

What makes my relationship to Zestiria kind of toxic, though, is not that I hate it. It's that...I love it. Not the game, exactly, but the fact that when I was a teenager, this was the first Tales game I got really, really into, and which subsequently got me into the series as a whole. And I love the characters. I think this game has some of the best skits. At the very least, it has a special place in my heart, even if that places is also kind of filled with hatred. Best worst game ever.

Despite it all, the characters are like my friends forever, and the reason I'm still so attached to Zestiria. Rose especially. I also wish Alisha hadn't been so sidelined, because I love her and think she deserved WAY better from this game. I genuinely love her DLC, despite the fact that it's also...kind of bad. She deserves to be important for once, and I find her relationship with Rose pretty compelling.

In the end, my conflicting opinions kind of balance each other out, so I think objectively the game is probably just kind of mid. Personally, I'm incapable of being neutral on it, though, because I care way too much. This is another game where I can, and have, spent ages thinking about how it could be better. There seriously are some really interesting character dynamics in there, they just...don't exactly go anywhere interesting.

Another apparently insane take I have on this game is that the anime...is good. Is better than the game, even. I think part of this is because they were trying to bring it more in line with Berseria's lore and message, so it no longer has Sorey murdering random traumatized-to-hellionized children and so on. Another reason is that they give Rose and Alisha way more focus, and I love them, and women, and yuri bait. As embarrassing as it feels to bring up shipping here, Rosali is one of the few ships that makes me unapologetically insane, and the anime's take on them is soooooooooo good. Also the anime is just fun in general. I've watched it a ton of times. Everyone should just watch it instead of playing the game.

Tales of Berseria After how disappointing Zestiria was, I didn't have super high hopes for Berseria, but of course I was going to give the one Tales game with an actual (sorry Milla) female protagonist a shot. Even if her outfit is uhhh...not the best. I've become kind of immune to it over time but like. Where is her bra, how is that comfortable, are you okay Velvet my beloved. Anyway, while it didn't quite hit 'favorite game' status, I ended up surprisingly really enjoying this game!

I think this game really improves Zestiria in hindsight. Playing it made me seriously consider replaying Zestiria, which is a crazy thing for me to think about. But all the connections are super, super cool. I really liked getting to know more about Eizen (and Zaveid). I also, ironically, thought it had a much more hopeful message, and a more nuanced take on malevolence than 'all hellions must die.' Plus, exploring the world felt more fun. Part of this may be because Berseria was less laggy for me on PC than Zestiria was, but also...I don't know, maybe I just liked the environments better? I DEFINITELY liked the hoverboard better. That thing was so fun. Katz souls were also fun, even if I have some questions and concerns about...what is going on with them.

The fact that almost the entire party is so morally bankrupt, but still lovable, is awesome. I love essentially playing as the villains. I also think Magilou is one of the characters ever. I love you so much Magilou. My best best friend!

Tales of Arise Biggest disappointment of my life. I really thought the series was coming back in a big way, after Berseria surprised me with how much it improved upon Zestiria in only a year, and they announced they were finally moving to a new engine. I was hyped for this game. I was ready to give this game a chance. I ignored all the warning signs. I went into this game wanting to love it. And then I hated it so fucking much.

This game felt so little like a Tales game that I honestly forget about it a lot. Like, that's not me being hyperbolic, I've literally tried to list the games I've played and forgotten about Arise on multiple occassions. I cannot bring myself to truly get into all my issues with it here but: the final plot twist is stupid. The 'main villain', who I'm still not sure actually ended up being the main villain, was stupid. I was not compelled by a single character. The lack of anime-style art and major changes to skits felt like they killed so much of the Tales series charm that I have come to love. Meanwhile, the story felt so much like a rehash of Symphonia, but not in a fun way. And finally, the party ATE MY FUCKING HORSE?????

!! from this point forward i'm not going to do blurbs for every individual entry, mostly because my opinions are more consistent.