As series with 13 entries and an ungodly amount of spin-off titles, Final Fantasy stirs up a great amount of excitement when a new game arrives. XIII hits the US next week, making it not just the first entry on the PS3/360, but also the first numbered sequel since 2006’s Final Fantasy XII. Obviously interest is at a feverous high, culminating in the FF-sponsored NBA Celebrity All-Star Game and a branded tour bus that’s patrolling the San Francisco bay area.

Above: The bus would’ve made McCain’s Straight Talk Express proud

With XIII’s release upon us, we figured it’s as good a time as any to look back on the first 12 and, as long as we’re back there, sort out which were the best and finally let internet forums everywhere move on to another topic. Keep in mind we’re not talking about side-stories (Dirge of Cerberus) or direct sequels (X-2, Revenant Wings) – we’re ranking the “for real” games, the ones with numbers attached. So, let’s quit dicking around and settle this, shall we?

Includes contributions from Brett Elston and Christian Nutt

Easily one of the most divisive games in the franchise, XII was plagued with problems, delays and, as many reviewers noted, a pronounced identity crisis. After five years of waiting and roughly $35 million in development costs later, the game we received was a bizarre RPG/MMO hybrid with a robotic battle system, tons of grinding and a visual style borrowed from the Tactics sub-franchise. The result was detached, sometimes overcomplicated gameplay that barely felt like the Final Fantasy series at all.

Above: The Gambit battle system almost played itself

If there’s so much going against it, why is it even on this list? Because it manages to excel in two key areas – story and characters. Instead of focusing on one character’s journey, XII bucks the series trend by focusing on an epic, sweeping war that Vaan, Ashe, Fran and the rest of the cast can’t help but be a part of. Some of the set pieces and action sequences are quite spectacular, excellently conveying the sense of scale and what’s at stake. Add a massive world and expectedly awesome cutscenes and you’ve got more than enough counterbalance to the iffy battle setup. It was a bold departure that’s not only held up over the years, but also a fantastic sendoff to the PS2 era.

Though it has one of the weakest stories in the entire series, particularly sandwiched between the melodramatic IV and VI, the gameplay is among the best, thanks to the addictively deep Job System. The feature was pioneered in FFIII and brought to its fullest flower in this game, with tons of different character classes to master and an innovative ability to pick and choose skills for every character in your party. It’s such a beloved addition that it’s since become the backbone of the Final Fantasy Tactics series.

Above: FFV’s Job System enables total party customization

It’s one of the most infrequently played games in the franchise, partially because Square didn’t bring it to the US during the 16-bit days and later releases were compilations (FF Anthology) or on aging hardware (GBA’s FFV Advance). Those who have sunk in the time, however, maintain its Job System is one of the biggest highlights in a series that routinely breaks new ground. This underground fan love led to several fan-translated ROMs of the Japanese original, finally made obsolete by the fully featured GBA port released in 2006 – a full 14 years after its initial Japanese launch. Maybe now it’ll get some respect.