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The Elder Scrolls series vs. Final Fantasy series?

Which is the best?

  • The Elder Scrolls Series

  • Final Fantasy Series


Results are only viewable after voting.

SpokkX

Member
No contest really

Elder Scrolls - every entry since 2000 has been amazing (not counting mmo). It has amazing mod support too

FF has had one great entry since 2000 (FF12) and lot of crap (10, 13, and 15 + shitty spinoffs like ff7 remake and worthless mmo). No mods

so yeah..
 
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Elder Scrolls Oblivion GIF by Bethesda


No way.
 
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Ellery

Member
Lightning returns wasn't a spinoff it was the canonical sequel to XIII.

Actually the second canonical sequel to XIII.

Interesting. My bad then. I should've clarified I meant the gameplay side of things. (I actually liked Lightning Returns a lot, tho graphically and technically it could've been a lot better).
 

tmlDan

Member
Only morrowind was good for me, none of the other games left an impact on me tbh.

So for me it is FF, 7, 8, 10, 12 were all games that I adore and had a huge impact on my childhood - The Elder Scrolls games just didn't, they were fun but didn't leave a lasting impact.
 
Not really a fair comparison. Final Fantasy is a live series with new games that come out while Elder Scrolls is a dead series looking at a 15-20 year gap between games.
not that i'm happy with it but the fact elder scrolls can go 10, 15, 20 years without a major entry says a lot about how much people love it.

by your logic GTA is also a dead series? Skyrim came out 2011 and GTA V came out 2013. yet here we are half way through 2021 and still waiting for GTA VI and Elder Scrolls VI.

Doesn't matter if its strong, FF14 is widely regarded as the best MMO on the market right now and it's popularity proves that. It's massive.
i find Elder Scrolls Online + WoW more enjoyable than FFXIV 🤷‍♂️
 
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tmlDan

Member
not that i'm happy with it but the fact elder scrolls can go 10, 15, 20 years without a major entry says a lot about how much people love it.

by your logic GTA is also a dead series? Skyrim came out 2011 and GTA V came out 2013. yet here we are half way through 2021 and still waiting for GTA VI and Elder Scrolls VI.


i find Elder Scrolls Online + WoW more enjoyable than FFXIV 🤷‍♂️
I mean, it's all personal preference, but FF14 has more subs than both those games combined lol
 
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Elder Scrolls and it isn’t close. Final Fantasy usually is usually a convoluted mess with mediocre gameplay despite the focus being the story and combat. The thing elder scrolls focus on, exploration, it does better than anyone in the industry. That being said FF7 Re is a superb game.
 

ANDS

King of Gaslighting
I dunno, FF is more fun, but TES just allows you to do more with a bit less depth of character. If I were forced to only pick one franchise I would have to go with TES on that level alone.


I'm amazed a gif perfectly captures my emotions when I hear that phrase.
 

DonkeyPunchJr

World’s Biggest Weeb
What’s even the point of this comparison? These two series have basically nothing in common with each other.

that said, Final Fantasy has a super obnoxious fanbase who just bitches and whines about everything. Elder Scrolls fans at least seem to actually enjoy the series instead of just angrily comparing every new entry to games they played when they were 12. So I guess Elder Scrolls wins.
 

Astral Dog

Member
The last ES i played was Skyrim on 360 and that was such a miserable experience i never looked back. , tbh i don't like Witcher 3 either

But recently i really enjoyed FF7R and the FFXII HD Remaster, quality RPGs 👌
 
They honesty feel completely incomparable for me. Like I don’t like FF at all, I’ve tried to get into it since final fantasy 7 and it’s just not for me - I get some people like it though. Elder Scrolls plays totally differently and is way more my style I actually enjoy playing it because it feels like an entirely different type of game than FF.
 
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Both series fell from grace a long time ago. We'll never get another Daggerfall/Morrowind or Final Fantasy IV/VI ever gain. But today I prefer playing Skyrim 1000 times before playing the borefest that Final Fantasy XV is.
 

Ceadeus

Member
Not really a fair comparison. Final Fantasy is a live series with new games that come out while Elder Scrolls is a dead series looking at a 15-20 year gap between games.
It took 10 years to develop ff13 in which most were disappointed. Same goes for ff15 .

15 to 20 years is exaggerated.
 

NahaNago

Member
These two are such dramatically different rpgs so it's kinda weird comparing the two. Final fantasy is a different world for each entry versus elder scrolls that seems to expand it's world with each game. Really just comes down to what your taste are. Iv'e always preferred final fantasy but I've only ever played like 2 elder scroll games. Personally I think that the elder scrolls is far more impressive with the amount of detail the games have and all of the choices. I would love it if final fantasy has the amount of detail of an elder scrolls world but with the style of final fantasy.
 

Werewolf Jones

Gold Member
I put 100 hours into base game Skyrim on 360 back in the day to get all the achievements. That shit was trash.

I've never heard anyone go "Oh man Morrowind was SUCH the game." But multiple times I've heard people cite FF VII as a life changing experience at least or an eye opener for games to have engaging stories.

Only the Internet worships TES and maybe normals like Skyrim because Reddit told them to.
 

EDMIX

Member
I mean....I fucking love Elder Scrolls series, but I like 3 games, 2 tops lol

Final Fantasy on the other hand? Like a dozen lol

FFV, FFVI, FFVII, FFVIII and FFIX is enough for me to say FF over Elder Scrolls. Then add in FF3 remake (amazing title), FFX, FFXII, also really loved the game play and exploration in FFXV, FFXIV is also amazing and FFXVI is a day 1.


Sooooo can't really put 2 games above all that now. To be fair, both FFXVI and Elder Scrolls 6 are insta day 1s, but as a series as a whole, I need to back FF in that area. We've had more good then bad with that series regardless of what religious FF Zealots have argued with their fucking fan fiction obsessions lol

Werewolf Jones Werewolf Jones lol agreed!! Morrowind is a mixed bag, I get many love it, but I feel its deeply overrated. FFVII remake had one of the craziest reveals in terms of response I've ever seen from a game reveal lol
 
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Easy peasy FF wins. At least those games tend to have good entertaining storys.

Elder Scrolls Games are to much of a Sandbox for my taste. Doesn't let me experience a story like FF Games.
 
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Mr Moose

Member
I've bought Skyrim on PS3 and PS4, but that's about it with my Elder Scrolls stuff.
I'd choose the Final Fantasy series easily.
 
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Soodanim

Gold Member
Elder Scrolls, for me. An ongoing story with a shit ton of lore counts for more than a bunch of separate stories, some of which I have played and like.
 

Diddy X

Member
Elder Scrolls is too serious and western for my taste.

I like the FF's more light hearted and magical tone.
 

D3SCHA1N

Member
I've never played any final fantasy game but have enjoyed my (not insignificant amount of) time with both oblivion and skyrim.
 
I love all types of rpgs, but the sensation of freedom and role-playing (as others have mentioned) is so incredible in TES that it rises far above whatever flaws the series may have. And I generally lean more towards Japanese developed games in terms of general preference, but TES is just too good for me here. And when you factor in the aural wonder of Jeremy Soule's work - a big part of my love for the series, I have no choice.

Full disclaimer - I've only played Final Fantasy I and VII, but I've also only played Oblivion and Skyrim. (I've got to get to Morrowind - and maybe Daggerfall - one day.)
 
Final Fantasy by a 100 miles, even if XV was pretty bad. XIV and VII Remake make up for it, and XVI is looking promising.

Plus, Elder Scrolls games hardly ever come out. We didn't get one all of last generation and I'm not even that sure 6 will be finished before the next generation consoles release.
 

DragoonKain

Neighbours from Hell
Elder Scrolls series has aged really poorly. The combat and choppiness in previous ES games makes them brutal when you're used to current gen titles. They were amazing for their time though, except their stories, their stories were really uninteresting and lame. All the intrigue for me came in exploration and kind of "imagining" my own story within the game.

Overall I prefer FF, even though the latest entries haven't been nearly as good as the classics. The best entries are magical experiences in every way.
 
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Matt_Fox

Member
Both are best in class, but for me personally gameplay always trumps cut scenes so a win for Elder Scrolls.
 

rahuljx

Member
I really loved Skyrim but FF is leagues ahead of Elder Scrolls. FF games always leave a mark. Each aspect is so memorable - the characters, the music, the stories, the villains, battle systems, etc. Elder Scrolls just dont have that.
 

Chukhopops

Member
As a teenager I loved FF but now I feel that either I’m not the target market anymore or they have turned to shit. Anything after X has been just suffering.
 

Yoboman

Member
Final Fantasy had higher peaks, but they've really done a number on its perceived quality with the amount of crap they've released with the FF name on it

Bethesda has released some crap games but most of the TES games have been solid. Maybe those mobile games not as good

Interestingly they are most comparable in the MMO space and FF takes a comfortable win there
 

Fbh

Member
Historically I'd say overall Final Fantasy

I like their more unique worlds and I find the combat more enjoyable. Music and art direction are usually more interesting too.
Story is quite even since they focus on different things. IMO Elder Scrolls tends to have pretty weak main stories but they make up for it with interesting side quests and characters. Final Fantasy has a more engaging main story but the optional stuff is often forgettable.
I also think FF has aged better. Games like FFVI or VII are still fun for me to play. But I don't see myself going back to Daggerfall and playing it to completion.

With that said, looking at modern times it gets tricky.
As much as I like the older FF, FF7R has been the only game in the franchise I've truly liked in 20 years, and even that isn't without some very clear issues. Meanwhile Oblivion and Skyrim didn't blow me away but I still like them both better than XII, XIII and XV.
 
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