Final Fantasy XVI voice actor Ben Starr named Verso in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and The First Berserker. He's also played the live-action Jimbo Joker in ads for Balatro, accepting its BAFTA for Debut Game in character.

But more so than all his video game (and film and TV) roles, Ben Starr is beloved for being an unabashed fan of gaming in general. He frequently expresses his ion for RPGs in general and the Final Fantasy series in particular, especially the PS1 and SNES-era classics. So it's not surprising that he weighed in on his favorite games in the series during a recent interview, although his top pick will inevitably upset Final Fantasy's notoriously opinionated fans.

Ben Starr's Favorite Final Fantasy Game Is FF8

"There Is No Point Continuing"

In an interview with PlayStation Access, Ben Starr played a little game of "This or That," repeatedly selecting between round-robin duos of Final Fantasy games to name one of them his favorite - and, in his own words, "the sexiest Final Fantasy. That's different." The game started out normally, but, after being faced with the choice between FF8 and FF9, Starr interrupted, saying, "There is no point continuing. It's Final Fantasy 8."

FF8 went on to win every subsequent matchup, ultimately being crowned Starr's favorite and the sexiest-ever Final Fantasy game - although he hesitated a bit before choosing it over Final Fantasy 6, a decision he called "like saying I do want to murder all my beautiful children." It even sured Starr's own starring turn in FF16 - he clearly prefers the classics.

Still, FF8 is a bit of an odd choice - not because of Starr himself or anything pertaining to his own relationship to the Final Fantasy series, but because Final Fantasy 8 is one of the series' most divisive entries. Still, it deserves its laurels, and Ben Starr's praise for it is well deserved.

FF8 Is An Underappreciated Entry In The Series

FF8 Has Its Merits

I'll be the first to it it has its flaws, but Final Fantasy 8 really does have a lot going for it. It takes quite a few creative risks, distinguishing itself from not only its immediate predecessor, FF7, but from the rest of the Final Fantasy series at large.

FF7 went in its own direction, incorporating more of a science-fiction setting with the classic fantasy RPG battle system of the six previous games. It's easy to see how FF8 was borne out of that: its creative team probably wanted to buck genre conventions again, but didn't want to resort to just another science fantasy game. So, what else was there? They landed on a modern war drama set in an ever-so-slightly futuristic world of urban fantasy, dripping in teenage angst and centered on a classic love story.

It's both radically different from and totally in line with everything that had come before it in the Final Fantasy series. I think that led a lot of people to reject it out of hand. Final Fantasy 7 is, for many players, their first Final Fantasy game. It was the series' debut on a new console, its first foray into the world of 3D, and is still ed as one of the greatest games of all time - it makes sense that it has a lot of new adopters.

Lots of fans likely still tune into FF8 expecting it to be exactly like FF7 (or worse, a direct sequel to it), only to be sorely disappointed. There are a few legitimate reasons to dislike it: for one thing, its magic system can be tedious, and invariably requires a lot of grinding. You don't learn spells as you level up, and instead must "draw" them, like items, from your enemies, then equip them like accessories. Much of the combat revolves around equipping summons (here called Guardian Forces), which have lengthy entry animations that nnoyed some players and mesmerized others.

What really bugged me when I first played it, though, was the level scaling and the way XP was distributed. I found it too easy for one character to run away with all the XP, becoming far too overpowered and leaving the rest of the party in the dust. Something about unevenly leveled characters has always set me off, and knowing that I couldn't grind levels to fix the issue only made it worse.

What Makes FF8 So Great Compared To Other Final Fantasy Games

A Risk Pays Off

But still, FF8 has garnered a lot of praise, and while it's not the most well-liked entry in the series, it succeeds in many areas. Personally, I was really impressed by the quality of its animation, even the overlong summon entries. It's a monumental leap from FF7's blocky characters, and lends a lot of character to the game. And speaking of its presentation, FF8 does have some of the best music in the series overall.

While its progression systems weren't always to my liking, it has to be acknowledged that FF8's character customization system is incredibly extensive. Each GF is different from the next, and you can slot in a wide variety of spells to completely change how your stats add up and how your characters play. FF8 also has one of the best mini-games in the series, the card game Triple Triad. Its influence is still felt in the series today, with Triple Triad appearing in FF14 and FF7 Rebirth taking inspiration for its Queen's Blood mini-game.

But through all my criticisms, what kept me going with FF8 was its story. Its main characters are generally engaging, but for me, it was the dual storylines that propelled me forwards. FF8 has two protagonists, Squall and Laguna. We watch their stories unfold in parallel as they gradually hurtle towards each other, colliding at what is, at least for me, the game's emotional climax. It's an incredibly cool plot device, and something no Final Fantasy game has tried before or since.

So, while some may object to Ben Starr's choice of FF8 as the best and sexiest game in the series, I totally get it. It's slick, it's cool, it's different, and it's a lot of fun. It may not be the best title in the franchise, but Final Fantasy 8 takes creative risks and succeeds at much of what it attempts.

Source: PlayStation Access/YouTube