Final Fantasy series

I like the charge system itself. FF1's problem with magic is that half of it doesn't work.

An RPG having a story like that period was a pretty new thing re: FF4, and I enjoyed it. Granted I was young and hadn't read/seen a whole lot of stories otherwise anyway, but it held my attention in a way different than games before it. Not being able to change the party is a related matter, but I would say one weakness of being able to do that is that the story is weakened by necessity when your party can be "whoever" until the end. That's kind of one knock against FF6 as you mentioned, since post-WoB there isn't really a driven narrative. Everything is just Really Bad and then you get whatever people you want to go confront Clown God.

Related to what Asty mentioned about FFT, I think bigger than the random encounter thing is just how you can actually trap yourself in a virtually un-winnable situation at a couple of places, like Riovanes Castle against Wiegraf. If your MC doesn't have training in one of a few different viable job classes, you're screwed, because if you've saved the game after the first fight, you can't leave the castle to gain any more experience. This happened to me and I had to start the game over.

anyway yeah, they all have faults, any thing does. Even Valkyrie Profi--wait nope

Yeah. The magic in FF1 can RUB you the wrong way, deathly so

Astaroth
You felt like listing major drawbacks of the FF series?
Sure, I'll give my own in turn ^^

FF I: If you don't get a good party or know what to do with them, you're in a terrible mess. Once again, I don't know how I survived with a white and black mage and more than anything, that useless monk. I steered far away from getting a thief (who freaking doesn't steal anything). Charges are fine to me until you run out of them in these huge dungeons with EMPTY ROOMS. Phoenix Downs? Nope! Ether? Nope! Anything more than potions? Nah.

FF II: You love a certain 4th character and wish for him/her to be permanent? Good luck on that. I didn't mind grinding (yet I didn't feel like making my character smack themselves or the others for statistics gaining).  Also walk a little away from the zone you're assigned to go and you'll meet uber powerful mobs that will happily consider you as punching bags and shall not back away from doing it. Can't be more cheapo than this and more than ever in a dungeon full of TONS OF FREAKING EMPTY ROOMS (and set encounters in there). Borderline masochism.

FF III: CP use to change classes/nerfed stats upon switching jobs (remakes)? Unequipping to go with it? Tons of "miss" in your face? Monsters that split? Ah! What the hell?
The remake made monsters and bosses hit you TWICE per turn. It can rapidly get unfair (unless you are a grinding fool). No save points in dungeons, esp' the final one. Phoenix Downs are rare, unless you farm them from a special monster and good luck on it.
These worlds are HUGE, please do have an online map ready or get lost trying to find your destination.

-As for the NES versions of all three: NO save points except in the overworld, characters will waste turns if you target an enemy that is going to die that turn, very limited set of different consumables, no dash feature, trying to escape will end badly most of the time, etc.-

FF VI: The great return of forced guest rotation (Leave Yang alone, dammit, he rocks! No, I don't want a team with Tellah and kid Rydia... Please, for the sake of all that lives in this world, not that spoony bard, Nooooooo!).
Areas get locked after a while, better get what you need before then.

FF V: Worlds that get locked after a while too. Some jobs and abilities are plain useless. You won't get good ones until the plot allows you to.
Some bosses are just a pain.

FF VI: What is to reproach about my favorite one? Hmm. A good bunch of missables. Good luck getting all Rages. Some side-stories have seemingly been cut, so there is a feeling of unachieved game in the end.

FF VII: The materia system makes it either easy or difficult... not to say totally broken after a while. The messed up story.

FF VIII: I can't understand that game. Even more of a messed up story.
No gil from mobs, you get a salary instead? You need to read crappy magazines to learn crappy limits*?
No armor? Accessories? GFs determine it all, from your stats to abilities, magic, summons, etc? Button presses to make your summon stronger? Drawing spells from monsters and bosses?
Your worst nightmare as ailment here is not death or poison or confuse. Trust me, it's silence. You'll lose about EVERYTHING once you get plagued with it.

FF IX: That gem system makes the game too easy. As for the Tetra Master, the computer will surely kick your butt while you try to do your best on it. A total card game downgrade compared to the Triple Triad.
Too much compelling to steal from bosses (aka so many turns wasted, but it's damn worth it. The shinies they carry! Still, it's a chore)

FF X: Uh, Tidus? Yeah, he's a dork. Also, tons of missables, especially those that are so-well hidden it's not funny. The equipment system left me stranded (only weapons and accessories?). The grid one seems interesting, though.

FF XIII: The unability to control all characters. Also, you will die fast if you don't react or plan well.  Staggering requirements. Crystarium evolution is dictated by plot. It's a terrible challenge sometimes. (As for the "corridor game" drawback, in this game you're supposed to be on the run, so you know...)
FF XIII-2: The confusing, sometimes unforgiving crystarium system. Don't mess adding stats on that one. Oh and too many DLCs around.
Also an OCD heaven. So much to collect there!
FF LR: Some quests are stupid. You also need to know what to do to not meet your doom early. But again, there is a lot of replayability there.

FF Tactics (if you're so enclined): I totally skipped the magical classes or at least gave them the Equip Armor ability. In fact, I used it about all the time.
No rewind command. In sum, no chance for a movement preview, my biggest grief.
Teleport is useless as a movement command.
The possibility to get stuck in an unwinnable position... do not use a unique save, especially when visiting a certain castle with a gauntlet of boss encounters... More precisely, that one that transforms, then that one on the roof with his assistants (and a stupid guest during the battle to complicate it all).
Generic units become totally useless after a certain boss, once you begin to recruit the special ones (and yes, that includes that one *holy chant*). **
Enemy Purple and Red chocobos are cheapo to no end. The Deep Dungeon is cheap too. Once you grind enough, you're too cheap for the story, though.

FF XI, XII, XIV, XV: Didn't try, couldn't try. Too bad, so sad.
 

*Hint: Only read the final one, so you get either the crappy or the ultimate one. None in between. Thank me later on. ^^
** Hint 2: Never recruit a lv 1 soldier. Ever. Better not let any of your characters die permanently instead, unless you're a heartless beast.

I knew too late you had to leave a Monk bare for him to be effective, which is illogical when you think of it.

Yes, the Ninja evolution saves the Thief a little (as well as his ability to wield some weapons), but for me, nothing beats a Warrior (who has access to low-level White Magic)

Learning about these made me correct my newbie yet fatal mistakes and I could take my sweet revenge on the PSP remake (but again, most of the issues the NES version had were completely removed).

Thank you for confirming.

Makes me wish that SE would make an original game with their FF characters and original KH characters...

Yeah it's why I said it makes me wish. I know it'll never come to fruition.