Honestly, I would say mid-school. I found VII and VIII fairly enjoyable, and I loved IX and X. I didn't play much of any FF before that, and I didn't like the ones that came after. Square kind of lost me when they let all their best executives go, started making unnecessary sequels, and kept beating the dead horse of FF7. They're not the same company they were in the 90's, and it looks like they never will be.