Final Fantasy for beginners

[Huntertony]

I never got round to playing FF but wanna try getting into the FF series now... anyone know which game would be a good one to start with (obviously compatibility, playability, etc.. taken into consideration)? I know FF7 was the most popular, but wanted to know whether FF13 or something would be a good introductory game into the series...

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I look forward to receiving your wonderful thoughts on this matter .

[Tarvu]

I'm going to assume that nobody recommends FF13 as an entry point. What platforms are available to you?

[Huntertony]

I'm going to assume that nobody recommends FF13 as an entry point. What platforms are available to you?

Got XBOX 360 (preferred as I actually have this in my Games room ), PS3, Wii (though painful way of playing games, lol), and PC. Also have a PS2 that I was gonna set up in the games room soon.

[Panzadolphin56]

I thought 6 was pretty easy to get into, but maybe that's because I like the story/tone.

I think Aurain's probably right, 10 or 9, would be a good start.

[Revuhlooshun]

6 or 7.

1-4 will aggravate you, 5 has next to no story, 8 would be better off with no story, 9 is an acquired taste, 10 is...meh, 12 is also an acquired taste, and we do not talk about 13.

I would stay away from 1, 2, and 4 at all costs, unless you've played most of the others and enjoy them. Anything else is fine really. My personal favorites are 12, 5, and 9, in that order, but 6 really is probably the most entry-level you can get.

[Epic-KxDtoid]

As much as I despise it, I'd go with starting on VII before anything. Then IX, X, XII and stop playing.

[Revuhlooshun]

Also, just an aside: FF13 wasn't great, but I'd definitely play 13 before I ever would touch 1, 2, or 4. Hell, I'd play 13 over 8.

[Tarvu]

I'd go with whatever you can get through the PSN from the original Playstation generation first, since you can.

[ZombiePlatypus]

Final Fantasy X is the best one because LULU.

[Revuhlooshun]

10 if you want the most modern version of it's classic battle system.
9 if you want the embodiment of what Final Fantasy actually is, thematically and story wise. The game was developed as a gaiden game, an ode to FF, and bumped up to main series when the quality was assessed. 7 is dated and recommending a SNES game to start on isn't a good idea imo, even considering the fact that I worship FF6.

Also, Rev is terrible at FF opinion.
4 in shit tier? Homie, you need sectioning.

FF6 looks better than 7, 8, and 9 combined -- I'd definitely recommend a SNES game over a jaggy one. It's also a lot funner than 9, and a whole lot less boring story wise. I can't really find a single person who dislikes FF6 -- why not start with the least controversial?

4 is an unbalanced mess in its original form (on the Japanese Super Famicom and PS1). Unless you're playing the U.S. SNES or later revisions, it's a nightmare. They didn't make the U.S. version easier because they thought Americans couldn't play difficult games -- it was just pure dog shit the first time around. It is easily the worst thing Square ever made before they tweaked it. I don't consider grinding the hallmark of a good game, and that game required more grinding than even 1 or 2. 2 at least had some shortcuts in it to skip over its bullshit.

I'm not speaking from far-flung memory either -- I just beat it for the first time on the PS1 yesterday. And that's not even getting into the horribly arranged story, or the terrifying item-eating chocobo. The first fourth of the story is awesome. After Mount Ordeals, it just goes off the rails. It doesn't help either that the original U.S. translation is also the worst one I've seen.

I mean, shit: Square had to revise the game four different times just to get it right. Obviously something was seriously wrong with the original version. I can't speak for the later versions on the U.S. SNES, PSP, or DS -- I'm sure they're probably very good with all of the problems fixed -- but the true, original FF4 should not even be a part of the series because it is so wretched. Square won't even put that shit on the PSN because it's so bad, even after we have every single other one on there.

[Dexter345]

If you have an aversion to first-generation polygonal graphics: play FFX.
If you are fine with first-generation polygonal graphics: play FFVII.
If you would actually prefer 16-bit sprites: play FFVI.

[Caostotale]

The version of FFIV on the PSP is way better than the other versions I've played. It's more customizable towards the end, an element that was severely lacking in the original. I never went as far as to finish the After Years section, but that seemed to offer plenty for the most hardcore players, which I definitely approve of.

It's really tough to rank these games against one another because, with a few exceptions, they are all too different from one another. Amongst the SNES games, I would recommend VI to anyone who wants a good story without loads of challenge. V, on the other hand, is definitely the better 'gameplay' title, as diversity of the job system and the intense amount of bosses (especially in the FFV Advance version, which is the definitive edition of the game) adds a lot of strategic heft to the basic formula. It's probably the closest the FF series ever got to making a Dragon Quest game and has some of the best enemy sprites and musical numbers the series has ever seen.

I would recommend FFVII over either of the other two PS1-era games, though I find all three of those games to be severely overrated, severely flawed, and artistically ugly. The music in those games is really good, but that's about the only thing that kept me interested.

FFX is an addictive, fun, and smooth game if your glasses are tinted enough that you can make you see past its remarkably douchey characters and their atrocious design. This was the last FF game to have exceptional music, but the first to have voiced parts, which were as grating as the music was beautiful.

FFX-2 could have been one of the best things to happen to the series, if only it (a.) hadn't been a sequel to FFX, and (b.) hadn't been so ridiculously and creepily Japanese as to render the game too embarrassing to play. The gameplay was awesome, but the game itself was all cheese and no crust.

FFXII is almost too different from any other Final Fantasy game to bear comparison. The game's strength lays in its incredibly rich and strategic battle system. The game's weakness is everything about its boring slate-like characters and its uninteresting, political-intrigue story. By the time you get to the end, you barely know what the fuck's been going on with the plot, but you're somehow still having fun.

I haven't played anything beyond the PS2 games, which were enough of a mixed-bag to drive me towards other franchises like the Wild ARMS series and Shin Megami Tensei. For me, since the PS1 era, the entire franchise has become either too coldly serious (see FFVII, VIII, XII, XIII, XIII-2) or too shallowly childish (FFIX, Crystal Chronicles, X, X-2). By the late 2000s, I had to play a game like Skies of Arcadia to remind myself that JRPGs could have so much more personality than the FF series suggested.

[umberhulk]

12 is awesome shit. But 12 Int. Edition is 3X better, because your party isn't so homogenous and strategy doesn't just ammount to buff whoring.

4 is good, but not the best if you really like customizing your characters. X's sphere grid is cool, but the game is kind of easy mode (but then again, so is 6)

I would say 6 or 7 as well. Then just do whatever you want from there (but fuck 8 'sides its OST)

[State Lemming]

As some people have already said, play 6 or 7. Final Fantasy began to slowly change starting with 8, partially for the better, mostly for the worst.

[TurboKill]

Well, I got into Final Fantasy late. Maybe 4ish years ago and that was with IV*. Loved it. Then V and VI, and eventually I played VII-XII (XI I do not acknowledge).

I would recommend starting at 9 or 10 and if you like it give IV/VI a try. 9 might be easier as you can get it on PSN easily. If you're still into it you'll get a lot out of VII/VIII. You could play XII, but it plays like Dragon Age. You could just play Dragon Age. (Though I personally love XII)

* - The PSP Complete collection is the best version, but there is a PSN PS1 version too. And much cheaper.

[Steven Hansen]

I considered X the easiest starting point. It's linear, easy, on the shorter side, straight turn-based, has relatively nice graphics, etc. Just ignore the voice acting.

I think XII, VII, IV, and IV are the best ones. I just picked up (rather, it just arrived today) a second copy of XII's collector's edition because it was $6 on Amazon and why not? I also just bought (today) a third copy that I'm shipping to an e-pal who hasn't played it yet. Can't wait until the HD version of X comes out so they can start working on an HD version of XII. <3

I don't think XIII is as bad as most people, though it's got plenty of problems. I like the battle system, though. Anyways, the only game in the series I recommend avoiding completely is II.

[Revuhlooshun]

I don't know if I'd avoid II completely (especially with my thoughts of PS1 IV now known). I actually really liked its story and the whole feel to it.

Spoiler!

It's also hard to fuck with a villain who, after being killed by the player for the first time, proceeds to slay Satan and conquer Hell so he can come back to life and start dominating everyone's shit again.

II introduced a number of key components to the franchise (MP, Phoenix Downs, Dragoons, Chocobos, Cid, rotating party members, a plot with actual characters, Toad status, and pretty much every single spell that is now taken for granted and always assumed to be in each installment). There's no other game that really made Final Fantasy into what it is today. FFI was the first game in the series, but FFII was the first actual Final Fantasy game that gave the series its distinct flavor.

I definitely would put it towards the bottom of the playing list though, unless it's one of the later revisions that makes leveling much quicker.

[Tarvu]

(if you’ve ever asked why it’s called Final Fantasy when it’s not the last one, disconnect your internet)

BUT WHY

[umberhulk]

I loved FF2s music.

[ZombiePlatypus]

They should make a prequel game though and just call it 'Fantasy', Aurain.