Is it worth playing Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and IX?

So, FF7 is needed to play because of it's acclaim, but it's expensive as hell. FF8 is cheaper but doesn't have great gameplay, and haven't heard much about FF9. Still not sure which to get first... might just pick one at random.Zaeryn

FF8s gameplay is fine, it's just a little complicated.

They are all great, it dosen't really matter where you start.

So, FF7 is needed to play because of it's acclaim, but it's expensive as hell. FF8 is cheaper but doesn't have great gameplay, and haven't heard much about FF9. Still not sure which to get first... might just pick one at random.Zaeryn

FF IX is by far my favorite of the 32-bit era Final Fantasies (and second only to FF 4 on the SNES). The dialogue is well written and has a lot of genuinely funny, engaging, and entertaining moments. The art direction is more along the lines of what you might see in a children's fairy tale (characters are of the "super deformed" variety) rather than the realism that than ultra-realistic models. The envrionments are colorful and varied. Everything flows well, and the cast is very likeable and one of the best assembled for an RPG IMO. Everything about this game just oozes charm, and for me, it has that certain kind of magic where everything just clicks into one amazing package

If you've never played a Final Fantasy before, some of the fan-service type stuff sprinkled throughout the game. However, it certainly isn't integral to enjoying this excellent game. The beauty of that is, while serving as a sort of "end of an era" Final Fantasy game, it also serves as a wonderful intro to what came before it. For me, it really feels like a "Greatest of" Final Fantasy type game. I recommend it without reservation. I'm confident a fan of the genre will be a fan of this game.

Hey, I'm wondering if it's worth playing these three games since I haven't played them before and I've heard a lot of good things about them. I've played X, X-2, and XII and thought they were awesome. Are they still worth playing even though they are out-dated? Do they still shine? I'm also wondering how to play the games, since I don't own a PSX. I do, however, own a PS2, but I don't know if a PS2 can play these games, and I don't know where to find them.Zaeryn

I haven't played FFVIII or IX. FFVII is worth playing. Hell, I'm playing it through a second time. But I'll just answer your questions for FFVII.

FFVII is worth playing, despite the translation being a little...iffy to me. I didn't enjoy the game too much the first time that I played it, but playing the second time around makes it more interesting. Not the best game of all time, but it's still a great FF game.

Yes, FFVII still "shines," in different parts of it anyway.

PS2 can play all of those FF games. You can't find FFVII anywhere anymore, not even at EB Games, Gamestop, etc. but there are places that sell them online. I say screw everyone else and just go for a buy-it-now on ebay. I was lucky, after doing some hunting, and found a nice used one for $40. You can still get FFVIII and IX for less then $15 on ebay as well. FFVII is rather expensive though. I'd say that the average price for a used one is around $60, but then you can always get lucky like I did.