what final fantasy should I play?

ive played them briefly on SNES way back, but never really got into one and never owned 1 myself....so I am looking to get into the rpg FF genre especially because the new one coming out looks great....

I dont want to jump into the new one without having any real experience of playing a FF game...so im looking to see what one others would recommend? I remember playing one a long long time ago where the characters were walking around in mech suits...i think it was final fantasy 5 or 6 maybe? it was for the snes....and I playe super mario RPG...but i dont know if thats the same style at all

anyway just looking for some recommendations and what I should know for playing rpgs...I remember being kinda confused before on what attacks are best etc...any help is appreciated

thanks in advance

VI and X are probably the best starting points, as they're fairly simple.

depends let me give a brief synopsis of what to expect when you play

FF1 - for the NES, one of the hardest FF titles imo. pick a party of 4 out of 6 c1assess, arm them accordingly and off you go. spells are bought like weapons and armor and each of the c1lasses plays a little differently. want a real challenge? try running through the game with only white mages. there are some hidden things but not a ton like later games. this is still one of my favorites between 4,6 & 7.

FF2 - the leveling system as well as the damage system is revamped. you get 4 characters that you end up basically customizing depending on how you use them. also the keyword system is introduced.... not my favorite

FF3 - another revamped leveling system and alot more hidden stuff and innovative uses of items and spells in game. this is probably one of my favorites as it can be quite difficult but there are a lot of rewards. this game introduced the crystal job system that would be used later in other FF games

FF4 - the first snes version, as you progress different characters join and leave your party according to the story. lots of optional cool stuff in this one too and lots of places to go ;)

FF5 - imagine FF4 without multiple characters, replace them with the crystal job system from 3 and a large world to explore ;)

FF6 - one of my favorites, large memorable cast, each character is basically its own c1ass there are hidden characters to recruit, a very large world with lots and lots of optional sidequests. the magic system is reworked, most spells come from espers and you learn them by equipping the espers to the characters

FF7 - everyones favorite, i probably don't need to tell you much.

FF8 - not my favorite but an interesting junction system and GF system. enemies level with you in this one, pretty long game

FF9 - abilities are learned through items and weapons in this FF. aside from that the story is so-so as are the characters (imo of course) and there are some hidden things. i found this one fun but it didn't have that spark

FFX - ah, theres that spark. no more leveling, you'll use the sphere grid to gain attribute points and abilities. characters can be highly customized (to the point of all the characters having everything) if you have the time. decent story, my only complaint is that this version starts getting into the "you need to know what the boss is going to do ahead of time so you can prepare for it" strategy that will come back in 12, i was never a big fan of this but some quick thinking will get you through. not much optional stuff and if you want it be prepared to spend a LONG time trying to get some of it.

FFXII - characters are leveling up again. this time you'll use the license grid to acquire abilities, bonuses and weapon/armor permits. i don't really personally like the license grid but its an interesting take on it (really do i have to learn to use every kind of leather armor? i cant just put leather armor on?... or helmets/gloves/shields etc etc) summons are pretty slick in this game but don't do much after awhile (they become useless towards the end of the game, what kind of FF has useless summons?!?!) this is a more real time battle system than the previous games and as you've probably read this game has gambits which i have mixed feelings about.

i started with FF XII and i love it

but i think you should go with FF X because it's very simple and addictive gameplay

VI was my favorite one. It's pretty easy to figure out, so you wouldn't have many points of being stuck on where or what to do next. I've played most of the main games in the series, but that one is still my favorite.

If you have a psp or ever plan on getting a psp, the anniversary editions of I and II are good to start. Or you could just get I and II for the GBA. Those are my favorite FF's. FFV is also good if you have it for the gba. FFXII is my favorite by far and it's for the ps2. That game has tons of things for you to do so it could easily keep you addicted for quite a while.

Otherwise, anyone is good to start with.

yo bud. the game you rplayed for super nintendo was actually final fantasy 3 (US) it has mechas at the start of the game, that game is also known as

FF6(JPN), for I first timer looking for a FF game, I will highly recommend FF X(10) FOR ps2 ,prolly my favorite FF game ever, and honestly one of the best games ever made in any genre and any system..

-PK

I would recommend Final Fantasy VII and IX both on PS1.

thanks so much guys super helpful advice here, wasnt expecting this many detail responses, especially z4twenny .....so it shows how much love there is for the FF series i saw that they just released the original FF on the virtual console, but i dont think im going to start there because it looks a little too old school and from what I read can be frustrating and a turn off for first time playersvolcomstoner180

if you don't start w/ ff1 i definitely recommend giving it a shot at some point, i never found it really THAT hard but theres a couple points where you might need to grind a little. i'd recommend 4,6 or 7 for starting. they're not TOO difficult, but just hard enough to feel a sense of accomplishment when tearing down a boss for the most part.

also i'd recommend the GBA versions of the games if possible. i know the earlier NES/SNES FF iterations were revamped for the GBA with additional content (such as in FF4 you get all your characters back and can assemble whichever party you'd prefer at the end of the game as opposed to the set in stone party the snes version gave you, also lots of bonus dungeons with harder enemies and better loot)

id reccomend 7,9, n 12. ohh and 1&2 on gba

i just watched a youtube clip of FF6 (FFVI)...and its definetelly the one I played and really got the nostalga going when i heard the music and everything

but maybe i should just dl FF1, its only 5 bucks on the virtual console....cause I dont want to play them on a emulator as I think that would ruin the experience a bit....what do u guys think tho, is playing it emulator style okay?

You could always start with the one most people will recommend, which is FF VII, but I greatly enjoyed VI, VIII, IX, and X just as much. If you're interested in playing them all, then I would say start with number 1 and work your way through them all, if you have the time. Not all of them are "the best game ever", but they all have a really neat story to them and are worth a play through each.

Personally, I started on FF VII though I would say that either FF IX or FF X is the better ones to start with. Both are rather simple to get use to but still have several complexities plus the character development that is a must for Final Fantasy.

And I would definitely not go with FF XII. The Gambit system can be quite frustrating if you are not use to an AI RPG character or strategy at all. IMO, I like the gambit system because you can actually control what the AI will do, rather then just hoping it will do what you want.

As for the emulator, I don't use one at all because I don't feel that they do any game real justice as when you can actually control them from a console.

FF7 or FF10...I think FF10 is a little more user friendly. However, I like FF7 better as a game.

VII was my first and it still holds up for me to this day. Been playing through it again lately :).

Final Fantasy IV, VI and VII are some of the greatest. You can't go wrong with them.

Start off with FF6. I say give FFTactics (PSP version if you own a PSP if not go with the PSX version), FF6,FF9,FF8,FF7 are possibly the best FF titles. IMO I would stay way from FFX,Mystic Quest, FF5, FF3 (original and DS remake)

The one i started out with was FF6 on the snes ff3 here in north america. It has been my all time favorite since and i think its the one you should start with. others worth mentioning IMO are 4, 7, 9, and 10.

Any of the PS1 FF titles is a great start. FFVII, VIII, or IX

The one i started out with was FF6 on the snes ff3 here in north america. It has been my all time favorite since and i think its the one you should start with. others worth mentioning IMO are 4, 7, 9, and 10.

Lunchbucket16

Not to be a douche, but why do certain people feel the need to refer to FF games by their titles in japan, then qualify it with the USA titles? You're just making it more confusing than it has to be. The vast majority of people that will play FF games are going to play the US versions.

Because the re-releases go by the Japanese titles........such as the GBA ports, Anthologies and Chronicles, FFIII DS and FFIV DS........... I would drop the US numbering totally.texasgoldrush

All I know is the FF game with Kefka is FF6. I don't know what it supposedly is in japan.

I say start with either FFVI, FF Tactics or FFIX. I play all 3 every now and then, and they still are amazing games. I'll do my best to breakdown the games.

FFVI- Quite possibly in the top 5 games of all time. The story is amazing, and has incredible depth. The character list is large without being too large, and every character has something to contribute to the story aside from one or two "easter eggs." The soundtrack is epic (unfortunately, it was edited for the PSX and GBA ports) andsets the mood on the city/battle perfectly. The final boss is the hardest I've ever faced. Many optional "quests," and the Esper feature, which allows anyone to learn any magic, allows all characters to have anymagic set you desire.It's very simple, the story tells you exactly where to go and what to do. The difficulty, to me, tends to be on the light side other than the final boss, but that's usually the way it is with most RPG's. I still have yet to beat this game, as I'm exploring every inch of this game to find every Esper/character and get the most out of the game, and I've been playing this for over 10 years.

FFT - One of the definitive strategy games. The story is full of twists, the gameplay is fluid, the music is great and very catchy. The enemies level up with you except for bosses (I believe, correct me if I'm wrong there), so the difficulty is always there. Few "sidequests," but they include an epic dungeon and Cloud Strife (a plug for the upcoming FFVII, if I remember correctly). The main character is very interesting and makes the story as epic as it is. Every character can be used however you see fit with a number of different jobs to pick from, from the typical Knight to the abstract Bard.

FFIX - Personally, my favorite FF game. Gameplay is still great, UI is still amazing, and the cutscenes aresome of the best for the PS1. The story, while not the best, is stillquite good. The cast of characters is quirky and makes most of the story scenes humorous and easier to handle. The game is definitely one of the longer games (counting just the main story, I think it's actually the longest game in the series, with 4 discs), and the chocobo feature in this game is the best in the series. This game can get confusing at times, and sometimes the story doesn't tell you what to do. This can get problematic, as you can save and go to sleep, come back, and have no idea what you were doing before and have no idea where to go. The synthesis feature is a nice addition, and lets you recycle old weapons for new weapons more powerful than in stores. The biggest issue in my opinion is the overworld is HUGE. You can get lost way too easy in this game.

Hope this helps. I think that other than I, II, XI, and XII, anywhere is a good spot to start, although I would say save FFVII for a later day. It's the most overrated game ever, as great as it is.

[QUOTE="texasgoldrush"]Because the re-releases go by the Japanese titles........such as the GBA ports, Anthologies and Chronicles, FFIII DS and FFIV DS........... I would drop the US numbering totally.Greyfeld

All I know is the FF game with Kefka is FF6. I don't know what it supposedly is in japan.

America came out with FFI, II and III, which in Japan, are actually FFI, IV, and VI. Enix apparently said "We're gonna stop changing the titles or this will get really out of hand" and called FFVII FFVII, leading to much confusion around the hardcores in America. We now are getting to see every game come out, which can lead to confusion for people wanting to jump into the series now.

here is a short explanation of each FF game I played

FF1 - very simple, fun, but it kinda lacks a good storyline (given this was on the NES, this can be forgiven)

FF2 - strange leveling system but its quite fun, I wouldnt recommend it as a first FF game

FF3 - the only FF game I havent played so I cant comment on it

FF4 - awesome game, great story, great atmosphere and good gameplay, its actually pretty good as a first FF game

FF5- the job system is good but I wouldnt try this one as a first FF game, its pretty hard and can get a bit confusing

FF6- its an awesome game, even better then 4, and is actually pretty simple compared to 5, good starting FF game

FF7 - my personal favourite, in my opinion everything is awesome about it, a good FF to start with

FF8 - its confusing with the strange magic draw system and junction system, but if you can deal with it, its one of the best FF games to get

FF9 - very simple system, its a great game with a nice atmosphere, good starting FF

FF10- great game, the sphere grid is very flexible and this game has tonnes to do and lots of places to explore, its a great game and worthy to play

FF11- the other FF game I didnt play because it was online

FF12- I didnt really like this one, the graphics were great and the gameplay was decent, but the story just was not there, I would still tell you to try it, if only to have an opinion on it, this is the one that has lots of mixed opinions about it.

I hope this helped

FF 6 - Best story and best selection of characters to choose from

FF7 - Good story, cool characters, and still one of the best ff's

FF8 - Good story, cool characters, best music of any ff game by far, -I would start off with this ff game if I was you. Also, this FF game has the most journey of any of them and the coolest final boss dungeon. This game has also has the best mini game with the card game

FF9 - I wouldn't recommend this unless you are a real young kid seeing as the charcters the way the game is laid out is kiddie. I couldn't get myself to finish it.

FF10 - The most recent FF game that is good that has the best graphics compared to the rest of the ff games but not as good characters or story as FF6, FF7, or FF 8

As for the other ff games I wouldn't bother playing them. Either its not like your traditional ff game or the graphics are just horrible unless you can get some type of updated graphics for it.

My advice would be to just youtube the ff games and whatever one looks most interesting is the one I would go with also taking into account what people have said about the game on the forum

FF6,7,8 and 9

FF 6 - Best story and best selection of characters to choose from

FF7 - Good story, cool characters, and still one of the best ff's

FF8 - Good story, cool characters, best music of any ff game by far, -I would start off with this ff game if I was you. Also, this FF game has the most journey of any of them and the coolest final boss dungeon. This game has also has the best mini game with the card game

FF9 - I wouldn't recommend this unless you are a real young kid seeing as the charcters the way the game is laid out is kiddie. I couldn't get myself to finish it.

FF10 - The most recent FF game that is good that has the best graphics compared to the rest of the ff games but not as good characters or story as FF6, FF7, or FF 8

As for the other ff games I wouldn't bother playing them. Either its not like your traditional ff game or the graphics are just horrible unless you can get some type of updated graphics for it.

My advice would be to just youtube the ff games and whatever one looks most interesting is the one I would go with also taking into account what people have said about the game on the forum

Sonwhy

Sorry, but FFIX is the best Playstation FF, and is tied with FFIV for the second best FF...............the best obviously going to FFVI. FFIX wasn't really that kiddie, it was FF going back to its roots. But if you were to choose a FF to start out with, actually FFIV would be the best place to start. If however, you have to choose ONE FF to play, go with FFVI.

Take this into account, every FF game is a love it or hate it affair and splits the fanbase, except for FFIV and FFVI.

The 2D FF's would be the best bet for you. I got late into RPG where X was my first, and I find it hard to get into rather than X and XII.

VII, VIII, and IX are all great starting FF games. If you tend to like games with a more light hearted and sometimes childish approach (in other words, if you dont mind these aspects), go with IX. If you like stories with lots of depth and don't mind a low difficulty level go with VIII. If you like loveable characters and engaging plots go with VII.

If you like these titles, you might want to go for VI or X. VI is an older RPG and storytelling was still in it's infancy as far as games go, so its a little underdeveloped overall but it's the most developed out of all the games before it and it has a wonderfully unique world, a fun story and great gameplay. X is a little over the top in it's designs (so they haven't aged well) and you may find the characters annoying, but the story is very good and so is the gameplay. XII has excellent gameplay, but a disjointed story and villains that don't qualify as villains. The gameplay and the presentation of the story are great though. And if you're absolutely in love with these titles you mgiht want to go play IV, V, and the original.

[QUOTE="Sonwhy"]

FF 6 - Best story and best selection of characters to choose from

FF7 - Good story, cool characters, and still one of the best ff's

FF8 - Good story, cool characters, best music of any ff game by far, -I would start off with this ff game if I was you. Also, this FF game has the most journey of any of them and the coolest final boss dungeon. This game has also has the best mini game with the card game

FF9 - I wouldn't recommend this unless you are a real young kid seeing as the charcters the way the game is laid out is kiddie. I couldn't get myself to finish it.

FF10 - The most recent FF game that is good that has the best graphics compared to the rest of the ff games but not as good characters or story as FF6, FF7, or FF 8

As for the other ff games I wouldn't bother playing them. Either its not like your traditional ff game or the graphics are just horrible unless you can get some type of updated graphics for it.

My advice would be to just youtube the ff games and whatever one looks most interesting is the one I would go with also taking into account what people have said about the game on the forum

texasgoldrush

Sorry, but FFIX is the best Playstation FF, and is tied with FFIV for the second best FF...............the best obviously going to FFVI. FFIX wasn't really that kiddie, it was FF going back to its roots. But if you were to choose a FF to start out with, actually FFIV would be the best place to start. If however, you have to choose ONE FF to play, go with FFVI.

Take this into account, every FF game is a love it or hate it affair and splits the fanbase, except for FFIV and FFVI.

I love your "sorry, you're wrong" posts.

What would you say if I told you that the language used in Chrono Trigger indicates that it's target group is 6 - 10 year olds (Japanese ver)?

Final Fantasy X probably has the best gameplay of all FFs.. Story wise, Final Fantasy 6 or Final Fantasy Tactics..

IX the cast music story it's great

I've only played 1 and 7 and they are both freaking amazing!

you should play FFX

I've never played any of the FFs before VII, but every one after VI I know are great games.

FFXI, on the other hand, I really couldn't get into this one.

I've never played any of the FFs before VII, but every one after VI I know are great games.

FFXI, on the other hand, I really couldn't get into this one.

In order:

I: I've played a bit and it's pretty good. Fairly difficult, though.

II: I haven't played it, but I'd give it a pass.

III: Ehh... I didn't care for it. Other people liked it, but I just couldn't get into it.

IV: This is where the story REALLY begins. An absolutely amazing game in every way.

V: It's good, and the job system rocks, but it's not the best game in the series.

VI: Best game in the series in every way (except for maybe the graphics, since they were just alright for their time). Amazing story, amazing characters, amazing soundtrack, the best villain ever...

VII: Quite overrated but it's still awesome. If you liked VI's gameplay then you should like this too. Oh, and the opening act in Midgar? One of the best in gaming history. It does kind of slow down a bit toward the end, but the beginning is just mindblowing.

VIII: Haven't played, but I might.

IX: I LOVE this one. I'll just say PLAY IT.

X: I haven't played it, but it looks quite fun.

XI: I liked what I played of the free trial, but nowadays I wouldn't recommend it. It's less user friendly than most of today's MMOs since you absolutely NEED to party for almost everything.

XII: Urgh. I haven't played much of the game, but I know I'm actually a minority with my opinion on it: I liked the combat. It gets redundant, but I find it entertaining evenif it is trying to be Vagrant Story 2.0. HOWEVER, the story.... wow. That's a whole 'nother ball game. The characters are annoying except for Balthier and the plot is just a rip-off of Star Wars. I don't recommend it based on the story alone.