142 replies to this topic

[ironyengine]

I want to preface this question: I am not asking you which Final Fantasy game is "the best" or which one you like more, etc. I saw several threads talking about what a bad idea that question would be, but since that is not really my question I am creating this thread anyway.

Straight up now: I have never played a single Final Fantasy title. In fact I am not big on RPGs at all, or at least I wasn't back when I had my NES and was playing it frequently. I was and largely still am a sidescroller kind of guy. I like Zelda II more than Zelda I, for example. But in my adult life, I've been exposed to so much of the Final Fantasy universe and the music and all of it that I feel like I have to play through at least one title. If that one is awesome, I will probably play more; if it is tedious and I hate it, this will be the only game I play. But I have no idea which one will grab me!

The obvious answer is I, since everyone starts at the beginning right? But maybe I does not have the best music, or the best fight scenes, or whatever, and I would enjoy IV more! Or VII, since I have played Kingdom Hearts? I simply don't know. I'm only considering I-VII for this question though, since I hear bad things about VIII and beyond and well the scope has to end somewhere. Extra compelling arguments for post-VII titles will be given consideration but probably only as the potential second game I play through.

One caveat which I feel may be important: I do not own a television, which is one of the big reasons I don't play as many video games anymore. I do however have a PC (obviously) and emulators, a PS2 controller, and a DSi with AceKard emulation at the ready. Even my PC only has a 19" widescreen monitor though, so if any of these games have insanely detailed graphics I may not be able to appreciate them fully.

So I ask you, my friends with a great deal more experience and knowledge than I, which Final Fantasy title should I play? I await your answer and my quest eagerly.

[mercatfat]

What have you liked in RPG's in your admittedly limited experience?

Also, cutting off at VII? Ehhhhhh. VIII and especially XII are pretty phenomenal. I'd say cut off at VI if you're going to discount most of the 3D half of the series thus far.

[Spookmeister C]

IV, then VI, then IX.
Done.

[mooniniteG]

VI is probably the best bet for a newcomer. IV is still probably my favorite, but it was an earlier SNES title and hasn't aged as well as VI.

[Paragon]

6 and 7 are probably the fastest-paced and need less grinding than the other titles. They are by no means comparable to Zelda 2, but their battle systems are just a touch less slow than the older titles' are.

6 has SNES graphics, but they're pretty polished for 16 bits. It much more of a fantasy setting, although there is a little but of that anime-style science-fantasy (e.g. magic-powered robots).

7 is from the early PS1 era so the graphics have not aged well at all, they might be off-putting. It leans more towards the sci-fi end of science-fantasy than 6 did.

6 is a little more goofy and nonserious, some party members are children, there's a little more comic relief going on. It has a better "big twist."

7 is a little more mature and serious.

Personally my vote went to 6, but they're both good. I also liked 5 a lot, but I don't really think that's what you're looking for.

[Sam]

I said 4. Yes, it's my favorite, but in my opinion, it's the first that was very playable. 2 and 3 had annoying systems, and 1-3 seemed to require pointless amounts of grinding. If you happen to like high difficulty and grinding, I would go with 1. Otherwise, go with 4; it has great music and a great story. It also has some pretty great boss fights. Personally, I don't find the graphics all that bad, and I appreciate them a lot more than 7's blocky polygons (which were kind of lame even at the time).

6 is marvelous, but it remains the most grandly epic of the FF games, so you should build up to it with at least one other game; this will give you something to compare it to, and appreciate how far the series came.

7 is rather overrated. It starts strong, but can't maintain it even throughout the first disk. Sephiroth is not as cool a villain as teenagers on the Internet think he is.


EDIT:

6 is a little more goofy and nonserious, some party members are children, there's a little more comic relief going on. It has a better "big twist."

I don't think that I would have ever called FF 6 "goofy and nonserious." There is occasional comic relief, but I've always thought of it as an emotionally heavy game.

Sam, the Neon Orange Knight

[3ngag3]

I would go 3-6. Maybe 7 if you're feeling it. Pass on 8. Definetley 9. 10-11 just throw in the garbage. Definetley 12.

[Geo]

Voted VII, best game ever, not even sarcastic.

VI is awesome but the random battles are frequent and frustrating.

[Magicalyardgnome]

I recommend playing a Final Fantasy game that Yoshitaka Amano did the character designs for.

[Beef-Clef]

Mystic Quest.

It has the best music at least.

[mooniniteG]

Voted VII, best game ever, not even sarcastic.

I hate young people.

[DeathMask]

There's no all of them option?

[Nario]

Voted VII, best game ever, not even sarcastic.

I hate young people.

Aren't you two the same age?


Chris: As a Shizzie, I think it would be socially acceptable for you to start with either 4 or 6.

[Sam]

Voted VII, best game ever, not even sarcastic.

I hate young people.

Aren't you two the same age?

About a 3.5 year difference, according to their profiles.

Sam, the Neon Orange Knight

[Eric Dude]

Voted VII, best game ever, not even sarcastic.

I hate young people.

Aren't you two the same age?

About a 3.5 year difference, according to their profiles.

Sam, the Neon Orange Knight

That was easy!

Also, FFXII.

Yes, I'm serious.