Start playing Final Fantasy, which game to play first?

[shithotcat]

Hey, I actually never played Final Fantasy before... So I decided to play it because I hear tons of good stuff about it.
I'm a big lore fan, so I want to understand the story of the FF game I'm playing. So where should I begin? Or are there seperate stories
for each game?

[Aethilus]

Every game is an entirely separate story except for 10 and 10-2 and 13 and 13-2. If you play earlier ones you'll see some repeating names at times but new worlds. Honestly the most popular ones are FF6 (commonly listed as FF3 as it was the third one released in english) and FF7. At the end of the day though, you can start anywhere.

[Olocan]

Each game for the most part has it's own story i suggest starting at finalfantasy 1 then going up from there FF2 is my favorite storyline while FF6 is probley my favorite game play and story overall (Kefka is fucking nuts) i've actually just started a game of FF5 because it was free on the PSN if your a plus member.

[Narveid]

Hey, I actually never played Final Fantasy before... So I decided to play it because I hear tons of good stuff about it.
I'm a big lore fan, so I want to understand the story of the FF game I'm playing. So where should I begin? Or are there seperate stories
for each game?

Every game has a new universe and a new story, so in itself it does not matter where you begin, but I suggest you start with Final Fantasy 4. FF1-3 is very bland in my opinion, whereas FF4 really focus on the story and character building. Personal favorite is FF9.

[Deleted]

If you don't mind outdated graphics I'd really recommend FF7 and FF8. My favourite in the series, by far.

[Reg]

What is your taste in graphics? For example, FFVI is my favorite story but the graphics are old sprite graphics from SNES days. FFVII was a lot of peoples' first FF and had the improved graphics from sprites to actual character models.

[shithotcat]

Thanks for all the quick replies! I'll read up on the stories of each game and see which one I find most interesting

[Raikon]

It also depends if your one of those gamers who won't play a game if the graphics are really horrific. The general leap forwards in graphics came at 7-9 and 10 onwards. 6 is a very good game but (inc flame) 7 Will always be the best imho because it's the first game i ever really got invested in. 6-10 were all very good. 10-2 was very un ff like. 12 was an abomination and 13 was meh. But as i said, this is all my opinion. Most of them are worth at least 1 run through.

[allevia]

7 and 8 are the ones most "debated" about being the best, but then again, those are the 2 games that people first played.
personal opinion would be pick any from 4-10 (not 10-2). 8 and 9 are my personal favourites, but yea, as the stories are all different, just pick one and go with it

[Poppincaps]

I just want to mention that alot of the games have gameboy advance/nintendo DS remakes with upgraded graphics. I played FF1 and it didn't look that bad.

[Bayhas]

Final Fantasy IV.

[Jaojin]

Definitely FF 6. If anything will get you hooked on the storytelling of the series it will be this one. While all of them were grand adventures; 6 was the first (for me) that felt like a movie that you hoped would never end, and it kept delivering.

[NotValidAnymore]

7 and 8 are the ones most "debated" about being the best

Odd, usually I hear a lot of bad things about 8... But you're right about 7, it's probably THE debated game of all time when it comes to Final Fantasy.

Graphically, you have three groups; The Sprite Era (1-6), The PlayStation Era (7-9) and then the Newer Era (10+). This isn't anything anyone said, that's just me trying to group games in terms of graphics. Out of those, I hear 6, 9 and 10 are the best ones from each group.

But people are right when it comes to every game being different, 'cause the makers try something new with every game. So you will find something different about every game.

If you don't mind outdated graphics, if you're a retro/old-school gamer, and/or if you don't mind getting games by... less "legal" means, I suggest checking out the Gameboy Advance-versions of FF1 and FF6. Those are pretty good.

[shithotcat]

As long as the story is interesting and the gameplay is fun I don't mind bad graphics

[feigning]

I'd almost recommend starting with IV if you can get it. VII and X are both great for getting into the series and IX is great fun, if a little on the short side. All four are good for starting off, in my opinion. Of course, since none of the games really tie together, it's not a big deal. You should also get Final Fantasy Tactics!

[Chaoslux]

Like everyone else, i would go with FF IV and VI (especially VI )
Please note that if you're going to hunt them down on an SNES emulator for example, you would have to look for Final Fantasy 2 and Final Fantasy 3. That's due to the fact that II and III and V were never originally released in north america, so when they released IV and VI they named them 2 and 3. Pretty silly.

It is hugely debated, but i prefer FF6 to FF7 by a huuuuge margin.

[ImpTaimer]

After FF7 the magic system for the "series" goes downhill, but combat gets a little more hectic, if you like that kind of thing.

You're best bet is to start anywhere from with FF1-FF7. The American "FF3" if you like 2d, FF7 if you like 3d.

If you ever played Final Fantasy Tactics, then FF9 and FFXII may have some appeal.

If you're worried about graphics, honestly don't even bother playing final fantasy games. But if you're insistent, start with Final Fantasy X.

[Illuwin]

My opinions...

I - skip, or play on NES emulator at 10x speed.
II - no basis for response
III - no basis for response
IV - Recommended - try to play a remake for script issues
V - Recommended, lots of original ideas the rest of the series 'borrows' from in this one. jp only, will need a translation. Plus, the main char is named butz.
VI - highly recommended
VII - skip, unintelligible script, slow game play and laughable mechanics (without nostalgic hind-site, it's really not a great game to be playing from the modern perspective)
VIII - skip, similar reasons to VII, but better script. Story was stupid (imo). Draw system punishes you for using magic. Watching summons for 3 minutes isn't fun.
IX - moderate recommend. I liked it, graphics are extremely dated but not as laughably as VII. has a "throwback" to the sprite era in terms of graphic design.
X - I'm meh on this one. Worth a spin but not sure it's worth the 40 hours.
X-2- no basis for response
XI - mmorpg, at this point why bother
XII - do yourself a favor and skip it. You let the computer play 90% of the game anyway with gambits.
XIII - worth it if its under 20 bucks, short(ish) impressive graphics, horribly linear.
XIII-2- no basis for response.
XIV - mmorpg, and one of the worst ever created, skip.

[jackofwind]

FFVI (FF3J) is by far the best in the series. Nothing beats 14 playable characters with hefty backstories, multiple parties controlled at once, the end of the world, tons of hidden easter eggs, a rich world filled with side quests and extra dungeons to explore, and a fantastic set of villains. Not to mention the deep Magicite magic training system and the versatility granted by relics and equipment choice.

Lots of comedy and drama, and some very emotionally moving parts that belie the sprite graphics - instead of wowing with graphicvs they concentrated on creating a world you actually care about, and characters that mean something to you because of their stories and not because of how they look.

Oh and did I mention the battles are 2P controllable?

You really just can't do better than it - the only thing that comes close is the grid-strategy FFTactics.

[Illuwin]

FFVI (FF3J) is by far the best in the series. Nothing beats 14 playable characters with hefty backstories, multiple parties controlled at once, the end of the world, tons of hidden easter eggs, and a fantastic set of villains. Not to mention the deep Esper magic training system and the versatility granted by equipment choice.

Lots of comedy and drama, and some very emotionally moving parts that belie the sprite graphics - instead of wowing with graphicvs they concentrated on creating a world you actually care about, and characters that mean something to you because of their stories and not because of how they look.

Oh and did I mention the battles are 2P controllable?

You really just can't do better than it.

don't forget the fantastic music!

I will say though, if you will play through FF 6/3 , don't read up on the evasion bug because its possible to become godlike (unhittable) very easily with the correct esper level bonus and gear, which imo is not fun. I like challenge.