Final Fantasy

So, with the beta down, I'm looking for something to fill the void in my gaming time, and apparently these Final Fantasy games are all the range nowadays. I've never played one and know nothing about the series, so which ones are the best? What should I start with?

 

nowadays? they are always the rage whenever they come out, lol. one of the biggest franchises ever, in all of video gaming. if you really get into it though, it'll suck weeks out of you at a time. i have a hard time stopping whenever i begin an FF game.

anyways, my recommendation is go with the core series (the numbered ones). My personal favourite is FF6, the last one on the SNES. Great story, great mechanics, beautiful music, memorable characters... the works. it's really amazing how much they managed to squeeze out of a super nintendo.

FF7 is also a favourite for many, mostly because it was probably most FF fans' introduction to the series. I liked the story and mechanics as well, extremely well done overall. A lot of things it does will seem clichéd these days, but you have to remember that it was FF7 that probably created most of those cliches. FF10 is the beginning of the more "modern" FF's, with voice acting and fairly smooth transitions from gameplay to cutscenes, and it flows really well. It's a pretty good game to start on, even though the leveling up system is a bit weird.

One of the best "classic" FF's is FF4. It has a pretty simple, linear story but it was one of the first final fantasies (and RPGs in general) to really focus on the characters as the main driving force of the story, and there is plenty of character development.

i wouldn't recommend starting with FF9, because it's kind of a nostalgia/homage game. A lot of people didn't enjoy it because of that, and because most people started the series with FF7, while it was mostly a throwback to FF4/5/6. FF8 i just wouldn't recommend because the story's kind of nonsensical and the gameplay's broken. FF12... is a hit or miss, i loved it, but for most people the story was waaaay too political and not "save-the-world-y" enough.

 

I would def. start with the old school ones from SNES.
My favorite is FFVI as well b/c there was no definite main character by mid game.

I feel VII and VIII are just overrated... Either that or I'm just annoyed at all the fan boys thinking those 2 are the best, when they haven't even played the others.

X was pretty good in my opinion. Gameplay wise, it's very easy. The story and character build is what made it interesting and fun to play.

 

I'd recommend starting from first and going up. There are tons of remakes if you don't want to go through NES graphics (and gameplay)

Which ones are the best is up to you. There are few favourites but it all comes down to personal opinion.

 

wait, FF 1 has the graphics of your avatar right, Meee?

 

the original, yes

 

Final Fantasy VI here, too. Celes and Shadow ftw. Thoroughly enjoyed FF V, too. I played both in the Final Fantasy Anthology re-issue for the PSX. Final Fantasy IV, I played via Final Fantasy Chronicles but it was overshadowed by Chrono Trigger.

FF VII was one of the first RPGs to come out in 3D if not the first and I think that was a huge part of its popularity. Of course, Sephiroth being such an awesome villain certainly didn't hurt. I actually enjoyed playing FF VIII although I think Squall's a wimp and Rinoa's a spoiled whiny b****. FF IX was okay but it was greatly eclipsed by Chrono Cross which was released around the same time.

I hated the American voice acting so I skipped FFX onwards. I wish they gave a choice on the spoken language. They already have subtitles anyway.

Given you're coming from StarCraft, though, you might find Final Fantasy Tactics (RPG Strategy) enjoyable. It's a quick playthrough but I found it fun all the same.

 

@rui-no-onna

Well if you wanted to play FFX in Japanese with subs, you're in luck.
They have FFX International version, which is the Japanese version with English subtitles.
http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-43-49-en-70-1pie.html

Also comes with new content.

 

If only that were the case. I'm pretty sure that one had English voices and Japanese subtitles and not the other way around. I remember reading about it only to be horribly disappointed.

 

Definitely, definitely play FF6 (or FFVI, if you want to be fancy). Best of the final fantasy RPGs, without a doubt. Absolutely amazing characters, plot, villian, music, gameplay... everything! A true masterpiece among the already epic final fantasy titles. You can download a GBA emulator and play it for free, too, so it's very easy to access. You will not be dissapointed with FF4 either, but FF6 is hands down the best of them all

Of course that's just my opinion, and I'm sure people have excellent reasons why other FF titles are the best of the series, but I stand by FF6 to the grave!

 

I bet you cant beat a final fantasy by tuesday....so long.

 

Depends on how much sleep you can get by with. My FF6 game save prior to the final battle with Kefka pegs me at 40 hours. Of course, it did take me 4 weekends to finish (staying in a dorm so no Playstation on weekdays).

 

yeah i rarely ever finish an FF game in less than 30 hours... and i love doing subquests and stuff, so i'm often over 50 by the time i really finish the game.

 

When ever I play an FF, I tend to get to the boss and never beat it until like 4 months later.
I'm not grinding and getting ready for the boss battle, but I just tend to stop playing for a bit, haha.

 

The Final Fantasy games as good, but don't let the fact that it's a series fool you. For the most part, they have little (if anything at all) to do with each other. My faves are the first three, and FFX. If you have a GBA or PSP, you might also like the Tactics series (FF:Tactics Advance is prolly one of my fave games ever).

Also, you might also look into Dragon Quest/Warrior. Not near as large here in the States, but it's another great RPG series, albeit a very traditional one. I personally like it more because the characters aren't cookie-cutter JRPG chars and the mini-games are better (Monster Teams ftw). DQXIII (for the PS2) is fantastic. I've prolly logged over a hundred hours in it.

 

Final Fantasy 9 is so f'ing underrated. One of the best games I've played in my life. The epic feeling of every place in the game and its sense of humor is astounding. And the fact that you have a Black Mage, true to its design, in your group is just awesome. Final Fantasy 9 is better than any other FF game I daresay.

I had a particularly good time with Final Fantasy 10 too. The marriage scene is definitely the best part, where it ends with Yuna falling off a tower and summoning Valefor. So epic.

 

FF9 would've been great, if it weren't for the hippo people and the fact that I disliked most of the cast, protagonist included.

 

My favorite was FF3 (Japan FF6 I think). An amazing game with an awesome story! To this day still one of my favorite games.

 

given how it's one of the only FFs... or JRPGs in general that Yahtzee likes, it's definitely one of the best out there.

 

Heh

This game is one of the best ever Like the movie also