Final Fantasy games for New Players?

[onewheeled]

So I've never played a Final Fantasy game in my life. Kingdom Hearts, yes, but no real FF. And I've been trying to figure out which game I should start with. The one I'm most interested in checking out is XIII, but I'm not sure if that would be very good for a newcomer, as the whole battle system looks crazy complex...

Can you guys make a recommendation as to what Final Fantasy game would be best for a new JRPG player?

 

[bulbasaur765]

Probably IV for the SNES, GBA, and NDS. That was what I started on and I thought it was pretty cool.

 

[Belgian_Waffles]

I've only played FF IV on the DS, and to this day is the only FF I've ever played so I'd recommend that

 

[DeadlyYellow]

Start with the same one most everyone else did: VII.

 

[Durxom]

I recommend either the first 2 (which you can get for the GBA or PS1 in a combo pack) which are pretty much basic RPG and get you used to the FF universe, FF4 which is pretty dang easy to find for whatever system you want it for, and FF10 since it has a great long story, customization, and the last Final Fantasy game to use a good battle system... (I also heard FF9 is pretty good)

 

[RN7]

DO NOT play 12. It's just not meant for anyone but the most die-hard of FF fans. The Advance games for the DS/gameboy are good choices. If you don't have those, I'd go with 10, or maybe X-2 since its much simpler. XIII might also be good seeing as you don't have to do much, though it can be hard in the beginning.

 

[Pink_Pirate]

its a game, they all play different, it doesn't matter which one you play first. 13 is ok, its not really the best the series has to offer story and character wise, but combat is a ton of fun and gash darn its just to pretty. All that said id suggest you play FF9, its my favourite, fantastic story and characters, very typical jrpg comboat and random battles tho, so if you dont already like those things it wont change your mind.

 

[onewheeled]

Yeah, I've also been thinking about IV on the DS, or X on PS2. Those both seem to be really great games, and much cheaper than XIII.

 

[Weaver]

The DS remakes were phenomenal. I'd recommend those as a starting point. Also, you could emulate the older ones. I recommend 6 (or 3 in the US) on the SNES as a good starting point. The NES ones were... well, they're good for their time but the UI is just so terrible it will probably just be aggravating.

 

[Snarky Username]

Basically any of the GBA games. Those are the best Final Fantasy games in my opinion. You can either get them off Ebay, Amazon, or just download them online with an emulator buy them through completely legitimate and legal means.

If you want a 3D version, I would suggest either VII, IX, or X. FFX does go through a few of the negative stereotypes of JRPGs, but it more than makes up for them, in my opinion.

EDIT: Was I the only one who hated the DS remake of FFIV? A lot of the people are suggesting it, and I just found it to be a rehashing of FFIV with a few unneeded extras that really didn't add to the game at all... Oh well, it's all subjective, I guess

 

[Kavonde]

If you plan on playing through the "modern" FF games, I'd start with VII, since that's the one responsible for their rise. However, if you want to play the good ones, try IV, VI, and IX.

 

[Thaius]

VI, VII, or X.

X's story can be a bit melodramatic, but it's still really good, and if good graphics will make it easier for you to take the story seriously, this is definitely the place to start.

VII is arguably the best game in the series, with an incredible story and lots of sidequests to take on. A truly amazing game that you will love, as long as you're not turned off by the dated graphics.

VI was on the Super Nintendo, so it's rather old-school. But its story rivals that of VII, and it will blow you away how well they can tell a genuinely emotional and dramatic story with such old technology.

Remember that Final Fantasy is more about the story than anything else; the series tells some of the greatest fantasy tales ever told. Play whichever one will allow you to enjoy the story the most, and let the gameplay grow on you.

XIII wouldn't be a bad choice, by the way. The battle system is decently complex, but it is introduced so slowly you'll have no problem getting it. The problem is that the linearity of the game and the quality of the metanarrative (which was largely sacrificed for the sake of having some amazing inter-relational character drama that absolutely makes that story) are not reflective of what most Final Fantasy games are. XIII is a great game, but I would not recommend it as as first.

 

[LordWalter]

So I've never played a Final Fantasy game in my life. Kingdom Hearts, yes, but no real FF. And I've been trying to figure out which game I should start with. The one I'm most interested in checking out is XIII, but I'm not sure if that would be very good for a newcomer, as the whole battle system looks crazy complex...

Can you guys make a recommendation as to what Final Fantasy game would be best for a new JRPG player?

X is probably the best first if you've never done one before. Things get a bit weird after you get the airship but that's the very end of the game.

 

[e2density]

Final Fantasy 7 Crisis Core is a good buy for PSP if you have one. I find strategy and turn based to be boring (other than the classic Pokemon games), and I loved the battle system of Crisis Core.

Also, it happened before FF7, so there's really no part of the story that's "missing", you don't have to have played 7 to understand Crisis Core.

 

[rees263]

I think the easiest one (that I've played) for a newcomer is FF10. The start has loads of tutorials and the difficulty curve is pretty good - you should walk through the start, hit a few bumps in the middle and pull your hair out at the end. It's similar enough to the older FFs to be a useful learning experience as well.

I will second the comment about 12 being a bad choice - I loved the game, but it is pretty difficult. I started with 7 back in the day and I still had a hard time getting into 12.

FF13 would be an okay choice - it is also pretty good at tutorials, though you might find some early parts (and lots of later parts) a little difficult - I know I did. Don't worry about the battle system, it's probably the easiest one to learn of the lot (lots of it is automatic). It isn't very similar in style (by style I mean gameplay - the art style is FF through and through) to the older FFs though, so don't play it expecting it to be indicative of the series as a whole.

As for the older FFs, they are good but they are not very user friendly. I had to learn by doing when I started - a lot of it was left unexplained which I didn't like. It made things that much harder.

Summary: 10 is definitely the best choice in my opinion - it's the easiest for a newcomer to understand but also similar to the older games. It's also my all time favourite game - did I sound biased at all

 

[Marter]

I would recommend either X or VI. Those have been my favorite so far.

 

[Jazoni89]

I recommend you do not play final fantasy VIII until you are familiar with final fantasy gameplay because it is the most user unfriendly final fantasy game their is (despite being my favourite final fantasy) with it's long tutorials and confusing stat system. I would recommend you play final fantasy IX first just to get a feel for the gameplay of final fantasy as its possibly the most simplest of the more recent one's (then after you played that you should play either final fantasy X or final fantasy VII as they are the most popular ones) failing that play one of the older ones like final fantasy IV or as most people have suggested Final fantasy VI (which can be easily emulated if you don't have a super nintendo).

oh... and one word of advice don't bother playing final fantasy X-2, XI and XII as they are terrible.

 

[Jandau]

Personally, I can reccomend FF9. It's a straightforward JRPG that doesn't mess around with the formula too much and is a solid introduction to the genre. The only complaint I have is the final boss, but that's a minor thing...

 

[WhiteFangofWhoa]

FFX. It's so rookie-oriented at the start that I was initially irked by the number of tutorials, yet it's still the best one IMO. If you're looking for a more old-school one, try VI or IV.