Is FF13 a good jumping on point for the series?

[Scars Unseen]

I say no. For me, FF13 marked the last time that I buy a Final Fantasy game without very careful consideration. Makes me wish I was back in the US so I could at least trade the game in for store credit. As it is my copy of the game just serves as something to hold my shelf down.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

Go with FFX not XIII. Its ok, but not a great representation of the series. FFX was the last good one IMO.

 

[SyphonX]

If you really want to try out Final Fantasy, then I'd recommend you start elsewhere. You could emulate a SNES entry, or get a cheap PS1 / PS2 game used.

Heck, I'm pretty sure you can get FF7/FF8 & FF9 on the PlayStation Store. They're like $10 each I think.

 

[Enigmers]

I have to say a strong no. I think the best ones to jump in with are 7 and 9, which can be had on the PSN store for 10$ each.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

The best starter is 9.

The second best starter is 10.

Those 2 are the least divisive in the series fanbase.

Don't start 8, 12, or 13. Those are the most divisive in the series fanbase.

Just look at all the posts above, 9 and 10 are getting praise. 13 is getting mixed opinions.

 

[For.I.Am.Mad]

FF13 is great except for how they deliver the story. The story is good they just don't tell it well, also the battle system is might be overwhelming to some even in the early parts but once you get the hang of it it's pretty fun.

The characters are likable, the game looks and sounds great, and the voice work is excellent.

And remember that Vanille is annoyingly chipper because she's trying to keep everybody's spirits up including her own. That's why she comes off as 'kooky' when really she's a very sad person. And Hope isn't nearly as whiny and annoying as some might say. Really none of characters have that annoying 2D characterization as most JRPG's have.

 

[KefkaCultist]

I thought 13 was pretty crappy. FF9 is one of my favorites from the playstation era and since you have a PS3 you can buy FF9 from the store for like $10.

If you can though I highly recommend FF6 for SNES, it has my favorite villain of all time in it AND you can suplex a train. If you can't get a super nintend and game you could always get a good emulator online.

Also, FF7 is everyones favorite which is also on the Playstation store for about $10.

EDIT: FF10 is also pretty good

 

[tunderball]

I'd have to say start with 10, its a much better game than 13, has better characters and the game actually makes you care about them by the end. The other plus is that although it's an old game the graphics are pretty good compared to 7,8,9. Basically it's the perfect stop off yeah you have to compensate Graphics a little bit (from modern day games) but you get a much superior game to 13 and once you get used to the formula of the JRPG do seek out the classics from before.

 

[For.I.Am.Mad]

The games are too different to really have a starting off point. The FF series IS the jrpg genre. So any main game would be good starting off point. If you've never played ANY jrpg I would start with FF7 or maybe even FF6.

 

[Kyuubi Fanatic]

No. FF13 is not a good game, or at least no where near the level of it's predecessors. If you want some quality JRPG's go with FFVII-FFX, Star Ocean Till the End of Time (PS2) Star Ocean 4 International (PS3 version) Kingdom Hearts 1 & 2 (PS2) and Riviera the Promised Land (PSP). Those are some good starting points

 

[Mordwyl]

IX has the easiest mechanics from the latter games, without much need to grind nor overly contemplate strategies.
VII is a bit more creative with it by using the versatile Materia system which I love and has a relaxed learning curve.
X is simpler but in a grander scale as it uses a huge sphere grid where you can allocate points to character advancement.
VIII makes use of the Junction system where you allocate magic into weapons and armour serving as boosts and defence buffs. It's not very newbie friendly since you cannot set the same magic into different things.

 

[Yopaz]

I haven't played many Final Fantasy games, but the remakes for the DS are good (Not Renvant Wings, never that). If you just want a good jrpg go for Persona or Tales of Vesperia. You should also look at some gameplay videos and reviews to see what fits you.
Final Fantasy XIII is supposed to be pretty good if you like that kind of games.

Edit: Also don't start with VII. Then you'll be one of those guys. And you don't want to be one of those guys... Those who started with VII and enjoyed it are unable to see that it was only a decent game and sees every game since that as complete rubbish. I am being stereotypical now, but it's not pretty...

 

[Therumancer]

I really want to play a good JRPG. I really don't want to hunt down rare/ older titles, so I was wondering if FF13 is a good title to get? I'm getting New Vegas this month, but I was wondering if it'd be a good title to grab when I get the chance.

I don't think it's one of the better games in the series, however I fear it represents the direction they will be increasingly going in. As such I imagine it's a good jumping on point.

Oddly for a lot of people I suspect it's actually been something of a jumping off point, because I suspect a lot of people aren't going to continue to support the series if it continues a lot of the trends we see in it.

Such are my thoughts.

 

[Taxicab Samurai]

For the love of god, no.

Hunt down (BUT I DON'T WANNA HUNT, do it) the Xenosaga series.
Do it or I'll find you.

 

[Kris015]

I wouldn't recommend FF13 as a starting point for Final Fantasy, since I've heard it was short and overly linear. Also, the HD graphics may give you high expectations, making it harder to enjoy the older ones. I'd recommend trying to find some of the GBA remakes of the old Final Fantasies at GameStop, or take a look at the Final Fantasies on the PlayStation Network. Or, you could try one of the various spin-offs, and work your way up from there. I personally started with Final Fantasy Tactic Advance. Hooked ever since.

However, that's just my opinion. If you think you'd enjoy FF13, then give it a shot.

Short??!? Its like 60 hours long..

 

[Mistermixmaster]

Imho FF XIII was/is great. I've had a lot of fun with that game. Just beware, if you are like me, then after playing it you won't be able to go back further than FF IX (which also is great, but I haven't gotten further than Disc 2... I suck at completing JRPGs...). I did buy FF VII after all the recommendations I got from my friends, but I can't play it for more than an hour before my eyes start hurting... FF X and X-2 might also be great choices to start off on, but again, I haven't completed them (Seymour broke me in so many goddamn times up at that one mountain battle that I lost interest after finally defeating him, and X-2 decided to corrupt my save after quite some time...)

 

[KezzieZ]

Edit: Also don't start with VII. Then you'll be one of those guys. And you don't want to be one of those guys... Those who started with VII and enjoyed it are unable to see that it was only a decent game and sees every game since that as complete rubbish. I am being stereotypical now, but it's not pretty...

Not necessarily. My first Final Fantasy title was VII and, to be honest, I think that it and VIII are both overrated. My favorites are IV (though I've only played the DS version), VI, IX, and X.

Of course, you did point out that it's a little stereotyping and I'll definitely admit that some of the more outspoken VII fans can be horribly annoying.

 

[Czargent Sane]

I really want to play a good JRPG. I really don't want to hunt down rare/ older titles, so I was wondering if FF13 is a good title to get? I'm getting New Vegas this month, but I was wondering if it'd be a good title to grab when I get the chance.

I'd say something sarcastic, but really, just watch the zero punctuation review of ff13, yatzee is better at this than i am.

 

[Space Spoons]

Depends on your point of view. FF13 is a good starting point if you want to enjoy the FF series as it is known today; pretentious, overblown, strategically unambitious, full of bizarre design choices, but very, very pretty. If you'd rather get a look at the series as it used to be, I'd recommend FFIV DS; strong characterization, a story that's kind of cliched by today's standards, unforgiving difficulty, traditional job classes.

 

[CrankyStorming]

FF6 and 9 are the only ones I've played enough of to get an opinion on, and I'd say they're both pretty easy to get to grips with. 9 is better in terms of aesthetic design and general tone, but I prefer the more user-friendly interface of 6, it just lays everything out more clearly.

They should both be downloadable by now(I don't know if 6 is on the Wii VC in the US yet, but 9 is pretty reasonable on PSN), although they both suffer the same problem of giving you too many options when really, you're only going to use the standard elemental attacks. Which is what makes Dragon Quest 9 for the DS a much better option, giving you plenty of options and also a reason to use most of them.