Gaming New to Final Fantasy franchise

rubaducky · Jul 23, 2008

Hello all!

As you can tell by the title of this thread, I am totally new to the entire Final Fantasy franchise. At 30, that is despicable!
I have been a gamer since before I was a teenager, yet I never really cared for the whole Ivalice thing. (I was more a Zelda and Dragon Quest fan)

So now that you've stopped sniggering and pointing

, could you please recommend which version of FF is the best for a noob like myself to start from?

I realise that each version is basically a reboot of the previous (ala Pokemon) but with a proper storyline and character development. So which is the best, least frustrating, most rewarding, and easiest to pick up and play?

silent sniper · Jul 23, 2008

Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales.

It's a less conventional FF game, it's not nearly as RPG-generic, it's a cute gamenwhich you control a chocobo (these giant yellow chickens that appear in nearly every FF) who tries to rescue his friends.

If you want that standard RPG fare, I'd pick up Final Fantasy 1&2: Dawn of Souls for GBA. Come with remkaes of the first two FF games for the NES both in one cartridge (or download it it you pirate). The walking animations are really retarded and probably will get on your nerves eventually.

If you want the super complex stories and character development, get Final Fantasy IV, already released on GBA a long time ago, and just released on DS. Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (and A2) are pretty easy.

Final Fantasy VI I'd say is the best all around game, I haven't played any of VII-XII so i can't help you with those.

GeekyGuy · Jul 23, 2008

Actually, each FF isn't a reboot, at least not completely. They've been tweaking the series with almost every entry. But for what is currently available on DS, I'd recommend FFIII over FFIV. The simple, old-school turn-based battle system ought to feel familiar to a DQ vet. A DQ vet would also know the drill, as far as level-grinding goes. It's a nice, light romp with some simple yet lovable characters.

CPhantom · Jul 23, 2008

Adding on to the other posts, if you are interested in some of the ones that were for the PSX or PS2, then I'd go with FFVII (if you really wanna follow that insanely fan based path, I didn't like this one) or FFVIII (not as popular as FFVII, but I consider this one the best of them all.). Or, if you want to go with PS2...there aren't many that were good for it. X was okay, it had a nice story to it, but gameplay was way to easy. And XII, you could basically get the game to play itself using a system called "Gambits". Still a neat story to it and some eye candy though.

rubaducky · Jul 23, 2008

So from the first two replies, I've gathered that I should probably just start at the beginning, laugh at the backward dodgyness of the first two outings, and really start to enjoy myself with III and IV.

My younger brother has Chocobo Tales. He's put hours and hours into it, so I am a little familiar with FF from that perspective, I just don't care for the kid-friendly fairytale book angle.

I love my level grinding, and once I get into an RPG, I pretty much live it for weeks, so I don't want to start somewhere in the middle of a saga and feel like I should have played the previous game in order to understand what the characters are about.

ryuujin2788 · Jul 23, 2008

Play IV, VI, VII, and VIII

Thank me later.

Japhle · Jul 23, 2008

ryuujin2788 said:
Play IV, VI, VII, and VIII

Thank me later.

This, except prioritize IV and VI, or if you want to find the originals, They were known as II and III, but you probably already knew that along with the other four billion or so individuals in the world who knew that.

rubaducky · Jul 23, 2008

I am trying IV as we speak!

Unchi-san · Jul 23, 2008

PSX: FFVII
DS: FFIV

play those 2 and you will be hooked on the series =P

Private|Par · Jul 23, 2008

I'm also myself quite new to FF, although I loved the Tactics Advanced games. I've played a few, but just couldn't get into them. With the release of IV, I hope that'll all change... I only really played the one released previously for the DS and one of the GBA ones, so nothing major like VII.

Also, good to see another Melbournite.

CPhantom · Jul 23, 2008

Unchi-san said:
PSX: FFVII
DS: FFIV

play those 2 and you will be hooked on the series =P

I don't understand why FFVII took the place over VIII. Personally, VII just lacked character personality. It had a nice story, but it was just dull. Also, Sephiroth's moves would take 100 years to cast.

FFVIII had a nice character advancement with a wonderful story to it. It was a insanely easy if you knew how to mess with the junction system further into the game (I managed to have the ATB bar regenerate almost instantly with maxed out health, damage and casting speed on two characters), but other than that it's storyline and characters hooked me much better than VII's did.

I still have to agree with the VII fanboys though that Squall was a slight rip-off of Cloud. Except he got the better animal

Lions would pwn Wolves any day.

Ruri · Jul 23, 2008

rubaducky said:
I realise that each version is basically a reboot of the previous (ala Pokemon) but with a proper storyline and character development. So which is the best, least frustrating, most rewarding, and easiest to pick up and play?What are you looking for in an RPG? If you're a DQ vet, your concept of 'frustrating' and 'rewarding' is probably different than many FF fans.

In general, compared to Dragon Quest games (especially the old ones)... Final Fantasy games are easier, require less time spent grinding, have a much more linear plot with less free-roaming exploration (in a Final Fantasy game it's almost always explictly obvious what you have to do / where you have to go next, while in DQ games it often is up to you to figure it out), have more dialog / character development, and require somewhat less strategy in gameplay and character development. And in general Final Fantasy games tend to have a smoother, easier to pick-up-and-play design overall.

The early Final Fantasies are closer to Dragon Quest games, though, especially FFIII. The later ones also suffer from increasingly huge numbers of increasingly-long cutscenes, as well as increasing amounts of teenage angst... how good is your tolerance for that? If you don't like long cutscenes (basically, you're watching a movie as much as you're playing a game) about whiny teenagers, don't play any FF past 7 (and think carefully before playing even that one. Honestly, even FF6 could be kind of whiny at times, they just didn't have the technology to make it properly annoying back then.)

Also, one comment on someone else's recommendation:
QUOTEFinal Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales

NO NO NO AVOID AVOID AVOID.

It isn't terrible game, but it is not an RPG. At all. It's a set of minigames with no real plot, a pretty bad card game tacked on, and some generic Final Fantasy art, enemies, and music from various FF games cut-and-pasted into it. I cannot comprehend why anyone would recommend it to someone who isn't already a huge Final Fantasy fan -- pretty much its sole attraction is having all the popular enemies, music, etc. Beyond that it's just generic minigames.

CockroachMan · Jul 23, 2008

Start from whetever you want.. the games on the "main series" (I, II, III,...,XII) are totally unrelated to each other. If you have a DS, starting with the FFIV remake would be a good start

CambridgeGuy · Jul 23, 2008

The fan translation of Final Fantasy VI by SkyRender/ChrisRPG is one of my favourite games ever, and I would strongly recommend you play this.
Play it on your Wii with Snes9X and a classic controller... PERFECT!

manias · Jul 23, 2008

it also depends if you care about graphics.. graphics got better n better between 7 - 9, all three are great.. they're ps1-only tho, so good for psp.
a lot of ff "purists" hold dear memories to ff7 as it was the first to go 3d etc or the first rpg they played. So many will say ff7 is THE best. It's really good, but the besT? I dunno

On the DS, I'd play ff6 GBA and ff4 DS

Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales is great too, but NOT really a final fantasy rpg in my opinion.. lotsa minigames

Antihero2007 · Jul 23, 2008

FF7 I would say is the best game to start with, I'm not a fan of FF8 the story never seemed that interesting and the tutorial at the beginning never ends and can't be skipped (I didn't have a memory card when I first got the game so I had to replay the tutorial a lot, I was just trying the game out I knew I needed one). FF9 is my second favourite FF game I haven't really played any after that, I tried FF10 but it was rubbish, FF12 might be ok but I haven't played it. Some people say FF6 is the best FF game not sure I agree but it is good.

FF7 was one of the games I really wanted when I was thinking which console wanted to buy (My first console), but in the end I got an N64 not completely sure why, I think either for Mario Kart or/and WcW vs nWo.

Celes cole · Jul 23, 2008

I wouldn't start on 7 just yet, maybe after a few other FF games, but FF7 can lead to fanboyism... well not anymore but still. It's died down enough to say "Okay, FF7 is NOW playable without fanboys giving away the whole game in one sentance."

Start with IV (which you are), then FFVI. Those 2 are the only FF games that don't have too many fanboys and they are perfect to start on. I would do V next, THEN probably VII. Or IX. I don't recommend FFVIII since it's... very different.

Rev2k7 · Jul 23, 2008

I think ix is best to me , but i never played IV and its pretty cool.

Unchi-san · Jul 23, 2008

Celes cole said:
I wouldn't start on 7 just yet, maybe after a few other FF games, but FF7 can lead to fanboyism... well not anymore but still. It's died down enough to say "Okay, FF7 is NOW playable without fanboys giving away the whole game in one sentance."

Start with IV (which you are), then FFVI. Those 2 are the only FF games that don't have too many fanboys and they are perfect to start on. I would do V next, THEN probably VII. Or IX. I don't recommend FFVIII since it's... very different.

your justification is to start on final fantasy games that don't have many fanboys? what a strange one. Plus you say FF IV and VI are the only two FF games that don't have too many fanboys?

Antihero2007 · Jul 23, 2008

Unchi-san said:
Celes cole said:

I wouldn't start on 7 just yet, maybe after a few other FF games, but FF7 can lead to fanboyism... well not anymore but still. It's died down enough to say "Okay, FF7 is NOW playable without fanboys giving away the whole game in one sentance."

Start with IV (which you are), then FFVI. Those 2 are the only FF games that don't have too many fanboys and they are perfect to start on. I would do V next, THEN probably VII. Or IX. I don't recommend FFVIII since it's... very different.

Click to expand...

your justification is to start on final fantasy games that don't have many fanboys? what a strange one. Plus you say FF IV and VI are the only two FF games that don't have too many fanboys?

Yeah actually why does it matter about fanboys? FF7 is a great game, I didn't play the game for any other reason than I saw it on TV and loved it's look and now I love it for it's look and it's story, which I don't think has really been copied.

I also love the game Silver on the Dreamcast which I don't think was ever really noticed.

"FF7 can lead to fanboyism"

I'm not really sure what this means, are you saying that FF7 is a good game and will lead you to become a fan, so don't play it?

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