Since there's been a lot of Final Fantasy titles coming to Steam, maybe it's time to check them out.

I remember playing one of the FF games when I was a kid (I don't remember which one, maybe 3) I got bored, but then again I wasn't into Turn-Based RPG and games that made you read a lot of text lol. That kid is now dead and now I'm interested in those things.

So which one should I start with? And sorry no giveaway :(

EDIT: Well I think the favourite here is FF IV, that looks like a good place to start, thanks for the suggestions!

9 years ago*

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If you aren't into turn based rpgs and games with lots of text, you should probably avoid Final Fantasy games.

9 years ago
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And all JRPGs

9 years ago
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Unless you want to kill GOD

9 years ago
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Dark Souls has neither turn based combat nor lots of text. There are exceptions! :D

9 years ago
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jRPG is a genre, not generally RPGs made in Japan ;p and DS is as far from JRPG genre as possible ;p

9 years ago
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Yeahhhh uh JRPG is no genre. Because, as you may not know, it's short for Japanese role-playing games.

Is it made in Japan? Is it an RPG? There you go.
Unlike Final Fantasy, Dark Souls is an action-RPG. But both are still jRPGs.

9 years ago
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Here you go Smartass. Show me anything about DS here.

Same as go for music/films genre. If someone in US plays typical JRock it will still be JRock. An american J-Horror movie remake made in US will still be classified as J-Horror (if remake follows genre ofc) not american horrot thrown in same basket as Halloween 987.

9 years ago
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JRPG is a game genre, just like K-Pop is a genre of music. DS does not abide by JRPG conventions and is not typically considered a JRPG.

Yes, JRPG also technically means an RPG made in Japan, but nobody uses that definition in conversation.

9 years ago
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I wasn't as I kid, but I am now :)

9 years ago
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he said he wasn't into them, it doesn't mean he isn't now ;) a lot of people weren't much into very complicated games as a kids, because you know... kids ;p they like fast fun, non-complicated joy etc ;p

I myself until 1st Baldur's Gate weren't into RPGs. When older cousin dropped me his Fallout 1 in 1998 I played it a little and dropped it. (Prolly also because as the 11y/o my english was too poor for it ;p) Yet 2 years later I played 1st BG and loved it. And then I got back to Fallout series next 2 years later (at 15 y/o I was already good enough in english) and I totally loved it and I couldn't believe how dumb I was 4 years earlier ;p

9 years ago
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I felt the same way about Neverwinter Nights. When I first tried to play it, I didn't give it enough credit and just got bored going through the tutorial (it's not like I disliked RPGs back then; I just found the tutorial too complex for my taste, to bother getting into the game then), so I left it alone for years to go and play other things (cough WOW cough). I got bored one day, popped NWN in my computer and...well, long story short it's become on of my favourite RPGs of all time, and I felt like an idiot for not giving it a chance years before.

9 years ago
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hhe - seems like generation difference ;P After Falliunts, BGs, Icewind Dales and especially Planescape I dropped 1st NWN because it was not as complex for me ;p While 1 love 2nd NWN 1st compared to old Black Isle RPGs felt like semi-RPG put in small locations more suitable for action games ;p

9 years ago
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i hated planescape with a passion lol it was like reading a book with a few minute intervals of gameplay..it was brutal and thats coming from someone who loves games with a story

9 years ago
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Well... I loved to read books long before I began to love video games ;p And then still before I loved video games I loved epic tabletop-RPGs. So for me Planescape tops other titles from the era exactly because it had shitload of text ;p Each playthrough felt like reading totally different book (not only considering amount of text in this game but how many choices player has in it as well) or playing very-deep developed tabletop RPG campaigh. Up to date I finished it 10-11 times and I always have it installed on my laptop which I use when I travel - so atm I'm slowly playing it through for 11-12th time ;p

It's my most favoritue game ever for the exact same reason that you hate it ;p

9 years ago
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Haha, that was my (limited) experience with it too. Yes, yes, I know, what a "casual".

Here we have one of the most acclaimed RPGs of all time. I started the game, rolled a character, and began reading. And reading. And reading. After getting a bit bored of this reading I decided to quickly skip through the text selecting dialogue options at random. There was masses more! Pages upon pages upon pages, and this was just from one NPC! At that point, I decided if I wanted to do that much reading, I'd pick up a book, and promptly exited the game.

Urgh, the shame. :|

9 years ago
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It's like an RPG Visual Novel!

9 years ago
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I didn't really start appreciating RPGs until I was 12 or 13. Before then I just didn't understand all of the more complicated things. I mean, like any of the D&D based games - a child just isn't going to understand all the interactions between spells and such. I guess this is why most children play CoD nowadays.

9 years ago
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Same here ;p at 11 y/o I got Fallout and I hated it (but I also know shit of English for a small explanation ;p), at 13 I played BG and basically since then RPG is my most beloved genre (even if I may not play as much of it now as I used to - if you have RL matters it's easier to finish 6h adventure game rather than 100-150h RPG - but I still love RPGs the most ;p)

9 years ago
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I like turn-based games (tile-based mostly) but I hate FF's combat system. So I don't think it's the best advice one can give. :)

9 years ago
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Seems like Final Fantasy Tactics would fit your bill?

9 years ago
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No thank you. I'm not into Japanese/anime stuff, plus I don't own a console. ;)

9 years ago
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Deleted

This comment was deleted 10 months ago.

9 years ago
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There are still the (Final Fantasy) Crystal Chronicles games, but not on PC.

9 years ago
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thats just lazyness :P

Dragon Age Origin has a lot of text :P

9 years ago
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Ermm... nope ;p Sorry ;p Whole DA:O stpryline with all choices is 250+ pageas as far as I remember (they were proud of it and announcing it). Planescape? Nobody knowss, but One playthrough story was fully converrted into text. and it had almost v500 pages. So long story short - all DA:O storylines, conversations etc combined are twice less than a single playthrough of P:T ;p

9 years ago
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IV is a fine place to start, then VI when you can find it. VII and IX are also good entries.

9 years ago
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Why not play them in order? Are some of them really bad or what?

9 years ago
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FF games are not direct sequels - each number is set in different universe with different story, lore etc. Only thing that binds these universes are some specific elements and tropes (like chocobos, orbs, spells, sumons etc). They do not adress characters or events of previous series (unless they are direct sequels/spinoffs with same number - like X and X-2). So there is no problem if you don't play them in order or even skip some. Also some of them are MMORPGs so many people prefer to skip these ones.

9 years ago
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Oh, ok. That's... weird...

9 years ago
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Not so weird as you may think. If you'd play them you'd notice that they look, sound, play and deliver story in a similar fashion, while at the same time keeps feeling fresh thanks to new worlds and characters. You will feel like playing FF game still, but you will not get bored with same stuff over and over again. Because imagine this - if you'd have few dozens of games being direct sequels - with same world, same characters and their characteristics, same story being continued - you'd get bored with it eventually. This way they can easilly continue the franchise while continuously developing new stories, characters and ideas.

9 years ago
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Yeah, I just don't understand why they are named like they were direct sequels. Maybe it would be a bit easier to understand they're not directly related to each other if they had a literal name.

9 years ago
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Don't ask us, but numbers don't always inidicate direct sequels. But the nes ones in their original form really show their age badly (the ports/remakes are better better but not quite as polished as the Snes games)

9 years ago
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Because Final Fantasy is actually a mistranslation. The English titles should have been "Ultimate Fantasy," with each game being a different fantasy.

Of course, you'd have to know English fairly well in order to understand the distinction....

9 years ago
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Well, you can play it in whatever order you want really, none of them have any actual ties to each other in way of narrative. These are the ones I think have the most to offer out of what I experienced in the series.

9 years ago
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The Early ones are, not bad, but very old games. I have seen enough of the ones before IV that I have no plans to play them; And from the little I played of 5 I understand why it was not ported originally to the Western Market. And They are separated into different categories that you might like or not. 4-6 are classic top down JRPGs, 7-9 introduced polygon graphics and got a little more complex, then there are the modern JRPGs and a MMORPG or two thrown in in the latter entries.

9 years ago
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and avoid FF13 like the plague

9 years ago
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Sadly, Final Fantasy XIII is the only Final Fantasy game I've ever finished all the way through. It's not like it was my favourite (I have to go with XII on that, then X), but...it just felt SHORT. A bad thing, but at least I finished it.

9 years ago
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I stopped playing after 12 due to college and not having the consoles anymore. I still want to play 13 at some point.

9 years ago
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I think FF X is the best as the first one. Then probably IX or VII. Then, the rest :P

9 years ago
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I second that, even though I didn't start from X myself, I think for newcomers it's the best title to get into the franchise. :)

9 years ago
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If you've got a way to play it, X would be a good one to start on.

9 years ago
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My most favoritue FF of all time is VI, but as it isn't released on PC yet (and not even rated yet, like IV is) you'd have to emulate it to play it ;p Still it's the last one (and best one) of classic 2d top-down FF games with awesome story, world, lore and charasters (Terra... <3).

From Steam avaiable ones - if you don't mind outdated PS1-era graphics - go for FF7. While graphics may seem oldish it's still great story with a ot of awesome plot-twists and awesome characters and absolutely iconic lore (it's the FF that spawed the most of sinoff games, mangas, animes, etc, it has very developed world you can really dig into). If more moders nad polished graphics are important for you - FF XIII is not so bad (yet nowhere close in gameplay/story epicness of VI/VII), cannot say much about IV as I didn't play modern version, only original one.

9 years ago
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By the way, there are mods that enhance graphics in FF7, especially the character models =)

9 years ago
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I second VI! Best one by far, followed possibly by IX.

9 years ago
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Dont waiste your money for this kind of games.

9 years ago
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"Dont waiste your money for this kind of games."

Owns 2 COD Games, 419h in CS:GO... bhuahuahaha xD

9 years ago
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also... *waste. this is waist ;p

9 years ago
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What if I beg for those kind of games?

9 years ago
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Final Fantasy VI, VII, IX, X are great games. I know a lot of people won't agree with me but I really liked VIII also. Start with VI or VII.

9 years ago
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I liked VIII because I'm a sucker for romance. (Even when the hero is a complete pillock.)

9 years ago
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First one I ever played was 7 and now I love the series.

9 years ago
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9 years ago
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Weird that nobody said to start with III.

9 years ago
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you mean Japanese or US numerics? Because if japanese - FFIII is nothing special - it's the same as FFI and II with more detailed graphics and some new elements - if you mean American numerics - it's Original nr VI - which has been mentioned several times already ;)

9 years ago
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My head hurts, I forgot about the JAP/USA title problem, so I guess the one I played it's maybe VI hehe.

9 years ago
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Then you already played the best one ever ;) If you want to play on PC/Steam go for VII then ;p

9 years ago
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I just played like 30 minutes a long time ago so it doesn't really count as played :p

9 years ago
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Then play it - at least on emulator ;p

9 years ago
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I'd say start with VII. Its widely regarded as one of the greatest games ever made and for me, its the most accessible FF title. The one issue with it is if you don't like playing older games. Its age shows in places, but the version available on Steam now is done quite well.

I am not much of a turn based fan, but I will play it and there occasions where I really like the game. FFVII really is wonderful though.

9 years ago
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As he says.

9 years ago
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+1

9 years ago
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I thought everyone hated VII... or was it VIII?

9 years ago
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VIII is a love it or hate it game. I personally loved it because of its characters and setting.

VII is the first most people played, so it has a lot of nostalgic value for some.

I think the best three games in the franchise are: IX; X and VI (III in America), although you'll have to use emulators to play them. I think you should start by IV though.

9 years ago
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I prefer if I don't have to use emulators :)

9 years ago
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So, you're probably going for the ones that were released on Steam, I guess :P.

If that's the case, I think you should go for IV first, then VII and VIII.

9 years ago
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overrated for me, but Crisis Core was very good.

9 years ago
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I'd start with whichever one looks more appealing to you. =P

9 years ago
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I'd say you should stay away from FF VII, many FF fans consider it the weakest entry in the franchise, although most people also love it because of its nostalgic value.

Try IX, VIII or X.

9 years ago
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The drawing system in VIII is awful though.

9 years ago
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Totally agreed.

But if it weren't for that, the Junction system wouldn't have worked (Which is something I love).

Time for me to replay VIII.

9 years ago
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My advice? IV, V VI, all of which can be played on emulators

IV: fantranslated jpn Snes rom (the US version was watered down in some ways), PS1/PSP collection version (original version but officically translated), GBA (original but with some other extras, sort of buggy though) DS (3d and some gameplay tweaks)

V: Fantranslated snes rom, PS1 version (from FF Chronicles), GBA (Has some extras)

VI: Snes rom, GBA (has some extras, though the music quality is worse)

9 years ago
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This.

I personally prefer the SNES versions, to be honest.

You spoony Kyosuke.

9 years ago
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Actually the whole "Spoony bard!" line is in ALL the versions; its even noted by one of the devs in the devs room in the DS ver: "The bard really was spoony!" when remarking about the Snes translation's quirks.

9 years ago
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True.

Still a great game.

9 years ago
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Not arguing about that, that and I say FF6's spirtes have aged better than FF7's polygon models.

9 years ago
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Totally agreed.

9 years ago
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But these days everyone is playing the remakes with polygons anyways.

9 years ago
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I played every FF from I through VII in order, and I'm playing VIII now. I recommend you to do that, it's good for you to see the evolution of the game and how it improved.

Also, do not play the original NES versions of the first Final Fantasies, I recommend playing the Game Boy versions, I played both versions, and... let's say that the game boy's graphics are better for the eye. The gameplay is pretty much the same, with a few extra areas on Game Boy versions. Some people say the the music is better on NES versions, but personally I don't dislike the game boy's soundtrack.

9 years ago
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if you really enjoy series - give VI a try. It may be older generation, but it has greatest storyline of all imho :> And I not only played but finished most of FF games (except handheld-only spinoffs and MMO ones).

9 years ago
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I Played FF 6, and really loved it. In fact it is my second favorite, and holds my favorite song in the series so far (Considering FF 1-8, the ones I have played): "Aria de Mezzo Carattere" (AKA "Celes' Theme"). My favorite is V, mostly because of the gameplay, also the soundtrack is the best so far in my opinion.

9 years ago
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Nobuo Uematsu (The series' composer until Final Fantasy X) said VI and IX had his favorite soundtracks.

VI is awesome, and it has one of the most (if not the most) powerful villains in the franchise.

9 years ago
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+1 for villain

...also TERRA!!! <3<3<3

9 years ago
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IV-VII and IX are my favorites, though if you're a first timer you may want to start with IV as it's pretty straightforward and doesn't have a lot of optional stuff that may confuse people new to RPGs in general. V and VI have great characters, though V has a fairly complex job system (complex for people new to RPGs anyway) and VI is quite long (split into 2 parts) and has some missable stuff that you probably won't catch unless you're using a FAQ or walkthrough.

IX is also pretty straightforward so it could also be a good jumping in point, though some of the character designs are funky looking like the Monkey boy, the really fat Knight, and the Rat lady. And then there's Quina.

9 years ago
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That awkward moment when you realize Quina is a male.

9 years ago
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I haven't actually played any Final Fantasy games either o:

I do plan on getting the III and IV though because they remind me of a 3DS game :3

9 years ago
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If you have to limit yourself to what's available on Steam right now then I'd recommend Final Fantasy IV or VII. I think both are really great, the first one has a more traditional fantasy setting, with only few more technologically advanced elements (like airships) thrown in. The seventh installment of the series is set in a more modern world, with corporations and genetic experiments, but at the same time it has magic (which is actually explained in game) and swords are as popular as guns (if not more :) ).

FF VIII is good as well (in my opinion) but it can be counted among the most controversial games of the franchise - some love it for its characters and story, others hate it for identical reasons. Anyway, you could try it after IV and VII, form your own opinion :) .

If you have access to other Final Fantasy games then you should definitely try out VI and IX. They are amazing as well. I might be biased, though.

9 years ago
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Most of you guys seems to like IV the best, so I guess that's the best to start with :D

9 years ago
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you misspelled VI ;p

9 years ago
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I don't know anymore. :3

9 years ago
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mmmm tough question Honestly :3

But yes I'd start with 4, I prefer the psp version rather than the steam one that's a direct port from the ds (I don't like the puppet look the chars have and the dialogues looks dumbed down, but it might be my imagination). I'm starting to play it as well, then I'll jump to 5 and then 6, maybe someday I'll play again the 8°. I left it around the second disc, I didn't like the magic system :)

9 years ago
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4 (called 2 in states) is a great starting point. They do not do anything weird with magic or summons, it is not too complicated or weird. A sorta great point to it is that the characters are not customizable, so you do not have to worry about having some stupid unwin-able build and they work as real characters not just interchangeable minions.

8 is great, but has a weird magic system and a weird summon system, and you could spend 500 hours farming magic to boost your stats. 7 is legendary but has a weird magic system, and is really complicated and complex. The best story of any of the games, almost certainly, but such a long complex game most people do not finish it from my experience. A lot of the other games have weird job systems, etc.

9 years ago
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8 is actually easier to bit in lower levels, you just have to play a lot of Triple Triad.

9 years ago
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Oh, 8 has levelled enemies/bosses???

And you would just refine invincibility and damage items?

9 years ago
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Yeah. And magic as well.

In fact, you can get Squall's best ultimate weapon in CD 2, if you know which cards to get.

9 years ago
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FF3 (or 6 in some places) was the best ff for me.

you can play them in order at least 1-9 for pc (emulated), if you have a psp you can get a remake of the first games with colors, best soundtrack and those things.
current 3 in steam is a remake based on nDS, i played the SNES version and i love it.

some people recommend the XIII but its kinda long... also ther's XIII-2 and XIII lighting return so... u'll need some time for a release of those last 2 in steam.

personal opinion. also 9 was my favorite for play station ( yes, more than 7 and 8).

9 years ago
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I played FF 6-9, my fav is 8, 6 is very good as well, 9 is so so and I did not like the style of 7

9 years ago
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played every final fantasy up to final fantasy 10

5,6, and 7 are my favorites.

9 years ago
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Play FF Tactics. Forget the base franchise, it's not as good (YOU HEARD ME).

9 years ago
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it all depends what one wants from games he plays. Tactics is very VERY inferior in means of mechanics-depth, story and lore to main games. So someone looking for complex mechanics, epic story and rtich lore should definetely start with main games rather than Tactics. Also as OP asked where to start as he's intrested in francghise at all - I guess mentioned story/lore is much more important to him than silly tactic mechanics.

9 years ago
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Played tactics, beat it, felt ripped off.

9 years ago
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The worst part about Tactics is its translation.

I didn't like it, at all. That's why I never tried to beat it.

I liked Tactics Advance better (I'm aware it's worse, but still).

9 years ago
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I remember that, instead of being called "Ice Breathe" they misnamed it to "Ice Bracelet" along with other breathe spell.

9 years ago
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yep

9 years ago
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I think I don't like you anymore :(

9 years ago
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As someone who's played IV and VI-XII and loved each one, this is still true. I would kill to see the re-translated PSP/iOS version on Steam.

Xenogears is still my favorite JRPG though, slightly ahead of Chrono Trigger.

9 years ago
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Pretty crappy without some mod like LFT.

9 years ago
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Closed 8 years ago by TheChack.