Which FF game should I try to pick up?`
If you like X, rather try XIII or Type-0. IX was more of a throwback to the FF I-VI era, X continued the sci-fi/fantasy mixture they started with VII and fully developed in the Fabula Nova Crystalis saga. IX has great nostalgic value, but, well, it also plays a lot on being nostalgic. A nice entry, but I think you can appreciate it more if you manage to play at least 1-2 of the old games first.
But, then again, getting everything in X and X-2 takes well over 300 hours, so if you really stick around that game, you have plenty of time to decide.
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The one I've played the most of is IX. It's the classic medieval fantasy setting and it's got the AP-to-learn-stuff system(you gain points when using items to permanently learn skills). The music is also probably some of the most memorable of all of the games, too. The minigames do suck quite a bit though, like the skip-rope at the start of the game and the chocobo minigames. The card game is kind of "eh".
Also, it's the one that has Vivi, the extremely popular magician-doll character.
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8 or 9.
8 for nostalgia (I still have the 5 cd version, the PC port was okayish with some things better than the console version and other things worst.) First half of the game is really good, yeeeeeah, very Japan-RPG but still good, the second half is when the J eats the RPG of the J-RPG.
9 because it's one of the best J-RPGs I've ever tried and because, imho, its the best FF. It has good combat system, good characters, a decent story too, lots of comedy and a wonderful setting or atmosphere.
10 is okay, story is like 8, with lots of ups and downs but the combat system is really great
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Still so strange to see this kind of reaction to IX. When it came out, people really disliked it for going the opposite direction as VII (usually the only FF most people in the West knew by then… and, well, even now). in the past years, I saw it rise to levels that now sometimes even challenge FFVII as being the most fondly-remembered nostalgic FF of the PSX era.
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I don't know, I wish to know more abou IX :( but to me always felt quite magical. The crew at the beginning, how slowly you were meeting your friends and team, that fantasy surrounding pretty much everything...
I always feel VII to be overrated, I like the game but... I don't know, it's so sily, so stupid sometimes... A lot of people just say it's a masterpiece because it was the first one and thats it, all that came afterwards its... well, i just saw that movie and it was utterly bad, that spin-off with vincent was a really boring videogame... And that FF is the one who gets a remake...
._.
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Don't forget that it will the first FF remake where they do more than redo the graphics; they will rework the mechanics and possibly even the story. This can also be interpreted that all other FFs so far were good enough to stand on their own, years—even decades—after release. But FFVII carried enough flaws to warrant an actual makeover to make it look good in the modern era. So maybe even Square secretly admits that it is not as great as people try to remember it to be.
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Is it true they are going to use some similar system like FF13? is it really that bad? I know there is a lot of halls, but people told me after 50% of the game its really good (wich is bad as a whole, that a game "starts" after the first half)
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FFXIII is really just a bunch of corridors, yes. But, truth to be told, all other FFs were completely linear, because even on the big world maps, you always had exactly one place you could visit next, up until you finally got the airship or the local equivalent. (Which did nothing but let you finish the optional side quests, as your goal was still exactly one place, nevertheless.)
Where it lacks is the towns or quest hubs, as it has none. FFXIII is all about combat, but unlike any other Final Fantasy before it, where all non-boss encounters could be won by holding down the A (or X, or whatever you set as "Confirm") button, here, trying to stick to one tactic will either prove to be slow, ineffective, or downright impossible. The tactical depth is immense and on par with some ARPGs (on par with Tactics and exceeding X-2), but this means all other gameplay elements were sacrificed.
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XIII is actually my second favourite after VI. It felt great to constantly learn new and new tactics and go deeper into the game mechanics. Or to finally play an FF where disable-type spells (slow, poison, curse, and so on) were not only viable, but a crucial part of effective gameplay even on high levels, including mandatory and optional bosses.
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I'm still convinced VI is the best in the franchise (I still crack it out once every year or two and beat it), but given it's age and technical limitations of the time, it may not sit well with modern gamers. If the VII remake is a hit, hopefully they'll remake VI to the same quality so people who never got to play it and can't get past it's age can finally see what it is us fans really love (People can also hate me if they want but... Although Sephiroth looked cooler, Kefka is the better badguy). That being said, since you're someone who's never played the franchise, you may want to start with newer titles since well... They're more in tune with today's standards.
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Kefka at least was genuinely mad and wanted to destroy the world because it seemed fun at the moment. Sepiroth is essentially the purest, most quintessential moping brooding emo boy ever created in fiction, who wants to destroy the world because moping and reasons.
But he had a really great battle theme. Kefka too, but One-Winged Angel was still better than Dancing Mad.
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I wish they would put Tactics on Steam. Other than that I would say 8 though. I feel like 10 is highly overrated, the story is cringe inducing most of the time, and the combat 90% of the time is way too easy, and the rest of the time way too hard expecting you to grind.
I just started 10 over a month ago and I can't seem to find the inspiration to grind out XP to beat the final boss who at this stage goes 6-7 times in a row and wipes my party before I get a turn =/
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I would recommend a few of them:
7 = because it is a classic. You can also use Tifa's bootle mod to improve your gameplay experience over what it would have been on the Playstation. Side quests and mini-games are some of the best and largest variety you will ever find in the FF series here.
1 & 3 & 4= it is a simple easy RPGmaker one for when you are looking for something that is not mentally demanding.
6 = because it is considered one of the best for story
9 = A good one if under-rated because so few people played it.
I would not recommend, 2, 8 or 10. Two is just a crazy hard to find and difficult to play. The leveling system is practically impossible to understand. Eight should be avoided because you are basically playing a FMV and the side game - card game, is a pain in the rear and hard to comprehend. You need to beat the side game to get some of the best gear in the game - which feels unfair. Ten should be avoided because it is a very linear gameplay and you do not have the freedom to explore. Also, the same problem with the mini-game, you have to beat the mini-games to be able to get the best gear in the game and this feels unfair.
Beyond 10, I am not familiar with any of the FF series because it is my opinion that the FF series should not be an MMO. So, I cannot make any recommendations for any of the FFs beyond 10.
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I would say that FF1 clearly has the appearance of being an RPGmaker game.
FF3 & FF4 and maybe FF5 could probably be replicated in one of the RPGmaker programs as well.,
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Skip 1 and 2 because they're overly simplistic by today's RPG standards, and have zero character development and very tropey stories. If you're okay with the 8 and 16-bit graphics, start with 3, as that's the beginning of what became the Final Fantasy that most people know. Then go through 6, skip 7 for now, and do 8-10 and 12. However, on the earlier ones, find the latest version you can play that isn't the remake. The remakes are somewhat broken on PC, and, in my opinion, the re-imagined graphics are distractingly wrong for the rest of the content.
Also keep in mind that 7 stands along in many respects. It's the only one that was designed to be a console seller, and it shows. Unfortunately, the gimmicks don't really shine now that we're out of the PS1 age. I'm hoping the remake fixes that.
Also note that you can kind of group them in generations. Playing 10 first will make 3 feel like a completely different series. 1-2 would be the first generation, in my book, followed by 3-6, then 7-10+12, then the garbage that is 13. I haven't played 15 yet.
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The best Final Fantasy Ever is FF VI - it has the best story, best characters, best everything. Sadly the Steam veriosn for FF VI is not the original but rather shitty mobile iOS port. We still get the great original story but instead of one of the most beautiful SNES era graphics we get some shitty mobile assets etc. So if you can play on other device (SNES, PS1, GBA) or are willing to emulate - go for FF VI. If you wanna stick up to Steam version and not emulate the second best pick after FF6 is FF IX.
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Play with FFVI (and if you can either get the SNES version or emulate the GBA version (with color restoration patch)), its the best FF so far with its quite dark story, insane antagonist, also this game has one of the best soundtrack :)
Some example OST:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZl-PL_goyk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbXVNKtmWnc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6t_uyg_pF8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMd6V1IOJ5k
Edit: also as a bonus, have the "Decisive Battle" cover https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnZTq5RiHZ4
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I would avoid the Steam versions of FF4-6, as they're all based on the mobile ports that in general are considered the worst versions of the games. If you're going to play them, get the good versions:
FF6 = SNES the most balanced overall, GBA has a little more content but cuts off some of the screen (also requires a fan patch to fix sound quality), PS1 = basically the SNES game with some FMV but also load times.
FF5 = SNES is the only one worth mentioning at all.
FF4 = PSP version shows more area and has the After Years expansion from the Wii version. Easily the best 2D version.
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Anyway, to develop a bit more:
FF1 on NES is slow, clunky and should pretty much only be played for historical value. GBA remake is absolutely excellent though, since they reworked the spells and battles to be more in line with 4-6 and look less like a crappy take on D&D's already terrible mechanics. Its short length, abysmal plot (meaning no unskippable 50 minutes cutscenes) and party choices allows for lots of replay value, and the bonus dungeons are kinda rogueliky, which is why it's still my favourite "main" FF to this day. PSP version is pretty much the same, with higher resolution (which means better-looking battles, and weird-looking maps) and higher quality music (though I sometimes prefer the 8-bit ones).
FF2 on NES is slow, clunky and should pretty much only be played for historical value, except its plot is actually good. GBA / PSP remakes are basically the same, except with upgraded graphics and music.
FF3 on NES is OK, though I don't remember much of it. On DS / Steam it's just a poor man's Bravely Default, which is still OK.
FF4 and 5 have good plots and pretty much define the rest of the series' mechanics, though they suffer from terrible balance issues. Which may or may not have been fixed in remakes, I only played the SNES versions.
FF6 is pretty much the best of the series (though I still like 1 more, but I have weird tastes). Great scenario, excellent pacing, interesting mechanics and kinda open-world for its time. Get the SNES, PS1, GBA versions, or pirate it. Seriously. Don't even think about buying this on Steam or mobile unless you're collecting every episode, this is pretty much the worst remake ever.
FF7-10 all have the same qualities (interesting scenarios and characters, deep mechanics, great graphics for their time) but are also all extremely slow-paced. I can't play them anymore, it's like swimming in slugs.
FFX-2 is... an acquired taste. If you don't take it seriously, it's very fun to play, and you can finally skip the cutscenes in this one, so it can be replayed without inviting Slugtown to your room. Sadly playing X is required to understand the plot (even though it's B-movie rate).
Never played XI, though I heard it's good.
FFXII is a single-player MMO. Very mixed experience. Half the characters are good (Balthier, Basch, maybe Fran), half are slap magnets (Vaan, Ashe, maybe Penelo - nah, she just has a poor fashion sense, can't bring myself to hate her), the plot is meh (but the world is interesting), the battles are boring unless you like to write scripts and watch the AI do battle for you. Also a terrible grindfest. Matsuno should never be allowed near an MMO again.
Never played XIII or any of its innumerable sequels. AFAIK Steam versions are poorly optimized.
FFXIV is... an MMO. Played it for a week before achieving my character's lifelong dream (buying a pair of earrings) and moved on to something else. Some of my friends still play it a lot, so it's probably good.
FF Tactics is what Shakespeare would have done if he was a game developer and not a playwright - though he probably would have done without the Velius fight. The plot is excellent (more or less based on the War of the Roses), the battles are just the right amount of challenging (except the aforementioned Velius fight), and allow for a lot of customization. I don't know any other game when you can play a gunner who can shoot their opponent's armor until they're naked and jump on the nearby roof, then throw a two-handed sword to their face if they get too close, or some weird mage who damages the enemies with raw math.
tldr
Play Tactics if you can find it (PSP or PS1, didn't play the mobile version but AFAIK it's based on PSP which is probably the better of the two since the translation was reworked), play 1 (GBA remake) if you actually believe my BS, or play 6 (but not on Steam) if you want an all-around excellent JRPG. If it has to be on Steam, X/X-2 I guess.
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I actually just bought my 1st FF game this steam sale..wait, damn, I just remembered I actually own FF XIII, played it for an hour or so and found it quite dull... I basically forgot I own a FF game lol
Anyway, since I see you've already decided, for me it was between IX and X, after looking at some videos I just preferred the look of the FF IX world and it also seems to have quite a bit of humor, so I went for it. X will probably be the next one.
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This has been asked and answered million times on million different websites in million different timelines in million different universes. Did anybody ever tried to search the mighty world wide web? There are comprehensive and lenghty videos on youtube, dedicated to this very question, comparing all those games and their different version with player's taste in gaming kept in mind. Why not watch those? The worst thing about FFXV is not the story, or repetitive sidequesting, it's the amount of these threads that the game spawned. /rant
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9 is my personal favorite, but I think 6 is the best place to start.
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Hey everyone!
Steam Winter Sale is going on (big news, I know) and I want to give the Final Fantasy franchise another try. I started playing FF VII, as it is considered a classic, but I didn't quiet get into it. Which FF should I try next and why?
Help me out, I need to sacrifice money to Gabe! xD
Update: Thanks to your recommendations, I tried FFX and I really like it a lot! :-)
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