Final Fantasy Nooby - Where should I start?

MossyUK · 14 May 2006 at 11:05

Hi there,

I would really, REALLY like to get into this series but good god do I feel alienated from it. Firstly, I dont understand how it can be a final fantasy if theres 13 of them. Secondly, none of the characters are the same in any of them.

Also, it seems the first one I am likely to play is FF7 - which I would need to find my old PS1 for. Do I need to play them in order? Will i have a clue whats going on if not? Which ones are best?

Any help very greatfully appreciated!

Dark_Angel · 14 May 2006 at 11:08

There are no order which is best, they are all totally different games. Apart from FFX and X2.

Which are best? Hmmm, most say 7 and 8.... then 10. Though I know a few who dislike 7, and firmlly say that 8 is the best... I personally thought 9 and X2 were the worst though...

melchy · 14 May 2006 at 11:14

A lot of poeple swear by VI as well.

You'd be best picking up a PS2, you could then play them all on it, and of course XII is just around the corner.

Moonpie2 · 14 May 2006 at 11:16

You should probably start on 7.
Of course its aged graphically, but the story and materia system are still king

To answer a few points, the characters are not the same in any of them (apart from FFX and FFX-2) but there is always a "Cid" somewhere in the plot.

The franchise was originally called Final Fantasy because back in the day Square were not very successful at all and they were on the edge of going under. They had enough cash for one last blast at making a game and so they called it Final Fantasy. Obviously the game sold trillions and they went on to take over the universe

Chiribo · 14 May 2006 at 11:18

I would stay start at the begining of the PS1, so FF VII. For me personaly it's the best game in the series so far, however I like FF VIII the most

And I see someone posted why the game series is called Final Fantasy

NokkonWud · 14 May 2006 at 11:37

Go for FFVII and FFVIII, those, in my opinion are the best 2.

V, IX and X are also quite popular I believe.

Davinnicus · 14 May 2006 at 11:38

I recently picked up FF chronicles from somewhere for a couple of quid brand new, so my goal is to play all the FF's in order from I through X-2, before XII comes out. Only problem with this is that I'll have to play through the boring fmv fest that is FFX.

MossyUK · 14 May 2006 at 11:38

cheers all - i will try and find FF7 then and start from there

Superdude · 14 May 2006 at 13:49

Yes start off with Final Fantasy 7

While a lot of the other games are much better, this one will determin if you like the series or not.

Amazing game

Kreeeee · 14 May 2006 at 14:06

melchy said:
A lot of poeple swear by VI as well.

You'd be best picking up a PS2, you could then play them all on it, and of course XII is just around the corner.

Yep, definitely start on FFVI

Psyk · 14 May 2006 at 14:36

7 is generally considered the best (I agree) so maybe you might want to play some of the others first and leave the best for last. I think many people who played 7 when it came out were then dissapointed with 8 because it wasn't quite as good and then they never bothered with any of the others. I have all the single player FF games that have come out in this country (all the main series anyway, not the spin-offs). I like all of them, although 1 and 2 feel more like a history lesson because they are quite dated now (in terms of characters and story, the graphics aren't the same as the original releases).

aphex · 14 May 2006 at 16:09

Yeah FF6 is pretty good, and although not Final Fantasy you could try Chrono Trigger cos the game is amazing

Edited to keep it legal - think about what you post.

Otacon

james.miller · 14 May 2006 at 16:15

VII. has the right mix of everythign, its nothing short of stunning. the pace, the story and the characters are all perfect.

punky_munky · 14 May 2006 at 16:17

Play VII, VIII & IX on a Playstation (or ps2)
Get a DS and play the GBA versions of I, II, IV (V & VI are coming soon).
Also wait for III for the DS too.
X for the PS2 is pretty good but not great.

Warbie · 14 May 2006 at 16:24

VI and VII are my faves.

I thought VIII and beyond were pretty poor.

Psyk · 14 May 2006 at 16:34

punky_munky said:
Get a DS and play the GBA versions of I, II, IV (V & VI are coming soon).

One advantage the PS versions have is some FMV cut scenes. Although for I and II the extra content on the GBA is probably more worthwhile than the pretty but pointless FMVs.

nolimit · 14 May 2006 at 16:43

final fantasy addicts say VI was the best.

if you can't decide maybe try Final Fantasy Tactics.

or Maybe try a even better game Dragon Quest series.

jon.bda · 14 May 2006 at 18:31

MossyUK said:
cheers all - i will try and find FF7 then and start from there

I might have a second copy here somewhere, need to dig out my Playstation doubles...

PinkPig · 14 May 2006 at 19:08

Psyk said:
One advantage the PS versions have is some FMV cut scenes. Although for I and II the extra content on the GBA is probably more worthwhile than the pretty but pointless FMVs.

From what I remember they're not even especially pretty - made cheaply and nowhere near as impressive as some of the FFIX FMVs, for instance. To the OP, just try one of the PSOne or PS2 games and see what you think. Not understanding why it's called "Final Fantasy" or why the characters are different between the games doesn't stop you from playing them! All of the stories, except between FFX and FFX - 2 are independant.

MossyUK · 14 May 2006 at 21:38

aphex said:
Yeah FF6 is pretty good, and although not Final Fantasy you could try Chrono Trigger cos the game is amazing

Ahhh, so is it similar in gameplay to Chrono, Secret of Mana, Evermore etc?

All I know is FF is usually listed in most peoples top X games, and I feel like im missing out. I have played the above 3 through (twice in 2 out of the 3 cases) and loved them. So thats pretty good news!