I was just pondering this same question today, having seen some Theatrythm Final Fantasy on Youtube and thinking it was only okay.

Before you all rip my head off, I only thought it was okay because none of the songs have that nostalgia factor for me, having not played any FF games before, and I'm well aware that this is the only reason, which brings me back to wondering what FF to start at.

@Gamesake omg western rpgs suck wheres the freaking story and its not even fun its so boring thats why elder scrolls sucks and when final fantasy tales of games earthbound star ocean and so many other JRPGS are well thought and amazing story lines thats why JRPGS are the best and super EPIC!!

There are stories in the Dragon Quest series? I must have missed them.

WRPGs are good but not better than JRPGs. They're good, but very different genres. WRPGs tend to focus less on characterization, are sometimes very non-linear, lacks a deep plot, and usually tries to make you feel like the main character. WRPGs tend to make you feel like you're in the game's world, which is why it's called a ''RPG''.

JRPGs are very different. They tend to have a much bigger emphasis on plot, have much more developed characters, are usually very linear, and make you realize that you're not masquerading as the main character.

That's why saying WRPGs are better than JRPGs is absurd. It's like saying a pure platformer (like Super Mario Bros.) is better than a run-and-gun platformer hybrid (Mega Man). They're both awesome and very similar sub-genres of each other, but one's not necessarily better than the other.

Anyway, the PS1 Final Fantasy games that I was the most impressed with are Final Fantasy VI and Final Fantasy IX. Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII might be good games, but they're so ugly that it will turn off any newcomers like me. Final Fantasy V is good, but FFVI seems better to me. Personally, my favorite Final Fantasy games at the moment are Final Fantasy IV (the only FF game I've actually beaten) and Final Fantasy XIII. This thread reminds me that I need to get back into the series.

Also, RPGs need to be more like Xenoblade Chronicles, since it's the first RPG I've seen that successfully blends the awesome elements of WRPGs and JRPGs. The result is a d*mn masterpiece.

Oh goodness the ignorance.

Anyone who says western RPGs don't have good plots clearly hasn't played many of them. You know, like The Witcher games, or Dragon Age Origins. Skyrim has a great plot too, far deeper than any JRPG. It just doesn't spoon feed you like a baby - you need to go and find the plot yourself.

Xenoblade is not a WRPG in any way. It's linear.

That's why saying WRPGs are better than JRPGs is absurd.

Wait what? You contradicted yourself here.

The only thing I like about FF is the music. That's about it. And I'll be the first to admit that FF's composition is better than DQ, of course, that's my opinion. The only FF games I've actually genuinely liked were III, V and VI and MAYBE XII. The recent ones- bleh.

And grinding is my gripe with FF as well. This goes for DQ too. But, I like DQ more since it knows what it wants to be. Hopefully come FF15, they try to spice things up a bit. Also, the save points really need to get with the times...

FF7 is the best game of all time.

6 is usually seen as the game that has aged the best. i.e.: it hasn't aged a bit. It's probably the best choice.
7 is a great game, but it's pretty rough around the edges. It hasn't aged as well. I agree with what Lollipopchosaw said.
Personally, I love 9, as I feel it has aged much better. Still, anything made PS1 era outside of Vagrant Story and MGS are hard to show to new gamers.
Regardless, I feel you made the right decision. 6 is best on GBA or VC, and 9 is a great game. Quite frankly, you couldn't have gone wrong with any of these.