Sale on PSN in the UK for PS3 includes several Final Fantasy games, all of the classics in fact bar 4 before X. Now as a (virtually) complete newcomer to the series I would appreciate any advice on which ones I should get. They're all £4 each, and I wouldn't mind spending up to £20 on the best 5. Obviously I know that all their stories are unconnected and such and I've not been living under a rock so I know about Kefka, Aries (whatever she's called) and such twists have been spoiled to me long ago but whatever I stil think they'll be worth it. I'm probably the biggest JRPG fan ever who hasn't played a FF game, having played dozens before now but ahead of the FFVII remake and FFXV I think I should aim to play through the best ones. Chrono Trigger is one of my favourite ever games and I know VI is a similar game and VII is a given but wha other 3/4 would you recommend? Some rave about XIII/IX whilst others think they're not all that amazing. Also are the older ones worth it? I hear IV is the best of the bunch pre-VI but that is the only one not included in the sale. I also hear some people saying that III and VI are the same game? What's that all about?
Oh and whilst it's not included in the sale I think it would be relatively easy for me to get XIII cheap pre owned and whilst I know it's not a great game at all I stil want to see what all the 'fuss' is about. But I also don't know what FF XIII-2 is (included in the sale for £8 down from £16) and Lightning Returns. Are they sequels? DLC? Remakes? I am so confused.
And finally any advice on the order to play them in would be great, I don't want to get burned out on the first couple I play so if any of them are particularly long I'd rather leave them until last or at least be warned.
@Morpheel: Thanks, that was interesting to see. Knew that they were on the GBA and DS but I passed them up back them hence this thread. Though I double checked the sale and somewhat disappointing all the games before V can only be played on a PSP or a Vita, neither of which I own. So it really comes down to which of V, VI, VII, VIII and IX are the best and in particular which is the best starting point. And any clarity on XIII and its whatever the heck they are would also be appreciated.
XIII-2 and Lightning Returns are sequels to Final Fantasy XIII. It goes XIII, then XIII-2, then Lightning Returns.
The thing about III and VI is that Final Fantasy III was the name given to VI when it was released in North America, because it was the third game in the Final Fantasy series released there. Likewise IV was originally called Final Fantasy II in North America. II, III, IV, and VI are all different games.
As for the recommendations I've only played VI and VII so I can't really help much. I would recommend both of those about equally as starting points. VII may be a little simpler but VI isn't super complex either. VI is more difficult, or at least has some spikes. VI is probably shorter, but I don't know because I haven't beaten it. VII on the other hand took me about 65 hours to beat, not that I was trying to rush. As for the other three I can only say what I've heard, which is that V is the hardest (?) and has a job system (unlike VI and VII), and VIII has a weird leveling system and a card minigame. I really don't know much about IX.
@Santa: Wow, no the earlier titles VII and earlier were actually really good for the time. Now the series is crab, but IV, V, VI, and VII were masterpieces.
ff9 is really good imho, often overlooked but it is a huge beautiful world with most all the different characters and classes from past games. it has classic rpg gameplay plus fun minigames(cards and chocobos)and its beginner friendly so i highly recommend it
FF 4 first (SNES or GBA version, the DS remake is killer but loses the sprite feel obviously)
then FF 6, the pinnacle of the series imho (SNES or GBA version)
then FF9, some of the best characters in the FFuniverse.
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There's three basic "types" of Final Fantasy games. I'll leave FF I-III out of this, since I've barely played them.
"Type 1" are the roots of the series, heavily inspired by old western CRPGs like Wizardry and Ultima. The SNES series (IV, V, VI) falls in here. IX was a bit of a retro revival in terms of style, themes, and creative involvement too, so I'd throw it in this category. All of these games, in my opinion, are great.
I stand by IV (as I said in that last thread linked) as a great entry point to the series. VI and IX are great for second/third entries. V can be played any time. I love it. It's also a good entry point.
"Type 2" is when series-creator Hironobu Sakaguchi started to get phased out of creative participation in the games. He was supplanted by Yoshinori Kitase as writer/director. Long-time artist and character designer Yoshitaka Amano was also phased out in favour of Tetsuya Nomura's designs. This shift saw the series greatly increase in popularity. You'd find VII, VIII, and X in this category, three of the most popular and well-liked games. The stories differ from those found in the SNES series too, more complex, dramatic, and often heavy on romance as well.
VII and X would serve as good entry points, but I think the systems in VIII may be a little too complicated for inexperienced FF players.
"Type 3" may be the black sheep of the family. In the mid-90s, there was a small group of developers that went by the name of Quest. They were most known for the Ogre Battle series. After the acclaim of their SNES game Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together and the booming popularity of Final Fantasy with VII, Quest was given the project of creating a tactical RPG in the FF series. This was Final Fantasy Tactics (which I adore and everyone should play). This team, which included writer/directors Yasumi Matsuno and Hiroshi Minagawa, artist Akihiko Yoshida, and composers Hitoshi Sakimoto and Masaharu Iwata would also go on to make a main series FF game of their own, FFXII. The current MMO, FFXIV, also has several of these guys on staff and "feels" very much like it could belong alongside FFT and FFXII.
If MMOs are your thing, FFXIV is an excellent post-WoW choice. It's enjoyable for new players and veterans. The other two, FFT and FFXII, like VIII, VI, and IX, I would recommend to someone who has already played at least one other game.
Oh and then there's XIII, its sequels, the PSP original games, and Final Fantasy Type-0. Let's call all of these Type 0. You don't need to play them if you don't want. Last gen were dark times, indeed.
For what it's worth, IV, V, VI, IX, and XII are my favorites (not including FFT and XIV since those are different genres and hard to compare to the main series).
TL;DR:
Like old CRPGs like Wizardry and Ultima? Try "Type 1" (IV, V, VI, IX).
Like Kingdom Hearts? Try "Type 2" (VII, VIII, X).
Like Star Wars? Try "Type 3" (Tactics, XII, XIV) because FF XII is basically medieval Star Wars.
No, the others are often messy and/or have bad translations. FFXII was just bad, like it was meant to be episodical, but they decided late in the development to make it a single entry.
FFXII is awesome. The storyline is unremarkable, but the very open nature of the game in its second half, the super-customizable Gambit system and the Monster Hunter-esque side quests are all a lot of fun. I think, in terms of pure gameplay, it has a definite leg up on Xenoblade, as the environments have more stuff to do and there aren't nearly as many grindy MMO-style quests.
IV, VII, and X seem like the most beginner-friendly entries. IV is the most approachable of the older Final Fantasies. VII has a ton of gameplay variety to keep the player engaged. X is simple and linear, with an engaging, emotional plot.
I'll say IV & X, but then again, they're the only main series titles I've beaten.
X was not only my first entry in the series, but the first traditional JRPG I really delved into, and thus it holds a special place for me.
As for IV, I've played it both on GBA & Android (which is a port of the DS remake), and I have to say I preferred the remake. While the 3D graphics are simple (and some will say primitive, while the sprites hold up better), I found that the extra dimension immersed me more into the game.
I'm also in the minority that really enjoyed Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: the Crystal Bearers (this one's a Wii title), but it won't give you a good idea about what the rest of the series is about at all, as it's a spinoff with vastly different gameplay.
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Thanks for all the advice guys. I've already got both 6 & 7, and I think I will pick up in the future 10 & 12. It's about time that I got these games, hopefully I can complete most of them before 15!
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Topic: Which Final Fantasy games would you recommend to a newcomer?
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