Never played F.Fantasy. Where to start?

harsaphes

harsaphes

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Title. So I've never played any of the FF games. Any suggestions which on to start with?
Thanks.
 
Yep. 2d 4, 5, and 6. 3d, 7, 9, and 10/2.

They all have their merits. Enjoy the adventures!
 
Lot of people love ff8 as well. I found the story more relatable and plausible than ff7, as with most character modeling. Very relaxing.
The soundtrack is probably the best of the lot, too.
 
N4CR said:
Lot of people love ff8 as well. I found the story more relatable and plausible than ff7, as with most character modeling. Very relaxing.
The soundtrack is probably the best of the lot, too.
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8 is actually my favorite next to 9 out of the 3D entries. 7 is easy to play, but it doesn't have a good feeling of progression in gameplay or story compared to those other two. I'm also not a huge fan of 7's story. I would definitely recommend 8 or 9 to start with.
 
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For 2D, I'd start with FF4 since it is so solid, and the first one with any real depth to the story and characters. Personally I think FF7 is amazing and a good choice to start if choosing a 3D FF game, but FF9 would also be my other recommendation.
 
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You can hop in almost anywhere. They share a common universe (almost like Dungeons & Dragons) but not much else. I'm a fan of the classic titles, personally.
In particular, the games released as FF2 and FF3 for the SNES in the US. In reality, those games were actually FF5 and FF6 in Japan. FF7 is another fave, although it has a different vibe to it. I have mixed feelings about FF8. I think it had the best world, but it had a weird mechanic called "draining" that was tedious AF. FF9 was almost like a throwback to the NES titles, but in 3D. I liked that one a lot, although it did have shitloads of items you could miss forever at every turn. I'm not much of a fan of anything after FF9. Once they started having live voice actors and more real-time action they kinda lost their soul.
 
Domingo said:
You can hop in almost anywhere. They share a common universe (almost like Dungeons & Dragons) but not much else. I'm a fan of the classic titles, personally.
In particular, the games released as FF2 and FF3 for the SNES in the US. In reality, those games were actually FF5 and FF6 in Japan. FF7 is another fave, although it has a different vibe to it. I have mixed feelings about FF8. I think it had the best world, but it had a weird mechanic called "draining" that was tedious AF. FF9 was almost like a throwback to the NES titles, but in 3D. I liked that one a lot, although it did have shitloads of items you could miss forever at every turn. I'm not much of a fan of anything after FF9. Once they started having live voice actors and more real-time action they kinda lost their soul.
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FF2US is FF4, not FF5. FF2US is also not FF4 Easy Type, despite what a lot of people seem to think. It's a unique version for the US market.
 
Final Fantasy 14 us pretty awesome its still updated. Havet played since launch.
 
Domingo said:
You can hop in almost anywhere. They share a common universe (almost like Dungeons & Dragons) but not much else. I'm a fan of the classic titles, personally.
In particular, the games released as FF2 and FF3 for the SNES in the US. In reality, those games were actually FF5 and FF6 in Japan. FF7 is another fave, although it has a different vibe to it. I have mixed feelings about FF8. I think it had the best world, but it had a weird mechanic called "draining" that was tedious AF. FF9 was almost like a throwback to the NES titles, but in 3D. I liked that one a lot, although it did have shitloads of items you could miss forever at every turn. I'm not much of a fan of anything after FF9. Once they started having live voice actors and more real-time action they kinda lost their soul.
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To me Final Fantasy 10 was the last Final Fantasy game before the series went to crap.
 
Armenius said:
8 is actually my favorite next to 9 out of the 3D entries. 7 is easy to play, but it doesn't have a good feeling of progression in gameplay or story compared to those other two. I'm also not a huge fan of 7's story. I would definitely recommend 8 or 9 to start with.
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Oooh, not heard much of ff9 let alone from someone who prefers FF8, thanks for the heads up. Slowly chipping away at FF7 remake and enjoying the fresh take, i'd love to see re-done art for ff7 and 8 one day.
And agreed the FF8 story is quite a ride, I also find it very captivating.
 
Krenum said:
To me Final Fantasy 10 was the last Final Fantasy game before the series went to crap.
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Nah 11 was awesome. But yeah everything after that is trash. FF16 will be the first FF I don't buy day one. Might not buy it period after the travesty FF7R was.
 
vegeta535 said:
Nah 11 was awesome. But yeah everything after that is trash. FF16 will be the first FF I don't buy day one. Might not buy it period after the travesty FF7R was.
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11 is definitely awesome. It is still going and easier than ever to get into if anybody wants to try it out. A lot of the game can now be played solo thanks to the AI companion system. There is still plenty of content that requires a group of humans to do, especially going for post-game content like AF equipment.

I like 12 a lot. The Zodiac Age made it even better. I had played a fan translation of XII International before, so I'm glad it received a proper release in the US.

I have not yet gotten around to the 13 trilogy, but can't really find the motivation to.

I've been kind of turned off from trying 14 because I never liked the gameplay that I've watched, especially those people who have WoW Syndrome with the amount of extra UI components on their screen.

I got bored with 15 rather quickly.

16 looks intriguing, so I'm waiting to find out more about it.
 
Armenius said:
11 is definitely awesome. It is still going and easier than ever to get into if anybody wants to try it out. A lot of the game can now be played solo thanks to the AI companion system. There is still plenty of content that requires a group of humans to do, especially going for post-game content like AF equipment.

I like 12 a lot. The Zodiac Age made it even better. I had played a fan translation of XII International before, so I'm glad it received a proper release in the US.

I have not yet gotten around to the 13 trilogy, but can't really find the motivation to.

I've been kind of turned off from trying 14 because I never liked the gameplay that I've watched, especially those people who have WoW Syndrome with the amount of extra UI components on their screen.

I got bored with 15 rather quickly.

16 looks intriguing, so I'm waiting to find out more about it.
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Oh I know and would love to get back into it but I don't have energy to full commit to it again. I played for a couple month a couple years back but just couldn't keep up with it. I gain back a lot of ground over those couple month but it was to daunting for me to get back into it at the level I was at when I quit nearly 10 years ago. Was surprised how many people were still around. Even my endgame LS was still kicking and only got so much done when I came back because of them.
 
vegeta535 said:
Oh I know and would love to get back into it but I don't have energy to full commit to it again. I played for a couple month a couple years back but just couldn't keep up with it. I gain back a lot of ground over those couple month but it was to daunting for me to get back into it at the level I was at when I quit nearly 10 years ago. Was surprised how many people were still around. Even my endgame LS was still kicking and only got so much done when I came back because of them.
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Unfortunately my main two LS fully transferred to 14 since I was last on. It took a surprisingly short amount of time to get back to where I was when I quit, myself. Muscle memory for my keybindings and macros were still there and came out as I played. It was so long that my account and character were deleted, but it only took me about a week to get my main classes and subclasses back to the point of where I left them at. Of course, equipment is an entirely separate issue. I had some pretty good pieces back in the day. Also still have not gotten all my red mage spells, yet.
 
Armenius said:
Unfortunately my main two LS fully transferred to 14 since I was last on. It took a surprisingly short amount of time to get back to where I was when I quit, myself. Muscle memory for my keybindings and macros were still there and came out as I played. It was so long that my account and character were deleted, but it only took me about a week to get my main classes and subclasses back to the point of where I left them at. Of course, equipment is an entirely separate issue. I had some pretty good pieces back in the day. Also still have not gotten all my red mage spells, yet.
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I only managed to master 1 after coming back. My LS let me leech a shit ton of the highest level Ambuscade. Made a shit ton of gil that let me ilvl 119 one of my relics. Now I read last night with this months update there is a new leveling thing after Mastering a job.
 
vegeta535 said:
I only managed to master 1 after coming back. My LS let me leech a shit ton of the highest level Ambuscade. Made a shit ton of gil that let me ilvl 119 one of my relics. Now I read last night with this months update there is a new leveling thing after Mastering a job.
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I haven't gotten that far, yet, so I haven't looked into it.
 
Without any context on what types of games the OP likes or dislikes, this thread might as well be called "what is your favorite FF game?"
 
Since the Squeenix merger, neither company has been bothered to compete anymore they have both been a single lifeless shell, creating crap.

Even their new attempts at "indie-style" divisions have been completely soulless:

https://www.reddit.com/r/JRPG/comments/i3qqn1/square_enix_reports_big_losses_from_subsidiaries/

You have to be the most poorly-run game studio on the planet to lose money during the Pandemic

If you want to start with the best from either company., stick to the SNES titles from both.

I tried the FF15 demo, and got bored with the battle system after two hours. Dragon Quest 11 was a little better, but the combat system is clunky (gave up after ten hours)

I also bought I am Setsuna on $20 on sale earlier this year, but should have waited fro it to drop to $10 (it's a poor Chrono Trigger Clone with 1/4 the content, and an even worse battle system - charging more than 10 bucks seems like a ripoff!)

Not paying more than 10 bucks for my next Squeenix game!
 
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defaultluser said:
Since the Squeenix merger, neither company has been bothered to compete anymore they have both been a single lifeless shell, creating crap.

Even their new attempts at "indie-style" divisions have been complete crap:

https://www.reddit.com/r/JRPG/comments/i3qqn1/square_enix_reports_big_losses_from_subsidiaries/

You have to be the most poorly-run game studio on the planet to lose money during the Pandemic

If you want to start in either company., stick to the SNES titles from both.
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Idk Enix part still puts out baller Dragon Quest games. DQXI been the best JRPG I played in the past 10 years.
 
vegeta535 said:
Idk Enix part still puts out baller Dragon Quest games. DQXI been the best JRPG I played in the past 10 years.
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It's an "open world 3D RPG ' that still relies on all sorts of invisible walls, ,and the completely broken mapping system makes it impossible to figure out how to get from one place to another (there are so many teleports hidden off in the weeds somewhere, even though in several other places they just cheat with invisible walls) - if I can't figure out whether this long linear walk is a dead-end, or the next step in your Magical Crawling Teleportation Adventure (TM), then I get frustrated quickly!

I remember having an easier time figuring out where I was supposed to go in Dragon Quest III (two separate worlds) than in DQ11. I havn't seen an RPG this broken by blind Teleports since I played Phantasty Star 2.
 
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defaultluser said:
It's an "open world 3D RPG ' that still relies on all sorts of invisible walls, ,and the completely broken mapping system makes it impossible to figure out how to get from one place to another (there are so many teleports hidden off in the weeds somewhere, even though in several other places they just cheat with invisible walls) - if I can't figure out whether this long linear walk is a dead-end, or the next step in your Magical Crawling Teleportation Adventure (TM), then I get frustrated quickly!

I remember having an easier time figuring out where I was in Dragon Quest III (two separate worlds) than in DQ11.
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Don't know what you are going about. I didn't have this issue.
 
defaultluser said:
It's an "open world 3D RPG ' that still relies on all sorts of invisible walls, ,and the completely broken mapping system makes it impossible to figure out how to get from one place to another (there are so many teleports hidden off in the weeds somewhere, even though in several other places they just cheat with invisible walls) - if I can't figure out whether this long linear walk is a dead-end, or the next step in your Magical Crawling Teleportation Adventure (TM), then I get frustrated quickly!

I remember having an easier time figuring out where I was supposed to go in Dragon Quest III (two separate worlds) than in DQ11. I havn't seen an RPG this broken by blind Teleports since I played Phantasty Star 2.
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Wait, are you complaining about needing to do exploration in a RPG game?
 
Especially with the new Pixel Remasters, you can pretty much start anywhere. However FF1-3 are DEFINITELY oldschool NES based RPGs, even with the benefits of the pixel remaster updating some of the more frustrating parts. Out of all 15+ Final Fantasy games, FF2 is still the only one that I've never finished due to certain design elements. (I haven't tried the FF2 Pixel Remaster yet.)

My personal favorite is still 6, followed by 12, then 7.
I find FFX to be one of the weakest entries - but its a lot of peoples favorites. I also really love FFX-2 and FFXIII-2 and FFXIII-3 (Lightning Returns) despite tons of people thinking they're awful. Hell, I even really enjoyed FFXV mostly because on a visual side of things its one of the most beautiful games i've ever seen, even though the combat system is atrocious. The upgrades and DLC makes that one shine, but I think any version of it that's released these days includes all that.

FF7 is probably a great place to start, but that's also my nostalgia talking. I find it easier to get into early on compared to some of the SNES ones, and its combat and mechanic system is considerably streamlined compared to some other convoluted systems in the games.

I actually have yet to play FF7 Remake because it still has yet to have a PC release, but i'm anxiously awaiting the day that it does show up on PC.
 
harsaphes said:
Title. So I've never played any of the FF games. Any suggestions which on to start with?
Thanks.
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These are long games. So, if you think you may not have the time or patience to play a few of them.....I would just try FF12. It strikes a pretty incredible balance of modern/classic FF. The graphics hold up really well and its otherwise a good game in its own right. The translation is really good. Its fully voice acted with great voice acting. The medieval sci-fantasy setting is compelling. The story is honestly as good as the Game of Thrones TV show. The music isn't quite as iconic as some of the other FF games. However, the music is really pleasant and has a sort of bouncy energy to it. The game also has quite a bit of fun side content. Including "hunts", which are sort of a Monster Hunter-lite aspect to the game. They are fun and result in nice rewards for completion.

If you are interested in a retro/2D experience, play FF6. Its got the best story/characters. and the pixel art/graphics are still fairly attractive. IMO opinion, the older FF games have some interesting gameplay systems. But FF6 is the first one with an impactful story and characters. I'm sure some fans might disagree. But I think FF6 is the place to start, for new players of the older stuff.

If you want to check out the Playstation 1 era: Although 8 is my most favorite, I would check out FF7, first. If you complete it, great! If you don't feel like completing it, then check out FF8.
I love FF7 and it is still a good game. The translation sometimes isn't great. and the graphics can be very dated. However, the story is solid sets you up for a game which is very adventurous with a lot of varied content and scenarios. and its frequently goofy and has fun with itself. Great, Iconic music, which has stuck with me for decades.

FF8 has enough changes, 7 might feel a little awkward, if you play 8, first.
Especially with the recent partial remake-----the 3D graphics in 8 are a lot better. And the combat and equipment systems are more complex and interesting. The translation is a bit better, the story is more personal, the aesthetic and setting is more realistic, and the music is also Iconic and has stuck with me for decades. Triple Triad is a legit fun card game, which you can play with every single NPC in the entire game. It never really has as much fun with itself, as FF7 did. But I really love the setting and world they created for this game. Its pretty astonishing.

Personally, I wouldn't bother with all the PC mods for the PSOne games. IMO, they do not result in good looking games. Technically speaking, the graphical improvements for each individual mod are impressive. But in the end, the AI upscaled backgrounds don't look or feel great in the actual game. And especially in the case of FF7: the high res/re-done character models frequently do not match the proportions or perspective of the pre-rendered backgrounds. Just play a port of FF7 on whatever system of your choice. And play the official FF8 "remake" on whatever system of your choice.

FF13, 13-2, And 13: Lightning returns: The world building for this set of games is pretty incredible. And some of the characters are really good. However, the gameplay is a bit strange until Lightning Returns. The battle systems sort of feels like its halfway to auto-battle settings. Lightning Returns fixes that, though and its a pretty great game to play. It might be worthwhile to just watch some lets play content of 13 and 13-2, then actually play Lightning Returns.

FF7 Remake: I am in the middle of playing this. As a big fan of FF7------its pretty darn great so far. This is the impossible remake. Which they somehow pulled off in a pretty great way. I would recommend playing at least the first few hours of FF7 on PSOne, to fully appreciated what they did, here. The locations in this game are mostly incredible.
The battle system is fun and actually feels like I'm doing something. Often times, I don't really care for action RPG combat in Japanese RPGs. But this feels more "connected" than usual.
 
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I got FF9 for Android not knowing much about the series but wanting something single player for plane rides

I found it incredibly cheesey and also slow. There's a minigame that's absurdly complex. Cool art style though.

I did like Tactics though, I would replay that one.
 
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ZeqOBpf6 said:
I got FF9 for Android not knowing much about the series but wanting something single player for plane rides

I found it incredibly cheesey and also slow. There's a minigame that's absurdly complex. Cool art style though.

I did like Tactics though, I would replay that one though.
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I don't like 9 much at all : \
 
Only one I've played was XV and didn't care for it much. Gameplay was lacking, performance problems, CTDs, pretty but empty world, bad exposition dump at the end. But the world itself was kind of interesting as were the characters.

I'm going to give VII Remake a try, if it ever comes to PC.
 
ZeqOBpf6 said:
I got FF9 for Android not knowing much about the series but wanting something single player for plane rides

I found it incredibly cheesey and also slow. There's a minigame that's absurdly complex. Cool art style though.

I did like Tactics though, I would replay that one.
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The first few hours are quite slow, but it opens up after that. The story progression in the first "disc" feels more locked down and linear than prior FF games until FFX came along. FF9's version of triple triad never grabbed me the way FF8 did. It felt a lot more random in the way a card with a 7 attack rating can constantly lose against a card with a 2 defense rating. And the jump rope and play QTEs at the beginning of the game are the only ones in the entire game. Once you get to Lindblum, which is about two-thirds through the first "disc," the game starts to open up to you.
 
psychonautZERO said:
At the beginning, if i had access to them i woulda played them in order.
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I wouldn't. There is really no reason to. If you start playing them sequentially from the first game you're going to get burned out. FF1 is a slog to play your first time, even if you play one of the newer versions, but FF2 will probably make you quit.
 
Armenius said:
I wouldn't. There is really no reason to. If you start playing them sequentially from the first game you're going to get burned out. FF1 is a slog to play your first time, even if you play one of the newer versions, but FF2 will probably make you quit.
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I guess it depends. I've played most of them and enjoyed them all, some more than others of course.
 
psychonautZERO said:
I guess it depends. I've played most of them and enjoyed them all, some more than others of course.
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It certainly does. I guess those of us who are older won't be bothered by the older games, or at least, bothered as much by their older mechanics and gameplay design paradigms.
 
I don't know about that. I've played hundreds of JRPGs and *every* single player FF game all the way through...

Except for 2. FF2's experience system is infuriating and I hate it. I haven't tried the Pixel Remaster version yet, but I don't know if I want to try.
 
TheSlySyl said:
I don't know about that. I've played hundreds of JRPGs and *every* single player FF game all the way through...

Except for 2. FF2's experience system is infuriating and I hate it. I haven't tried the Pixel Remaster version yet, but I don't know if I want to try.
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It's still there, but you don't have to grind if you don't want to. It's been rebalanced such that you should be able to make it through the game just by playing casually. I went ahead and grinded anyway before doing the very last 2 areas of the game to make sure my hit rate and evasion was high enough.
 
I've been playing Final Fantasy since the SNES version of FF2 (4) came out way back when. From my perspective, you're better off in playing the Pixel Remasters (for mobile devices) as they cover FF1-6, then do the rest on your console du jour. I'm currently playing through 7 on the Switch, and have 15 in Stadia (That I'm long overdue in playing), and going through the Pixel Remaster of 1 on my iPhone. Among many other games...
 
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