Best Way to Begin...

[vixie]

Hi - not only am I new to this site and forum, but I'm completely new to Final Fantasy, too. I've never played it but it looks so way cool I would love to start. I know almost nothing about it. Would anyone be willing to give me some advice? Do I need a game console? Which are the best FFs to begin with? Any tips you wish you'd known? I just know I'm going to love this game....

Cheers!
Vixie

[Zargabaath]

I would say start from the beginning and work you way towards the latest installments that way you would see how the series progressed.

If you have a Game Boy Advance you would be able to play: Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy II (both are on one cartridge known as Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls), Final Fantasy IV Advance, Final Fantasy V Advance, & Final Fantasy VI Advance.

The PSP has Final Fantasy: Anniversary Edition, Final Fantasy II: Anniversary Edition, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII ( a prequel to FFVII that is more an action-rpg), & Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions which is an update of Final Fantasy Tactics.

With a DS that can play Game Boy Advance games you can play all those that I listed for the Game Boy Advance plus: Final Fantasy III, Final Fantasy IV DS, Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings.

The PS2, with backwards compatibility, can play Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy IX, Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy X-2, Final Fantasy XI (a MMO), Final Fantasy XII, and a spin-off SRPG - Final Fantasy Tactics. Also, there are a few compilations of the older games: Final Fantasy Origins (FF & FFII), Final Fantasy Chronicles (FFIV & Chrono Trigger), & Final Fantasy Anthologies (FFV & FFVI). Though I would stay away from these compilations because the GBA or DS version* (* that apply) are better versions with some bonus content.

The PS3 and Xbox 360 both can play Final Fantasy XIII.

A good thing to keep in mind about the series is that each game is different from each other. There are some themes that carry over from each iteration but don't expect to the next game in the series to be like its predecessor. The stories are not connected so you don't need to play Final Fantasy II to understand Final Fantasy V for example.

[Larick]

I'm not too big of a fan of it but I'd start with 7 just because thats where it;s current formula starts. You can start with the lower ones but you may put off by there difficulty and grafics. After that you can go to 8 then 9 and so on, and if you really like them then i would go back to the lower games.

Whatever you do do not start with 12 (nothing to do with the fact that I hate the game) the game is much dffrent then the majority of FF games and you wont get the true taste of what they are all about.

Last of all I would wholeheartedly recoment FF Tactics (for the psX or psp). The game once again is alot diffrent then the rest of FFs but in a good way. If you like custamization then that is your game.

[winterborn86]

I think 7 or 9 might be good ones to start with.
The magic and weapons are pretty easy to get the hang of, it's just simple buying what you want really.

I found 8 a pain in the butthole because you had to "draw" your magic from enemies and have certain items to upgrade your weapons.

10 had a more complex version of learning magic abilites, using a sphere grid, I never got the hang of it, some people find it easy, it all depends on how you pick it up really. Plus you can take your characters in and out during battle, where in 7,8,9 they stay put in battle.

It all depends on you, I preferthe simpler versions of the game which is why 7 and 9 are my favourites, 8, 10 and 13 I could never hang the hang off, which I was gutted about, because 13 was an awesome game, up until I started getting to hard for me too manage lol

Anyways have fun playing around with them

[Unknown Entity]

Final Fantasy VII on PSOne is a good starting point. It's really long, and has a decent story to it. It also has very simple to use battle, levelling up and abilities systems. Then I'd probably move to VIII. Then maybe IX.

If you have a PSP, you can get FFI and FFII. If you have a GBA/supporting DS, I believe you can get FFI-FFVI. There's other ways you can get these games too, but we're sticking to rules here.

If you're a graphics whore, I'd start from the PS2 games (FFX and onwards). Only problem with starting so late in the series is that you'll be slightly disappointed with the graphics in the earlier games, and might be put off playing them - one of the main reasons I dislike the newer generation of RPG players.

[mineteaser]

I agree with Zargabaath. You should play them from beginning to end. Heck, skip the sequels, prequels, and spinoffs. That's what I did. You can come back to those anytime. The main series is much better, in my opinion.

[ZantetsukeN]

Definitely start with the main series. Don't bother with the sequels and spin offs just yet.

The order I played them in was VIII, VII, IX, X, VI, XII, III, I, II, IV, V, XIII.
But I think to get the most out the entire series is play them from the beginning. It is a remarkable series, and the best way to do it all is start to finish.

You'll have to get a lot of different consoles for them, but it is worth it.

I, II, IV, V, VI can all be found on PS1 and GBA. Obviously you can get them in their original formats, but it's going to be expensive. Although, V and VI on GBA are rare and thus are very expensive themselves. IV is also on DS, and I and II on PSP, which are your cheapest options for those.

III is found on the DS, and is very cheap. Since it was originally only released in Japan, it is very hard to find it in its original format.

VII, VIII and IX are all on PS1 and on the Playstation Network. VII and VIII are also on PC, but again they are expensive. The PS1 versions on the games are also expensive (especially IX), but they are cheap on PSN (if you have a PSP/PS3 that is).

X and XII are on PS2. They are easy to find and are cheap, especially XII.

XIII is out on Xbox 360 and PS3. It is going down in price, and is the easiest to find of the lot.

Hopefully I have been helpful.