Which Final Fantasy game should I start with?

Hey, so I have never ever played any of the Final Fantasy game.

Could you guys tell me what should I play first? I have seriously no idea what is going on in the series... I also own PS3 if that matters...

Thanks for help.

The second one? After that, it's all up from there.

NINE

10 would be perfect since it's not too old, and does a really good job of teaching how FF battles work.

there isn't actually any continuity between the numbered entries. if you'd like to play one of the greatest 16-bit rpg's of all time, final fantasy 3 is the one for you. final fantasy 7 came after 3 (as ff3 is actually known as ff6 on Japan) and was one of the first great 3d RPGs., and one of my and many others' favourite games. I would recommend starting with one of those two, or if youre more interested in something more modern, skipping straight to ff10 when the HD release comes out. ff8 and 9 are both fantastic, but I wouldn't start with them. all those i listed before ten are available on the ps store.

avoid ff13.

The arguably best game in the franchise is Final Fantasy VI. There are also other great games like Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy XII. You should see the one who fits better your need for plot, gameplay and graphics.

@pepperzz: NO, TEN. OR FOUR.

You can start with any of them really, but my suggestion is to start somewhere with 4,5, or 6 then 7,8, 9, or 10.

Final Fantasy VI, out of the games I've played, has definitely aged the best. Final Fantasy VII is beloved, but its graphics and controls are particularly off-putting. 2D games with sprite artwork just age better than PlayStation/Nintendo 64 games.

If you're looking for something relatively modern, wait until the HD re-release of X comes out and play that.

If you want something retro, go for VI. It holds up really well. The well regarded PS1 games probably aren't a great introduction. Most people generally consider early 3D games to have aged poorly.

I'd say start with 6, it's aged the best out of the older games. Or you could wait for the HD release of 10.

My personal favourite is 9 which is quite easy to get into, but there're a lot of small references to older games which you wouldn't catch.

X-2 and I am being deadly serious.

4

VI.

Fuck it, start with 1 and work your way up.

but...if you aren't feeling adventurous then I would go with VI

Since no one else suggested it, Final Fantasy Tactics is totally awesome. It's very hard in some spots (read the FAQs!), but for my money, it's the best in the series, and it holds up beautifully. It's available on the US PSN store. It's pretty different than other Final Fantasy's though, so if you just want to know "What's this Final Fantasy thing about?", you should play Final Fantasy VI. It holds up better than the later PlayStation 1 games (it's the whole thing about how 2D sprite graphics age better than low-poly 3D models), and it has the best story and characters. It's also really funny in spots, in a way which no other Final Fantasy game can match.

But, again, Tactics is far and away my favorite.

IV is the first one that feels like a "modern" Final Fantasy game, although the remakes of 1 and 2 were pretty good as well.

Personally, I'd play through 4-9 and then stop there.

start with 1 and ee how it evolves and changes with each game.

Base it on setting and story. I'd recommend any of these.

6 if you want a fantasy story about the apocalypse and interdimensional monsters.

7 if you want a sci fi story about mental trauma.

8 if you want a romantic fantasy story with some end of the world elements.

9 if you want a more classic fantasy story.

10 if you want batshit nonsense and underwater football.

12 has Air pirates or something, I never finished it.

13 is all pretty and shit, but makes no sense. Sci fi.

EDIT: Also, you could get all of these on PS3 with the only exception of 12, considering the HD release of 10 is incoming. 6-9 are on PSN and the rest are on disc.

4 and 6.

I enjoyed 7 the most, but it was my first JRPG and they were completely new to me at the time so I think that played into why I enjoyed it so much. It's only that years later, after having watched a bunch of anime with similar characters that I can look back on it and see how cliche it was... Still, it was great to my 12 year old brain.

Tactics

My standard recommendation for someone who has never played a Final Fantasy game before is to play either 6 or 10. None of the main games are related in the story department, so it makes no sense to start from the beginning unless you're a crazy person.

6 is the final sprite based Final Fantasy, and generally considered one of the best in the series, it also holds up better in the character and story based department then most of the earlier ones. The next few in the series gradually went into a different direction, and a lot of the earlier fans have trouble enjoying them, due in part to their more anime influenced art style (also some complain about the stories being more melodramatic, however these people do not remember the earlier games properly if they think this is a change for the series). The GBA version is the best if you can play that one, if not I'd recommend the snes version. If your only option is the ps1/psn version then that will work in a pinch, just bear in mind it has bad loading times.

10 belongs to the same category of anime inspired entries, and it would be my recommendation from that era because 7 hasn't aged very well, 8 is very divisive, and 9 is trying to be more reminiscent of the previous generation of Final Fantasys. Not only that but it still looks pretty good, is considered one of the more solid entries in the series, and has some of the best gameplay. Pretty much the only way to play this game is to get a ps2 copy, which are really cheap right now. They are re-releasing an apparently better version for PS3 later this year if you don't mind waiting.

If you give us a better idea of the games you like though, I might give you a better recommendation.

It depends on what you really want out of the series, though I can tell you that Final Fantasies VI, VII, and X seem to be the most popular.

VI is a sixteen bit top-down SNES RPG. When it was released on the SNES in the US, it was called "Final Fantasy III". It's often considered one of the best RPG's of the era, and quite often cited as the best Final Fantasy. It got a better translation and was re-released on the GBA as Final Fantasy VI Advance; from my understanding, the GBA release is the one that you should play. It's also on PSN but that version apparently has loading problems.

VII was considered the best for quite a while, but hasn't aged particularly well. It's still a good game, but the graphics are stuck in that weird polygonal rut that most PS1 games were in and this might be hard to get past for some people. It's on PSN and works just fine there.

X was the series's transition to fully 3D, complete with voice acting. Generally, the voice acting and dialogue is all right. Not award-winning, but it's mostly passable. Mostly. Oddly enough, this one never seemed to have gotten any backlash for being very linear. It's getting re-released later this year.

Some people really like XII. It's really kind of an odd game in the series, loved by some and hated by others, which is why I didn't mention it in the first sentence. It's potentially the least linear Final Fantasy out there and there are no random encounters, though to be fair the combat can sometimes feel like the game is playing itself. The story is also oddly political and the dialogue has some sort of faux-Shakespearian going on, which is actually quite all right most of the time. Plus, the annoying characters have less and less to do with the game as it goes on. This one is not available on any platform except the PS2, which is a shame because it somehow pushes that platform to its limits. With some good anti-aliasing and a higher resolution, this game could stand up as a really good looking game. Anyway, it should still be easy enough to find.

XIII is super linear. There are no random encounters, but you'll have to fight enemies along the corridor anyway. It's definitely pretty and full of imaginative settings and the battle system is this weird conglomeration of an action game and a turn based battle - the settings and combat are the main reasons to play this one as far as I can tell because the story doesn't do a good job of making itself clear for a good chunk of the game. I also didn't mention this one above because some people liked it and others think it's the worst Final Fantasy out there. You should also be able to find this one without much searching.

All of that said, I would start with either the sixth game or the tenth one, both of which are pretty imaginative and interesting from what I've played. Final Fantasy X and X-2 are getting re-released in an HD collection pretty soon on the PS3 and Vita, with some updated textures and other little bells and whistles. Considering that you own a PS3, that would be the best place to start.

X is my recommendation. It's linear, and thus easy to understand, and the combat system is somewhere in between old school and new. It's my favorite FF game (and I'm excited about the HD version coming out soon) X-2 not so much, but I try to pretend it doesn't exist. Of the PS1 games IX is the best, but I also like Viii. VII is popular, and it is a classic, but I wouldn't start there... it hasn't aged well. I also like the newer games, but again... start with X and then see how you feel about it.

The Legend of Dragoon.

I started with 7, never completed any of the older games before that although i have some roms now and i might.

So you could start with 7 and end with 12 because 13 was terrible

Most people think VI or VII are the best, but I never really got in to VII. I started with IX and loved it to death, also loved X.

So, Final Fantasy Tactics since its the best one.

Before I can recommend something I need to know if you can play an old game and recognize its merits for the time and technology it was released for. It's no good to recommend an older game if you can't appreciate it.

Final Fantasy Tactics is decent.

1-6 are alright in a GOG.com kind of way.

The rest are either painful to look at now or stylistically ... questionable, to be generous.

So just start with 13

I say play all of them except for 2 and 9, but if that's unlikely then go for Final Fantasy VI.

I don't really like 10 that much, but I do think it's an excellent entry into the series. You get all the good stuff, summons, chocobos, magic, it's voice acted and relatively modern (Although I haven't really played it since it came out). It's a good game over all, and I think it's best to not start with the best of the series so you have something to look forward too! If 10 isn't working out for you, 7 is another good entry point, it's not particularly difficult though it hasn't aged well at all. I'm hesitant to say start with 9, as it's so referential to FFs past, but it is my favorite and has aged pretty well.

Really though, none of them are connected to each other so you can start anywhere that seems interesting to you.

4, 5, 6, or 10 are probably best to start with. Just don't start on 9. It's a great game, one of the best in my opinion, but as others are saying there are so many references in the game that it would be a shame to not understand any of them.

22.

I was interested in playing 6 but now 10 is looking good thanks to your glowing description.

This is a tough one and it really depends what you are looking for. If you want game play with a basic fantasy story, FFV would be my pick (my personal favorite aside from FFXI). If you are looking for more of an adventure with some depth to it, FFVI or FFVII might be the way to go.

To be honest, each installment has it's ups and downs (some more than others) so I would look at what appeals to you most and go from there.

I bet you're having a tough time deciding based on this conversation. I will make it easy by giving unequivocal advice: Don't start with 5.

Pretty much 2 (which is 4), 3 (which is 6) and 7. Those are the ones I played. I never finished 7 due to both times I played my data got corrupted half way through the game. But I enjoyed it in general. I played through FFIII twice. The second time was because I didn't save a character mid-way through the game and I replayed the whole thing again just for that. Made pretty much no difference but I don't regret playing it. Also, even though it's not related Chrono Trigger really rocked.

Go with IX or X because VII hasn't aged well and VIII is extremely divisive. If you want to play the spite based games, go with 6 or 4. 1-3 are important games but the things that those games did were vastly improved with later installments.

X is just fantastic with a cool world and an awesome concept for the villain.

IX has the nice fantasy tone of the older games along with everything new that VII & VIII brought to the franchise.

Why would you recommend one of the worst FF ever made? )? really? There is no FF with any more boring characters and story then 9.

As you might be able to tell by what's been said so far, the question doesn't really have a decisive answer. Final Fantasy is a crazy franchise. There's no story continuity between the games, and they can be so radically different from each other -- thematically, in design, and even in gameplay -- that every game might as well be its own brand.

Basically, there's no one Final Fantasy that will inform you about the rest of the series.

There are lots of fans who love only particular entries, and absolutely loathe the rest. Just depends who you are and what your tastes are. And there're lunatics like me who love practically every one of them.

So, what are you looking for out of an RPG? Where are you coming from, what are you aiming for? WHAT DRIVES THE DESIRE BEHIND YOUR TOUR? If you provide some context, we might be able to narrow down the list some and provide a better answer. Maybe. Probably not.

Without context, I'm just going to say "10". Its systems are fun but not daunting for an uninitiated player, and it's a game that had a mass appeal at the time, even for people who don't normally play RPGs. Still not for everyone, but... uh, probabilities?

My favorite is VI, but I know not everyone can tolerate going back to a SNES RPG.

I think it's easier to recommend which ones you shouldn't start with:

-Anything past X, because they were all done after the Square Enix merger and Sakaguchi's departure, and while some of them are good games, they steer pretty far from the series' overall identity.

-The online games, XI and XIV, for kind of the same reason: they're not really going to give you a feel for what the series is about.

-II. It's generally regarded as the worst of the series proper. It's really not that bad, but certainly not the one you should get going on.

-I or III. Nothing bad about either of these, except that they're dated and lack the significant polish of the later titles.

V. It's really good, but it's kind of stripped down story-wise, doesn't have the epic feel that some of the others have. But it has really good gameplay. Save this one for later.

-VIII. This one is a room-splitter; some people think it's incredible, even the best in the series, and about equal numbers think it's the worst. You should definitely play it, but not until after you've gone through a couple others. That way you can form your own opinion about how it stacks up. Then you can start your own flame war over it.

That leaves IV, VI, VII, IX, and X. Any one of those would do. I disagree that you should avoid the PS1 titles to start (with the exception of VIII, of course). They're among the best. They do have some dated graphics, but they're also very accessible and have very engaging stories.

Seems like most people are leaning VI. Personally I like IV better, but that's just me.

The people who are saying VI and X are pretty much spot on. VI if you want the pre-3D era, and X if you're more interested in the 3D stuff. They're both accessible and have good production. VII, though certainly not a bad game, did not age particularly well. If you can look past the graphics and such, it's probably worth a shot. I found IX to be a bit boring for the first few hours, and I hate the character designs, so I haven't yet gone back to it. XII is a great game but different from the previous games. Whether or not that matters depends on how much of a traditional Final Fantasy experience you want.

My personal favorite is probably VIII, but it is a little unusual. That's partly why it's awesome, though: unusual but fun gameplay mechanics (especially if you're the type who likes to heavily over-power your characters), great atmosphere and art direction, and a weird but engaging story with some good dialogue.

I would say start with VI but I do agree that X is a pretty solid game. Just be ready for some anime level insanity and so just plain AWFUL voice acting.

And MY favorite is XII. I think it's aged really well, has a very interesting story (that sadly kinda loses it's way near the end, just like in Final Fantasy Tactics), and the gameplay system, while VERY different from the standard FF games, is super fascinating.

Those SNES ones are really hard to get into unless you've got a fondness for that era. I beat 4 having never played it back in the day and it was a slough. 6 I got a few hours into but I just found the whole thing really hard to contend with.

13 is god awful, so I'd say last gen.

12 is my personal favorite, but it's a pretty drastic departure from the rest of the series and I don't think it's a really accurate representation. 10 seems like a solid choice if you can get over some terrible voice acting and all of the characters having Parkinson's.

10 is definitely my personal favorite and made me start to appreciate storytelling in video games.

3 and 10 are okay. 12 gets a bad rap sometimes but it's alright.

VI, then VII, then III, then IV, then X, then X-2 if you liked X, then VIII, then IX, then XII.

Avoid 13 like the plague. It really is an unlucky number. X gets a bad rap that it doesn't deserve, mostly because of the main character. If you stop and look at the actual story there's really a lot underneath all the melodrama. X-2 also gets a bad rap because it was the first game to recycle assets, but it's actually really fun. The uber animetastic characterizations are both a blessing and a really big curse. So I'd suggest watching some videos to see if it's what you'd like because it's incredibly polarizing.