Final Fantasy - Should I, or shouldn't I?

[Dragonite]

Hey guys, been a while since I've been active around here but I could really use your help!

I'm a bit tempted to try one of the older FF games on PC. I note that GAME sell the downloads for around a tenner, which is a good price for a game I just want to try out. However, I'm not sure where to start.

The earliest version I can find to buy and download is FF III. Should I begin here? Or should I jump straight in to the potentially over-hyped (sorry) FF VII? I've heard a lot of hype and greatness over this game, and for a tenner it's tempting.

As someone who has never played a FF game, I'm uncertain. But I'm also quite into turn based RPGs.

Advice please?

Thank you.

 

[<π.]

Welcome back sir. Honestly I'd start with the original and work up. that way you get to see the progression of how the games changed. and get to appreciate the little (and sometimes big) upgrades the series would get.

FF6 (FF3 in america) was my favorite, followed by 9, but if you are only going to play one game I'd suggest 7 just to help you understand its big impact on gaming culture.

 

[Dragonite]

Welcome back sir. Honestly I'd start with the original and work up. that way you get to see the progression of how the games changed. and get to appreciate the little (and sometimes big) upgrades the series would get.

FF6 (FF3 in america) was my favorite, followed by 9, but if you are only going to play one game I'd suggest 7 just to help you understand its big impact on gaming culture.

Thank you. I am leaning toward starting with 7 based on the hype surrounding it. Looking forward to it, I hope I can get into it. Just need to find a spare 50 hours of my life to play it :p

 

[Cyrus Dark]

I started with Final Fantasy IV (released as 2 in the USA) and IV has all you want out of a Final Fantasy game: beautiful music, characters you become emotionally attached to, great villains, epic story, solid gameplay.

I next played Final Fantasy VI (3 in the USA) and it pretty much gave you everything IV did with more characters, and a longer story (it takes me over twice as long to complete VI as IV). Gameplay was a little more complicated adding Esper magic.

Both amazing 10/10 games.

Then came VII (released in the USA as VII as well), and it was much.different, but it still felt like a Final Fantasy game:

Even more beautiful music if that were possible. Not as many characters, but they were still great, and the story was even bigger and deeper than the other games, and the villains were even better. The gameplay got more complex with the materia and a few other new mechanics. Great game.

Another 10/10

Then came VIII:

Music is beautiful and epic as per usual. Characters have a lot of depth, some of the best yet. The villains are impressive, the story is giant.

...gameplay is kind of weird though. Hard to get used to coming from 7. Also, the summon spells seemed to last forever and yet they were usually the best attacks so battles took longer than your usual Final Fantasy game. 8 might have the best story, but it the gameplay is throws a lot of people off (some people love it)

I definitely would not start with VIII.

IX was a throwback to the old school games with great gameplay restored, more great music, epic story, pretty setting, but....the characters had tails! Weirded me out, hehe! I couldn't get as attached to the main character for that reason I know that is extremely shallow, sorry! Great game though.

X is where I stopped playing the series. The beginning is just not the most fun, and you have to play some sports game, and the main character talks for the first time in a final fantasy game and he sounds like a surfer dude. "Time to save the world then catch a gnarly wave, dude".

Ok, I know I am being unfair! I plan on giving it another try soon and also playing 12, 13, and 15 when it releases.

I've been playing XIV online a bit and it is very cool and seems heavily influenced by FF IV (as well as the rest of the series of course).

 

[Dragonite]

Wow thank you, some really detailed information. I was wondering, some people told me to stay clear of the PC version of the games... are they that bad? Or have the PC versions just had one or two bad experiences and that's blown up on the net?

 

[Cyrus Dark]

Considering 7 is getting a remake, I would wait for the remake. I have never played the PC versions but I can't see why they would be any different other than the controller. FF games are turn based so it shouldn't matter.