LogFAQs > #956339623

Also tagging.

1 and 2, I prefer the Dawn of Souls GBA.
3, I emulated a translated Famicom. DS variant is known for being a kick in the... difficulty spike.

4 is odd. US 4 is "easytype." JP 4 "hardtype" is the difficulty experience. 4's advance remake is the Wonderswan port, with some odd timing bugs, but plays okay, and adds some decent bonus content (and the ability to shift in party members that "died" earlier in the game, which makes some memetically bad characters surprisingly useful. Edward isnt so spoony when he's oneshotting dragons, after all.

5 and 6, you've got a few options. The PS anthology has a wonderfully bad translation for 5, and the load times are atrocious, so skip that. The GBA suffers from sound quality, which isnt as bad in 5 but notable in 6. 5's bonus dungeons are fun and encourage job experimentation, but the final one is literally useless for how much you have to do to get it. 6 is more bugfixed than original, but unfamiliar with optional content (but hey, they iron out some ugly mechanics like Bushido!)

7 is pretty faithful no matter what port, ditto 8/9.

X/X-2, the HD remake is fine, I feel, though some of the redone tracks are a bit much. Also adds the International version bonus content, which, um, sucks to do legit.

Tactics should count. Play the original PS disc if possible. It's gloriously badly translated but fun gameplay.

XI and on, no opinion.

Also give Final Fantasy Legend 2 a try if you can find a GB cart cheap. My favorite, even though it's actually a SaGa game.


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[The Artist Formerly Known as Earthshaker.]