I know absolutely nothing about Final Fantasy, but I've recently obtained some PSN money, so I want to try some out. The ones available on PSN are V through IX, as well as Tactics. I was thinking about buying one or two, so which ones do you guys think are the best/most accessable to new players?
Also, I remember hearing good things about a bunch of other PS1 classics that I've missed that are available on PSN, like Klonoa, Suikoden, and Parasite Eve. Should I maybe get one of those instead?
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The elk. They're out for blood. http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/60806059
9 is pretty accessible but I wouldn't recommend it first, considering that it has tons of fanservice for long-time fans of the series. You'll enjoy it more if you've played the classics!
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FFVI-X and tactics are the must plays, everything after that is terrible. if I really had to pick two it would be FFVI and VII, the most accessible/mainstream popular of them. FFVIII and IX are also great but VIII is a polarizing game that has some things a lot of people hate, and an unusual system that is really different than the other games and some would say convoluted.
VII and IX are great. VIII is brought down by the worst romance plot in gaming history. Suffice it to say, Squall has Mario and Link beat in the "whipped" category...I've never seen someone go so for something so stupid as a love interest he didn't care about, until the game says he did.
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"Should I slice off your tongue or break your countless bones? Either way, I get paid; you'll bleed to death and die alone." - Blood Money
Tactics is nothing like the rest of the series, but it's a really good SRPG. My personal favorite game of all time.
VI is a pretty standard JRPG. VII feels dated to me but is a perfectly fine game. VIII has some weird stuff and typically is love it or hate it. IX has lots of throwbacks to previous FF games, and is a good title aside from annoyingly slow combat.
I'd suggest playing VII and Tactics. FFX is also a really good choice.
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No amount of planning will ever replace dumb luck.
FF5 and FF6 have really bad load times. The translation for Faris is a crock too. I'm playing 5 again, and I swear, Faris says, "D'arr" in every second sentence.
I wonder if pirates actually did that ****.
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"Should I slice off your tongue or break your countless bones? Either way, I get paid; you'll bleed to death and die alone." - Blood Money
Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross are definite classics too. Cross doesn't have quite the luster due to a massive character pool and weird magic system, but the music and ambience is extrordinary. Breath of Fire III and IV and Legend of Mana are old favorites too.
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"Should I slice off your tongue or break your countless bones? Either way, I get paid; you'll bleed to death and die alone." - Blood Money
FF6 and FF7 are your best starting points, though I don't know if the lag and loading issues FF6 suffered on the PS1 still exist in the PSN version.
FF7 was many's first introduction to the FF series, and it's still treasured by most people who played it, so I'd recommend that. The graphics haven't aged well, but everything else is still pretty solid.
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GameFaqs is NOT the place to go for relationship advice.Nobody here gets any action unless it is their right or left hand.Including me.~Dawn and Dusk~
They're not watered down, they just have loading time or glitch issues. In one case they have a worse translation (FFV GBA is a lot better than FFV PSX). I don't remember what the FFIV PSX translation is like but I don't think it was bad.
I'll map out my feelings about each game from V to IX, so you can get a gauge of what they offer.
V
Last "difficult" FF game (most enemies kill you with ease, but they aren't insurmountable) Last "classic" FF game (Warriors of Light, Crystals, Medieval setting, etc) Customizable job system (same as the Dressphere system from X-2 that you may have heard of) Decent characters (but limited development and lame villain kills them) Hilarious recurring boss (Gilgamesh is the star of the show)
This is probably the best case if you'd like to experience the old-school games without the difficulty level of I-IV. Sadly, it can be unforgiving if you're not prepared. The characters and plot don't help either. Get it if the others interest you.
VI
First "modern" FF game Tremendous character development (probably its best selling point) Amazing Villain Best music in the series (Don't take that lightly)
VI sets the bar to which every game in the series adheres to. Story, sound, music, character development; everything in this game is spectacular. It's also less challenging than its predecessor.
VII
Amazing Cinematics and Setting (brought down by AWFUL block models) No "character classes" (Materia is a blank slate, and offers more flexibility, even compared to VI) Tremendous "flow" (by that, I mean moving from point to point feels organic, dynamic, and seamless) Deep storyline (convoluted is the right word, but not nearly as crazy as people make it out to be) More "sci-fi" than VI (which felt more "steampunk") Mature (This is the most mature FF game. Not just swearing, sex, etc...but the grimy, seedy, grown up asthetic adds to it)
I admit VI is the better game. That doesn't excuse VII from being the most "eventful" in the series. It has so much going for it that it is an experience; not just as a FF game, but as a cinematic achievement. It hasn't aged well, but the grown-up, ballsy asthetic shines bright. Given that a lot of games in the genre have subverted to "J-pop/Anime" or teenager cliches, VII stands stall as one of the truly "mature games" the genre has to offer. It took everything VI had and ramped it way up. Both VI and VII have to be played; no excuses.
VIII
Broken Gameplay (Abusable in every fashion) Ages better than VII (graphics and sound especially) Weak Romance (borderline goofy, nonsensical, illogical...any other word to describe absurd sums this up) Villains feel ineffectual (moreso than Kefka or Sephiroth do) Slower Pace (this story and setting definitely feels more like a chore to get through than VII does)
Still accessible, still fun, but good god, Disc 3 onwards is just awful. I don't want to spoil it. Just...take my word for it. If you hate romance, you will gouge out your eyes and pour acid in your ears.
IX
Callback to old-school FF Character Classes Return Harder than VI-VIII Eccentric villain (has great style and execution, but he's seriously *** looking) Dynamic main character (Cloud and Squall fit that "emo" image) Romance subplot doesn't suck (not as abhorrent as VIII, not as effective as X)
IX is everything one would want in an old-school RPG in the modern era. It continued Square's ascent in quality (in every area). I don't think the game flows as well the modern FF styles, but is one of the best games you will find.
Start with VI or VII. Venture off to IX or V for a more classic approach. VIII is good, but that romance plot and growth system are grotesque.
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"Should I slice off your tongue or break your countless bones? Either way, I get paid; you'll bleed to death and die alone." - Blood Money
Ages better than VII (graphics and sound especially)
I find the lego characters of FFVII kind of charming, everyone in FFVIII just looks insanely distorted and their legs are three times longer than they should be
IX is more "classic gameplay without the difficulty" than "noob friendly." It's still harder than anything VII or VIII throws at you. It's because IX doesn't feature as many obvious broken gameplay elements. VIII lets you abuse it by the end of disc 1. What's also an issue is whether you want "classic" settings versus "modern" era. VII certain fits enough pseudo sci-fi to interest any geek. That and a ******* Road Rash style minigame.
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"Should I slice off your tongue or break your countless bones? Either way, I get paid; you'll bleed to death and die alone." - Blood Money
I didn't find FFIX harder in terms of dying or finding things or anything, but it does challenge your patience the most because of the slow load times, battle speed, and sometimes high encounter rates, there are some places where it takes what seems like an eternity to get across one room. really not the best introduction to the series IMO, good game but it's nice to play FFVI or VII first
IX does have charm. It's more light hearted than any game in the series (barring X-2). VII and VIII certainly profess to "why so serious" mentality. Zidane's antics provide the game's best moments.
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"Should I slice off your tongue or break your countless bones? Either way, I get paid; you'll bleed to death and die alone." - Blood Money
Whatever you do don't get 8. The first 1-2 disks are pretty good, but overall its better if we just dont talk about that game >.>
If you want one that's most indicitive of the rest of the series then I'd say VII is your best bet. I personally found 7 rather boring though, as the first disk really drags at times. Of the ones listed I'd say 9 is my favorite because of the great story/character, but of course that's just my opinion. I've never played VI also, so I can't really say how good that is.
From: pyresword | #033 Whatever you do don't get 8. The first 1-2 disks are pretty good, but overall its better if we just dont talk about that game >.>
From: Strife2 | #045 I don't know about that: Memoria kicked a lot of ass. It had a great atmosphere. If you're talking about the final boss, then I can understand.
From: OmarsComin | #046 FF8 and 9 disc 4 are both bad because of how they botched endgame content
Omar covered it. Memoria had atmosphere, sure, but it was a massive lost opportunity and pretty tedious in general. It also introduced a lot of elements that had no tie-in to the game at that point. And of course, the game suffers from that thing which happens on both FF8 and FF9 Disc 4. And yeah, the final boss... yikes.
Tactics, 7, and 9 are probably the 3 best games in the series. 7's graphics have aged horribly though. 9 is probably the best bet for your first FF, as it's the personal favorite of a lot of people on the board and it's really good looking for a PS1 game.