Final Fantasy question: where to begin?

[owlmoose]

I was chatting with a friend about my Final Fantasy X replay (about which more at another time), and she expressed an interest in the series but was wondering where to start -- which makes sense, it's a huge series with no clear starting point since so many of the games stand alone. I have my own thoughts on this subject, of course, but I wonder what the rest of you think.

So here's the question: if you were to rec one and only one Final Fantasy game to someone who has never played anything in the series, which game would it be and why?

On balance, I think I would lean toward FFX, because of the depth of its story, world, and characters, with the caveat that they shouldn't expect the graphics and voice acting to be up to current standards. Although if I knew the player was a big fan of epic fantasy, I might rec FFIX instead, or if they loved political intrigue, I might suggest FFXII. So those are my picks, but then I've never finished FFVI, and my meh-ness toward FFVII is well known.

Update, Tuesday evening: it turns out that my friend doesn't have access to most of the platforms that have FF games made for them, so this discussion is mostly theoretical, alas. But thanks, still, for weighing in, and feel free to keep commenting! It's still an interesting topic and I've enjoyed seeing what everyone has to say.

Comments

[sepdet]

I have to admit, my first thought would be X.

Why not give her one that has a danged good story? Assuming she can get past the now-dated graphics.

Even better if the HD version comes out soon.

[owlmoose]

Yeah, for anyone with the proper gaming systems, I would definitely counsel waiting for the remaster. I love the game to death but am cringing at the graphics a lot -- I can't even imagine how it would look to someone who's never played before.

[zen_monk]

I think FFIX would be a good start. It's the pinnacle of the time spent on a game where it's aesthetically pleasing, has good writing and world setting, and reflects both the traditional story of the older Final Fantasies while keeping in mind the trends of the newer, as per FFVII and FFVIII. It's also available as a portable game, if your friend has a PSP and really to get into the older final fantasies is to readjust your expectations in being immersed in a game. Especially when the bulk of the series are on the older generations and not so much the newer ones.

I also think that FFIV is a good starter, at least for introducing to the older series. It has a simple and clean plot, but intriguing enough to have interest. The DS version, I think, has the best gameplay of all its adaptations, and I think that it's a better experience. I think it's a good way to build a foundation of what you'd come to expect from the FF series, as it doesn't really have a complicated plot, is traditional enough to get a grasp on fantasy shorthands while also unique enough to have a bit of spin on it.

Now, for a sitting down in front of a tv kind of gameplay... I would recommend FFXII because of its setting and good sense of plot, but I wonder if it's also a bit overwhelming? It has a biiiiig world to explore, and it's a lot of dungeons. Well, I personally think it has a lot of dungeons. But I also think it's a great experience on the PS2, graphics and acting and writing-wise.

[owlmoose]

I really liked FFIV on the DS as well (bearing in mind it's the only version I've ever played), and I am coming around to that as a good rec.

Aren't most of the old FF games available on the PS3 download store now?

[sarasa_cat]

I might be the odd one out in saying that FFX is among my least favorite of the Final Fantasy series. I still think it is a good game, but I dislike the cliches in the story, and I deeply dislike Yuna. This isn't to diss on FFX but, instead, to point out how hard it is to recommend a good FF to start with. If I started with FFX, I would have never played the rest of the series.

I think it is better to ask your friend about what matters most to her.

- A portable game that is smaller in scope or a sweeping epic that is best viewed on a TV?

- Cutting edge graphics and voice acting or an old school RPG?

- A story that features love and friendship as central to the plot or a story that features political intrigue?

- A story that delivers a fantasy experience or a story that deconstructs the fantasy hero (FFVII) or deconstructs the fantasy (FFXII).

- A story that is well contained in one game or a story that is part of a series?

etc.

Edited to add: Also, the kind of battle system and game play style could influence how much she gets into the game. As much as I love the earlier games, the battles now feel a bit tedious to me because I'm used to a different style of play. I have to be in the right mind set to enjoy them, although I *do* enjoy replaying the really old FFs. On the flip side, even in new games like FFXIII, the battles can feel extremely tedious especially when they are unavoidable whereas FFXII allows you to avoid some random encounters. But, games like FFXII require the player to be interested in a more thinky, challenging tactical RPG style of play whereas FFX battles are also engaging due to tactics but the battles are very easy because of how the game lets you switch your party members in and out.

Edited again: OOH! Forgot to add this: What other elements in a game does she like? The puzzles in FFX are my favorite part of that game (wish those puzzles were in all of the later FF games) but some people dislike puzzles. The card game in FFVIII is so addictive that people thought I had purchased FinalFantasy: Triple Triad. I disliked the minigames in FFVII but I know people who love those arcade style racing games.

[owlmoose]

This post is not the venue for it, but sometime I want to have a conversation with you about Yuna. Remind me at the next good opportunity.

I agree that a lot depends on exactly what someone is looking for in a game.

[sarasa_cat]

Random aside, if I designed the next FF game's gameplay, it would have all the triple triad and the FFX puzzles.

Re Yuna: http://vieralynn.livejournal.com/27131.html?thread=175099#t175099

[owlmoose]

That post is protected such that can't see it.

I am probably the only person in history who didn't care for Triple Triad and loved Sphere Break :)

[sarasa_cat]

LJ permissions: Fixed. (go to the comment, the post itself is about slash fiction)

Mini-games: I like how the FF series tried out so many different kinds of mini games. Not everyone will like all of them, but at least there is something for everyone across the entire series.

[seventhe]

Hands up for "dislikes puzzles" XD When Becky played FFX (and I "replayed" via watching her), we made Katy come over on Thursday nights and beat blitzball for us. But that's just me -- I know a ton of people who love the puzzle parts and minigames.

[owlmoose]

And see, I love puzzles (although not blitzball -- I play just about the bare minimum, especially in X-2 where the implementation is *terrible*). I could do puzzles like the FFX temples all day. The lack of puzzles and sidequests was one of my biggest gripes about FFXIII.

[alias_sqbr]

My answer is almost identical to yours :) But I haven't finished anything before 9, and haven't played 13.

[owlmoose]

FFIV is really worth playing, if you can find it on a platform that works for you. And I keep hearing how amazing FFVI is. I have never managed to finish that one (tried on PS1 and GameBoy) -- I'm hoping there's a DS/iOS remake someday, because I much prefer the games with voice acting and sprites that have facial expressions.

[alias_sqbr]

I have tried 6, 7 and 8 but never finished them. They weren't BAD but didn't mange to entirely grab me and then I would lose track of what I was doing strategy wise and entirely lose my momentum.

[seventhe]

Well, I'm partial to the old-school FFs -- FFIV is a simpler game overall but with amazingly likeable characters and a plot that really sucks you in; FFVI is more complex and complicated, which are both its strengths (tons of awesome backstory! tons of amazing characters! tons of sidequests!) and its weaknesses (tons of characters to keep track of! second half of the game can be 75% skipped which means you miss out on valuable story!). If they've got any favorable sense of nostalgia, one of those isn't a bad bet.

Out of the newer games, I think FFX is a decently good choice -- it's very easy to figure out the gameplay at first (for newbies) but then can get as complicated as you want at the end via the Sphere Grid, the story's pretty compelling (good depth without being omfg overwhelming, IMO), and the characters are, as a general whole, likeable and interesting.

VII isn't a bad place to start either, but I'm so reluctant to suggest it because the fandom has kind of ruined the game for me. In its defense, however, it has some amazing characters and an excellently driven plot line (with only a few WTF plotholes, but let's face it - plotholes are as traditional to FFs as Chocobos and Cids), and Materia offers some really kick ass gameplay tweaking.

[owlmoose]

If what you're after is game history, I have to think that FFIV, FFVI, and FFVII are the best choices, since they are the ones considered the most formative and/or groundbreaking.

Although it turns out that platforms may be an issue in this particular case, I'm coming around to FFIV as a good starting point in general, since it is, as you say, there's less to juggle and the DS port might be more palatable to the modern gamer than the games that only exist in older versions.

[ryry]

With the caveat that FFVI is my favorite, I would suggest FFX. The story in that game is just so magnificent that I think it would appeal to the widest selection of possible players.

I want to suggest FF8 because of the ease of gameplay, the few characters to manage, and the intriguing story (not to mention the amazingness that is Laguna Loire), but the end of that game has the story clusterfuck around on itself, and I think that's weird and confusing. It has been a long time since I've played 8 though; I wonder if my perceptions of it would be different now from the first time I played it. (Which was also when its graphics were considered 'pretty good'.)

[zen_monk]

I second the motion for all the FF8 reasons. Primarily Laguna.

[auronlu]

FFVIII was actually the game that originally hooked me (I was sold at "I had a terrible nightmare. i dreamed I was a moron.")

That said, the graphics aren't retro enough to be cute, and not modern enough to look great, so I wonder if a non-fan would love 'em warts and all. More importantly, as you said, Disc 3 is very bewildering from Lunatic Pandora appearing out of the blue to Squall hopping a rocket and heading to space without any reason given in advance.

[owlmoose]

Hey, some people like "WTF????" games. :) I have to admit that FF8 broke my brain a bit, too, though -- for me it was the whole orphanage thing, I rolled my eyes so hard that I think I sprained something. But yeah, I would hesitate to rec that, too, for the reasons you give and for the ones auronlu mentions as well.

I do agree that the strong story of FFX is a selling point that should put it high on anyone's list of games to try.

[ryry]

THE ORPHANAGE YES. Augh, I had almost forgotten about that. But yes, that only worsened the terrible turn of the story.

Otherwise, the world they build up is fascinating and cool and the story of the sorceresses and the construction of the sorceress/knight relationship is amazing. And I love the "draw" magic system. (I might be the only one though.)

[stealth_noodle]

I'd probably rec FFIV (the DS remake is really nice!) because it's engaging and straightforward (in terms of both plot and gameplay), and it contains a lot of elements that recur elsewhere in the series. It's also shorter than most of the later entries, which I think can be a plus when you're just starting out. (Unless your friend has played other RPGs or otherwise isn't daunted by the prospect of spending 60-80 hours on a game.)

And X would be a good starting point for someone who wants better graphics and a more complex story. The battle system's easy to figure out, the sphere grid has a reasonably gentle learning curve (and provides a great chance for a newbie to figure out if they'll like other entries in the series with complex customization options), and the most potentially frustrating parts of the game are optional.

I love both VI and XII, but I feel like someone could end up wandering around lost for a while in either one, and there's just more stuff to deal with--huge playable cast in FFVI, huge open areas in FXII. IV and X keep you on a more structured track.

[ukefied]

I actually came here to say pretty much exactly this, minus FFX (which I dislike for most of the reasons vieralynn already mentioned above.)

Thank you for always being there for me to +1 off of. XD

[stealth_noodle]

I am here to help! :P

[lassarina]

I'd agree with this - as much as FF6 is my forever-favourite, Sev is correct above in noting that 75% of the second-half story is straight-up missable. I do have to disagree about the DS version though - FF4DS is a beautiful amazing gorgeous game, but it is a fuckoff hard remake of a game that was hard to start with (timed boss battles? "get reflect up on everybody or game over"? woeeeee) and I think that the DS version's boosts, in particular, would push the difficult curve over into hell territory for someone new to RPGs.

I like FFX for the story, but blitzball makes me rage, and I think the Sphere Grid is probably more confusing than a straight leveling system.

[owlmoose]

FFX was the first in the series I played, and I actually really liked the Sphere Grid. I liked that it was a little bit flexible, and also that you can plot out people's paths in a visual way.

I actually didn't have too much trouble with the difficulty in FFIV DS, but then I have nothing to compare it to (it's the only version I've ever played). Now, talk to me about FFVI GameBoy and the boss battle on the floating continent that has no save point anywhere nearby. :P

[stealth_noodle]

I think some of FFIV DS's difficulty comes from the way it changes the strategies you need for bosses from the SNES version. The first time I fought the CPU in the Giant of Babil was a disaster; the SNES strategy gets you killed but good!

[lassarina]

See, it wasn't that that got me. It was the fact that most regular enemies seem to have doubled their HP.

[lassarina]

There actually is a save point right there! It's just hidden inside a mountain. XD

I'm a veteran of FF4 difficulty and probably part of my problem is that I perpetually get impatient with grinding and zoom through things which on a first run (without augments) doesn't go well. :/

[owlmoose]

What's interesting is that this particular friend plays Western RPGs, so she might not be put off by the sprawling nature of FFXII, and one of the things that had me hesitating on FFX and some of the other games is the linearity. So that, I think, depends on the gamer -- some people used to Western RPGs might find the structured nature of FFX and FFIV limiting.

I really enjoyed the FFIV DS version, too -- although it's the only one I've played so I don't have any comparison.

[stealth_noodle]

Oooh, FFXII might be a better choice, then, especially if she's ever played an MMO. Or if she wants to go retro, one of the various remakes of I or II might be kind of fun for her, what with how wide-open and customizable they are.

[zen_monk]

Another thing to be mentioned: what console does your friend have primarily? Because most of these are available for Playstation forms, but not always, and what's available now are also cross-platform, such as on handhelds and on iOS. Of the top of my head, the ones for iOS are Final Fantasy III, FF Tactics: War of the Lions, annnnnnd yeah. I'm pretty sure there's more.

Speaking of Tactics, there's also spin-off games. Ivalice Alliance, for one, has not only Tactics (available for PSP and iOS and Android) and its respective sequels, but also Vagrant Story (which has achieved rave reviews). Unless, this person's not one for Tactical RPGs in general, though the story is very good.

For the Wii, there's the Crystal Chronicles series, as well as two other games of that nature on the nintendo DS. I can't say that I've played them to judge its quality, but I know of people who really like them.

And if this person has a psp, I'd have recommended not only FF Tactics: War of the Lions, but also FFIV: The Complete Collection, the PS1 titles that are available on the Playstation network (tho, FFVII can wait... currently). And if your friend upgrades to the Vita, she could have pretty much the complete collection of Final Fantasy for digital download (of which I can attest for) as well as wait for the FFX HD remake... and what I hope is the inevitable FFXII HD remake for the Vita.

And also Dissidia 012, the fighting game. It may reduce the protagonists roles into their bare character templates, but I find the story more than satisfying, with the obvious grain of salt to season it.

Man, does Kingdom Hearts sorta count? That's how a lot of my middle school friends got into Final Fantasy. Just so they can see more Squall or Yuffie or Cloud and be all what's up with those people.

[auronlu]

Final Fantasy I thru IV are on iOS. I'm currently working my way through all the games again with Rina and Sev, and iOS gave me access to all the games I'd missed! (note screencap)

[zen_monk]

Thanks. I wasn't so sure at first, because I don't really own Apple or Android stuff to make me wonder if there are things on it that interest me.

And I noticed, from the moogle university entries! There are some quality screencaps around because it's on the iOS! I'm anticipating more from your and the others' thoughts on the games.

[owlmoose]

It turns out that the only platforms she has access to are XBox and PC, so this discussion ends up being mostly theoretical, alas. (But still an interesting one!)

Kingdom Hearts, that's an interesting question. I have to think that it's more fun for Final Fantasy fans than a way to introduce someone to the series, since the characters are so out of context. I did really love the first game, though. (The second was fun for me as a fan, but as far as gameplay goes I would be loath to recommend it.)

[zen_monk]

Well, at least on the Xbox she can try out FFXIII and XIII-2 (wait, that one is also on xbox, yes?). Though, its repute and further-from-the-norm aesthetic could give a less than desirable impression.

And of course, FFVII is available on the PC, so at least these three are still viable candidates. Sadly, they're also one of the most controversial.

Indeed, KH is pretty out-of-context, though it seems to make an indelible impression for impressionable youngsters (ahhh middle school). Though, steadily the franchise seems to go much further from FF (and Disney, on occasion) references as soon as its focused more on its vast cast of game characters for the series. However, I do think that the games at least granted deeper character expansion for Squall, as it's one of those "what if Squall was older" type of deals.

[jerkface]

I agree that X is probably a good place to start. It's the first FF game that I actually finished. VI and XII are my personal favorites, but I agree with the above comments that might be a bit daunting for those new to the series (XII was straight-up overwhelming the first time through).

IX might also be a good choice; it's not as polished or as straight-forward as X, but it offers a good blend of new- and old-school goodness. Plus it's hard not to fall in love with the cast.

[owlmoose]

I have to admit that I love FFIX, even though I've never written fic for it, and I wish more people would play it. I was tempted to rec it for that reason alone!