owlmoose: (ff7 - sword)
KJ ([personal profile] owlmoose) wrote2013-03-12 10:41 am

Final Fantasy question: where to begin?

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.
zen_monk: (Default)

[personal profile] zen_monk 2013-03-13 07:31 am (UTC)(link)
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.