Sure

>>12095581
also is pixel remaster good or I should play different version

>>12095578
start with V and stop playing after X for maximum enjoyment. 1-3 are nothing like the good FFs the series is known for aside from some thematic elements. IV was good for its time and for establishing the mold of the games that came after it but its a really mid game on its own merits. but every game from V to X is really, really fucking good. no point boring yourself.

>>12095582
Play the original on NES, unless you're some kind of flaming faggot that needs muh quality of life fixes

>>12095603
im 100% heterosexual

>>12095578
Youre not going to get a consensus from this thread. You need to ask yourself why you are interested in playing these games and if you ask the right questions you should be able to answer yourself.

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>>12095625
you sound like anime protag

On MSX
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5U2o3ql7n1I

>>12095578
Not unless you have a really high tolerance for early jrpg jank. I'd start with 4 personally, it's originally a SNES game so it has established genre and series conventions by then and is nicer to look at. But like someone else said it depends on what you're looking for and there's no one right answer.

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>>12095578
I tried doing that, going back all the way to the NES version... but I didn't have the patience so I ended up playing the GBA remake (Dawn of Souls, which comes bundled with FF2). It has little to offer, and the memorable moments are scarce... but if you let yourself be amazed by what little there is to it, and if you'd like to experience playing through the entire series, then I'd say it's worth it. It also has a decent soundtrack to go with it (though, like much about it, it can become repetitive). I, for instance, can't forget when I first arrived at Lufenia... it was magical.

Give it a chance. Don't worry about which version to play, just pick the one you currently feel like playing and keep at it for a couple of hours. Also, FF1 has received a lot of revisions since the originals first came out; don't discard them all just because you didn't like the one you picked up first.

>>12095594
IV is amazing and the most re-released FF.

>>12095578
Start with 7

>>12095594
I agree V-X are the only ones truly worth playing. Though I've played 2 hrs of FFI today.
I recommend they start with X, not sure why. I started with IX and I'm still playing these a quarter century later.

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>>12095578
Start with the Playstation hard mode, you get the same experience as the NES original but with better music and more colour.

>>12095703
>>12095582
All versions post WonderSwan Color which is the GBA, PSP, and Pixel remaster use the Hit% scaling from the NES version. Every 32 points of Hit% you gain an additional hit but as you level 4x as fast you'll reach hit counts meant for end game before you get to leave the starting area of the inner sea meaning every enemy from there is a one round one kill.
Those version also included magic scaling which works by doubling magic damage at certain intervals starting at 20, 30, and 40, this along with the conventional MP system in WSC, GBA, and PSP versions makes magic spammable and takes away any danger from regular encounters. Healing magic was also buffed with Heal3 being a full party heal, with the conventional MP system and ethers you're never in danger of dying even from the final boss.
However the worst change was shared inventory full of overpowered purchasables, ethers, phoenix downs, and other consumables which takes the already gimped difficulty curve beneath the ground.

The original FF and the PSX remake are classics, and with the Hard mode changes in PSX version make it even better.

>>12095809
I'll take your word for it and try the PSX remake, GBA did feel too easy. Thanks for the heads up.

>>12095809
>better music
So, worse then.

>>12095594
This.
1 and 2 are very barebones.
3 and 4 you start to see the FF storytelling kick in, but it's still pretty light.
5 and 6 are where the series really takes off, and remains exceptional through 10.
>>12095721
FF1 is actually the most re-released.
7 has the most unique entries.

>>12095703
>It has little to offer
Yeah because the remake removed all of it.

>>12095578
I'm sure there's some convoluted answers, I'll keep it simple:

FF1 if you plan on going through the whole series
FF4 otherwise
(you can stop on every game after 8 depending on your tolerance)

>>12095809
The only problem with the psx version is the load times. Wasn’t the psx version based on the wonderswan port?

>>12095578
>Do I start at 1?
This is what you sound like.

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1-3 are kino if you have any semblance of imagination.

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>>12097408
Do I have to drown in a river after playing?

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>>12096720
Yeah, the WSC remake is the basis of the PS1 port...which is the basis of GBA, which is the basis of PSP, which is the basis of iOS, which is the basis of 3DS... The one thing I'll give PR credit for is that it's a total recreation instead of being another enhanced port.
I think more people would recommend the WSC versions of I-II if they didn't have old unfinished translation patches that ceased development when the PS1 versions were announced.

>>12095578
If you want to play them all then yes.

>>12095582
Yeah pixel remaster is perfectly fine
>it doesn’t have additional content
Okay who declared that content good anyways, usually i want jrpgs to wrap up in the endgame not have additional boring ass dungeons anyways
The music sounds good
It works good
Speed up and qop features good
Its fine, go pirate it instead though

The games are stand alone. Play them in any order. Find the ones you like and don't take the word of others.
I personally like 12 and the 13 trilogy. 7 remake, 1 and 2, are beyond saving, despite saying the 3rd part will tie everything together.
I've had people yell at me when bringing this up.
Same with saying I enjoyed 9 as a kid, but playing it now is such a grind. 8 is still awful to me, even playing it now. 7 was a fun grindy game, but the ending still left much to improve on.
I could go on and on, like all of the MMO games should be discontinued, but that's preference.

>>12097810
Retard post.

>>12095594
I think 4 is specifically worth playing in lieu of FF1-3. It touches on a lot of the same classic tropes and has some grindy/sloggy/unforgiving dungeon segments that are far more in line with the NES JRPG experience. I also think the story is simultaneously under and overrated—it's like a bell curve where brainlets think it's the best thing ever, midwits think they're smart for criticizing the "fake-out deaths", and actual, intelligent adults with comprehension skills understand why everyone's death is a fake-out (except for Tellah's)

>>12097810
>"such a grind!"
>"SO GRINDY!"
Why is this such a common sentiment about some of the easiest fucking RPGs in existence? Outside of the NES era, most FFs require zero grinding to just complete the main story. I feel like you fuckers are total dolts who refuse to actually learn how to fight random encounters, so every new area is prefaced by you grinding your entire party up several levels until you can one-hit KO every enemy with regular physical attacks because you get anxiety about watching HP/MP go down.

If you had to grind for anything in FF7 besides leveling materia to fight the optional superbosses, then congrats—you're a fucking retard.

>>12095578
It's simple
>You actually want to play FF1
NES or PSX versions

>You just want to pretend like you played it to check it off a list and tell yourself you studied for your video game history exame so you can be free to claim the "games have aged" in clear conscience
GBA or PR

>>12096716
>(you can stop on every game after 8 depending on your tolerance)
IX and X are great and I'm tired of pretending otherwise. They have that "fantasy feel."
>>12097880
>If you had to grind for anything in FF7 besides leveling materia to fight the optional superbosses, then congrats—you're a fucking retard.
Agreed. I run from half of the encounters in VII to stay at the appropriate level. The final boss rush isn't as hard as bosses like Demon's Gate or Carry Armor.

>>12095809
just use the gba mod of balance
https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/853/

>>12097867
ok so what is the real reason why every death is a fakeout.

>>12097880
Watches someone speedrun. Thinks the game isn't grindy. Uses exploit to beat game. Still thinks the game isn't grindy. Garbage comment from garbage player.
>>12097998
Boss rush? It's just Sephiroth and has two forms. Must not have even watched a speedrun.

>>12098047
>think you need exploits and grinding to beat a fucking FF
NTA but no, youre the fucking retard here. I run from half the battles in ff7 to keep my levels low and can still sleepwalk through the entire game. literally the only point in the series you need to grind is a few levels at the very start of FF1 on the NES and even that requirement is probably gone in the demakes. maybe for the post game dungeon in GBA FFV if you werent smart with your jobs. thats it.

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>>12098047
Just ignore them. They have their opinion and I have mine. Appreciate the, sort of, back up. Though they were probably more right. Just thought, since it's an FF game, there was a certain level of grind. Replaying could probably skip 90% of the game and still finish it with little difficulty. Just shows how bad the game is at that point. In my opinion.

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>>12098047
>Boss rush? It's just Sephiroth and has two forms. Must not have even watched a speedrun.
I've beaten the game 10+ times over 25 years... Yeah it's two bosses or 2 "forms" if you want. My bad, chill out.

you guys think FF is a grind should check out the original famicom DQ. literally most of the run time you will walking around in a circle grinding levels for hours at a time so you can survive the next area. and the scaling just gets worse and grindier the farther you get.

>>12095594
>"I judge early games in a series after the series has changed complete"

Fuck off autist.

FF1 is a nice, if basic JRPG. It was made in the 80s for fuck's sake. The most it has going for it in terms of combat is elemental weaknesses which barely come into play but the strength of the game was taking the Dragon Quest 1 open world questing and making it a huge, sprawling exploratory marathon. That's the meat of the game, figuring out how to progress.

FF2 was an experiment to be sure, and most people don't jive with the stat system but they fundamentally do not understand it. Play it on the GBA and do not grind. There's no need to grind. You'll stat up as you go along. Don't listen to detractors. The trap rooms are bullshit though, I admit that.

FF3 walked so FF5 can run, and it is a very good game in its own right though it kinda botched itself with the way your characters level up. The devs wanted you to specialize your characters so some would be fighters, the other spellcasters, because your stats (including spell charges) go up depending on what class you are. If you don't know that, you can get stuck in a boss situation where you do NOT have enough spell charges to beat it. That's very annoying but if you go in prepared it is also a good game. I suggest the DS version if you want more story or I guess the pixel remaster if you want slop.

>>12098129
never said they were bad games, just not as good (which is true). and also not good places to start out playing the series. most people who have never played a FF are not going to have the patience to get through all of them before getting to the really good stuff. better start off with something like V or VI or VII and hook them in first.

I have never played FF2 and Im scared to try

>>12098143
It's not that complicated or hard, just read the manual
https://setsumei.cloudfree.jp/famicom/finalfantasy2/finalfantasy2.html

and make sure everyone equips shields

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>>12097698

>>12097998
>IX and X are great and I'm tired of pretending otherwise. They have that "fantasy feel."
I meant stopping on 9 if you didn't understand.
10 wasn't on the same level, every game after 9 was a downward trend. Still much better than what came later.
Can't wait for the cope on how 10 didn't have any serious problems whatsoever that set it apart.

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>>12098047
>watches someone speedrun
>uses exploit to beat game
That's some mighty projection. Trust me, you faggots would learn just how many games you can beat without grinding if you got over your childish fear of ever seeing a game over screen—devs balanced these games without grinding in mind. Grinding is just something players do to cope when they can't strategize.

FF7 is piss easy. Get to know the tools at your disposal. Take some damage. Burn some MP. Man the fuck up.

>>12097698
>>12098436
PS1 version is by far the best looking one, especially on a crt. Doesn’t square still press and sell new copies of Origins as well?

>>12098436
Your gif is absolute shit. I'm not going to watch it 10 times to try to read all that text. Either slow it down or make it a webm so it can be paused.

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>>12099289
>I meant stopping on 9 if you didn't understand.
Oh, well, that's fine. IX is still excellent despite what current hivemind says.

>>12100105
Looks amazing on a crt but it’s hard to go back and play because everything is slow. Loading times, transitions, animations

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>>12100108
That's why I play Memoria Engine / Moguri Mod in 4k. Still have my discs but this mod:
>Cuts out battle intros entirely
>Has a global speed boost of your choosing
>Has a battle speed setting of your choosing
It's really fucking fast as I play it. I couldn't go back to normal-speed FFs.
You can switch to Triple Triad, too.

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>>12095582
I played FF1 on the GBA and regretted it. I went back and slogged through the NES and didn't enjoy it as much as I should have.

Even though the QoL features of later remasters are extremely nice to have, if you can't stomach the raw originals on their intended platforms then you just need to admit you don't like the games themselves and life's too short to waste time not having fun.

>>12100108
>but it’s hard to go back and play because everything is slow
Sounds like a problem with the interface between the chair and the controller. I played the game just a couple of years ago on an actual PS1 and it was perfectly fine.

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>>12095594
I'll add: 5-10 is Uematsu at his absolute peak. Music carries a lot of Final Fantasy, and although there is a fair amount of good tunes in 1-4, 5 is the first standout track where almost every single song is good and memorable.

>>12100178
Oh it's fine at normal speed. But it's better when faster (and much harder). When you've beaten the game on orig hardware 5+ times you can start complaining about speed, and IX is quite slow.

>>12095578
I wouldn't personally. While FF1 is pretty good, I'd choose to start with a better one and work your way back bad-good ones. I'd say start with either 5, 6, 7, or 10. Those are all great starting points, and are more likely to make you a fan of the series and give you patience for the ones your less likely to enjoy.

>>12100182
>IX is quite slow.
Someone once posted a list of turn-based RPGs circa-2000 and their respective battle load times, and it really put into perspective that IX was never particularly slow—it's just that it's one of the few games of the era that normies and "gaymers" still try to go back to play because it's part of a popular franchise, and their dopamine-addled brains can't manage to go more than 10 seconds without input.

>>12098031
Everyone else gave their lives to protect others. Tellah was just out for revenge even at the cost of his own life. It actually mirrors Cecil's growth, where he goes from a dark knight who literally eats away his own HP for attacks to a Paladin who selflessly takes hits for his friends.

This is why all of the wisest characters in the game constantly note that Cecil can never defeat Golbez with a "dark sword"—being a self-destructive edgelord is an inescapable death sentence.

>>12098047
>can't beat FF7 without grinding
>calls others "garbage players"
sasuga

>>12095578
you start with 1 and play through X but skip 8

>>12100180
>5 is the first standout track where almost every single song is good and memorable.
5 is really the point where everything good about the series finally solidified. It's really not surprising that 6 began the slide toward everything getting easier and more cinematic, because honestly where do you go after the mechanical and narrative perfection of FF5? You basically have no choice but to go another direction.

It really sucks that everyone sleeps on 5's OST, though. And even when it does get props, it's always fucking BATTLE ON THE BIG BRIDGE, BATTLE ON THE BIG BRIDGE, BATTLE ON THE BIG FUCKING BRIDGE!!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBNODEj1mBI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xevXndEHzyo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ar_J3WjTPzc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ajq7huc-9Sg
Easily one of the best overworld themes ever:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEBBGsgMjeI

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>>12100091
>Burn some MP
I never understood some people's aversion to spending MP in RPGs, but especially in FF games from the SNES era or later, where tents are a thing and there are save points before every boss. It makes even less sense in FF7 where every character can be a caster so you can always waste Barret's MP on healing, or even use materia combos to recoup MP losses.

The sad fact is that most people legitimatley do not engage with the battle system. They just unga-bunga their way through every battle, and then cry, "WAHHH, SO GRINDY!" when they encounter enemies that can't be one-hit KO'd.

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>>12100276
>but skip 8
Nah, I think 8 is worth playing if only to form your own opinion on. The first disc starts strong and is really ambitious. The problem is that it subverts a bunch of traditional JRPG/FF expectations in the name of innovation, but ultimately only succeeds in replacing one form of "grinding" with another, and ends up destablizing the formula by removing most of the player's incentive to do anything besides grinding. Which is funny for a game that people champion as "le only FF where you don't need to grind!"

It's probably my least favorite FF of the ones I've played, but it has an extremely unique atmosphere and a lot of interesting ideas, even if few of them pay off. The pre-rendered backgrounds are gorgeous, and the FMVs still hold up today, which is impressive. You can really tell Square was shifting gears to become more of a visual media company here—it's not surprising they made a full length CGI movie just a few years later.

>>12100451
>ends up destablizing the formula by removing most of the player's incentive to do anything besides grinding. Which is funny for a game that people champion as "le only FF where you don't need to grind!"
What are you talking about? It's my favorite game tied with VII. Grinding only helps you get items and GF AP, which you can do in ways that don't increase your characters' EXP. I've beaten the game at lvl 12 and it was the easiest playthrough I've ever done. It's most-fulfilling IMO to play it "naturally" and level as you go without grinding.

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>>12095578
No hehe :3 You start with FFXIV and get a big Miqo gock and start plapping! Have you tried estrogen out of curiosity? Final Fantasy is definitely an egg game x3

>>12100459
>It's most-fulfilling IMO to play it "naturally" and level as you go without grinding.
That's true of pretty much every FF after the NES trilogy, though. FF8 just has some twists that make the process less linear and more tedious. And beyond that, there's nothing else—no equipment, no accesories, no sidequest rewards. The most sensible way to draw spells, get the items you need to refine spells and/or upgrade your weapons, and get the AP you need to learn abilities in a NORMAL playthrough, is to just fight battles. Unless you're talking Triple Triad autism, which I'd argue is just another form of grinding.

>I've beaten the game at lvl 12 and it was the easiest playthrough I've ever done.
I'm not sure that's a good thing? It's possible to finish FFV with pretty much no EXP gains at all. But that's with thorough knowledge of the job system, earning good equipment, and exploiting enemy weaknesses. As opposed to FF8 where it's all just resource farming (i.e. grinding) and inventory-jockeying until your numbers are so high you're invincible.

>>12095582
play the psp or maybe GBA version.
for 3 + 4 getting the DS 3d versions is the way to go, they are also on PC.

>>12100693
>for 3 + 4 getting the DS 3d versions is the way to go
I disagree. There are too many differences that fundamentally change the gameplay experience. If OP wants to play all FFs in order, he should play the original versions, then play the 3D remakes later if he wants to.

>>12100276
were talking about FF not megaman.

>>12100451
you literally NEVER NEED TO GRIND just like every other FF its fucking easy as shit. no one is holding you at gunpoint and forcing to grind triple triad for 5 hours before ifrit. and even if you did, that would be the only time in the entire game youd have to do it

holy shit you people are deeply fucking autistic or incredibly bad at games

>>12100686
>no equipment
>no sidequest rewards
unc didnt even play the game

I'm playing 5 right now, can confirm that the difference between 1-4 and this game is night and day. Playing the original NES and SNES releases and I swear 5 is better than all of the previous games combined. I can't imagine people actually going back to play the older ones after this. If you plan to play all of the classic ones then definitely start with 1, can't speak for the remakes though but they seem to be way more accessible and less tedious which kinda makes them way too different to be considered the same games

>>12100723
>you literally NEVER NEED TO GRIND
Unless you're running from every battle, you're going to level up, which is going to make enemies stronger than you. In a normal FF, this whole process is balanced so that as long as you're not a retard, you can keep your head above water by finding good equipment, using your abilities smartly, and having good team composition—no need to grind. But in FF8, you need to be farming spells, or items to refine into spells as you go, because that's literally your only means of getting stronger. It's grinding, even if you don't want to call it that.

>>12100728
You don't have equipment. Characters have weapons, but the're immaterial and ultimately only effect your limit break—you have to upgrade them by farming items from enemies. It's not "equipment", it's just another category of grinding to make numbers go up and unlock abilities.

This proves how brainbroken the average FF-tard is. They say every game is grindy, but the grindiest game of all has a reputation of requiring zero grinding, just because you aren't specifically killing enemies to level up. lmao.

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>>12100751
>I swear 5 is better than all of the previous games combined.
Yes, yes it is.
I'm doing my bajillionth VII run but unfortunately am overleveled already (40s early disc 2). I need to run from more battles.

>>12100751
5 is somehow both the first "modern" and last "classic" Final Fantasy.

>>12095578
Honestly, yes. I would highly recommend starting from FFI and working your way up to the newest releases by release date. That includes the offshoots like Crystal Chronicles, Tactics, etc. It's generally better to go by release date so you can see the iterative improvements they made, and also to temper your expectations.

>>12095582
I am going to give a bit of a controversial answer and say that yes, I believe you should play through all 6 of the originals using the Pixel Remasters. Though they change some mechanics and items, the unified UI though ugly is intuitive and accessible for newcomers, and the graphical overhauls keep much of the original's charm while also making it more palatable. I think they are the definitive remakes if you cannot stomach the originals. However, I do believe the BEST versions of each are as follows for the overall best experience:

FFI: Dawn of Souls, GBA
FFII: Dawn of Souls, GBA
FFIII: Pixel Remaster
FFIV: FFIV Advance, GBA
FFV: FFV Advance, GBA
FFVI: Pixel Remaster

Again, it's somewhat debatable. Ideally you would play the originals and then experiment with later releases as some are better in one way or another, but I barely had the time for that when I was a kid playing games 12 hours a day every day, so I doubt the average adult does.

>>12100770
>suggesting the Pixel Demasters
>at all
>ever
opinions discarded

>>12100775
I played all of those on orig hardware (or emulated) by '02.
I prefer the PRs, I like the music especially. I even like the font. Deal with it.

>>12100786
>Deal with it.
It's actually extremely easy for me to deal with someone who has shit taste. I just ignore.

My problem is that you're actively ruining the experience for someone else by suggesting the PRs over slightly-modded or even vanilla originals. Have some mercy on the poor soul.

>>12100793
>I just ignore.
Oh? >>12100775

>>12100763
5 does indeed feel like a classic JRPG, I honestly feel like it could've been done on the NES minus the 'cutscenes', if they just kept the gameplay it still would've been great. With 6 I've heard it's more of a cinematic game like most JRPGs of the mid 90s, sort of a transition between 80s-early 90s classics and 'modern' JRPGs for the PS1 and beyond. I'm really excited to play it too but I'll be taking a break once I'm done with 5, marathoning a JRPG series is hard

>>12100804
Yes. As I said, I was letting OP know to disregard your opinions. It wasn't for my sake, it was for his.

Stupid fucking mongoloid.

>>12100775
They're honestly fine, but I can't recommend them because most of them have cut post game content from the GBA games. Quality of the content aside, I like having bosses harder than the final boss to test out my party build and strategy.

>>12100815
>Stupid fucking mongoloid.
U mad. I see nothing wrong with playing the PRs instead of not playing the games at all (which is what most end up doing).

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skip them all, those are "games" for losers.

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>>12100775
>Me caring about some random butthurt faggot crying
>at all
>ever
deal with it lol

>>12100770
The Pixel Remasters aren't the best, but they aren't the worst either. They're just kind of there.
>>12100285
The main theme of the game always felt a little flat to me. Then I heard the Pixel Remaster version and I will say that it's a direct improvement (rare because I tend to prefer the original compositions). First impressions are important.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYIafOKKo-I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Od5wS3tlBmg
of course it helps that my ex was a violinist and a good performance never fails to make me feel weak at the knees

>>12100760
just play new threat 1.5 arranged mode next time so you can just play the game and not have it be a boring snoozefest. youd think with all those hideous graphics mods you wouldve used the best gameplay mod too.

>>12100770
whatever you do, dont listen to this guy. most deranged poster ITT.

>>12101082
Deranged because I don't bitch and moan about new thing bad like you?

>>12100973
>The Pixel Remasters aren't the best, but they aren't the worst either. They're just kind of there.
They're the best for new players for sure. They use the same items across games and have a unified UI that makes them very accessible for new audiences. It's not the most authentic experience but for a newcomer the most authentic experience can be daunting unless they're well-acquainted with older titles. That's why I think the Pixel Remasters are great, personally. I never could convince some of my friends to go back and try the earlier ones till they came out.

>>12095578
i started with 13 and enjoyed it :-)

>>12101113
anyone who reccomends IV/V GBA and VI PR is either blind, deaf, hasnt played the originals or all 3. for the first 3 games sure PR is fine since they suck anyway.

>>12101125
IV and V GBA are the definitive experiences for both of those games. Any others you suggest have less content. That is objective fact. You don't even like half of the games being discussed, who give a shit about your retarded opinion.

>>12101128
>definitive experience
>screen crunched to hell and back
>butchered shitty OST ruining the best part of the game
definitive my fucking asshole. that concept doesnt even exist for the SNES FFs, and thats a fact. you pick your poison no matter what, but most will agree with me that a shitty ass post game dungeon is not worth ruining the graphics and sound.

>>12100751
the crazy thing is 6 is ANOTHER night and day difference in quality right after, and then VII does it AGAIN. truly nuts. IMO viii is another step up in quality but less massive, but thats controversial. and then IX is the first time the series takes a step back but its still ludo.

>>12101135
That's why I recommended the PR remasters for a newcomer. For someone that wants the definitive experience, IV and V GBA have more content, and the loss in sound and visual quality won't be relevant because 1.) they've already experienced it and 2.) there's more actual GAMEPLAY, which they would want. Nobody cares that a 30+ year-old SNES rpg is slightly lower-resolution on GBA, otherwise the PRs would be definitive for all of them.

>>12101141
Is 7 really THAT good? Working my way up to this game is really interesting because outside of Japan no one gave a shit about this series before 7 (I've heard that 6 being popular in the west and putting FF on the map is a revisionist meme) so relatively soon I'll finally see what's so special about it

>>12095578
Phantasy Star is better than any NES FF

>>12101190
I think that FF2 has better story than PS1, gameplay-wise Phantasy Star is more 'pleasant' and I'd say it's more polished but that's mainly because it's a pretty simplistic game while FF1-3 are deeper as RPGs

>>12101180
VII is really that good. It combines a great story, charming visuals, and incredible OST to create a really enjoyable experience. I think it is the quintessential RPG. Just enough difficulty to make you have to think at various points, but easy enough that even kids can beat it (I beat it when I was 9 a year after release). It might not be the best JRPG you've ever played, but if you're a fan of JRPGs and didn't like it I would honestly be surprised.

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>>12095578
Yes.

>>12095809
PSX is after WSC retard

>you're never in danger of dying even from the final boss.
The final boss went from 2000HP in the original to 4000HP in WSC to 20000HP in GBA and the completely random action order in Pixel Remaster means it can do back to back party wide AoEs before your heal goes off and murder your shit unless you are leveled way up. Or you could get lucky the first time, whichever.

>>12095880
I actually kind of hate some of the PSX music personally. >>12095659 is amazing, and incidentally WSC is a handheld shitified version of it.

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>>12101205
>playing a video game for the """story"""
That's worse than cringe, it's ick

>>12101180
>is vii really THAT good
yes, its the most acclaimed game in the series for a reason.

>>12095578
you should start with X-2

>>12095578
4 PSP

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>>12095578
Dawn of Souls. Abuse the sliding puzzle minigame and minmax by avoiding levelling until after you get class promotions. You're welcome.

>>12095578

You gotta start with its prequel: Mystic Quest...

But seriously. I think the 2D remakes are superior to the NES originals.

In all of their 'best games of all time' polls Japan used to rank 4 and 5 above 6 consistently until very recently

>>12100178
I guarantee I’ve played through the game on real hardware more times than you. You can be contrarian all you want, but it doesn’t change the fact the game is slow especially with dying ps1/2 lasers. Eventually I’ll try it on a ps1 ODE to see how it feels.

I never would have gotten into FF if I hadn't played the first one, on the original NES hardware after renting it from Blockbuster, first.

>>12095578
Sure, it's actually quite fun to see how the games change over the time. I did the same for Fire Emblem over a two year period and really enjoyed it. All of the mainline FF games are good enough (well except II) so you won't be stuck with shitty games playing them chronologically.

>>12100973
>the main theme of the game always felt a little flat to me.
Because nobody ever listens to this shit on a proper sound system with good bass. Bass is such an important element to Uematsu's music because he was trained on prog rock and funk—not classical. The orchestral re-arrangements of the PR are a huge misstep and tend to "trick" people into thinking they're better just because "OOH A VIOLIN"

>>12102183
I don't care how many times you played it. Why would that even be relevant? Are you stupid?

>>12101219
Didn't realize there was an FFI schizo, too. Damn.

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>>12095582
No, it's fugly and the first game on NES has some very good spritework, like for example the flesh pixell and black line at the back of his legs and armor is a great shading effect with only three colors available (technically four but the black is transparent)
Music is great, too, haven't heard it in the Pixel remaster but I do strongly prefer the NES games' soundtracks over Dawn of Souls's (including II, it has my favorite town theme in the series as well as the Wild Rose Rebellion theme) despite having actually played Dawn of Souls more than NES I when I was a kid.
On that note, my first game in the series was IV when I was real little but the one I played most was Dawn of Souls I and I didn't play through all of IV until I was almost out of high school. It is a great starting point but if you like to start with the originals (like I personally do) then I'd say to go with NES I. Don't get too attached to the way it handles the class system though because it's the only game in the series to do so.

>>12102498
>I don't care how many times you played it. Why would that even be relevant? Are you stupid?
NTA but when you've played an FF quite a few times you may start to get bothered by how long all the camera panning takes for just one battle against a Mu or something. It adds up. And having a speed boost where you can mash through dialog makes it better when you know the whole story already.
Nothin' wrong with wanting to speed the boring things up on your 5th playthrough so you can spend more time exploring and trying weird stuff.
Also, Uematsu does like bass and drum loops but a lot of the early FF music is simulated chip orchestra, the PR music DOES sound nice, we've all heard the originals before. I play IX with faithful fanmade orchestral music now and it's kinda better though I still love the originals.

>>12102538
>a lot of the early FF music is simulated chip orchestra
I don't agree with this. I think you often hear elements of orchestra in his scores, but that's because the prog rock sound is all about folding traditional symphonic elements into rock/blues compositions. I think if you want a better idea of what FF scores are intended to sound like, you should watch '80s/'90s anime and listen to the scores. You'll hear things like brass and strings for sure, but the structure is entirely prog rock, R&B, or funk. Nausicaa and Nadia are two of my favorite examples—much of their OSTs straight up sound like video game music because this was the vibe Japan associated with "fantasy", and it's what Uematsu was going for.
>the PR music DOES sound nice, we've all heard the originals before.
Yeah, I'm being hard on them. I don't hate them, but I just feel a lot of the time they miss the mark. I recently played through FFV for the umpteenth time, so I used the MSU1 mod to patch in the PR soundtrack just so I could finally judge all the music in context. Most of it was just okay, with a handful of tracks being objectively worse, and only a few that I considered perfect, or even improvements.

I was going to do the same with 6, but holy shit, it starts off on the worst foot possible—the opening organ blast in "Omen" is so fucking nutless in the PR. Literally out-fucking-skilled by 30+ year old 16 bit organ samples, lmao.

>>12095582
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfNrc3VoeNA
Weird no one has posted this comparison yet. Anyway, no matter which version you play first, I think it might be worth pointing out that the pixel remaster has a bunch of graphics and gameplay mods, and it might be worth at least pirating it to try them out.

>>12095578
Either chronological, or:
IV - X in order, then I-III

IV very focused. It's the first ATB game, and in my opinion remains the best execution of that system in the entire series, with emphasis on the combat itself rather than building your party ahead of time. The mechanics retain some of the more complex formulas from the earlier games, like melee characters are automatically doing multiple attacks per round. The progression is very balanced, you get powerful without veering into the absurdity of later games with chain-casted ultimas and gimmicky abilities like GP Toss, but still have enough unique abilities to make the different classes interesting.

The characters are solid, the narrative is well-paced and the redemption theme lands well. Novice critics will bitch about fakeout deaths and mind control tropes but these are fairly silly things to complain about. The story isn't Dickens but does it's job to provide structure and meaning to the gameplay.

>>12098031
>>12100246
The main reason is just that it's fun. Fun to rediscover the companions who made selfless sacrifices. Fun to have the characters remain part of the story.
How would the sequence in Troia been better without Edward?
How would the encounter with Golbez and the shadow dragon been better without Rydia?
How would the Sylph cave side quest be better without Yang?
How would the late game interactions with Edge been better without Cid?
How would the final encounter have been better without everyone including Palom&Porom sending their prayers and blessings to the party?

Lazy critics get stumped by these questions.

>>12100180
IV has a great soundtrack through and through. The entire score is well-aligned with the themes and storytelling. It has some of the best battle music in the whole series.

Also, FFIV has possibly most prominent and effective use of the "Final Fantasy Theme" in the whole series-- making it a great place to start (if you don't want to start with NES titles).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XtbAw4HaQQ