Is Final Fantasy Worth It?

[FinalHeart95]

The Final Fantasies didn't get fun for me until IV. Then I pretty much like all the ones I've played except XII and maybe VIII. Even XIII isn't THAT bad. I just can't see myself playing it more than once.
Anyway, if you're looking at the older games, I can definitely recommend IV and VI. III and V have interesting job systems as well, so you may want to look into them for that. I and II haven't held up well, in my opinion.

 

[Kakarot89]

Okay, so I took some time to read all of the posts (except arguments between posters) and I have decided to definitely check out the series. I want to thank all of you for your responses and especially:

Shoggoth2588
RJ 17
Eric the Orange
ChristopherT

for selling me on the series. However, as ChristopherT pointed out, the PSX ones have audio flaws and both he and Shoggoth2588 pointed out the ridiculous load times. I'm going to search around a bit on amazon and the game store for good prices. I may definitely end up going the route of GBA/DS but they can be rather pricey. The aforementioned audio problem and loading times were a big part of this but also the fact I already own Chrono Trigger on my Super Nintendo (I realized that I didn't mention the fact I already own that). I'll definitely check out 1-6 and maybe check out VII as well, depending out what I think of the series up to that point.

Oh and I'll check out a few other games you guys have mentioned (such as Dragon Quest) as well. Thanks again to everyone for the responses, they all played a part in the ultimate decision.

 

[havoc33]

Hey everyone I have a question for all of you.

There's a retro gaming store down the street from where I live and I go there almost all the time. They have a great selection of PSX games and have Final Fantasy I-VI in anthology collections (the first two in a set together, IV with Chrono Trigger, and V and VI together). I have never really played FF before (played the first a bit on an emulator) but have played Chrono Trigger on SNES (a lot of people have compared the two) and immensely enjoyed that. From the bit of the first FF I've played, it was a lot of fun.

However, my understanding is the series has begun to go downhill. I did some research but no one can really agree on when this began. I've heard since XI it's been going downhill but have also read that VIII is when the series began to suck.

I guess what I'm wondering is a few things: 1. Is Final Fantasy a series worth getting into? 2. When would you say the series began to go downhill? 3. If you didn't notice, none of the PSX titles had III. So what would be the best way to experience these games?

With that last one please try to keep in mind, the only systems I have are a SNES, N64, Gamecube, PS2, Gameboy Advance, and a Nintendo DS.

Thanks.

First off, DO NOT buy the Playstation One anthology collections! These versions are marred by horrible lag every time you enter a battle and even when you want to enter the menus. Believe me, when playing a JRPG, this is the last thing you want to experience, as you'll be doing a lot of fighting and customizing. Personally, I'd recommend playing 1-5 on emulators, then buying FFVI for the SNES or Wii (the Wii Virtual Console version is based on the SNES version, and is therefore not marred by the horrible lag. The PSN version however, is a port of the PSOne version and suffers from the same lag issues). Then the rest of the games starting from FFVII you can buy for the PSOne/PS2/PS3.

My favourites in the series:

1) FFVII
2) FFVI
3) FFXII (very, very underrated. Amazing world, lots of exploration and the best battle system in the series by far. And NO RANDOM BATTLES, which is a huge positive)
4) FFIX
5) FFX

I'd even recommend you try out the much criticized FFXIII. Sure it's not one of the strongest FF's (too linear, removal of cities and shops are the major complaints), but it's a stunner and it will keep you entertained.

 

[Callie]

Final Fantasy series has had its ups and downs with the games, I mean nothing is perfect. I would say if you haven't started the games before, a good benchmark game would be FFVII or FFIX, maybe FFVI if you can stand the graphical engine. These 3 games have good game mechanics so help beginners in the series get the feel of things. Progressing from this I would say that FFVIII is worth a playthrough for the storyline, though the gameplay style is slightly different, as with FFX, though I found the story/minigames a bit lacking here.

Yes it has gone down in the overall 'i connect and feel with the characters and love playing this game' dept. FFXII and XIII were good enough games for the time, however they were missing that connection you feel with most games, and focussed more on jaw dropping graphics/cutscenes I feel.

Overall, if you are new to them, play:

FFVII, FFIX, FFVI.