Start out with Final Fantasy VII, its on PSN, it has everything you want. comedy, action, drama, and most importantly a deep storyline stretching from ff7 before crisis, ff7 crisis core, ff7, ff7 dirge of cerberus, and a movie ff7 advent children complete. (still waiting on the lastest version of the game. ahem.. Genesis in sig)

I doubt you'll ever see FF7 FF8 and FF9 on any other platform.

I do have the 60GB PS3,but I forgot that FFVII was on PSN. I think I might try that one,as that's probably my cheapest option.

try the ones off of PSN, 4 for DS and thats about it, Supposedly, FF6 is supposed to be coming to PSN soon so i would check that out too. Stay away from 13, unless you like walking down corridors fighting monsters, watching boring cutscenes for about 40 some odd hours (thats not exaggeration, thats how that game plays)

Try Final Fantasy XIII. It is around 20 dollars. You can't really listen to what other people have to say about a FF game because the opinion of each and every game is so varied.

don't play FFXIII

download FF7 from PSN, and look for FF10 at a game store.

You should play 9 and 10. Ignore the rest :)

Final Fantasy 3 or 4 (probably 4) for DS

Just get 13 for 20 bucks it's worth your 80-100 hours. Especially if you like Square Enix CG. 13 is a game for beginners. Not for FF beginners but for gamers in general. That's what makes this game disappointing.
13-2 will be much better.

FF7 will also be disappointing for you or any other old game if you buy into retro fanboyism.

FFXIII is a great game. It just isn't a great Final Fantasy, at least in terms of what the fans expected and desired. FFXIII only suffered because it was called "Final Fantasy"

You can get ff7, ff8, ff9, on the PSN. I guarantee you wont be disappointed with that deal.

Anything but XIII. It's a piece of trash as an FF and a trainwreck of an experience as far as videogames go.
A good one to get into the series is actually XII I think. It's kinda WRPG-like in some senses, making it a good entry point.