It depends what kind of setting and battle system interests you. If you want futuristic worlds mixed with fantasy then go for VII, VIII, or XIII. Personally I hate VIII just for the story but you may like it. I've tried IV and III on the DS and enjoyed them well enough. XII is a great game even though most of the fans seem to hate it the most. The battle system is like an offline-MMO but the story is what's really different from the other titles. All the other ones mostly focus on saving the world from some big bad monster but this one has politics and judges, kind of European-style mythology too. Anyway, there's X too which is fantastic and emotional. Try and seek that one out if you like love story sub-plots.

VII, VIII and XIII are my picks.

Final Fantasy VII just has to be played, it's my favourite game of all time.

Final Fantasy VIII can be slow and completely fall apart at times, but if you stick through it you will realise how much of a great game it was once you finish it.

Final Fantasy XIII has so much substance and style, and of course, if the graphics bother you then you won't be disappointed with this game. While the game is linear and does take your freedom away from you for most of the game, if you enjoy the battle system, the story and the sheer amount of style the game has then you will be entertained right through until the end.

I haven't played IX so I won't comment on that, and other than that, you have only the 2D FF's (V and VI) which to be honest I couldn't get into.

That is a very respectible order. Only one I disagree with is X as I have a soft spot for that title. I did undervalue 6; my appoligies.

I totally dropped the ball as I missed Crisis Core for PSP (one of the best storylines ever). If you can look past the battle system the game is incredible. Also, try to fit FFX-2 near the bottom if you have time haha (I'm sure I will take heat for that one haha).

Why start with Crisis Core? It's only have the fun if you haven't played Final Fantasy VII.

Final Fantasy Tactics is also a very very good game, but it is an SRPG so it's not for everyone.

don't bother with any before 4. They are horrible. Start with 4-10 as those are seen as the creme of the crop. I would do them relatively in order because many's opinion of different entries were swayed by the graphical level, its hard to start with 10 then go to 4. My personal Hiarchy....

1. Final Fantasy VII:Best story!Best Villains! Best Heroes! Best Battle System! and the most memorable of any FF game period.
2.Final Fantasy X: Very great with religious undertones that are groundbreaking. Decent cast but Yuna and Auron are the shining stars here.
3.Final Fantasy VI: Good story, large selection of cool looking characters and the battle system was great for the time.
4.Final Fantasy XI: Decent to Good Game, One of the few entries where the overall look always stays consistent.
5.Final Fantasy VIII: Convoluted but enjoyable in many ways. I for some reason keep returning to this game's first disc but usually restart once I get past Garden. Some of the secret plots are mindblowing.

The others may not be the best but saying something is the worst final fantasy is still better than most other jrpgs.

FF XII: I personally love the story and battle system, as well as the characters. A few are total throw aways tho. The battle system is not as easy as many posers would have you believe. It gets extremely difficult later on.

FFXI: Online experience, gave it 2.5 years of my life and enjoyed most of it. Only gripe is the ridiculous amount of time spent WAITING for a Party to form efficently enought to battle.

FFXIII:Honestly not the worst in the series, just the most dumbed down....except for the story which goes out of it's way to seem more complicated than it really is and spirals out of control. Battle system was very fun to me. Characters, although had same job classes, played VERY different which forced u to utilize the different ones for dif things. Half of the game is a tutorial tho... Also This should always be the LAST game you play because it strips almost everything away from FF that makes it iconic:MP,Spell Names,difficulty, Summons, etc.

But yea, start with those. 7-9 can be DLed from PSN, DS has 4. If u have a BC PS3 or PS2, 10 is the shining jewel here. then of course get XII, then XIII but get it on PS3 as it plays/runs/looks better.

Should also try the Kingdom Hearts series which is the third most popular SE jrpg. Play them in order;KH1,KH Re:COM,KH2. Seeing as u have a DS there is Days but it pales in comparison that was the magnificent KHBirth By Sleep on PSP. KH3D will be on 3DS tho.

Oh God YES!!!!

After playing the best in the series by mas majority and sales, FFVII, you will hunger for much much more. I recommend first playing FFVII:CC for PSP(get one as its awesome). Then go and Watch FFVII Advent Children. From there only one thing can quell your thirst for more and that will be........DISSIDIA DUODECIM!!!!!!!

Play FF Tactics. Mkkk. Thanks.

4,6,7-Crisis Core,8,9,10...then stop

Dont play FFVII crisis Core before FFVII...why? because FFVII spoils a huge plot point in VII itself.

Honestly, the best one to start with is likely either the first one (It's relatively simple and short), IV (same, but has a great story and characters), and VI (because seriously, shining example of FF right there.) All three of which can be bought for cheap if you have a a DS or PSP, or if you're really cheap you can get the original versions free of charge and play them on Emulators on your computer. (No I'm not supporting piracy, but the NES and SNES are both super old systems that no longer sell)

but since you're a PS3 owner, you can get away with buying VII, VIII, and IX, and they're all great choices as well, depending on what you're looking for.

VII is a pretty damn good rounded package, VIII is more character driven and has its quirks, and IX is old high fantasy style.

If you have a backwards compatible PS3, then I also highly recommend X and XII. X has what I feel is one of the best stories in the game, and the mini-game alone (blitzball) is enough to keep you busy for hours. Only real downside is a lack of an overworld map. XII on the other hand seems to get a lot of unneeded and unfair hate since it does things very differently, and most people can't be bothered to learn the Gambit system or are too hung up on how irrational the License grid is (in spite of the fact that it's a game and not reality.) That said, the game has a great plot, great characters, and honestly the most content of any of the Final Fantasy games. Plus it's really fun to play.

But that's enough of that.

I recommend playing the 2D final Fantasies first, as long as you're not some graphics whore who can't stand to look at the pixels or something. They're simpler and will be a fine introduction to the series.