i'm assuming you've played or playing FF X(if not then get that one first)

I'd start with FF XII(I seriously don't know why this games get so much hate)

then go retro and play FFVII-FFIX

Well in terms of story, it doesn't really matter where you start because as far as I know each game has a different story. Never played FF besides a bit of the old ones on Nintendo consoles and some FF7, but I'd say start at FF7. It is claimed by many to be the best of the series, and from what I played, it was very fun, and I'm not even really a fan of JRPGs, especially those heavy on the cutscenes and dialouge.

Ah! you loving 8 makes more sense now... your list is clean cut in 2 since 9 is considered closer to the older ones. Basically you don't like old school FF, this explains and justifies many things.

I played them in pretty much numerical order and I found my ordering fine, here is what I did (remember it did it in 2008, so games have been added since):

I & II (GBA) > III (DS) > IV (DS) > Tactics Advance (GBA) > V (GBA) > VI (GBA) > VII (PSX) > VII DoC (PS2) > Tactics (PSX) > VIII (PSX) > IX (PSX) > X (PS2) > X-2 (PS2) > Tactics A2 (DS) > XI (PC) > XII (PS2)


Also, for VI (IMO the best), get it on the Wii's virtual console, instead of on the GBA. Not only is it a fraction of the price, the original has better music. You will just miss out on a few added sidequests to the GBA version. Don't get the PSX version as it has horrendous load times.

I second him. Go for XIII. Even if what the haters say was true and that's a bad game, you'll get to play better games with each one you play after! :P

If you read a review of FF X and it helped you decide to try the series, that might be a good choice too.

Yup, never start with FFXIII.If you really want to start with Final Fantasy games the best choice is X.

XIII is a dissapointment to the Final Fantasy series so playing that as a first choice wouldnt make any sense.

What game is that in your signature?

Don't mistake that just because those games are lower on my list means that I dislike them.

I love all FF games. They are all fun in there own ways. I remember spending HOURS trying to steal Odins Gungnir in III. Lol.

Ni No Kuni

Early in this thread, I said Lost Odyssey. Somebody thought I was kidding. Like a lot of people, I got into Final Fantasy with FF7 and I thought it was an amazing game. I played the games since (except the MMO's) then and went back to play FF6. The scope, combat, and story of FF6-FF10 made Final Fantasy the premier RPG franchise for me. But FFX was back in 2001. Since then, the Final Fantasy series really hasn't done it for me.

That means that, for a decade, Final Fantasy hasn't been able to recapture the thrill of the older games. I've played quite a few RPG series since 1997 (Shadow Hearts, Magna Carta, Grandia, Xenosaga/Xenogears, Enchanted Arms, etc.) trying to recapture the feeling of the Final Fantasy franchise since Final Fantasy hasn't been doing what it used to do. Lost Odyssey captures that feeling, PERFECTLY. It's the best "Final Fantasy" released in a decade.

I would say FFX but I don't know how well that game has aged. I still have fond memories of it but I haven't played it in years. Lost Odyssey is a few years old but when I played it, every other game took a back seat for about a month. FF13 had the same effect but, while I played FF13 waiting for it to "get to the good part", I played Lost Odysssey with a smile. If you can get it, get it. It's not a perfect JRPG but it's the best I've played.