I would suggest either Final Fantasy IV or Final Fantasy VI to start out on personally. However, if you’re after graphics instead of anything else, then any from PS2 to current era then.
But the PS1 games are just as amazing.
The SNES games are far better though in terms of story and character development imo.
It really depends on where you come from. If you have played other Turn-based RPGs on SNES before, I’d say play FF VI. Otherwise, I’m not entirely sure.
Of course, there is also the option to play that other acclaimed RPG Squaresoft made on the SNES (which does share quite a few things with various games from the Final Fantasy series).
That’s like saying:The original dracula movie sucks cause it has no sound.The original ff1 was a good game for its time, but it depends on when you were born.If you were born too late, you are used to all the fancy flashy graphics, and most probably started circa 2000ad.
I personally believe its best for kids to start with old games, and work their way up, because that way they know their history and get to understand what made games great back in 1980-now, and learn to appreciate quality of gameplay and story instead of how pretty the graphics are.The graphics were not pretty or flashy in 1980’s, and the story was limited, so you have to play with an open mind.Keep in mind that there are some games more modern which try to go back to the pc games like wizardry and bards tale.That game, is etrian odyssey 1-4.The story is limited so far, but it very much focuses on the old gameplay.See what i mean? If some games try to copy that style, and its old, then there must be something done right.
In my opinion:start with ff1 and work your way to FFXIV and dissidia 2.
FF1 is as basic as it gets, and FFIV is far more complex in storytelling than ff1.
FF1 and FF3 on the nes are about exact in terms of storytelling, except that ff3 has slightly more, but not much more.The characters are all blank slate, unlike FF2 on the nes which actually tried to give characters a backstory.
If you had played ff1 and ff4, you would appreciate more the attempt of what ff9 was doing.It is a sort of tribute to the old games of ff1-ff4.You can tell, because of the sprites used.White mage black mage etc etc.The fact that ff9 is a tribute to the old is one reason why old schoolers appreciate ff9.FF9 tries to stay true to the series by keeping the older ones still part of the legacy, but i fear that the series has become too sci-fi and futuristic.It is barely fantasy anymore, and that is one thing you would realize if you started with the really early games.You would realize that ff games started out paying homage to D&D, and it had roleplaying elements.The thing is:japanese games are more about showing you the story than allowing to create your own story, but that is nothing new in the jrpg world.The early american rpgs, like:Ultima also were about telling you the story.Sure you could move around the map, but you were following an already preset story.
So the main reason to start with old games, is to appreciate what you could get from a story without flashy graphics to show them.Sure, there are better games out there, but for their time,the first games were good.Modern jrpgs are to caught up in trying to be movies instead of trying to be games, and don’t know how to immerse you anymore.Its like some of these modern flashy movies which do more flash but the movie ends up being inferior to the old ones, because there is too much flash and not enough concentration on the character development and story.
I don’t feel like FFIX is too sci fi or futuristic at all. O_o Whenever I talk about the things I like about IX it’s the fact that it remains to be the one I feel has the most *fantasy* feeling to it according to it’s story, it’s atmosphere, and it’s soundtrack. The only time I ever felt it started turning that way was during FFXII and I still loved that game – they kind of just slowly started pushing in more futuristic technology and plot ideas which didn’t bother me. FFXIII while has charming characters (and gameplay to some, not me personally) – definitely took the road of being more futuristic. It seems FFXV is going to do the same, though there are hints of of areas without the modern feel to it.
While I don’t mind that direction, I feel FF really shines when it sticks to it’s roots.
I don’t feel like FFIX is too sci fi or futuristic at all. O_o Whenever I talk about the things I like about IX it’s the fact that it remains to be the one I feel has the most *fantasy* feeling to it according to it’s story, it’s atmosphere, and it’s soundtrack. The only time I ever felt it started turning that way was during FFXII and I still loved that game – they kind of just slowly started pushing in more futuristic technology and plot ideas which didn’t bother me. FFXIII while has charming characters (and gameplay to some, not me personally) – definitely took the road of being more futuristic. It seems FFXV is going to do the same, though there are hints of of areas without the modern feel to it.
While I don’t mind that direction, I feel FF really shines when it sticks to it’s roots.
I’m going to assume you are very young, and started with later games, making you accustomed to flashy cutscenes and being forced to follow 1 direction, and being punished for exploration.Story wise, its like comparing dune of 1985 with the newer flashy dune.The original was already really well done and better overall.Unlike lord of the rings where the flashy effects are important for showing the amount of orcs and the battles themselves.Cutscenes and special effects should be used when needed.You talk about ff4.FF4’s story is simple and focused, and that is why it works over some other games, like FFX where there is nothing going on for a long time, and the game is pretty much just jerking itself off, and that is one thing i dislike about some modern jrpgs.Old games got to the point, because they had limited space and had to make everything count.I believe in quality over quantity, and that having more doesn’t necessarily mean its better.You see a lot more movies now that are 2 and a half hours long, and some don’t need to be that long.
When it comes to sci fi over rpg:I think it depends.There is i believe some sci fi D&D, but if you aren’t careful, you might completely abandon your roots.I think square enix has forgotten that final fantasy should have some fantasy in it, because it has the word fantasy in its name.
This is why i think you should start with old and go towards new.You learn to appreciate stuff better.
This is why i think you should start with old and go towards new.You learn to appreciate stuff better.
What’s shallow is not being willing to accept that different people like different things and not everybody is going to spend hours (FF games are very long) on something they don’t enjoy. Maybe you should learn to appreciate that.
There are plenty of games outside final fantasy that are to be explored, some new, some old.What about baldurs gate series? What about wasteland? the old elder scrolls games? you going to say no to them too?
What the?! :rotfl: How would you know about that? Seriously, anyone is entitled to like (or dislike) a game for whatever reason, Nostalgia. Somebody doesn’t want to play a game simply because it doesn’t have graphics which match the player’s liking? So what? Just respect that, it’s their goddamn business. This was repeated countless times to you, but apparently you don’t want to get it: people like (and want) different things from games. There are folks who don’t really give a shit about gameplay, as long as the game/chapter they’re playing develops their favourite saga’s plot; there’s place for someone who wants to enjoy the "view", too.
Oh, right, chuckling at the definition "true fan". Please, spare me from seeing this place become a CAPCOM-Unity’s branch. There are already enough assholes in the world, thinking they’re better than others… For stupid and idiotic reasons, most of the time.
EDIT:
It seems to me you are way too presumptuous, Nostalgia gamer, or rather… Unable to hold a discussion, no matter how many times other users detail their opinions, you go and mumble about the same stuff, also "belittling" such opinions, in some way or form. A suggestion: change, become more respectful of others.
2) Wrong or right doesn’t really matter, here, whoever is still entitled to dismiss "X" game for whatever reason, just accept that and give it a rest. Who cares about graphics? I’d dare to say there are obviously a lot of folks which do, otherwise we wouldn’t have stuff like High-Definition monitors, or visually-stunning series like God of War, and shitload of others.
As a side note, the picture which I have comes from a render-artwork of BIOHAZARD 6. BIOHAZARD 1/2/3 are crap, especially on nowadays’ monitors.
As for being a ‘true fan’ I’ve never claimed to be a ‘true fan’ because I don’t think such a thing exists. People have preferences, and in my opinion nobody is less of a fan because they like one rpg and don’t like another.
And actually no, the pic I have is from FFXV which isn’t out yet so you can’t really judge whether it’s a good game or not. I despised XIII.
2) Wrong or right doesn’t really matter, here, whoever is still entitled to dismiss "X" game for whatever reason, just accept that and give it a rest. Who cares about graphics? I’d dare to say there are obviously a lot of folks which do, otherwise we wouldn’t have stuff like High-Definition monitors, or visually-stunning series like God of War, and shitload of others.
As a side note, the picture which I have comes from a render-artwork of BIOHAZARD 6. BIOHAZARD 1/2/3 are crap, especially on nowadays’ monitors.
There is nothing wrong with enjoying good graphics as long as it immerses the experience.The enemies in FFXIII and XIII-2 look good in those new age graphics, and fallout new vegas looks really good too.The problem exists if you only care about graphics and nothing else, not even the content.Say what you will, i still think its wrong to dismiss something because its old.Also:You are being terribly unfair to resident evil.I really like the combination of music and art.To me:Music and graphics as i said before are made to enhance the game, not to be the main theme.Who the fuck cares if water doesn’t look 100% realistic? and what about artwork? I really like artwork drawings like the ones in ff6 and tactics.I liked looking at the portraits.
Well, good for you if you want to keep thinking that it’s wrong to dismiss a game because of its "age", I believe that what others tried to say to you is to be more… "understanding" of someone else’s perspective/opinion.
Me being unfair to BIOHAZARD? Ahahahah! I’m objective, those games were developed in a time where resolutions like the ones we could enjoy today were, dare I say, unthinkable on a console.
I still love BIOHAZARD 2, nothing will ever top it, for me, but getting to play it today on a PlayStation 3, with its built-in resolution~enhancement options, has the game simply look like crap: the picture gets way too stretched to cover most of the monitor, way too "pixelated". Those who want to enjoy completely the old REs are better off using an old SCART, or get a hold of the PC ports.
Who the fuck cares if stuff doesn’t look realistic? Again, there are those who care. Learn to accept it. Not everyone is like you, Nostalgia.
Me being unfair to BIOHAZARD? Ahahahah! I’m objective, those games were developed in a time where resolutions like the ones we could enjoy today were, dare I say, unthinkable on a console.
I still love BIOHAZARD 2, nothing will ever top it, for me, but getting to play it today on a PlayStation 3, with its built-in resolution~enhancement options, has the game simply look like crap: the picture gets way too stretched to cover most of the monitor, way too "pixelated". Those who want to enjoy completely the old REs are better off using an old SCART, or get a hold of the PC ports.
Who the fuck cares if stuff doesn’t look realistic? Again, there are those who care. Learn to accept it. Not everyone is like you, Nostalgia.
You make me sad then.You seem to only care about how pretty something looks, even if it might or might not be empty shell of a game.You really care more about how pretty something looks over gameplay story and replay value? really?
Also, I won’t fail to recognize a favourite game of mine as "outdated" and "crappy" simply because it is my… Favourite. As I’ve previously stated, I still love BIOHAZARD 2 and personally think it is the best game ever made, but nowadays it simply doesn’t work as good as it used to back then. Bottom line is: I won’t let nostalgic feelings get in the way of my judgement.
Also, I won’t fail to recognize a favourite game of mine as "outdated" and "crappy" simply because it is my… Favourite. As I’ve previously stated, I still love BIOHAZARD 2 and personally think it is the best game ever made, but nowadays it simply doesn’t work as good as it used to back then. Bottom line is: I won’t let nostalgic feelings get in the way of my judgement.
And why would you bash a game you love? thats silly.Resident evil 1 and 2 had that horror feel, like resident evil code veronica.Even re0 and 3 and resident evil remake.Sure it was silly, but you can appreciate its campy feel of the original game.I understand what you mean though.The voice actors of the newer re games seem less campy and a little lets say more professional? even some dialogue in the original silent hill seemed silly.But the original game scared the heck out of me, and i’m not afraid to say it, and i really like that about it.I just think its good to never lose sight.There are some out there who miss the original resident evil campy voice acting though.I for one can understand it to a certain point, but i do think its a little better with these new voice acting, though i think wesker in re5 was pretty bad.
As for chibii:I understand, its hard because you aren’t used to it.Lets just agree to disagree then? i’l never convince you that classic ff4 is great, i mean:I do like improved graphics, it gives a clearer definition of the character.At the same time:The old games because they were sprites made you try and imagine what the characters looked like.Now they can actually show you what characters look like, which is a good thing.I don’t think though that ff series as a whole has ever reached to be as good as book quality stories though, but thats another story.
Allow me to slightly reference what you’ve said before about a true fan: to me the best kind of player+fan is the one which sees the good things about a series and has no problem speaking about its obvious flaws. For example, BIOHAZARD is a really stupid saga, or rather… It was: you solved a senseless riddle, grabbed a key which would either come out of nowhere/leave you wondering "Why the hell is it here?", travelled all the way back through 12-15 screens/rooms, unlocked the door… Shuffle and repeat. One could say it was all part of the fun, but being objective, you’d have to find and study the goddamn architect which designed the place(s), or who the heck arranged all the key items. I take back what I’ve said: BIOHAZARD is an idiotic saga, only such idiocy came with different "flavours" throughout the years.
The reason i criticize both of you, is because you are essencially saying:Because it is old, it is no longer good anymore and worth playing, which is bs.Lufia 1 and 2 were simple but good, and some on this forum preferred the original over the ds.I think it was reaver.Also:How can you really appreciate the series if you don’t take a look back? Sure the graphics are outdated by today’s times, but there was something about the limitation and how it was used.This isn’t about just not liking something, but unable to be open minded about something that is old and immediately dismissing it because you cannot look past the graphics part.You say you play ps1, but that is cause it is what you grew up with.Its no excuse to not at least give breath of fire 1 and 2 a chance.You are both making excuses to not try them.As i said:What about secret of mana? its a big game and its in 2d.You going to dismiss that one too just cause its in 2d? What if it never gets a remake?
How old are you chibii? Just curious.If you are 20 years old, that would mean you were brought up around the ps2 and 3 era, meaning you are already used to voice acting and stuff like that.It means you would have been brought up around the ps2 era, and xbox.It means that you probably started with ps2 and maybe had some cousin/brother/friend who had the ps1 games and brought you something like ff7 ff8 and FFX.
My point is:When you get to be in your 30s, some people 10 years younger will come around and say:the games you liked are shit and refuse to play them, because they are old for now and say:look at the old ass graphics, and you will say:But i liked ff8.Did you even play it? That is my point.How can you judge something without playing it? It just all seems so shallow.Back when i was a little kid, we didn’t have mobile phones and for us, what was around was high tech.I do like the new graphics in new games and expect it, but i am able to look back at old stuff and still appreciate it.Can you Leon? You seem to like the series but you are confusing me.Are you a resident evil fan or not?
I don’t hate the story in ff8 btw.Sure its really bad, and ultimecia for me is probably the worse villain in ff history.Worse even than barthandalus and garland and even x death, because at least FF5 never took itself seriously.Heck:I really don’t like ff7, but i still think its a good game, and i don’t think it should be completely bashed.It has nothing to do with something stupid like graphics, even though the ,polygons do look terrible if i may say so myself, i still think that those jerks who are still criticizing it in ff7 are talking about it, i say:GET OVER IT!! its graphics.
Stop looking so much at the graphics, and pay more attention to the story/characters and music.Pay attention to the writing.
Thats my point.I wouldn’t expect low end graphics now, but its not the end all be all of games.Saying if graphics is important in a game if its subjective is missing the point completely.You are standing too close to the picture and not seeing the big picture, which is everything that makes a work of art a work of art.
Voice acting is good when utilized correctly.FF8 had no voice acting but you could more or less make out their feelings.The music also helps and also the style of writing.Take for an example in ff4 the original:Head down=sad Head up=either happy.Sure it was limited, but if you could look past its limitations, you could appreciate it for what it was then:It was good for 1991.That is why i say that you should start with old and go in the end with new.You learn to appreciate the old first for what it did, and how each game improves upon things in measure.Doing this means you greatly appreciate the modern technology more for what its done, and that is what i was hoping to happen to you chibii, and leon.I wanted you guys to experience what i did when you went from having no cutscenes to going to ff7 ff8 and ff9 when you get improved quality cutscenes, to FFX with voice acting, so you guys could experience it.
———- Post added at 08:40 AM ———- Previous post was at 08:19 AM ———-
Take nazis at the center of the earth leon:It is so bad, that it is good.It is because it is so bad, that it ends up being a ,parody of bad movies.See what i mean?
I’ve never said old games are shit or bad or not worth playing or anything or the sort.
I’ve never said I wouldn’t try a game just because it’s old.
FFVIII was old to me but I loved it and it’s my favourite game. Being old for my generation has nothing at all to do with why I haven’t played the older FF games. I went back playing them all until I got to VI and encountered sprites and realised that games with sprites in them are not my thing. I tried the game, and I found I didn’t enjoy it. I haven’t said it’s bad. I haven’t said it’s not worth playing. I haven’t judged anything without playing it. In my first reply in this topic I said that VI is probably a good game in the series to start with since it’s a fan favourite.
You tell me to pay attention to the characters, when this entire time I’ve tried to explain to you that this is what I do, and it’s the reason I don’t enjoy games with sprites. Characters/story are one of the most important things in a game to me, and if I can’t get invested in that I don’t enjoy the game. I’m not saying games with sprites are bad, so please stop replying to me as if I’ve ever said that or anything even remotely like that. It’s really frustrating to have to explain this every time you reply to me. I do appreciate the craftsmanship of older games, just because I don’t enjoy playing games with sprites does not mean I know nothing about them.
I actually Believe you should start with ff1 not ff6.Its the fan favorite by some i guess, but ff 1 is where it all started with the series.And that’s ok i guess.
Best Story Line.
Best Characters.
Awesome Classic!
VIII was my first, but I wouldn’t say it was my favourite- not at the moment anyway. My favourite tends to depend on my mood and what I’m playing at the time.
And with some of the older ones, they do have remakes if for some reason you’re not keen on the graphics of the original, although I wouldn’t say that the graphics are a problem myself.
Start with one you can easily find. I don’t think it matters which one. You can always go on to other games. I usually have two or three on the go at once, and dip in and out when I get stuck on one. At least after my first playthrough.