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Squeenix Which Final Fantasy games are worth playing?

kaizoku

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Joined
Feb 18, 2006
Messages
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I've only played FF VI and that was many moons ago. Sadly I didn't even finish it (probably school obligations made me stop playing it and for some reason I never resumed it).
I remember enjoying it a lot. I don't know how I'll feel about it nowadays.


So which FF games are worth playing?
I need some games to play on my mobile (and sadly I can't into platforms games with the phone).


From what I could gather from the web, I am thinking on skipping the first 3 games and starting with FF IV (japanese versions with english patches).

About me:
- storyfag
- likes interesting combat
- dislike griding and random encounters that spawn everywhere and you can't avoid them (edit: I guess there is no avoiding these in FF *shrugs* oh well)


BTW, if you can provide some time statistics (gameplay time shown in the ingame menu), that would be cool.
 
Last edited:

Borelli

Arcane
Joined
Dec 5, 2012
Messages
1,261
About me:
- storyfag
- likes interesting combat
- dislike griding and random encounters that spawn everywhere and you can't avoid them
Final Fantasy Tactics fits all these points. Although LOL at you disliking random encounters and then asking for JRPGS recommendations. They are a staple of the genre with rare exceptions.
 

yes plz

Arcane
Patron
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Messages
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Pathfinder: Wrath
For storyfagginess - 4, 6, 7, and 9 (which, incidentally, are all my personal favourites).
For gameplay - 1, 3, 5, 10, and 12.
For both - Tactics.

Since you primary want to play on your mobile, I'd guess that the S/NES ones are the only ones you'll be able to play on it. So with that in mind:
1 - Not much story to speak of but despite its age, its gameplay still holds up pretty well. Encounters can be somewhat difficult and being able to pick four of any classes to make up your party is pretty fun, plus they get a class level-up about midway through the game, so they don't remain stale.
3 - A lot like 1 but with more content and a much bigger focus on classes/jobs. It also has a more interesting story.
4 - The first one to really focus on the story and characters. Without a job system, the gameplay becomes somewhat basic and even the regular/hard-type version isn't particularly hard, especially once your party starts to fill out. It can take about 20 - 30 hours to do everything, as it has a fair amount of optional content.
5 - A sort of back to basics. They went back to the job system for this one, giving it much better gameplay than probably any of the other S/NES ones. At the same time, though, I've never really found the story or cast to be interesting or engaging.
6 - Back to focusing almost entirely on the story. While four's story is more of a guilty pleasure than actually seriously good, FF6's story, world, and cast are genuinely good and interesting. Its gameplay is fairly basic and quite easy (probably the easiest of the S/NES lot), the esper system can be fun to muck about with. Also, I prefer the GBA version for this one -- it has a better translation and adds in some extra content.

And, yeah, if you don't like random encounters at all then probably none of these games will be for you. They all use a random encounter system and in abundance, too, so after an hour or so of play it can become rather annoying.
 

Hobo Elf

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Platypus Planet
FFXII and Vagrant Story. Would not recommend FFT, instead look for Ogre Battle and Tactics Ogre.

Why play FF when you can play something that's similar but better :troll:
 

Coriolanus

Learned
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He won't play FFs past 9 on a mobile.

Tactics/WotL is the best (use PPSSPP for the latter). Immense replay value, get 1.3 mod once you've beaten it at least once (think JA2 1.13 on insane but harder and a lot more varied, but still easier and a lot more fun than the Ragefest FE hacks).
 
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And, yeah, if you don't like random encounters at all then probably none of these games will be for you. They all use a random encounter system and in abundance, too, so after an hour or so of play it can become rather annoying.

Can be alleviated with judicious use of the "Run" option and the emulator's "speed up" button on the occasions you DO need to grind (which is not as often as people believe, as FFs aren't particularly hard)
 

yes plz

Arcane
Patron
Joined
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Messages
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Pathfinder: Wrath
And, yeah, if you don't like random encounters at all then probably none of these games will be for you. They all use a random encounter system and in abundance, too, so after an hour or so of play it can become rather annoying.

Can be alleviated with judicious use of the "Run" option and the emulator's "speed up" button on the occasions you DO need to grind (which is not as often as people believe, as FFs aren't particularly hard)

That's definitely true. Plus, if you're playing it on your mobile, I imagine you'll probably only be playing it in short bursts, so the random encounter rate probably won't seem all that bad.
 

Random

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yes plz covered everything I had to say.

Just want to add that Final Fantasy 8 is atrocious as fuck.

And do give FF7 a chance, it's a classic for a reason, no matter how many people bash it for entirely perceived slights.
 
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PC RPG Website of the Year, 2015 Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire Serpent in the Staglands Bubbles In Memoria A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire
I've only played FF VI and that was many moons ago. Sadly I didn't even finish it (probably school obligations made me stop playing it and for some reason I never resumed it).
I remember enjoying it a lot. I don't know how I'll feel about it nowadays.


So which FF games are worth playing?
I need some games to play on my mobile (and sadly I can't into platforms games with the phone).


From what I could gather from the web, I am thinking on skipping the first 3 games and starting with FF IV (japanese versions with english patches).

About me:
- storyfag
- likes interesting combat
- dislike griding and random encounters that spawn everywhere and you can't avoid them (edit: I guess there is no avoiding these in FF *shrugs* oh well)


BTW, if you can provide some time statistics (gameplay time shown in the ingame menu), that would be cool.

... the thing that makes Final Fantasy good are:

(1) Colorful characters and charming interactions

(2) Open world with lots of secrets to discover

(3) Retro turn-based combat

So almost all the late Nintendo era classics (4, 5, and 6) and pretty much no game after 10.

I'm not very familiar with the PlayStation era exclusive games.
 

kaizoku

Arcane
Joined
Feb 18, 2006
Messages
4,129
Yeah, I had kind of forgotten about the random encounters. It was when I started playing FF IV that it came to me.
In Chrono Trigger you could see the critters, so you knew you would have an encounter there, instead of the "I can't walk around too much because I'll be bombed with encounters". That surprise effect makes it somewhat annoying.

As for playing the games on the mobile:
Well in principle I should be able to play up to FF 9.
1.10
PCSX ReARMed
Version: r19
Android performance: This emulator has been tested to run most games at
fullspeed on an ARM Cortex A8 single-core CPU. Higher-resolution interlaced
games like Tekken 3 and Tobal 2 require higher system specs (Cortex A9 and
up). Your mileage may vary on slower devices.

SG S2 has a 1.2 GHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A9.

I don't know what SG model this phone is, but it works pretty well.



As for FF X and above, (if/when I finish the other ones) I'll play them on my PC or on a PS*.



yes plz and Random why didn't you like FF 8?
gameplay? story? both?

I had the idea it was a very nice game.
 

yes plz

Arcane
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Messages
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Pathfinder: Wrath
FF8 is just... bad. It has a shitty and poorly written story, an annoying cast of characters, and its gameplay is equally piss poor. Instead of equipping equipment to your characters you instead equip spells and summons, which makes it extremely easy to be overpowered without even trying, and the only way to get most spells is to 'draw' them from enemies during battle, which is very boring and tedious. It's just overall not a good game.

FF7 and 9 are fantastic, however. Both have really good stories, worlds, and casts, complimented with decent gameplay, too, though neither are challenging. Both are pretty expansive as well, with a ton of optional content to do (especially 9), so they can take upward to 40 hours each, maybe even longer depending on how thorough you are.

For FF7, I've been waiting for the fan retranslation for the PC version to be completed before I replay it (they're aiming for an October release, apparently). Plus, a difficulty mod and some graphical enhancements will make it fill a bit more fresher.
 
Joined
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Messages
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PC RPG Website of the Year, 2015 Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire Serpent in the Staglands Bubbles In Memoria A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire
yes plz covered everything I had to say.

Just want to add that Final Fantasy 8 is atrocious as fuck.

And do give FF7 a chance, it's a classic for a reason, no matter how many people bash it for entirely perceived slights.

If the updated version wasn't on PC Windows I would say it isn't worth the trouble -- no matter how much of a classic it may be in the history of JRPGs.
 

SCO

Arcane
In My Safe Space
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Feb 3, 2009
Messages
16,320
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
there isn't a single final fantasy on the whole history of the console devices that didn't have a superior clone somewhen.
 

Damned Registrations

Furry Weeaboo Nazi Nihilist
Joined
Feb 24, 2007
Messages
14,980
FF5 is the best of the series I think. FFT is basically just it's own game with the brand tacked on, but it's an excellent game, and definitely worth playing. FF7 is decent but gets massively overrated quite frequently because it was the first game to get a huge marketing campagin in the west, and thus the first of the series most people played.

FF4 and 6 are both pretty good as classic jrpgs go. Lots of cool secrets to find and so forth. But they're not exactly the best of the genre either.

In any event don't be a giant douche and read a strategy guide to tell you all the secrets and shit. Finding that stuff on your own by exploring and talking to crazy old hobos is where half the fun is. Which also makes time a really elastic thing for these games; you can finish them a lot quicker if you miss a bunch of stuff.

Re: random encounters; in every FF game from 4 onwards (maybe early, not familiar with the NES ones) there is either an item or ability that lets you escape from every encounter with 100% chance or lets you avoid them entirely, with infinite uses. Though they often appear somewhat late in the game, running tends to be pretty reliable anyways. Feel free to run away from random encounters that you've fought before and think take too long. Also, you can end most of them very quickly by spamming magic, and just get it all back by resting or using items before the boss.
 

Tehdagah

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Feb 27, 2012
Messages
9,235
Final Fantasy 1 is repetitive and exhausting as hell. Avoid at all costs.
 

Kz3r0

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Joined
May 28, 2008
Messages
27,012
I've only played FF VI and that was many moons ago. Sadly I didn't even finish it (probably school obligations made me stop playing it and for some reason I never resumed it).
I remember enjoying it a lot. I don't know how I'll feel about it nowadays.
You have already played the best, stop right there.
 

Volourn

Pretty Princess
Pretty Princess Glory to Ukraine
Joined
Mar 10, 2003
Messages
24,924
FF2, FF3, FF6, 557, 558, FF9, and FF10 are the better one. F2, FF6, and FF8 are the top of the line.
 

TigerKnee

Arcane
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
Messages
1,920
FFT, 5, 6, 7, 12 IZJS for me.

Avoid 8 unless you're playing it "ironically" for the lulz.
 

Gurkog

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Oct 7, 2012
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The Great Northwest
Project: Eternity
FF6 is my favorite one, but I might be biased because it was my first. The rest is mediocre in comparison.

FF7 would be decent if it wasn't so god damn easy. The only challenging fight in the game is Ruby weapon and that was through sheer cheating bastard cheese. There is a lot of variety and spectacle to keep players from ever get the feeling of a repetitive grind.
FF5 is ok, but gets rather repetitive and boring so I always quit before finishing it.
FF4 is barebones. If you don't mind minimalistic gameplay with a simple story it can be entertaining.

FF8 was horrible enough to make me swear off square games forever. Although, I did break that vow to try FF9 last year. It wasn't worth breaking my vow as the game didn't add anything of value to the series.

EDIT: Saga Frontier is a Square title that doesn't have random encounters and the story is fine, but you have to look for the story in little details as it isn't the usual exposition vomit of FF games.
 
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I don't really have a favorite (and I haven't played 12) but I would say my top three are FF1, FF6 and FF10.

FF1 was my first, and I think it probably still holds up. Since its an early JRPG combat is still pretty wizardry-esque (the magic system is basically identical - each spell level has its own pool of spell points). Probably the least storyfaggy of the series, which is a plus or minus depending on your perspective.

FF6 is probably the best "objectively" - it's in the top tier mechanics wise and arguably has the best story. I really enjoyed it, but I think how much you like it depends on your preference for narrative. The characters were pretty diverse mechanics wise and the Esper mechanics were decently fun.

FFX is underrated I think, I like it more than pretty much every post FF6 game. I think the ability to switch characters in and out of combat on the fly was pretty nice.

Personally, I found FF9 to be fairly bland. I think the cartoony aesthetics were nice, but I just had no enthusiasm for the second half of the game. It was the only FF game I've started and not finished.
 

Ebonsword

Arcane
Joined
Mar 7, 2008
Messages
2,326
Final Fantasy Tactics is definitely the best place to start. The story is pretty good, the combat is fantastic, and there's not much grinding involved. Plus you have the awesome character building system which can keep you entertained for weeks just trying out different builds.
 

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