Honestly i want to start the series my biggest issue is there so many versions of the different games i dont know what system to get them for.

There isn't a best way to start the series because the games are all so wildly different that you would have to have some foreknowledge of what games you're going to like and what ones you aren't. I guess if you wanted to just critical path your way through it you could stick to six, seven, tactics, nine, and ten and then work your way out from there.

They are all so different and honestly some are skippable; it's too time consuming to play them all. I agree with the selections of @stubbleman except I'd replace tactics with twelve, but I'm one of the crazies who thinks twelve is the best one.

A lot of the older games wouldn't be much fun to play for you since you won't have the nostalgia for shitty design. My personal recommendations would be to play:

• Final Fantasy VI
• Final Fantasy IX
• Final Fantasy X
• Final Fantasy XIII
• Final Fantasy Tactics

Then, if you particularly enjoyed the mechanics of X or XIII you could look into getting X-2 or XIII-2. IV is good, but possibly too dated to enjoy. VII and XII are also well liked, but I'm not a fan of either. The TacticsAdvance games fall significantly short of the glory of the original FFT, but they're still significantly better than almost all other TRPG's out there. I've played them all, so if you want me to expand on my thoughts on any of them feel free to ask.

You really should pick up 6 in whatever form you can get the 4 remake on ds or psp pick up the 3 remake on ds psp or ios,10 and 10-2 when it comes out later this year on 360 and PS3 and then pick at random they are all worth playing just see what sticks.

you can start the series at any point, as they all are completely separate stories, other than X and it's sequels and XIII and it's sequels.

if you can handle sprite based games, then playing IV and VI SNES versions is a good way to start.

Play 6 (3 in North America), 10 and 10-2. They're the best ones in my opinion, and you can emulate them pretty easily. 10 and 10-2 run very well on PCSX2 (http://pcsx2.net/), and there are countless versions of FF6. I recommend trying to find or emulating the SNES version, but I'm pretty sure there's a DS and iOS remake that's in 3D and all that.

Play whichever one is most appealing. I think 6, 9, 10, 12 and 13 all hold up well. 7 does not, but its still a cool game if you can put up with the flaws.

What everyone has said is generally reasonable; though, considering Final Fantasy IV(2 in US) is possibly the most rereleased RPG of all time, I wouldn't miss out on it. Some of the remakes are good; though, the original SNES version is still the most classic version.

The order isn't really all too important, but I wouldn't miss out on the classics of IV and VI. :)

Actually FFVI has not been re-released on the DS. FFIV was. There is a GBA version of VI, though, and that seems to be the one you should play since it got a better translation and all.

Honestly, playing all of the Final Fantasy games is only something that you should do if you find yourself becoming a massive, absolutely insane fan of the series, partly because of the huge time commitment - I'm pretty sure that it would take a percent or two out of your total hours lived - and partly because some of them are almost too old to be played unless you really have nostalgia for them or have gathered an appreciation for the time period.

The best places to start seem to be VI and X, followed by VII.

I think IV is probably the best introduction to the series. It's linear, establishes many of the concepts that the other games come to rely upon, has a reasonably good and exciting plot and some really great characters.

VI isn't particularly great as an entry to the series, but it builds on a lot from IV, is much less linear (though all Final Fantasy games are to a large extent, VI has a lot more side quests and exploration opportunities). I think it's a fine game to play second if you played IV.

For the 3D era games, I hesitate to recommend VII, because graphically it's aged horrendously, but it's so seminal that it's impossible to not put on this list. IX is my personal favorite in the series, so I definitely recommend it as something more akin to IV and VI, which the other 3D era games largely have moved beyond.

X is really well-regarded in general and I think was the last truly great Final Fantasy game. Unfortunately, it's also up there with VII in terms of having aged poorly due to its voice acting issues. But if you can look past VII's graphics because you recognize that it was very early in 3D games, then I think you can look past X's acting issues recognizing that it was one of the first JRPGs to fully embrace voice acting.

Those four games, IV, VI, VII, and X, I think would largely give you a grounding in the main franchise's different eras and comprise a good starting point. And then go and play IX because it's awesome.

if one of you poxy bastards doesn't make the obvious joke within the next 15 posts im gonna be so mad

With a controller!

Hah!

Right?

I would suggest getting them all on the PSN, all but two can be had as PS1 classics: which for 9.99 gets lets you play on ps3/ vita / psp. The ps1 versions of the snes games ran fine.

1. Final Fantasy 1 and Final Fantasy 2
2. Final Fantasy 3 (vita/psp only)
3. Final Fantasy 4 (vita/psp only)
4. Final Fantasy 5
5. Final Fantasy 6
6. Final Fantasy 7
7. Final Fantasy 8
8. Final Fantasy 9
9. and then wait for the HD version of 10

As for which ones you should start out with first,

1. I say start with 9, the most charming of them all.....say no to Vivi.....i dare you
2. Then 7, might be hard to look at now but its still good
3. Then 6 or 4, after the first 2 you should be ready for the older ones...and these 2 are great..
4. then give 8 a shot

I don't have any worthwhile contributions to this thread, I'm just encouraged by the complete lack of FFVII fawning going on in here so far.

He should play Mystic Quest over and over 36 times.

@thebunnyhunter: Vivi is a boring character.

Tactics has the best story, XIII has the best gameplay, VI has the best characters/best first half of any RPG, XII has the best world, IV has the best whale.

X has a really good plot but piss poor characters and a God awful love story. VII has a boring main character and a super duper supremely overrated villain who's okay I suppose. VIII has the best card game and another boring main character. IX has a really awesome first disc and then sucks. V is alright, not as good as the other SNES ones but still plenty fun; basically just becomes you breaking the game in your favor in the end.

Hard to say which one I liked the most first time around, pretty much all of them have good gameplay and at least a semi-interesting world (even if you're limited in the exploration options in some cases); of course they're all inferior to the true Square-Enix gems of Chrono Trigger, Front Mission 3, Vagrant Story and Valkyrie Profile 2. Final Fantasy VI would be one of the best games of all time if the plot didn't vaporize in the second half, but it does. For replaying them IV, V, and VI are the best because of emulator speed up; get 150 hours worth of stuff done in 10 hours!

Final Fantasy I is worth playing.

Personally - play FFVI and then never play a Final Fantasy game again (other than FF: Tactics). That's what I should have done. Would have saved me from decades of minor and major disappointments.

More broadly, I find 1-4 to be too outdated at this point. 5 is okay. 6 is the crowning jewel. 7-9 are decent. 10 is the beginning of the end (full VOs and more *defined* graphics borderline ruined the JRPG genre for me). Despite all of that, 12 was kinda neat. Didn't play 13 and its spin-offs. It looks like an abysmal time to me. Like watching a girly anime show full of nonsensical Hocus Pocus gibberish.

15 looks like it might bring something worthwhile to table. I am open to it.

P.S. To anwer your question. Emulation if you've owned the games before. Or buy 'em on PSN, if you haven't. FF 1-10 you'll be able to play on Vita and PS3.

They are all with the exception of FF10-2 and FF13-2-3 standalone. Play them in any order you want.

I will spare you my personal opinion on which game is best.

Excuse me for being the asshole who has never played a single one dropping in here but why would you want to start? Do you have infinite time because my understanding is these are really long games and there are a ton of them.

Here's what I say. Maybe narrow it down to a certain era? I hear some people say the 3D stuff aged extremely poorly. I hear some other people saying the very recent stuff is dumb since it plays itself, is stupidly linear and long winded, etcetera. Maybe just stick to the first 5 or 6 or so then? Or maybe choose a spin off series like Tactics or Crystals or whatever and check that out. Just don't try to play all of them. That's insanity.

Edit: Wait, I totally misread your question because many of the first replies did. You just want to know what releases are the best. You probably know which games you want to check out already. I have no idea. I know that the DS release of Chrono Trigger (Which I feel is the only Square JPRG that I'll ever need) was retranslated and had all sorts of bells and whistles. Maybe check and see if the games you're looking at have similarly remastered rereleases like Chrono Trigger?

The best way to play them is in the back of my family's cluttered spare room on a 13 inch TV sitting in a giant, beat-up, padded rocking chair, or alternatively under a blanket over the lone furnace vent in the winter time. You must play the first one at the age of 10 and somehow erase all knowledge of video games released since 1988 or so.

Similar procedure for the 16-bit iterations, unaware that they are actually IV and VI in the series because they pumped out more sequels in Japan.

By the time you hit VII, VIII and IX, you should be in university and skipping crucial classes to finally breed that gold chocobo. Discover emulation and fan translation and go back and play through V, and since you can, IV and VI again too. Why not?

PS2 games should be played while holding your first shitty job after university and paid for with your food money. You must actively go hungry to play these.

Finally, play XIII in your early thirties and lament how far the franchise has fallen, but get all hyped for that XV trailer they showed at E3 2013 anyway, hoping that somehow this one will manage to infuse that good old sense of wonder that you've been experiencing less and less as you grow old and cynical.

Pick a game between 4-6, 7-9, and 10.

I agree.
Though I don't think FFXII is the best one but it's awesome to me because it's basically Star Wars.

Thanks i got

ff4 complete psp

ff6 psn classic

ff7 psn classic

Ill play 4 first then 6 then 7 and if i really like games enough ill attempt the older ones also.

Don't :P

XIII is a good starting point if you can stomach some of the cringey dialogue.

Just grab one and go! In all honesty if you commute alot and own DS, PSP, or Vita play these games on the go. I find playing long jrpgs on the couch grueling sometimes and rather play them on my commute on the bus.

Avoid the ps1 versions of FF5 and FF6, they are inferior ports.

Honestly, I think IV still holds up. VI and IX are sure picks, in my book. Good list, dude.