BooJaka Posted October 24, 2006 Recently I made my triumphant return to video gaming by jumping on the bandwagon and buying a DS. After realising the million or so DS games I wanted for it but can't afford, I noticed that quite a few of the early Final Fantasy games were re-released for the Advance. Now, I've never played them before and have never really felt very compelled to even pick one up and pretend to be interested in it like I often do when I have no money but for whatever reason, I feel that I should at least give it a go, right? To me it makes sense that I should get the first two (which come bundled together) and then, if I like it, wait for the 3rd to come out on DS and then continue in that fashion but then I thought... what if the first one's really crap? Would that give me a bad representation of the rest of the seires? So, the summarise: Should I start from the start with the Final Fantasy series? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
n0wak Posted October 24, 2006 Short answer: it depends. Your mileage may vary based on what you like/expect from an JRPG. The first one is definitely "primitive" by todays standards and forces you to do a LOT (A LOT) of power leveling. If that is really not your thing, starting with that one might not be worth it. Maybe a better option than the original Famicon FFs might be to get Final Fantasy V for the GBA when that comes out (I think around the same time as III for the DS and XII for the PS2... ) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BooJaka Posted October 24, 2006 Honestly, I don't think I have ever really played an RPG. I mean, I used to play Dungeon Master 2 when it came out but even then my Dad did most of the controlling and I just basically watched him and pretended to be involved... Anyhoo, my point is it needs to be something that can not only give me a nice introduction to the series but also to the genre in general. Does that make the question any easier to answer? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wrestlevania Posted October 24, 2006 [My] point is it needs to be something that can not only give me a nice introduction to the series but also to the genre in general. Does that make the question any easier to answer? Is it definitely the Final Fantasy series that you want to play, or simply JRPG's in general? If it's the latter, many people are waxing lyrical about how outright fun Rocket Slime for the DS is right now. I'm tempted to pick it up myself when I'm able to*. * I'm currently stockpiling my 'gaming green' for a Wii, with a couple of games and controllers, when it's launched 6 weeks tomorrow! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BooJaka Posted October 24, 2006 Alright then, I'll check that out. There's stil a few games I want buy for it before that but as soon as I get round to it, I'll give it a try Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
miffy495 Posted October 24, 2006 Rocket slime is awesome, but no more of an RPG than the 2D Zeldas. There's no leveling to speak of and you only gain one new ability the entire game. Your only real customization comes from what you decide your tank's crew and ammo loadout will be. Aside from that, I'd call it an action/adventure before anything else. Still awesome, and I highly reccommend it, I'm just not sure if I'd stack it amongst other RPGs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LOPcagney Posted October 24, 2006 Anyway, I'm not well versed in the Final Fantasy series, but this is the advice I can give you. From oppinions I've heard, people actually live different stretches of the series depending on where they started playing. The hardcore, original fans who started with good old Final Fantasy 1 were turned off by the new direction FFVII took, and gamers that started with the 3-D FFVII believe FF 1-6 are too traditional and prefer the cutscene-laden goodness of VII-. (FFIX seems to be equally popular and unpopular with both groups, since it takes the series back to it's "roots".) The point is, you have to either be open-minded and play through the whole series or come in where you think it looks as though you'll like the series the most. Start with I if 2-D classic RPGs do it for you and go with VII and on for a more visual and story-driven experience. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BooJaka Posted October 24, 2006 Well the stories normally do it for me but now I'm wondering, maybe I should wait until FFIII comes out for the DS. Surely that would be the best of both worlds, right? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
miffy495 Posted October 25, 2006 I kinda like both styles. You're not always in the mood for a heavy story with lots of cutscenes, but when you are FF VII and VIII are great. When you're not, well, play VI or IV. (I'll admit, V's job system kinda irritated me.) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LOPcagney Posted October 25, 2006 I, personally, love the later FF games for their story telling and visual creativity. I'm playing FFVIII now and love it, and the art for X and XII looks incredible. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BooJaka Posted November 22, 2006 My copy of FF3 arrived this morning and so far I've put about 3 hours into it and at the moment I absolutely love it. I don't really know why yet, it's just plenty interesting and it's kind of nice hunting things out in a game again as opposed to just plowing through levels. But I can honestly say it's the best RPG I've ever played But I heard somewhere (probably this very thread) that the later ones are different to the older ones and whatever so I was wondering, what's so different and which ones are more like this one (what with it being a kind of modified old game)? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Salka Posted November 23, 2006 erm... FF6 is coming out on GBA right? That's probably the best place to start, if so... it's amazing Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BooJaka Posted November 23, 2006 Yeah out in the US in February. Are GBA games region locked on the DS or is the whole this region free? Would be great if they weren't controlled Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aussie Ben Posted November 23, 2006 All GB and DS systems of any type released up to this point in time are region free. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BooJaka Posted November 23, 2006 Awesome. I guess I'll be importing it at some point then Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderPeel2001 Posted November 27, 2006 BooJaka: I think FF3 is supposed to be one of the better ones, so I think you made a good choice! Personally I've only ever played FFVII - but I totally fell in love with it (completed it in a week ). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BooJaka Posted November 27, 2006 That's good. I'm digging it at the moment but, although I've heard they're supposed to be quite long games, I'm wary of going through it too fast. Anyone know how many hours it's supposed to take on average to beat this game? I would look at how far I am through on a walkthrough or guide or something but I know I'd just end up getting hooked on it or spoiling something for myself... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites