Newcomer to the series

Kitab

Kitab

Blue Mage
Joined
Jan 13, 2008
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I've seen the "New FF players" topic, so here's a chance for you to test your powers of persuasion. I've never played a Final Fantasy game before, but I feel they have an excellent reputation, so I wondered if I should give it a go. The thing is, I've never played an RPG before either. I'm a fan of adventure games - things like The Longest Journey, Dreamfall, Myst, Riven, Broken Sword, the LucasArts games, etc. These are games noted for their lack of violence and their focus on story, so it's the story bit of FF that attracts me most.

If that isn't a challenge enough, there is the slight complication that I don't have a PS2, let alone a PS3. Does that mean I'm limited to FFVI through IX?
 
Not really, as 4 and 5 are in an anthology now for ps1 ;)

As for 10 onwards you would need a ps2 and 13 onwards you need a ps3. For 1, 2 and 3 I only know that 3 is for ds. As for 1 and 2, apart from importing and emulating I don't know how to get them.
 
u can get FFI and FFII for psp if u have one, if not i dnt no how to get them either. if ur serious about playing x onward but u dnt want to get a ps2, u could go on youtube and watch a walkthrough on them if u dnt mind killing alot of time
 
OK, thanks. So there's no super-sneaky way to emulate a PS2 on a PC or something is there?
 
I did a quick search. There is a PS2 emulator, but you need BIOS files for it, which you can only legally obtain by having a PS2 in the first place. So it doesn't sound like a good idea.

The YouTube walkthrough idea is good though. I can try it.

So the next questions are: which of the PS1 or PC compatible games would be best to start with for someone new to RPG? And how frequently do battles occur in the games? Would they start to seem tedious for someone only interested in the story?
 
Well the story is the strong point of pretty much every ff game out there.

As for starter games I would suggest getting 7, at the beginning there is a tutorial which tells you all the battle commands, basic exploration etc.

For something a bit more tricky for a beginner I would go with either 8 or 9. They can get you into the game better but are harder to understand.

Another good game you could try is ff10, this tells you new stuff as you go along.
 
Hmm, do you actually have to get the bios from your PS2 though? Is it still illegal to download one even if you own a PS2?
But I think you need a pretty powerful PC for PS2 emulation anyway though...Haven't tried.

I haven't played Final Fantasy 1-6 before, only 7 onwards, but I'd say 7 is probably a good place to start (Although the storylines in the different games have nothing to do with eachother so it doesn't really matter what order you play them in). The games may seem a bit slow to start off with, but they're really good once you get into them.
 
I really don't know about the legalities of the BIOS thing; I just did a quick search to see what was possible. It's a shame they don't just make PC versions - they managed it for VII, VIII and XI didn't they? Do they start a new game engine from scratch for every game?

Now, there's this 'RPG' thing. I once read that RPGs and 3rd person adventure games were basically the same except that RPGs tended to have fantasy settings. But there is also this 'levelling up' concept (which I have a limited understanding of, given I've never played an RPG). Is levelling up necessary to advance the game, or is it just something that makes the battles easier?

Oh, and can you 'die' in the FF games? Do you ever get a 'game over' screen?
 
Yes you can die, Iv had a fair few game over screens in FF3 >_>

You get exp from each battle you have and you level up that way. Id say it was a nessecity to level up otherwise you will just get your arse kicked by stronger monsters
 
Your characters have a set of statistics (strength, speed etc), and when you level up these stats increase. Levelling up makes the fights easier, but its not necessary to be a certain level at a certain point in the game. Some people level their characters up to level 99 (the max) by the end of the game, others end up only being level 50 or so at the end of the game.

When a character in your party loses all their HP, they get knocked out, and cannot fight until they are revived. If all the characters in the party lose all their health, you get a game over, and have to start again from the last time you saved the game.
 
lightningstorm13 said:
heres a link that shows u a little bit of what the battles r like in most of the earlier games, even tho this is ffx
http://youtube.com/watch?v=PPYhB1UFXDo&feature=related

and heres a link to a walkthrough of x. u can see if u like it or not
http://youtube.com/watch?v=1qU3oHiR1PY
Click to expand...

Yes, thank you, I have been watching the walkthrough; I'm on part 8. I like the story so far, but the battles look pretty irrelevant and annoying to me. Useful items seem to be lying around in identical-looking chests in different parts of the world - is that a conspiracy? And was I dreaming, or can you actually steal grenades from piranha fish? That's very surreal.

Anyway, thanks for all the info.
 
petty off topic but u can also get ff1 and 2 together on the gba its called dawn of souls. so if you have a ds u can get 1-6 on there. and if i were you id just buy a ps2 their really cheap now thanks to the ps3 and rest of the current gen concoles, i think they go for around £40 (about $80)now. not to mention i heard somewhere sonys makeing a new ps2
 
Kitab said:
Yes, thank you, I have been watching the walkthrough; I'm on part 8. I like the story so far, but the battles look pretty irrelevant and annoying to me. Useful items seem to be lying around in identical-looking chests in different parts of the world - is that a conspiracy? And was I dreaming, or can you actually steal grenades from piranha fish? That's very surreal.

Anyway, thanks for all the info.
Click to expand...


yea the battles i found annoying, but you have to battle in order to level up and gain new abilities. u can also steal very useful items from ur opponents. and yes u can steal granades from pirahnas 4 some reason... x has a good storyline, but not the best fighting/battles if u ask me. if u dnt care about graphics, i recommend going back and watching a video of final fantasy vii. it has a great storyline coupled with good battles that dnt seem pointless. and if u like it, they've got all this compilation stuff u can watch too.
 
linelad said:
petty off topic but u can also get ff1 and 2 together on the gba its called dawn of souls. so if you have a ds u can get 1-6 on there. and if i were you id just buy a ps2 their really cheap now thanks to the ps3 and rest of the current gen concoles, i think they go for around £40 (about $80)now. not to mention i heard somewhere sonys makeing a new ps2
Click to expand...

Getting a second hand PS2 is something I would consider. (And £40 is the right currency for me!) Thanks. Getting a PS3 is something I wouldn't consider, but I'll be interested to see what people think of FFXIII when it comes out.

And yes, I think I should just go ahead and buy FFVII, instead of watching it.

Oh, by the way, which game is that picture in the very top-right of the screen from? :)
 
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The one with the girl and the Chocobo? FFIII for the DS. Problem is, you won't get that sort of graphic in game.

Not to say III's graphics are rubbish, but you won't get slick stuff like that. Only in the opening sequence.
 
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