Playing the older Final Fantasies

Summoner Yuna

The pirate and the princess
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:holyshit: I beat every modern FF (the ones for the PS1 and PS2), so today is a landmark for me. So I guess it's time to go classic and beat the first 6 FF's and kick it old school :monster: But in a more serious note, I'm kind of afraid to play this old games not because of the graphics but because I've heard people say they're extremely difficult. So I wanna hear people's opinions about this. Did you like playing the older FF's? Is it a good experience? I already have Anthology so I could play FFVI and FFV. So, any comments?
 
What you've heard is absolutely true. There is a significant ramp-up in difficulty between the modern FFs and their predecessors, but it's not impossible; so don't be discouraged. I think it's definitely a good experience, getting to the roots of the series like this.

Anthology is also a good place to start. Six is, in my opinion, one of the best FFs ever. I happen to think it's better than the likes of Seven, but whatever. =\

Definitely do it. They are a little tougher, but it's worth it overall.
 
I agree that six is better than seven, but it's also consistently more difficult. One is actually quite difficult, but six still is less of a strange jump, so go for that one first.
 
Six is my personal favorite, and it's probably a good one to start on too. It's linear enough to know where you're going, and there's not much grinding. (grinding before the end of the game can actually set you back.) If you find the game being difficult, it's probably because you haven't been looking around for all the secrets that make the game way easier.
 
I think V is probably one of the harder ones. IV wasn't too bad, but it still had some hard moments. VI was a good one too. I like all the older ones a lot. I'm not far in III because I haven't played it much, so I can't say. But in general, I love all FF games. Each has it's own aspects that are harder than others.
 
The older ones are harder, but I think thats because your expected to level up more within a smaller amount of time with littler freedom than yu do with later games. And plus alot of the time you really do have to talk to NPC's to find out where to go next rather than being told where to go automaticly story-wise.
 
Well it really depends on what version of the old FF games you get.

I hear that the GBA versions of IV, V, and VI are pretty easy. Where as the PS verison are a little more difficult.

The snes IV (known as II) is very easy because Japan didn't think that Americans could play a hard game. :(

Original I for the NES is very difficult where the GBA version is much easier and prettier to look at lol.

I thought the DS version of III was difficult. You can only save on the world map and that can make crawling through a long dungeon very scary. And some of the bosses and random monsters are also difficult.
 
I have recently done what you are planning to do, although I did start IV agggges ago on the PS1 and never beat it. It was solid and in the end, I got lost

FFI bored me, didn't find it all that challenging, I just didn't enjoy it

II I got an hour in and gave up, the skill system is awful I hated it, plus I kept wandering to far in ANY direction and I kept dying. At the beginning of the game

I played III on the DS, Id defo recommend that one. it's abit hard but so much fun

V.....horrible HORRIBLE game. The job system wound me up sooo much, plus it was really hard and it just made me mad

VI is a good little game but I thought that was hard aswel xD

If your blood pressure can handle it, go for it, can't say I will be replaying any of them in a hurry though, although Im planning on getting the DS version of IV, and maybe ONE day Il consider playing II, but it was just shite

I played all but III on the PS btw, VI was horribly slow, it drove me mad, but the story is really good
 
I wouldn't say any of them are really "hard". The only real difficulty comes from having to level. I'll just go over the last three of the classics...

FFIV is a great FF. Each character is unique in personality & ability in battle. You get your clear-cut mages & physical fighters in this one (although I guess this can be augmented in the DS version). This is oldschool through & through. From the classic ATB to the crystal-centric storyline.

I found FFV to be the easiest of the lot of the 16-Bit/SNES-era FFs personally...Perhaps this is because I had the added experience of the Job Class System by playing FFTactics so much, so I knew already what abilities would help cover the weaknesses of certain Job Classes (remember to MASTER a few Jobs for each character, this will definitely help later on).

I love FFVI like most everyone else and it's my fav FF (w/FFT, btw). You get a nice combination of unique abilities for all of the characters along with a nice amount of character customization. The story is also one of the most mature & fleshed out. The themes are solid and the characters' personalities are developed well. It's the one FF that really walks the line between being lineir & then being almost completely open for exploration. Probably the most balanced FF available.
 
V.....horrible HORRIBLE game. The job system wound me up sooo much, plus it was really hard and it just made me mad

VI is a good little game but I thought that was hard aswel xD

i don't mean to quote you in a bad way. you're totally entitled to your opinion. i just want to express my experience to contrast yours.

FFV was one of the best games i've ever played after i got into it. this game was also one of the hardest games i've ever played. the job system is complicated. but once you figure it out it is so rewarding. it makes the game tons easier. although i found myself grinding out levels on more than one occasion, i still recommend this game. it's got classic final fantasy elements that everyone should experience.

FFVI is in my opinion the second best game in the core series. the story is complex and involved. the characters are incredibly well developed. everyone should experience the opera scene. kefka is by far one of the best villains ever. PLEASE play this game.

as far as graphics go, i had a tough time with it at first. it was difficult to play a game with such poor graphics, but as i kept playing, it became natural. a few hours in, and i didn't even notice the difference.

anyways, PLAY ANTHOLOGY. i highly recommend it.
 
My only real recommendation for this is, if you a Nintendo DS, you should really pick up FFIV. I liked FFIV when I first played it as FFII on my Super Nintendo, but the remake on the DS is even more fun. I highly recommend it.

And, as the others said...Anthology is also the way to go. From what I've heard, FFI, FFII, and FFIII on the DS were pretty lack-luster. While I'd recommend playing them anyway, FFIV, FFV, and FFVI were much better games, in my opinion.
 
I've only played VI, and I really enjoyed it. The graphics didn't bother me at all. Maybe if you play it on the Playstation on a big-screen TV you'll have a different experience, so perhaps it's best to play it on a portable console.

Obviously the earlier games are much shorter, but there's not as much difference in length as I would have expected. FFVI took me 45 hours completing just about all of the side-quests. If you play them under emulation you have the added advantage of being able to save literally wherever you want and not having to sit through introductory logos etc.
 
The 'older' (can we really call them that after infinity+ remakes?) FFs are definitely worth a look. IV, V & VI are my favourites in the entire series, with the exception of IX. IV was the first FF I ever played, way back when it was first released on the PSOne. The graphics may not be much, but the storylines and gameplay ranks them right up with the newer games, if not higher. They're a must for any true FF fan.
 
they actually really are difficult but it got me into staying in 1 place and training for a long time to get super buff
 
I found the older Final Fantasies more difficult than the newer ones, but I also found them much shorter.

FFVI: One of my favorite FF's, without a doubt the best old school FF in my opinion.

FFV: Not really my cup of tea but it's worth a play, the game play is quite good, the story is ok but the characters were a little bit lacking.

FFI: I actually really enjoyed this game, I had plenty of trouble on the final boss the first time I fought him.

FFII: Haven't finished it yet, I've tried playing it twice and have only got about an hour in both times, I will try it again soon though.

FFIV: I'm up to the final dungeon and it is kinda hard but it has been very enjoyable so far.

So you should definately give the old school FF's a shot, they are hard but that's nothing levelling can't fix :monster:
 
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I simply love playing the older Final Fantasies. Actually, I've started playing FF IV again, and I the plot and gameplay is still great ^_^ Final Fantasy V is probably the best out of them, just with it's plot and characters.
 
I still get confused with the NA numbering of the FF with the correct JA numbering. But FF 2 (Na) conisdered to be FF 4 in Ja? was what brought me into these awesome games. The twins were great. The games are a little difficult but my g/f hardly plays games and I had her play through the first half of FF2 or FF4 lol I'm confused on exact one. Thats saying alot if she got through some of it albeit with me helping here and there.
 
I've played all of them except for 3, and that's because i dont have a ds. which sucks. but anyway, the older ones do pose more of a challenge because the battle systems, while somewhat similar, rely more on jobs and actually developing your characters into a certain, specialized area. that made for those games to be great, minus the terrible graphics (which doens't matter, its the substance in the story), but yea definitely play them if you can
 
I still get confused with the NA numbering of the FF with the correct JA numbering. But FF 2 (Na) conisdered to be FF 4 in Ja? was what brought me into these awesome games. The twins were great. The games are a little difficult but my g/f hardly plays games and I had her play through the first half of FF2 or FF4 lol I'm confused on exact one. Thats saying alot if she got through some of it albeit with me helping here and there.
The Japanese II, III and V were not released in the US and other western countries until recent years however IV and VI were, with VII onwards being released globaly at the same time-ish. But to keep continuitie, IV and VI were marketed as II and III respectivly as not to confuse western gamers basicly.
 
To me Final Fantasy 5 and 6 are the Hardest!I loved 5 better than 6.My favorite old final fantasy is FF5.
 
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