Reccomended FF Order

Hi guys,
I'm new to these forums and final fantasy in general. I am a fairly casual rpg player, i have some experience with jrpgs but not too much. I have played persona 3 and 4 and loved them and played chrono trigger and adored it. I also have some extensive western rpg experience, with wow, oblivion, fallout 3, etc. I dont not consider myself a hardcore rpg player, however I would like to become one.

So, I made a possibly very dumb decision and decided to buy all the final fantasy's I could get my hands on. Mainly becuase Im certain I will love them and its a series I have no prior experience in. However, now i have an interesting problem. I don't know where to start. Well my first instict was to go through them in sequential order however I've heard from people thats not the best idea especially with extensive jrpg experience. So, I would like to ask you guys, what order should I play them in. Preferably, I'd like to play them in the order of easiest/least complicated to hardest/most complicated.

Here is a list of the games I have:
-I&II Dawn of Souls (GBA)
-III (DS)
-IV (DS)
-V Advance (GBA)
-VI Advance (GBA)
-VII (Playstation Network PSOne Original)
-VIII (PSX)
-IX (PSX)
-X (PS2)
-X2 (PS2)

Any help on diving into this massive series would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Iff225

Starting with VII and then going with it chronologically (sp?) from there up through X-2, would probably be a pretty good idea if you don't wanna start out with the older and more hardcore games. Then when you've done that, start from FFI or just do them in a random order or whatever.

If you beat Persona 3 and 4 then final fantasy will be pretty easy by comparison.

From easiest to hardest just going in order is good for most of the games. X is really easy so play that earlier, and III can be very difficult if you don't level grind a lot. I an II on Dawn of souls are a walk through the park though, definitely do those first.

I always feel its best to go chronologically. You will learn to appreciate the growth of the series more and I feel each game gets a little special. The earlier titles are more difficult than the recent entries but they are also shorter. Having played P3 and P4 already... chances are none of them will be too difficult for you. X is the easiest entry and III and IV are probably the most difficult imho.

I highly recommend playing through the whole series in order. The only other advice I would give is this: If you get bored with one of the titles, don't be afraid to stop and throw a different game in. Its alright to start on IV and V before finishing I and II. There is no sense in making the games an unpleasant experience by getting stuck/frustrated/bored and insisting on finishing the game before the next. Try to go in order but don't feel bad about jumping to the next installment, hell you might even find something in the later titles that will inspire you to go back and play the games you didn't finish. :D

Play VII first, it's probably the easiest by far.

I'd say go for 7 through 10-2 first. Then go for any between 4-6 and then you'll probably not want to play 1-3 for a long time. :p

Play FFVII first and get it out of the way, so you can start playing the Final Fantasies that are actually good after that.

To begin with, just skip the three first to be honest. You can play them later, just to get to know the "history of the series". Even the updated versions feel awfully dated compared to almost anything else you've played. Except Dragon Quest, lol.

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Originally Posted by Breine

Starting with VII and then going with it chronologically (sp?) from there up through X-2, would probably be a pretty good idea if you don't wanna start out with the older and more hardcore games. Then when you've done that, start from FFI or just do them in a random order or whatever.

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*I cried aloud with mirth and merriments at your use of the word "hardcore"*

Start with VI or VII, as they seem to be the most popular from the 2D and 3D generations. Like Wolf Kanno said, do it chronologically if you feel like, and don't be afraid to skip ahead when you get bored or frustrated by one of them. I like to do them in groups of two (4 and 6, now 3 and 5). If the first two games are too easy for you, then try and get the Origins version as they stay true to the original difficulty. Or hell, even emulate if you don't mind breaking the law.

EDIT: Hey, who edited my use of the word "laugh"? XD

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Originally Posted by Wolfen

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Originally Posted by Breine

Starting with VII and then going with it chronologically (sp?) from there up through X-2, would probably be a pretty good idea if you don't wanna start out with the older and more hardcore games. Then when you've done that, start from FFI or just do them in a random order or whatever.

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*I cried aloud with mirth and merriments at your use of the word "hardcore"*

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I was in lack of a better word - hardcore as in harder and more old-school I guess? xD

I misread and thought you were calling 7 thru 12 hardcore.

I'd personally reccomend IX first in the hopes of it becoming your favorite. If not i would love to know a person who has started with the first and worked his way up, because I don't there are many that have outside of the Square developers. That's my opinion.

If you start with IX and VI you'll then be disappointed that the rest of the series isn't as good. :p