I recently noticed that the Ys series exists, and have decided to play them! Since they all are apparently part of the same continuity, and star the same character, I've decided I want to play them in order of release, but as the Ys series is apparently famous for, there are huge amounts of versions of each game.
Originally I was set on playing this way: PC Engine Versions of Ys 1&2, and then Ys IV Mask of the Sun on SNES rather than the Ys IV that appeared on the PC Engine, since it's apparently a totally different game and is non-canon. After that, I wasn't sure. Either Ys V if an English version became available, or Ys III on either the PC Engine or SNES. Possibly PC Engine YS IV, with a VA Translation guide for the parts Rom-Hackers couldn't translate. I was pretty set on the SNES version since I didn't really like what I heard of its VA on the PC Engine. But now I recently heard that the new version of Ys III on the PSP replaces all previous versions of Ys III in canon, and there are new versions of Ys IV, too. It makes me think that maybe I should play the new remakes instead of the originals if I actually have a desire to follow canon in some way.
Of course, I don't have a lot of money to be throwing around on these new remakes, so I doubt I'd actually change my plans very much. But for fans of the series who post here, which versions of the games do you think I should play? I already know that I'll be playing Ys I first, so I'll just post a poll up on the versions of the game I'm most likely to play between the DS, PSP, and PC Engine versions of the game. I'd like opinions on all entries of the series and their multiple versions, though. =)