What order did you play the series in?

[remy5623]

Final Fantasy IV was the first one I ever played, in 2009 if I remember correctly. After that, it was several years before I played any more Final Fantasy games.

In 2013 I decided to try Final Fantasy XIII. I loved it, played Final Fantasy XIII-2 right after that, and finished XIII-2 just in time for the release of Lightning Returns - the first Final Fantasy game I ever got at the time of its release! Right around then, I tried out the PS4 Beta for Final Fantasy XIV, but I didn't care much for it at the time. Pretty soon after that, Final Fantasy X|X-2 HD Remaster came out. I spent the whole summer of 2014 playing those games - loved 'em both. Then I played Final Fantasy Type-0 HD in 2015.

Early in 2016 I tried to play the iOS version of Final Fantasy II, but I couldn't finish it. I loved the game, but couldn't stand playing it on my phone. Shortly after I tried Final Fantasy IV: The After Years on iOS and had exactly the same experience - I hate touch controls. I played Final Fantasy VII for the first time that year, too, I believe. Then Final Fantasy XV when it came out in November. After XV, I started VI - though it took me almost two years to finish it. Not that I didn't like it - I loved it, but I got stuck a couple of times, and each time it took a while before I came back to it.

I played Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age when it came out in 2017, but got pulled away from it by another game and didn't go back to it for a very long time. In 2019, I finally went back and finished VI, and then XII. I started Final Fantasy IX later that year, and I still have yet to finish it . I love every minute I've played of it, but I (again) got distracted by other games. That happens a lot to me. It frequently takes me several years to finish games these days, because I alternate between a handful of them . I also gave Final Fantasy XI a try at around that time, but, much like Final Fantasy XIV, I didn't care for it. For a long time, I hated MMOs, and I couldn't get past that even for a Final Fantasy game.

In 2020, however, I got very sick for quite an extended period of time, and I really needed a game that I could just get completely lost in to distract me from it. Square Enix was offering a free trial for Final Fantasy XIV, and MMOs are perfect for losing yourself in, so I decided to give it another try. I got much further into the story content this time, and fell completely in love with it - so much so that I went back to Final Fantasy XI, as well, and had almost the exact same experience - once I got into a little bit more of the story, I loved it. I've been alternating between those two games for the past year, and having a blast - though they've kept me from playing very many other Final Fantasy games. I did go back to Final Fantasy II and finally finished it (still have to do Soul of Rebirth, though). I started Dirge of Cerberus and Final Fantasy VII Remake, but haven't finished either. I figure at the pace I'm going, I'll probably finish up XI and XIV at around the end of the year, and then hopefully I can get back to VII Remake and IX.