Best to start with.

[Levian]

Yeah, so a friend has mentioned interest in trying getting into FF, but is still a bit skeptic. So what game do you think is the best one to start with? Which will make her want to play the others? Consider difficulty to get the hang on, interesting story and perhaps graphics. I know my friend probably won't be interested in starting with any FF lower than 7. But yeah, feel free to discuss regardless of graphics too if you feel that anyone below 7 is better to start with.

I'm thinking maybe FF9, because it ain't too hard to get into and the story is ok too.

[Mirage]

Is he a sucker for love stories?

[Flying Mullet]

I would suggest IX for the reasons you stated above and the fact that it draws from so many of the previous Final Fantasies. Chances are, if they like IX, they'll be up for the others.

[dodhungry]

One of my cousines has been contemplating the same thing. I said 9 as well. I dont think 9 gets too overwhelming and ther learning curve is quick. Now if they just take the time to play the whole thing out.

[Levian]

Is he a sucker for love stories?

It's a girl, so probably yes. I don't think she'll get the junction system any time soon, though.

[ljkkjlcm9]

too bad she's not interested below VII, or I'd say VI, because honestly it's not a hard game and is amazing! But yeah, I'd say IX then...

THE JACKEL

[Mirage]

Is he a sucker for love stories?

It's a girl, so probably yes. I don't think she'll get the junction system any time soon, though.

FF8 then, just let her use "auto junction" :p. Other than that, FFX, she might think Tidus is sexy.
Remember, if she doesn't get stuff, you're there and can teach her!

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

FFIX. The Nomura games won't cut it, and as wonderful as FFXII is, it's too different from the rest of the series to be an ideal entry point.

[Christmas]

FF X-2

EDIT: LEVIAN HAVE FRIENDS?

EDIT2: AND A GIRL TOO.

[The Crystal]

FFIX

[Flying Mullet]

Looks like you got a consensus of FFIX Lev. Now go and teach your "friend" all about Final Fantasy,

[Levian]

Is he a sucker for love stories?

It's a girl, so probably yes. I don't think she'll get the junction system any time soon, though.

FF8 then, just let her use "auto junction" . Other than that, FFX, she might think Tidus is sexy.
Remember, if she doesn't get stuff, you're there and can teach her!

Yeah, I guess it could work. But it would be a bit boring to watch her summon GF's all the time. FFVIII is a sweet game, though. With Triple Triad and the story. So it will definitely be one of the first in line, iif not the first.

too bad she's not interested below VII, or I'd say VI, because honestly it's not a hard game and is amazing! But yeah, I'd say IX then...

THE JACKAL

Yes, it certainly has one of the easiest systems to get into, and it's not so complicated. She's already played a bit of FFX, so I don't think she'd be interested in that just yet.

FFIX. The Nomura games won't cut it, and as wonderful as FFXII is, it's too different from the rest of the series to be an ideal entry point.

Another good thing about FFIX is the two player function. The music and atmosphere is nice too, well the other games are good in that way too, but this one especially.

Looks like you got a consensus of FFIX Lev. Now go and teach your "friend" all about Final Fantasy,

Oh, I'll teach her

[Necronopticous]

I start everyone with Final Fantasy X, then move to IX, I've actually thought a lot about this, and I feel that this is the best way to go. Final Fantasy X is graphically stunning, and probably the most user-friendly game in the series, so it's extremely accessible to almost anyone which allows the story to be a lot more prominent to those who are first experiencing the series.

What I have found is that starting out on Final Fantasy IX, as Kish suggested, is a little overwheming to people who have never played many games before.

The other thing you have going for you in Final Fantasy X is the voice acting. It's nice to ease your way into the idea of sitting through a 50+ hour game that contains a great deal of dialogue with voicing on the main scenes, this will make the game more like a movie to them and probably get them more interested than realizing they have to read everything right from the get-go.

If they get all the way through Final Fantasy X, which I imagine anyone in their right mind with enough time to do so would do, then Final Fantasy IX is a nice good transition. It eases them into slightly more dated graphics without going overboard, and makes Final Fantasy X serve as kind of a big long tutorial. If you get them through Final Fantasy IX, you're good to go, because now you can pretty much go anywhere.

I have introduced many people to the Final Fantasy series like this, and if you're interested in where I go after that it usually looks something like this:

X -> IX -> VII -> VI (or VIII if they can't stomach the 2D graphics, making them promise to play VI next) -> VIII -> IV -> So on.

I might adjust a bit now that XII is out. XII would be natural before or after VII, another one to sort of "seal the deal" before bringing out the 16 bit guns.

[Sefie1999AD]

It depends a bit on what your friend is like. If she likes romantic stories (even if the story and gameplay aren't really all that great), I'd suggest FFVIII for her. Otherwise, I can't really recommend FFVIII or FFX since I find them to be among the weaker FFs. This leaves FFX-2 out of the question since it's a sequel. FFVII is a good FF to start with, although there's a risk that it will turn her into a fangirl who doesn't give the other FFs a chance.

Final Fantasy IX is a great game to start with, provided she doesn't have problems with the "chibi" looking characters. Go for FFXI if she likes online RPGs and you can play it along with her. I've heard many good things about FFXII, but many have also said it's a very hard game, so it may not be the best choice for a new FF gamer.

[Bolivar]

I would start off w/ IV, that kinda defines the whole series, but IX because it's so in-game helpful, and X because of the movie side of it, but i don't feel like those 2 will get them the full drift of what FF is all about like IV will.