>>12095578 (OP)
Either chronological, or:
IV - X in order, then I-III
IV very focused. It's the first ATB game, and in my opinion remains the best execution of that system in the entire series, with emphasis on the combat itself rather than building your party ahead of time. The mechanics retain some of the more complex formulas from the earlier games, like melee characters are automatically doing multiple attacks per round. The progression is very balanced, you get powerful without veering into the absurdity of later games with chain-casted ultimas and gimmicky abilities like GP Toss, but still have enough unique abilities to make the different classes interesting.
The characters are solid, the narrative is well-paced and the redemption theme lands well. Novice critics will bitch about fakeout deaths and mind control tropes but these are fairly silly things to complain about. The story isn't Dickens but does it's job to provide structure and meaning to the gameplay.
>>12098031
>>12100246
The main reason is just that it's fun. Fun to rediscover the companions who made selfless sacrifices. Fun to have the characters remain part of the story.
How would the sequence in Troia been better without Edward?
How would the encounter with Golbez and the shadow dragon been better without Rydia?
How would the Sylph cave side quest be better without Yang?
How would the late game interactions with Edge been better without Cid?
How would the final encounter have been better without everyone including Palom&Porom sending their prayers and blessings to the party?
Lazy critics get stumped by these questions.
