so, out of the classic FF games (1-5) (excluding 6 because I've played it), which is the best one?

Probably 5 overall. 4 is worth playing as well, though overrated. 1 is a historical curiosity. 2 and 3 aren't really worth playing.

>>3814606
>1 is a historical curiosity
Opinion discarded.

>>3814612
Go ahead, please describe for us in detail how great 1 is and why it's still relevant and interesting in $CURRENT YEAR. I played the SNES and PSX era FFs growing up, and later went back and marathoned 1-10 in order to compare them.

>>3814614
>relevant
Opinion discarded.

4 or 5.

>>3814661
>incapable of defending FF1 on its own merits, save that of being... a historical curiosity
I accept your concession.

>>3814675
NTA, but he's right, anon. Your opinion is shit. If you feel like he needs to "back up his claim" or whatever, then you should probably back up your claim, too. I played through half of FF1 a couple summers ago and I thought it was awesome. Everything about it is classic as shit. You just don't get that kind of thing anymore. What really sold me was the intro scene when you come ripping through that little land corridor surrounded by water after you've done the little dungeon. And the map is really quite epic and excellent. Exploring dungeons is quite the thrill. I really don't care what you think, anon. Just so you know. I'm just reminiscing on what I thought was cool about FF1 and it's not actually for you, btw. Because again, your opinion is shit.

>>3814603 (OP)
FF 1 was fun, but then FF 2 sucked so much I didn't bother with the rest

>>3814679
I am glad that you had fun playing the historical curiosity that is Final Fantasy (No Number), anon. I, too, played it and had fun. Did you think that I was saying “umm akshually it’s OBJECTIVELY terrible and I hate it and everyone that thinks it’s fun is doo doo”? It’s just a NES game bro.

I played the DS remake of FF3 decades ago and really enjoyed it. It has a good job system and the unfiltered textures gives it a really nice feel that reminds me of the playstation final fantasy games.

>>3814687
Anon, ALL of these games are "historical curiosities". NES and SNES are virtually the same age at this point. Your whole point is really dumb.

>>3814603 (OP)
I like the tone of 4 more than 5, so I'd go with 4. I can definitely see the appeal of 5's job class system though. You can't really go wrong either way. If you like 5 enough, it might be worth it to go back and play 3 and 1 just to see the job class system's roots.

FF2 is basically the first entry into the SaGa series and is very experimental in that sort of fashion. It's rough around the edges and rubs a lot of people the wrong way. It's not a terrible game, but it is a grindy game.

>>3814690

>>3814691
Go sit down, back to back, and fire up the original NES version of FF1, and then immediately contrast it with the SNES version of FF6, then tell me they’re exactly the same. I feel like I’m talking to a bunch of zoomers who have only played the umpteenth port/remaster of these games.

>>3814603 (OP)
FF2 is genuinely a great game. Only retarded NPCs who parrot journo and eceleb opinions, and poseur zoomers who don't even like classic FF but don't want to lose "gamer cred" by saying that use FF2 as a scapegoat and are glad the "hive" hates it so they can skip it.

3D Remakes or Pixel Remaster or OG?

>>3814695
They are only a few years apart. They are literally "historical curiosities" this many decades later.
I played them both at release on original hardware. Your point is stupid.

5 and 6 are the best early games in my opinion.

>>3814603 (OP)
5 > 1 > 3 > 4 > 2

>>3814603 (OP)
If you like jobs, then I think V is the best.
If you prefer the more modern FF style, what they would continue doing through X, then I'd say IV is best.
Out of the first three, FF1 is the only one worth playing.

>>3814603 (OP)
I is a classic that I replay a romhack of every now and again but doesn't age well for modern audiences.

2 is the black sheep that has a lot of problems with it's pacing and leveling system but I kind of like it

3 isn't bad just kind of boring compared to the others. The forgotten game but there's a DS remake.

4 Is a classic but has zero replayablity so kind of gets lost in the shuffle sometimes.

5 has great replayablity and improved the job system from 1 and 3.

6 Is my personal favourite and probably the one most people would say is the best of 1-6. Has the big playable cast of 4 with basically larger scale everything.

>>3814603 (OP)
1 was only good because we hadn't played anything like it before.
I'd say 6 then 4.
I have tried to go back and play all the others and I just can't play any besides 4 or 6 very long.

1 is best experienced through WSC, PSX and PR ports, because they maintain its identity while GBA and PSP destroy with too much references to other FFs.
2 is best experienced through PR, thanks to Auto-Fight option, which slightly lessens the burden of grinding weapon/spell levels.
3's job system is a total bore.
4 is best experienced through PSP, because not only its sequel is incorporated, an interlude connecting the two games is implemented.
5 is best experienced through GBA, because of Sealed Temple.
I never had fun with 6. It's edgy.

>>3814603 (OP)
Pixel Remaster?? all sucks ass, now PSP version and the GBA we're talking

>>3814954
>FF1
I'm actually not sure what version to play because I'm partial to the vancian casting, and I think that after the GBA releases it was removed. I think best is Wonderswan or the PS1. Though if you want the most content, play the PSP version.
>FF2
Best is by far the PSP anniversary version, most content and has the divisive Soul of Rebirth mode.
>FF3
Pixel Remaster is the best version, I think the DS one is too slow overall even though it has more content, its mostly aimed at utilizing the DS system itself for implementation.
>FF4
Lots of versions here but again I prefer the PSP over the DS remake as it has extra content based from the original game and it has the After Years which is like an epilogue of sorts
>FF5 and FF6
GBA have more content/jobs/espers/etc but the gba itself is rough for these two games. PR really brings out the best on these but lacks the extra content. If you can get through the eyebleed and earbleed, then get the gba instead.

>>3814603 (OP)
5 is easily the best one. 1,3, and 5 are more gameplay focused, while 2 and 4 are story games.

>>3814603 (OP)
In my opinion:
4 >= 5 > 3 > 1 > 2
They're all good though. Depends on your tastes which is best.

>>3814687
>curiosity
Anon. A curiosity is something you pick up to look at it for a minute and then you put it down. Maybe you buy it and put it on a shelf and people look at it sometimes and it makes a good conversation starter. It's basically knick-knack tier. A curiosity is not something you dive into and use.

>>3815027
The reason I said it is a “historical curiosity” is that, as a NES game that is older than most of this board, its gameplay is simple, antiquated, and clunky. Its relevance, for a modern player that has not already played it, is that it is the origin of the series. No one is interested in playing it nowadays save for fans of the series who got into it with later installments and then later became curious about older games in the series. No one is just randomly picking up nearly 40 year old NES games today without some frame of reference for why it might be interesting to them.

I didn’t say it’s not fun, I didn’t say it’s a bad game. But I’d put close to 99% odds that anyone picking up FF1 in the current year got into the series with later games, and started working backwards to see where the series came from. That’s all. Hence, “Historical curiosity”. I did it, lots of people did it. I started with ff7 when it came out, and then later emulated the SNES games, and then later went back and emulated the NES games.

>>3814954
>now PSP version and the GBA we're talking
Those are the worst versions.

>>3814603 (OP)
All the remakes have shit sprites for the characters. They look like toddler toys. Plenty of other problems as well. Use an emulator with the original roms ( or buy them on og consoles.

That being said. FF VI is the goat no question there. After that I'd say it's a toss up between I, IV and IV. If you're a mega fan boy of having a job class system V has you covered. FF I although lower on my recommendation is the game that means more to me. There's something special about these super old games. Like you've really gone back in time to something a bit clunky and quiet, kind of grindy but man it's really an experience if you hunker down and have some patience.

All the remakes have shit sprites for the characters. They look like toddler toys, with plenty of other problems as well. Use an emulator with the original roms or buy them on og consoles.

That being said. FF VI is the goat no question there. After that I'd say it's a toss up between I, IV and IV. If you're a mega fan boy of having a job class system V has you covered. IV has it's own feel. I like the end game weapons, basic magic and calling spells and that you can learn from enemies sort of like gau in ff VI. I prefer the story over V, the area on the moon, just little things. FF I although lower on my recommendation is the game that means more to me. There's something special about these super old games. Like you've really gone back in time to something a bit clunky and quiet, kind of grindy but man it's really an experience if you hunker down and have some patience. My favorite on ff 1 is going with 4 monks and grinding like hell in the beginning but murdering everything else later on as their power starts increasing exponentially and there isnt much needed to select.

I would rate IV at the bottom for pioneering the "cinematic game", but I have to admit that it's a fairly well put-together game, if boring and linear with zero replayability. Unlike II and III, which are broken on a basic level. Between II and III, I actually think I prefer II since it respects your time better than III with its retarded as shit gimmick dungeons. II also has a better story. I still think II deserves at least 3/4 of the hate it gets, though.
V is indubitably king of classic FFs and one of the best JRPGs ever made with regards to replayability and versatility. VI is quite good, stakes an acceptable middle ground between IV's railroaded plot and V's customizability but flakes in the World of Ruin for me. I is big jank but it's wholesome classic jank that I still replay annually.

V > VI > I > IV > II > III I guess

>>3814606
>>3814614
>>3814675
You're right and these other fags are full of shit. 1 is thoroughly barebones and only worth playing to appreciate Dissidia and Jack's game more.

I seriously think that some people online must've played V with their eyes closed

VI > IV > V > III > II > I
V is job system simulator and no schizos that had an attachment to it had posted an argument convincing enough that it's an actual overall good game without their bias and job system autism showing. Boring story, lackluster characters.
I take IV over V because it has dynamism in a JRPG, gameplay story integration, boss gimmicks, compelling story.
VI is IV but with less shock-factor plot twists and a more alive world, more interesting setting and larger cast of characters - although less story-connected. The improved options in battle and different skills available is also a plus.
Anyone rating I is purely based on nostalgia and historic value.
II is better than I since it has lots more going on overall, and the progression while garbage is still better than I.

>>3814603 (OP)
>(excluding 6 because I've played it)
Honestly, 6 should be excluded anyway because it's simply not a "classic". 5 is the last game to truly have "classic" JRPG/FF sensibilities. 6 is definitively the point where the series transitions into becoming movie-games.

>>3814606
>Probably 5 overall.
This. Flawless pacing, tight and fun mechanics with lots of customization, a solid story, charming characters, and a strong emotional core without ever letting cutscenes take precedence over actual gameplay. It's arguably the peak of the series.

>>3814670
>4 or 5.
4 is so clunky and outdated compared to 5, it's insane. 5 is arguably the only entry in the SNES trilogy that actually feels like an SNES game, because 4 is an NES game, and 6 is the trailblazer for PS1-style movie-games.

>>3815853
>I seriously think that some people online must've played V with their eyes closed
Effectively, they did. A majority of FF fans played V after already having their brains baked by 6, 7, 8, and possibly even 9. They were used to insipid movie-games, so they refused to engage with V's content beyond just parroting "HURRR JOB SYSTEM GUD".

>>3815896
I started with 7 (as did many) and loved 5, for what it's worth. This was back when the only way to play it was with a translated ROM. Butz lol

>>3815896
Nah, maybe they just think V's content is shallow and boring other than the job selection screen

>>3815896
It's insane how they miss out on the 'Sins of the Father' themes and how it probably has the most named character death in a mainline. like holy fuck people were dying like flies in that game.

>>3814606
I think 3 is still worth playing, but agreed other than that.

I like FF2.

>>3815909
This is the best part of 3 right here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPQ_wfGx6u0

>>3815911
Hot take

>>3815863
V is just a purely fun romp, it's well-paced, has a good variety of dungeons and bosses, experimenting with jobs makes you feel like you're always doing something. It just has all the workings of a solid JRPG with nothing too divisive about it. V's story has just as many moving parts as IV's, but it's more lighthearted for most part so people think it's poor. In reality neither of them are anything stand-out storywise.
>IV has boss gimmicks
Every single FF game since II has had boss gimmicks. V has way more of them, even.

>>3815913
It's really not that bad. You want a painful experience? Go play SMT 2 or IF

>>3815919
>It's really not that bad
It was tolerable, I played it and finished it. I would never replay it, though. I did the thing where you dual wield shields and grind goblins in the starting forest until everyone had 99% evasion or whatever, basically ruined the game but it was really funny seeing everything miss for the rest of the game. Jinxed playthrough.

>>3815916
IV had better gimmicks

>>3815928
The worst part about 4 is that your party composition is determined 100% by the story, and at no point can you choose which members are in the party.

Pixel Remasters are the best version of each game. You can disagree but we all know it's true (unless you have giga autism)

>>3815257
>I’d put close to 99% odds that anyone picking up FF1 in the current year got into the series with later games, and started working backwards to see where the series came from.
NTA but I started the series in sequential order. First played FF1 on NES at suggestion from my friend. Guess I'm your 1%

And frankly the game is pretty good. Your "takes" thusfar in this thread are shit. "Historical curiosity" lmao, quit snorting your own farts from a wine glass. Every game can and should be enjoyed and experienced regardless of how much time has passed. Bias due to age is purely a (You) problem.

>>3815257
I know why you chose to call it that and I'm telling you why it's inaccurate. The game is perfectly serviceable and it can stand on its own. This makes it much more than a "curiosity". Furthermore, you greatly underestimate people in general and are mostly projecting. Just because you font see the value in a game like FF1 doesn't mean it isn't there. A game like FF1 can attract players for many different reasons, the least of which is to check a "gotta play all the FF's" box. I never played any FF and I happily picked up FF1 and got right into it.

I even prefer V to VI. I simply enjoyed playing it more.
>>3815900
>This was back when the only way to play it was with a translated ROM.
Yeah, that's what I played, the "RPGe" fan translation.

>>3815957
What one man considers trash is another man treasure I suppose.
Dynamic party members are cool.

>>3814603 (OP)
1 is my personal favourite
2 is overhated
3 is the worst
4 is overrated
5 is alright

>>3815957
That's a good thing.

GTA is for normies