I have never played a Final Fantasy game, and I am wondering if I will be totally lost if I try Final Fantasy 13. Are all of the games separate stories or is it one ongoing story? I am also a bit confused about the combat system: is it turn based or real-time?
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You never have to worry about not being able to get hold of the basics of a Final Fantasy game because they all come with detailed manuals and in-game tutorials for the important bits. Anything you still have trouble with can be sorted out by people on sites such as gamefaqs.com where there are plenty of player-made resources to help.
I’m not sure whether Final Fantasy XIII is the best game in the series for you to start with though. While every game in the series has a different battle system, Final Fantasy XIII seems to be the most far-removed from the other installments. Also, the game is very linear for quite a long time. I have got as far as disc 2 and have not yet felt free at any point. All of the FF games are linear at the beginning while you get your bearings, and of course while the major events that trigger the journey begin to unfold, but FFXIII is the most linear so far in my opinion. It is however a visually stunning game.
If you’re not of the opinion that any game without cutting edge graphics isn’t worth your time, then perhaps an older game would be a better start. I would recommend Final Fantasy IX as a starting point as it has a great combat and character development system. The game has an interesting storyline and some absolutely beautiful painted backgrounds. Final Fantasy IX was the last FF released on the PSone and the last text-based one.
If you don’t want to be reading text then try Final Fantasy X which was the first Final Fantasy to feature voice-acting. As this one was made for the PS2 the graphics are also significantly more advanced than its predecessor. This installment features some of my absolute favourite cutscenes, beginning with an explosive action FMV with a great song to go with it, and also some incredibly beautiful and sorrowful sequences later on.
Final Fantasy XII, the last one made for the PS2, is also a possibility but for some reason a great number of fans of the series never really took to this game. Although I’ve never made it to the end, I’ve enjoyed this game well enough to disagree with these people.
Final Fantasy VIII is a lot more serious and…greyer than the other games and while it is still a great game it might not be the most visually impressive for you to begin with.
Final Fantasy VII is a real fan-favourite because it was the first Final Fantasy game made in 3D but I never really took to it. I got almost to the end but by the time I was approaching the final showdown I’d grown fairly frustrated with the storyline so never took the time to finish it. The materia system is a clever way of customising your characters for battle and the limit breaks are impressive but the storyline often seems quite scattered. Also be aware that while the cutscenes aren’t too shabby considering the game was using brand new technology, for the most part you will be controlling characters which look a lot like lego people.
I would discount FFX-2 because it was the first game in the series to continue the story of a previous installment, and I would discount FFXI because it is an online game which comes with a number of fees.
I hope that I’ve helped you and that you decide to give this brilliant series a try. I’ve grown up playing these games and they’re such an important part of my gaming life that whenever anyone mentions gaming I automatically think of them first.