"A series with a million different entries and then spinoffs" this is when I knew FF would be here LMAO. Morkim put it perfectly already below but yeah, mainline games are all their own things except if they have spinoffs/sequels, so definitely do not start with X-2 cause it relies heavily on knowledge of X, Dirge of Cerberus less so but it's still within the FF7 plot and world. That being siad, FFX is a great place to start imo and is extremely approachable with an amazing story. FF7 is also a classic, and there's also the FF7 remake games that have been coming out that have been incredible so far imo. FF15 is also quite approachable too, since it has that modern feel and combat. Super excited to hear your thoughts on some of these games whenever you get around to them. Cozy banger of a video as always!
Final Fantasy games like you said you can really start anywhere! The characters and stories are completely disconnected. (Except for the direct sequels like X-2) But yes do not start with X-2 because it’s one of the direct sequels lol. My personal favorite is X and it was my first. But 6, 7, 8, X, 12, 15 are all good to great. 7 is being remade and split into 3 titles, so might put that one off until the third part comes out. The remake looks really good.
I recently bought the Final Fantasy Pixel remasters. They start with Final Fantasy 1-6 and its availabe in a complete collection set on the switch. If you're wanting to start where it all began then this is a good choice.
I might actually pick that up. I think the only FF game I’ve played was Tactics as a rental way back in the day. I don’t think I’m very into the more modern ones but a pixel remaster of the originals, that might be my path.
Yeah this is totally a thing. We have the curse (and blessing) of so much access. Like you said, as kids we just have to play what comes to us, it makes these things so much easier in a way. But I think it’s okay to use that as a model when in doubt. If you’re getting lots of conflicting advice, play what comes first to your hand. Most of these things really should be designed as standalone.
I spend at least an hour every day thinking about this exact same damn thingthing 😅😂 Yakuza gives me heart palpitations lol. The only thing I’ll add is that I either start at the first game and work my way to the present (doing this with Assassin’s Creed) but only if you like the early ones and it doesn’t feel like homework, or try the new one and you’ll go back to the older ones if you’re truly interested. (I did this with God of War, Ratchet, Final Fantasy, Sonic, and I’ll be doing this for Atelier). BUT I’ll ultimately you’re not doing anything wrong by starting with whatever game you want, and fuck who thinks otherwise. You’ve got this, Silly Goose Gamer Hannah™️
One of my favorite JRPG series of all time is The Legend of Heroes, the games span 12 total games with Daybreak 2 releasing early February of next year, with a spin off game as well LOL So i definitely get why you feel anxious, the only advice is to simply play one of them in the series you find daunting, i was feeling the same for The Legend of Heroes as well but it's become my absolute favorite! Thankfully with Final Fantasy you can honestly start anywhere, the only one is Final Fantasy 13 as that is a trilogy of games! Besides that, every other one is self contained yes :) As always, stellar work Hannah!
I love the Professor Layton series! You should give them a try! I think it's best to just play them in release order, so start with The Curious Village
Metal Gear Solid has always intimidated me ... I've played Snake Eater and a little of Phantom Pain ... But the controls have always been a pain for me ... Really obscure ... Tried the PS1 Metal Gear Solid and lost patience immediately
When I was your age, I had too many choices and that was 30+ years ago, so a series like Final Fantasy was only on 6 or 7 back then. But that was also when I stopped even bothering with RPG's, as the older I got, the less time I had to devote for games, and RPG's take way to many hours to finish. Strategy games while maybe not as bad, are still really long and require a big investment on time, and most of those never appealed to me to begin with. I can speak to the Phoenix Wright games, as I would recommend the first, as those have characters across the series that are on going. You do have the ones that take place in the past, and you could start with those and be more current, but those are like watching a 2024 movie, and then trying to watch a 1980's one. Both can be good, but once you have the bells and whistles of the newer games, it will make it hard to play the original ones. I loved the series for the detective mystery aspect, and trying to piece everything together to solve a crime. But it is heavily on rails, and even though you may have the pieces to the puzzle, you have to present things in a certain way, which can get annoying at times. If that isn't your thing, probably not for you, and I haven't kept up over the years, so I'm about halfway through the series overall. I recently got a Steam Deck, so I've been trying to get the later games I missed on a good sale price. Most games average 5 cases, and each one gets longer, so the first case is normally the tutorial, and the shortest. But by the 5th case, it can consume a lot of time as well, so keep that in mind.
About Final Fantasy, I’d say start with either 7 Remake or 16. Both are more modern and easier to get started, and if you like what you see there, then go back to the older ones. FF 16 is quite different from previous ones because it’s a lot more action focused, so a lot of hardcore fans don’t really like it, but I personally had a blast with it and loved the more mature story and setting. For Ace Attorney, there are many collections available on Steam, so I’d recommend going through them, see if any interest you and start there. And for Silent Hill, just start with SH 2 Remake, it’s a stand alone story and regarded by many as the best one. And yeah, prices are only going to go up from now on lol I also want to get into the Professor Layton series, but the games are just SO expensive where I live that it’ll have to wait 😅
For Final Fantasy, start off with whatever one interests you the most. Like you said, none of the games are connected in any significant way unless they're numbered the same (Like X and X-2, and 7 Remake and 7 Rebirth). The games are very well done and by the end you'd love the characters and the world they reside in. From the ones you've looked into, which ones were you most interest in playing? Edit: For Dirge of Cerberus even though it's a FF7 Spinoff I've heard you can enjoy it without having played 7. For X-2, definitely play X first. I really enjoyed X but never got around to X-2 personally.
There's a few games I own but haven't played yet like Horizon Zero Dawn or the Spiderman games. I just like to start one game and I can't start another until I beat the one I've started. I also don't like turn base games anymore like I've tried replaying Kingdom Hearts and the grind to level up just to beat them. I don't like those games.
