This is something I've been doing research on for a while, and spurred on by Humble Bundle's ongoing Final Fantasy sale, I ask you all: Which version(s) of the Final Fantasy games are quote unquote "best"?

I've wanted to get into Final Fantasy for a while now, but I've never been sure which version of each game is the one I should play (I'm also unsure which game to start which, but that's a topic for another time). Obviously, being such a massive franchise, each game has been ported to a number of systems, and some of the older games have seen updated rereleases. As such, I'm wondering what each of you think is the best version or versions of each game to play.

Just to clarify, I'm only looking at the main installments (with the exception of XI and XIV) and any Final Fantasy games directly related to said installments (so Dissidia: Final Fantasy isn't being considered by me for being a mashup of several games, but Crisis Core and X-2 are due to continuing the story from their respective games).

I don't have any first hand knowledge, but my friend says Final Fantasy XV is quite poorly optimized on PC.

EDIT: I may have misinterpreted what you meant.

In my opinion, taking a look at the early ones since that's what I am most familiar with:

1: The PSX version. This has many upgrades over the original version (including some bug fixes; some spells, like TMPR, did not work in the original), but doesn't have the drastic changes and lack of difficulty that later versions have.

2: GBA or later. I actually consider the PSX version to be the worst, because spells actually level up more slowly than in other versions, and I felt they already leveled up too slowly in the original.

3: The Famicom version is unique among the versions of this game. The DS version drastically changed things, and all later versions are based on this one. In fact, they're so different that I would treat them as different games.

4: There's another division here, similar to 3, but the situation is more complicated here. The game released for the SNES called "Final Fantasy II" is actually a simplified version, but is still not the same as Final Fantasy 4 EasyType. The PSP version is probably better than the GBA version (if you want the GBA version, get the European one; the US one contains many bugs, including one that can destroy save data; Japan actually got both versions). As with 3, the DS version, and most later versions, are very different, and because of the augment system I actually would not recommend such a version as your first version of this game. (Note that the PSP version is *not* like the DS version here).

5: I would go with GBA. It has some minor improvements over the original, a wonderful translation, and fixes probably the most serious bugs, but yet still maintains many of the quirks of the original. (In particular, unlike later versions of the game, time still stops briefly when it's time to enter a command.)

I am going to stop here, since I consider Final Fantasy 6 to be the first "modern" Final Fantasy; I think it has more in common with 7 (which I don't recommend) than it does with 5.

One more thing: If you are new to the series, don't start with 2 or 8; those two games have some major balance problems, and are either too easy if you know what you're doing, or frustratingly difficult if you don't. (Case in point: In FF2, heavy armor is worse than useless, and in FF8, leveling up may make the game harder because enemies scale to your level.)

In my opinion, you should probably stop after one of the following: FF9, 12, or 6, depending on how you feel.

As for which is best, I've only played FF1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, and 12, As it goes, I rank it 9>5>3>etc, where after they just kinda blur into a lump of melodrama.

From the sale, I'd suggest 9, 3, and 12. As the earlier games are otherwise complete graphical bastardizations and IV hates you if you don't have a guide.

FF7 is massively overrated and hasn't aged well, FF13 is hot garbage, and your mileage will wildly vary on 8 and 10.

If you can stand the early psone graphics go with Final Fantasy 7. It's the most influential Final Fantasy game and a more refined version of Final Fantasy 6. You can tell it's the definitive game because JRPG hipsters hate it so much.

Be aware though that you probably won't like it. Classic final fantasy games are an obsolete genre much like adventure games. You used to play them for the story and the feeling of accomplishment from the grind. Now a days other genres have stories too and no one has anything nice to say about grinding as a game mechanic.

I really loved Final Fantasy VI on Super Nintendo as a kid. I tried replaying it though and just couldn't do it. I'm not really a fan of the JRPG genre at all, and the combat/writing for an adult was, in my opinion, very poor. If you can deal with that though the music and atmosphere is really, really great. That's what I loved as a kid, when I was less picky about the other elements.

Same goes for VII and VIII, which I also played back in the day. By that point I was done with the genre, but man the music and atmosphere... so good.

I'm currently playing FF9 on PC and loving it. Oh Beatrix you bitch, just let me steal your stuff before you end the battle! ARGH!

But at least you never have to buy potions.

How does 9 compare on the PC to the original release? Are we talking slight graphics enhancements or something more substantial?

You never have to in many other FF games as well. The majority are good at ensuring that you always have some healing magic; even in something like FF4, you are never without a healer after the first one joins, except for a few steps on the world map (where you probably won't get attacked). It's only FF1 where buying potions has actually been necessary, and even then, GBA and later (and even PSX easy mode) gives you so much magic that you don't need them if you havea white mage.

(There are other complaints I have about FF6/9, like the fact that time doesn't stop during battle animations (leading to the action queue filling up so that it's a while between entering a command and having it execute), and the fact that level up stat growth depends on what you have equipped at the time of level up, leading to the issue of missable stats.) Personally, I found FF7 to be a game that took FF6 (a game with some nice aspects (nonlinear late game) but also some negative aspects (too much cutscene), threw out most of the positive aspects, made the negatibe aspects worse, and introduced a few more negative aspects (small party size, load times, final boss having an attack with a 2 minute animation).

FFVI the GBA version is definitive. It got rid of the long standing evade bug. And unlike others here, I think 6 was the best in the series. It had many of the good features of previous Final Fantasy games and a great story (Unlike VII). I mean RPGs are supposed to have story and 1, 2 ,3, and 5 were VERY weak on that for me. IV and VI both had good story to them, but I liked VI better. IX is also a great game (have it on PSX, PC and Android). It is good, but I'm not fond of some of the aspects about the game. I prefer Android because I'm always out.

great thread

having just gotten my mini nes and snes I now have my first crack at these games with #1 and #3.

TBH I'm not really thrilled with #1 so far but I'm just starting. I've never been a huge fan of TBS (okay I despise it) but that gets even worse with a game as old as #1 and combat comes down to a box with the enemies on both sides and quick flashes evidently meant to show combat. A little too rough for me, and that's coming from an old man.

The game you are referring to as #3 is really Final Fantasy 6; since 2, 3, and 5 did not originally see release outside of Japan, the games were re-numbered when released in the US. Of course, Final Fantasy 7 came along and wasn't re-numbered, and then we started to see US releases of the missing FF games, under their JP numbering.

Incidentally, the Famicom Mini has the real Final Fantasy 3, but note that it is, of course, in Japanese.

I never considered story to be necessary in RPGs.

There's one thing I don't like about FF6 GBA; Gogo can't equip the Merit Award. (If I do decide to replay FF6, I might try to hack the GBA version to revert this change.)

Also, FF6 lacks the job system, and lacks the Sing and Mix abilities; that automatically makes it worse than FF5. (FF6 does have Blue Magic, but it is not nearly as fun as FF5's version; many interesting spells were made useless. For example, in FF6 the spell that halves the target's level does not work on enemies immune to instant death.)

(FF6 also has the issues I mentioned earlier with time not stopping during battle animations, and with level up stats depending on what esper you have equipped at the time, leading to missable stats.)

Does anyone know what the deal with the early FF games on Steam is? I've heard many are remakes and don't use the original graphics.