FF Sale on PSN

5 is the least accessible to a non-FF fan imo. it's a great game (i looove it), but it's mostly focused on a detailed version of the FF style gameplay, rather than drawing you in with its plot or characters.

6 is awesome. effective use of the SNES graphics to create a great atmosphere, the character are super diverse (in appearance and playing style in fights) and incredibly fun to use. getting characters like Mog, Gogo, Gau, Relm, and Sabin meant actually learning new things to do and playing in new ways, unlike 7 onwards (except tactics), where getting a new character meant, "this guy attacks with a different weapon and has a different list of skills to pick from (7 and 8 don't even have unique skills for the characters though, except their limit breaks), whereas fighting with Sabin means entering a fighting game-esq combo for his different moves, or playing as Gau meant learning different rages from monsters on one particular continent by leaping on them, and later using their "Rage" in a battle where he adopts all the traits of the monster (float, elemental attributes, status effects, skillsets, etc) and fights on his own.

oddly enough, FF6 is ranked 6th as far as my favorite FF games, but i actually have more respect and appreciation for this game than most FF games.

another being FF9. this actually is my favorite numbered FF (top pick though is FFTactics). it's got the best of the old games with the best of the new. it's got a brilliantly themed and artistically beautiful setting, one of the most mysterious worlds in an FF overall with a lot of feeling of discovery and adventure that was missing from its predecessors (FF7 at least has the element of being a fugitive on the run across the world but the world is already largely explored, but FF8 has paychecks and a base of operations and missions and overall it's very domestic, you don't leave the watchful eye of established society often), and the plot is incredibly mature, dark, and tragic contrary to the cartoon characters. lot's of existential introspection and rumination on life, death, identity, etc. especially among Vivi and the inhabitants of a certain secretive village. pure art in my opinion. only problem is that it's the opposite of FF5. while 5 makes the most smoothly playing, endlessly enjoyable gameplay of the series (except Tactics) but puts the plot and characters in the backseat, FF9 developes its plot and cast more than any other FF (except Tactics arguably) but has rather slow and poorly designed battles. Trance is far worse than limit breaks and the speed is snail level. however it makes up for one of the big flaws of FF7 and 8 (whose characters had slightly varying stats that aren't different enough, and no unique skills) by having drastically diverse skillsets and attributes.

also the only issue with the PS port of FF6 is that the load times are slow (like any other PS game). a plus is that it adds in the run command, and double-speed run for equipping the accessory that allows you to regular run in the original. the sound is a little more lush and warm on the SNES version but it's still fine. the PS version just sounds a bit more compressed and trebly.