Which game would be best to start and play through for a beginner?

Paratech · September 22nd, 2010, 02:18

I have Chrono Trigger, Children of Mana, Dragon Quest IV and IX, Final Fantasy III, Zelda Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Train, Lost Magic, and the world ends with you. In the long run I want to finish them all, but I need a suggestion on where to start and to go from, and other than the 2 Code Lyoko's I have, are there any RPGs I'm missing that I'd like for the DS? I am thinking of buying Nostalgia for instance as well.

Any suggestions?

At about 7 - 14 hours a week, how long will the games take a beginner?

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zidine00 · September 22nd, 2010, 02:29

are you going to be using walkthroughs.

either way... its going to be a long long time, even longer without walkthroughs.

either way, im saying either start with Chrono Trigger or ff3 (that is if the 3 im thinking of is actually ff6(you should understand what im meaning here, if not the one with Terra in it.)

with zelda inbetween.

and see where you go from there.

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Xblade · September 22nd, 2010, 02:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paratech

I have Chrono Trigger, Children of Mana, Dragon Quest IV and IX, Final Fantasy III, Zelda Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Train, Lost Magic, and the world ends with you. In the long run I want to finish them all, but I need a suggestion on where to start and to go from, and other than the 2 Code Lyoko's I have, are there any RPGs I'm missing that I'd like for the DS? I am thinking of buying Nostalgia for instance as well.

Any suggestions?

At about 7 - 14 hours a week, how long will the games take a beginner?

The most difficult(or rather fustrating) game their is most likely Zelda(both). The rest are really too different to compare.

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Paratech · September 22nd, 2010, 02:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by zidine00

are you going to be using walkthroughs.

either way... its going to be a long long time, even longer without walkthroughs.

either way, im saying either start with Chrono Trigger or ff3 (that is if the 3 im thinking of is actually ff6(you should understand what im meaning here, if not the one with Terra in it.)

with zelda inbetween.

and see where you go from there.

Yeah Final Fantasy VI, and no I'm not planning on Walk throughs unless I get stuck and can't figure out what I'm supposed to do.

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Irukapooka · September 22nd, 2010, 03:16

Out of this list I have only played Zelda Phantom Hourglass. It was a bit more difficult than your standard DS game. However, even though it was slightly more difficult, it was a lot more enjoyable than the average DS game. And it really does explore a lot of the DS's capabilities. <3 Totally amazing.

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Smilley · September 22nd, 2010, 03:19

You can finish your first Chrono Trigger run with all available sidequests at a leisure 20-25 hours. New Game + calls with an extra 7 endings, 2 dungeons and a long item-list to complete. Depending on how anal you are about it (getting the monster arena-only items is more tedious than its worth and grinding up Ayla to lvl 80 to get her last Fist "equip" will drain your nerves), that's another 10-15 hours.
TWEWY is a bit longer, taken casually, scoring at about 25-30 hours, not nearly having seen all it's capable of, though. Quite a few game mechanics will help you fill up your completion-lists, but you'll still need a guide or 3 and some time, especially since you'll need to level up the pin with the highest lvl-cap twice for 100% completion (1 to trade for an equip, 1 for the pin wall).
FF III DS will eat your hearts out, if you're a casual gamer/beginner. It has a very steep difficulty at the start and the job system has its own trappings.
Phantom Hourglass is a quick to finish, hard to master type of game, especially because of a sadistic minigame or two to reward you with item upgrades you'd like to have but can well do without (eg. bigger bomb bag). It's the one Zelda game where I haven't even tried to go for 100%. That, and an all-stylus control sheme is just not for everyone.
Spirit Tracks has a similar vein. It just takes too long for some sidequests to even become available for those who are less dedicated to even bother. And while the panflute is an interesting gameplay element, some mandatory songs are a tad too unforgiving (Embrose, I'm looking at you).

Can't really say much about the rest; I shelved Children of Mana after 2 or 3 dungeons and Lost Magic is still on my to-do list.

As for games to get, I'd definitely recommend the two Mario & Luigi games for DS, and the first for GBA if you don't have it already.
If you like Pokemon-like games, Fossil Fighters is a nice little timewaster.
Megaman Star Force is a love-it-or-hate-it series, give it a whirl if you have nothing better to do.
Summon Night DS sadly doesn't continue with the GBA games ingenious Tales of Phantasia-style battle system, but it's a decent action RPG of its own right, with the biggest amount of post ending dungeons since Pokemon Mystery Dungeon.
Speaking of which, PMD and Izuna are two passable roguelikes. Love'em or hate'em.
Might and Magic - Clash of Heroes is a good RPG/puzzle hybrid, if not for some questionable gameplay choices (you can only use unlocked units in multiplayer, and you need to replay the whole game to that chapter if you didn't do so on your first run), and some extremely stacked-against boss battles.

EDIT: FF VI is definitely among my favourites, but there's a bunch of things you can miss if you don't use a guide.

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Last edited by Smilley; September 22nd, 2010 at 03:48..

Dynamo · September 22nd, 2010, 03:30

Those are both great DQ games, in terms of length and story you'd probably want to play IV first. It's structured more like a typical rpg with less side quests/extra content with a more focused story. I'd say you can clear that one in 3 weeks with that like pretty easily. DQIX will take much more like if you plan on doing everything, I'm still doing things on it occasionally and my files just over 170 hours.

Quote:

FF III DS

This exists?

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Last edited by Dynamo; September 22nd, 2010 at 03:56..

Smilley · September 22nd, 2010, 03:45

Sure does. It's a 3D remake of the NES original.

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Paratech · September 22nd, 2010, 03:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smilley

Sure does. It's a 3D remake of the NES original.

Isn't Final Fantasy VI a super NES game?

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Dynamo · September 22nd, 2010, 03:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smilley

Sure does. It's a 3D remake of the NES original.

Damn Square and their nonsense numbering... Anyways, I remember that game for the NES, just barely.

Didn't play it til the somewhat translated version on pc though.

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Smilley · September 22nd, 2010, 04:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paratech

Isn't Final Fantasy VI a super NES game?

That's FF III, the japanese one, that was not released outside Japan back in the day. FF VI was rereleased for GBA, not DS.

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Paratech · September 22nd, 2010, 04:18

Ok, I'm sorry, my bad. I guess that's how little I looked at the game. Why I thought it was Final Fantasy VI is beyond me.

BTW, should I get Final Fantasy I and II for the PSP?

I have Final Fantasy I, II, IV, V, VI for the Game Boy Advance.

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Smilley · September 22nd, 2010, 05:44

To quote Gamespot:

Quote:

If you haven't played it yet and can set aside modern expectations, you'll probably get a kick out of the earliest Final Fantasy game.
On the other hand, if you have played it on another platform, there aren't enough extras here to make it worth another purchase, especially for a $30 price tag.

Source

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**jonc2006** · September 22nd, 2010, 06:13

i wouldnt bother with the first 3, ive played through them but it was more of a chore to do so and they pale in comparison to 4 and beyond.

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Linktothepast · September 22nd, 2010, 10:12

That's a nice list. Personally i would start with the one with the smaller completion time and end with the one with the highest completion time, for the only reason that when i have a lot of choices i might get bored with a long - lasting game and try to begin a different one without finishing it first. Haven't played through them all though to suggest an order....

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Fennyariel · September 22nd, 2010, 13:03

Zelda on the SNES is NOT hard! ;v) That was my first game and I had no problem with it! ;v)

Khameleon · September 22nd, 2010, 13:28

Im playing through both Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy 6 for the first time. I highly recommend both as the reviews about them are not overrated. They are both memorable and enthralling games.

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Fennyariel · September 23rd, 2010, 00:16

I just thought of the perfect beginner game! ;v) Final Fantasy Mystic Quest! ;v) I still play through it just because I still love it! ;v)

zidine00 · September 23rd, 2010, 00:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fennyariel

I just thought of the perfect beginner game! ;v) Final Fantasy Mystic Quest! ;v) I still play through it just because I still love it! ;v)

only good part of that game was the music, it will more than likely put you off rpgs for a long long time.

sorry if i offend you but seriously, its just plain horrible.

except one of the final dungeons which was awesome.

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Paratech · September 23rd, 2010, 00:48

Agreed, I loathe Mystic Quest.

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don't like it? Just deal with it!

September 22nd, 2010, 02:18	#1
Paratech Registered User Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: USA Posts: 8,010	Which game would be best to start and play through for a beginner? I have Chrono Trigger, Children of Mana, Dragon Quest IV and IX, Final Fantasy III, Zelda Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Train, Lost Magic, and the world ends with you. In the long run I want to finish them all, but I need a suggestion on where to start and to go from, and other than the 2 Code Lyoko's I have, are there any RPGs I'm missing that I'd like for the DS? I am thinking of buying Nostalgia for instance as well. Any suggestions? At about 7 - 14 hours a week, how long will the games take a beginner? __________________ Spoiler: -Dreams of getting a new 360 XBOX in 201x. -Current consoles:Wii, Slim PS2, also has 3DS / GBA SP and a PSP 3000 -PC: AMD Quad Core A8-3800 Accelerated Processor, 16GB DDR3 Ram, Radeon HD45xx 1 GB video card, 1 TB hard drive, 500 GB hard drive, Supermulti DVD Burner, Wireless Lan 802.11 b/g/n, Beats audio Studio Quality sound, Win 7 Home Premium Yes, I like getting (primarily digital) games on sale @ bargain prices! don't like it? Just deal with it!

September 22nd, 2010, 03:19	#6
Smilley Hopeless Optimist Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Austria Posts: 3,005	You can finish your first Chrono Trigger run with all available sidequests at a leisure 20-25 hours. New Game + calls with an extra 7 endings, 2 dungeons and a long item-list to complete. Depending on how anal you are about it (getting the monster arena-only items is more tedious than its worth and grinding up Ayla to lvl 80 to get her last Fist "equip" will drain your nerves), that's another 10-15 hours. TWEWY is a bit longer, taken casually, scoring at about 25-30 hours, not nearly having seen all it's capable of, though. Quite a few game mechanics will help you fill up your completion-lists, but you'll still need a guide or 3 and some time, especially since you'll need to level up the pin with the highest lvl-cap twice for 100% completion (1 to trade for an equip, 1 for the pin wall). FF III DS will eat your hearts out, if you're a casual gamer/beginner. It has a very steep difficulty at the start and the job system has its own trappings. Phantom Hourglass is a quick to finish, hard to master type of game, especially because of a sadistic minigame or two to reward you with item upgrades you'd like to have but can well do without (eg. bigger bomb bag). It's the one Zelda game where I haven't even tried to go for 100%. That, and an all-stylus control sheme is just not for everyone. Spirit Tracks has a similar vein. It just takes too long for some sidequests to even become available for those who are less dedicated to even bother. And while the panflute is an interesting gameplay element, some mandatory songs are a tad too unforgiving (Embrose, I'm looking at you). Can't really say much about the rest; I shelved Children of Mana after 2 or 3 dungeons and Lost Magic is still on my to-do list. As for games to get, I'd definitely recommend the two Mario & Luigi games for DS, and the first for GBA if you don't have it already. If you like Pokemon-like games, Fossil Fighters is a nice little timewaster. Megaman Star Force is a love-it-or-hate-it series, give it a whirl if you have nothing better to do. Summon Night DS sadly doesn't continue with the GBA games ingenious Tales of Phantasia-style battle system, but it's a decent action RPG of its own right, with the biggest amount of post ending dungeons since Pokemon Mystery Dungeon. Speaking of which, PMD and Izuna are two passable roguelikes. Love'em or hate'em. Might and Magic - Clash of Heroes is a good RPG/puzzle hybrid, if not for some questionable gameplay choices (you can only use unlocked units in multiplayer, and you need to replay the whole game to that chapter if you didn't do so on your first run), and some extremely stacked-against boss battles. EDIT: FF VI is definitely among my favourites, but there's a bunch of things you can miss if you don't use a guide. __________________ No$GBA Quick FAQ: Spoiler: Q1: Savegame doesn't load. A: Set correct save type. Look here, divide by 8! Q2: "Cannot Read Data" error A: See above! Q3: Snapshots? A: Only work for GBA games. Q4: NDS linking, NDS with GBA slot, Picto-Chat, trading, ... A: Not yet available. Q5: When do we get a new version? A: We don't know. Martin won't tell. Q6: Donation down? A: Yes, and we can't do anything about it either. Q7: Game stops without appearent cause. A: Turn the Sound option on. Q8: No$Zoomer problems. A: See here! Q9: What do I need for Pokémon HG/SS? A: This. Last edited by Smilley; September 22nd, 2010 at 03:48..

September 22nd, 2010, 03:45	#8
Smilley Hopeless Optimist Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Austria Posts: 3,005	Sure does. It's a 3D remake of the NES original. __________________ No$GBA Quick FAQ: Spoiler: Q1: Savegame doesn't load. A: Set correct save type. Look here, divide by 8! Q2: "Cannot Read Data" error A: See above! Q3: Snapshots? A: Only work for GBA games. Q4: NDS linking, NDS with GBA slot, Picto-Chat, trading, ... A: Not yet available. Q5: When do we get a new version? A: We don't know. Martin won't tell. Q6: Donation down? A: Yes, and we can't do anything about it either. Q7: Game stops without appearent cause. A: Turn the Sound option on. Q8: No$Zoomer problems. A: See here! Q9: What do I need for Pokémon HG/SS? A: This.

September 22nd, 2010, 04:18	#12
Paratech Registered User Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: USA Posts: 8,010	Ok, I'm sorry, my bad. I guess that's how little I looked at the game. Why I thought it was Final Fantasy VI is beyond me. BTW, should I get Final Fantasy I and II for the PSP? I have Final Fantasy I, II, IV, V, VI for the Game Boy Advance. __________________ Spoiler: -Dreams of getting a new 360 XBOX in 201x. -Current consoles:Wii, Slim PS2, also has 3DS / GBA SP and a PSP 3000 -PC: AMD Quad Core A8-3800 Accelerated Processor, 16GB DDR3 Ram, Radeon HD45xx 1 GB video card, 1 TB hard drive, 500 GB hard drive, Supermulti DVD Burner, Wireless Lan 802.11 b/g/n, Beats audio Studio Quality sound, Win 7 Home Premium Yes, I like getting (primarily digital) games on sale @ bargain prices! don't like it? Just deal with it!

September 23rd, 2010, 00:48	#20
Paratech Registered User Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: USA Posts: 8,010	Agreed, I loathe Mystic Quest. __________________ Spoiler: -Dreams of getting a new 360 XBOX in 201x. -Current consoles:Wii, Slim PS2, also has 3DS / GBA SP and a PSP 3000 -PC: AMD Quad Core A8-3800 Accelerated Processor, 16GB DDR3 Ram, Radeon HD45xx 1 GB video card, 1 TB hard drive, 500 GB hard drive, Supermulti DVD Burner, Wireless Lan 802.11 b/g/n, Beats audio Studio Quality sound, Win 7 Home Premium Yes, I like getting (primarily digital) games on sale @ bargain prices! don't like it? Just deal with it!

September 22nd, 2010, 02:29	#2
zidine00 Registered User Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 2,165	are you going to be using walkthroughs. either way... its going to be a long long time, even longer without walkthroughs. either way, im saying either start with Chrono Trigger or ff3 (that is if the 3 im thinking of is actually ff6(you should understand what im meaning here, if not the one with Terra in it.) with zelda inbetween. and see where you go from there. __________________ There's many things to fear: Vampires, Gods, Godlike Vampires, Magical Servants, People with eyes that can literally kill anything, and, oh yes, worst of all.... the goddarn maid.

September 22nd, 2010, 03:16	#5
Irukapooka Tushy :3 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Guess. Posts: 5,128	Out of this list I have only played Zelda Phantom Hourglass. It was a bit more difficult than your standard DS game. However, even though it was slightly more difficult, it was a lot more enjoyable than the average DS game. And it really does explore a lot of the DS's capabilities. <3 Totally amazing. __________________ PS3: 3Dot Heroes, AC 1-3, AC2:B, AC:R, Batman: AA&AC, Bioshock 1&2, Condemned 2, Darksiders, Dead Nation, Dead Space 1&2, Demon's Souls, Eternal Sonata, FEAR 1-3, FFXIII, Heavy Rain, ICO/SotC, Infamous 1-2, LA Noire, LBP 1-2, ME 2, Ni No Kuni, RDR, Tales of Graces f, Uncharted 1-3 Wii: Dead Space: Extraction, Legend of Zelda: SS, Okami, Prince of Persia: RS, Super Mario Galaxy, SSBB, ToS 2 Wishlist:Beyond Two Souls (PS3), Bioshock Infinite (PS3), Catherine (PS3), Darksiders 2 (PS3), Dead Space 3 (PS3), FFXIII-2 (PS3), ME Trilogy (PS3), SH8 (PS3), The Last Guardian (PS3), The Last of Us (PS3)

September 22nd, 2010, 06:13	#14
jonc2006 Mod of Douchebagness™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: USA MD Posts: 9,793	i wouldnt bother with the first 3, ive played through them but it was more of a chore to do so and they pale in comparison to 4 and beyond. __________________ Antec 900/Antec Truepower Quattro 1000W/eVGA 780i SLI/Windows XP Media SP2 & Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit SP1/Intel Core 2 Duo E8400@4.0GHz/Dual eVGA e-Geforce GTX280 1GB DDR3 SLI Enabled/Creative SB X-Fi XtremeGamer/Corsiar XMS2 4GB (2x2GB) PC2-6400 DDR2/Dual WD Caviar SE16 500GB 7200RPM HDDs The Official jonc2006™ Emotion Chart. Courtesy of PCXL-Fan after he tried to steal my identity on Steam because I am so awesome. Official jonc2006™ Fan Club Official jonc2006™ Trophy Collection

September 22nd, 2010, 10:12	#15
Linktothepast Deus ex machina Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Greece Posts: 949	That's a nice list. Personally i would start with the one with the smaller completion time and end with the one with the highest completion time, for the only reason that when i have a lot of choices i might get bored with a long - lasting game and try to begin a different one without finishing it first. Haven't played through them all though to suggest an order.... __________________ System Specifications: Core i -7 860 @ 3.2 Ghz, 4GB DDR -3 1600MHZ RAM, GTX 560 Ti 1GB, 64 GB SSD + 1,5 + 1 TB HD Drives, Windows 7 64 bit Pro

September 22nd, 2010, 13:03	#16
Fennyariel Registered User Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Michigan, USA Posts: 228	Zelda on the SNES is NOT hard! ;v) That was my first game and I had no problem with it! ;v)

September 22nd, 2010, 13:28	#17
Khameleon My thoughts remain hidden Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Posts: 501	Im playing through both Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy 6 for the first time. I highly recommend both as the reviews about them are not overrated. They are both memorable and enthralling games. __________________ Khameleon WINS..... FLAWLESS VICTORY FATALITY

September 23rd, 2010, 00:16	#18
Fennyariel Registered User Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Michigan, USA Posts: 228	I just thought of the perfect beginner game! ;v) Final Fantasy Mystic Quest! ;v) I still play through it just because I still love it! ;v)

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