To an RPG noob, I'd suggest staying away from the early Final Fantasies (up to 7) because they're pretty hardcore as far as RPGs go. I love RPGs and couldn't get through FF4 because of the difficulty and tediousness involved. In fact, anything released before say, 1998, is going to be like that with a few exceptions like Chrono Trigger.

I'd suggest Golden Sun (GBA), FF9, Earthbound, Super Mario RPG (or better yet, Partners in Time/Bowser's Inside Story for the DS; so much fucking fun).

For something a little more modern, try Shin Megami Persona: Devil Survivor for DS (assuming you're in the US and can find it). It's a very unique and fun take on the RPG genre that has done away with the traditional pitfalls of RPGs such as random encounters, frustrating bosses, and need for grinding. You know it's good because I'm playing through it for the second time when I'm not known for completeing RPGs even once.

Wow, you guys really need to work on your reading comprehension.

Josh: I said before 1998 with some exceptions like Super Mario RPG and Chrono Trigger. And no, the FFs before 7 weren't "too hard" persay (although I did find 4 to be annoyingly difficult for one who doesn't enjoy tedious grinding), they're just hardcore in a primitive sense and would be boring to one used to modern games. That's what I meant. An RPG noob will likely find FF1-6 to be quite bland and tedious.

Ash: Where did I mention Strange Journey? I suggested Devil Survivor which isn't a dungeon crawler and is in fact, a very fresh and approachable RPG. Believe me, if I've completed it twice, it's good for noobs.

lordsathien wrote:

If someone, other than pandajuice apparently, found FF6 bland and tedious I'd like to meet them so I could yell "what's wrong with you?!" to their face. Especially with it present on the just about any top 10 for SNES RPGs throughout the internet and game magazines.

I've tried playing it 5 different times now because I so WANT to love it, but the farthest I've gotten is just past the ghost train (about 2 hours in) and just have no desire to continue. It's not that I dislike it, it's just that I have to make an effort to turn it on and slog through it which isn't something people do when they're stimulated and enjoying a game.

That's what I was saying above when I recommended he avoid RPGs from before a certain year (which admittedly was arbitrarily chosen). Many of them just don't hold up, especially to one used to modern gaming as it has changed a lot since 1992. So if you didn't catch FF6 when you were 12 and have nostalgia for it, it's likely you won't be as smitten as everyone else is. That's my situation.