III isn't remastered, it's remade - it was first released on the NES in 1990, so you can imagine how it looked originally, but it was Japan only and didn't get an English version until it was completely remade in 3D for the DS in 2006 (and that's the version now on Steam). Whereas VII is the original PC version, just as it was in 1997, so the Steam version of VII is actually about twice as old as III. Considering that, I'd say VII has aged far better than III - it's certainly more playable at 20 years old than the original version of III was.



Well none of them are connected in any serious way so feel free to just start with whichever one appeals to you the most, but recommendations would be VII (you'll have heard all about that one - it's probably most people's first Final Fantasy game (for westerners at least) and it's still good after 20 years), X/X-2 if you want something a bit newer looking and fully voice acted, etc., or III, IV or IX if you prefer the cuter style graphics.

As a first timer, I would probably recommend IX. VII hasn't aged very well (as good as the game is), VIII can be a little awkward with the Junction and Draw system (Magic isn't really used in the traditional sense as in most RPG's), and XIII just isn't very good.

X is also a pretty good place to start, as it plays quite well even today, and still looks pretty nice. IX just has an awesome fantasy setting, a good story and characters and is a culmination of what the PS1 FF games did.

7 or 9

I would defintiely recommend X to start with.
I would definitely recommend X; my girlfriend who is not even a gamer played it from start to finish, about 50 hours of gameplay, and enjoyed it. So if you like video games you will probably enjy it even more.