DQ : VIII. :o

And yes, DQ are super fun games (thanks to the bestiary).

starting out with Final Fantasy I seems like a terrible idea lol.

If you're looking for good games on the PSP, then check out the Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky. The story is great and the combat system is deep but easy to get into.

also it has a lot of conveniences that make it more accessible to people who aren't used to playing JRPG's. For example you can save anywhere and there's very little grinding required.

edit: also no random battles. That's always a plus.

Oops, you are correct, DQ VIII (as in 8), not 13! I knew it was 8, I just typed X, cause... eh, whatever:)

Chrono Trigger is a safe choice. The game has quite a fan base and very few jrpg gamers dislike it. It's available as a PSOne classic on PSN so it should work well on your PSP.

Opinions on Final Fantasy are all over the place. There's no continuity between games so there's a fair bit of rivalry between fan favorites.

He should get the DS version which is so far "The complete version" with extra quests.

Hey, I never said anything about not buying it. That was just a suggestion for a way to play it since you specifically mentioned the PSP and it's a rather excellent emulation machine.

By all means buy it on the WiiVC but I wouldn't recommend playing any VC games on a PAL Wii because you're forced to play the slowed down 50Hz versions. If you must play it on the Wii, I'd say buy it on the VC, hack your Wii and play the US version of SoM on SNES9xGX (a proper SNES emulator for the Wii).

The European Virtual Console is horrible and broken with the exception of a few games.

If you have a PS2, then Persona 3 FES, Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy VIII (shut up, Quistis is teh hawt), or Disgaea series.

If you have an Xbox 360, then Tales of Vesperia.

If you have a PS3, then Disgaea 3.

Save yourself the pain.

Now you're just making me want to get a DS. ;p

Ergh she is just another blonde haired, blue eyed nazi. Lulu is teh hawt and seductive. (Oh who am I kidding they are all beautiful)

Librarian look trumps wannabe goth girl.

inb4 Tifa trumps them all.

If you have a PS3, it actually looks like Ni No Kuni would be a good pick. Damn but I wish I had a PS3 just for that game.

Other than that, if you have access to SNES games, I'd throw FFIV, FFVI, Chrono Trigger or Breath of Fire 1 or 2 out there. You can play Chrono Trigger (and a visually updated FFIV) on DS as well. If you have a Wii, The Last Story is atypical as JRPGs go but it is awesome. Xenoblade too, but my god is it long.

Eh, Tifa's a bit too...butch...for my tastes.

Disgaea as an introduction to JRPGs? Sure it's an SRPG, but I wouldn't count it in the same category. Besides, it's tough as nails and grindy as a grainmill. I wouldn't make it an intro to anything, really.