This wasn't the first of the Final Fantasy games I played, but if you're a FF fan, give the old school a try. I played the original NES version, which compared to subsequent titles, is pretty basic and yes, meh. Nonetheless, it sets a foundation for later games, and featured several items and devices that would become very familiar to longtime FF fans - the metal Adamant/Adamantite, four elements (often in crystals) and several job classes you could choose from to optimize the overall strength of your party (My personal recommendation is Thief, Knight, Black Mage, and White Mage, but that's just a personal preference!)
Gameplay itself is pretty basic, with the HP and GP system you see in most FF games. The MP system was different though, and you could only perform so many magic spells at each level. The number of spells you could cast does increase with each overall level you gain.
The storyline is somewhat simplistic, but easy enough to figure out, and overall it's a decent game for the first in its series, much like Super Mario Bros 1, or Legend of Zelda 1.
That said, I really recommend the GBA version of this game, which smoothed gameplay, brought about better graphics, and improved the MP system and made leveling up easier. After defeating each of the Elemental Fiends, you gained access to a bonus dungeon where you could get rare items and weapons, and even fight bosses from other FF games in the series.
Speaking of items, in the original FF, the item and weapon system was clunky and you could only carry so much at a time. In FF Advance, you can now carry all the weapons and items you like, making optimizing weapons for each player much easier, and you also get a Bestiary, which allows you to see what monsters you have defeated (and how many of each, as well as weak/strong points, possible treasure drops, and the like)
The four characters you play have no history or personality in either version, but the Advanced version is recommended if you ever do try FFI.
Grade
FFI (original Famicom/Nintendo) C
FFI (Game Boy Advance) A-
