LONG POST FOLLOWS!
Ys I: Play it once so you know what's up, but one of the weaker games. Has some little quirks like the dreaded Darm's Tower and a bad guy named Dark Fact/Fukt/???
Best Version: PC (Ys I & II Complete). PSP version is good, but runs @ 30 FPS. Avoid DS version if possible - it works, but it isn't pretty.
English: Yes, fan patch for PC. PSP version has retail English release too.
Ys II: One of my favorites. Picks up where Ys I left off, but is faster, crazier, shmuppier. and just better. Fun story that never gets in the way. Gorgeous 2D graphics on the PC. A must play.
Best Version: PC (Ys I & II Complete). PSP version is good, but runs @ 30 FPS. Avoid DS version if possible - it works, but it isn't pretty.
English: Yes, fan patch for PC. PSP version has retail English release too.
Ys III: Weak story about a bad man named Chester and Damsel in Distress #103.
Quite cheesy. Oddly, a sidescroller, like Zelda II.Best Version: X86000 and MegaDrive are the strongest, SNES is serviceable, PCE is poo but has awesome music, PS2 is beautiful but has some funky gameplay.
English: Yes, for various systems, but you really don't need to know what's going on.
Ys: The Oath in Felghana: Ys III re-imagined in the style of Ys VI. Much deeper than vanilla Ys III.
Best Version: PC. PSP version is good too, and has voice acting, but obviously is not as pretty as the PC version.
English: Yes, fan patch for PC. PSP version has retail English release.
Ys IV: Mask of the Sun: Canon version of Ys IV, but IMO not as cool as Dawn of Ys (more on that in a moment.)
Best Version: SNES. PS2 remake (Taito) could have been nice, but it's very rough.
English: Yes, fan patch for SNES.
Ys IV: Dawn of Ys: Hudson's own take on Ys IV. Though not canon storyline-wise, it's a dynamic, awesome game for its time, with killer music and cutscenes. A must play.
Best Version: Only on PC-Engine, and very well done. Takes advantage of the CD-ROM's storage.
English: Yes, fan patch for PCE.
Ys V: Kefin, The Lost City of Sand: One of the very few console games Falcom developed in-house. Very misunderstood game among fans and the black sheep in the series. Story and scope are epic compared to the usual Ys stuff. Plot is miles ahead of others in the series and the locations are fantastic. Crazy magic system where you brew your own spells. New gameplay system where you can jump, swing/stab, block, etc. in the vein of a traditional action RPG. Massive cast of characters. Only Ys game with a more orchestral score, very FF6-sounding - lovely. Re-released with a higher difficulty later as Ys V Expert (play this one.) A must play - I adore this game!
Best Version: SNES, which also had a direct PC port (emulated). PS2 remake from Taito is very rough and doesn't capture the spirit of the original.
English: Supposedly a patch is in the works.
Ys VI: Ark of Napishtim: Falcom's attempt at modernizing the Ys series. Scope of the game is smaller than Ys V, more in line with the older Ys games, but retains Ys V's expanded combat style.
Best Version: PC - cleanest textures, 2D sprites, 60 FPS. PS2 version is okay, runs slower and muddier but some people like the 3D characters. PSP version has 2D sprites but is slow.
English: Yes, fan patch for PC. PS2 and PSP versions available in English.
Ys Seven: Total revamp of the series, and the point in the series where Falcom officially dropped PC development, despite promise of a PC version later. Crazy, fun, Secret of Mana-esque gameplay on crack. Jump is gone, but character switching is in. Boring, long-winded plot with cheesy translation and character stereotypes - good thing the game is fun.
Best Version: Only on PSP, though a licensed-out PC port (not remake) will come out in China later.
English: Yes
Ys Origin: Ys VI engine expanded for new gameplay styles. Three characters - one Adol-style, one shmup-style, and one crazy-fast melee style. Unique aesthetic, really cool. Takes place centuries before Ys I.
Best Version: Only on PC, and looks and plays fantastic.
English: Patch in the works.
Ys Strategy, Ys Online, etc.: Non-Falcom licensed games. Avoid.
Also, to quickly delve in to some non-Ys choice bits that should not be missed:
Dinosaur Resurrection: Remake of the 1989 original. Very dark turn-based dungeon crawler with an usually strong (and evil) narrative. Combat is visually minimalistic but VERY fast, which I love. Check out the intro video on YouTube.
Best Version: Only on PC, and looks and plays fantastic.
English: Nope.
Brandish VT: Very cool twist on the old Brandish formula. Isometric, non-rotating viewpoint, multiple characters with separate storylines, and nice hi-res 2D graphics. Ported to Windows later as Brandish 4. My avatar is from the game.
Best Version: VT is on the PC-98, but Brandish 4 works with modern PCs.
English: A friend and I are working on one, but it's on indefinite hold for now.
Brandish: The Dark Revenant: Cleaned up, smoothed out, beautified remake of Brandish for PSP. Highly recommended for a good old-school dungeon romp.
Best Version: PSP.
English: None that I know of, but XSEED might release it?
Legend of Xanadu II: The original was cool, but LoX II distills it down to a focused and fast-paced experience. One of the few in-house console games from Falcom, and they really used the power of the PC-Engine here.
Best Version: Either the PC-Engine original or the PC Windows port emulated are just fine.
English: None that I know of.
Xanadu: 1985: Second game in the Dragon Slayer series, lays down foundations for the entire action RPG genre, sells more than any Japanese PC to date, and kicks ass. Wonderfully archaic, lonely, and unrelenting. HARD. Had an excellent expansion pack (Xanadu Scenario II)
Best Version: The original PC-88 version (and it's PC port) has an awesomely old, dank, hardcore feel to it. However, Xanadu Revival for PC-98 and Falcom Classics for Saturn are a lot easier on the eyes, and more playable too.
English: None that I know of, but most of the game is in English anyway.
Xanadu Next: My favorite Falcom game and a masterwork of classic, pure gameplay. Rock solid mechanics, beautiful artwork, cool level design, legitimately good plot and haunting music add up to gaming nirvana. Please track this down.
Best Version: PC, by a huge margin. Only other version is a scaled down N-Gage port with totally different graphics, gameplay and plot.
English: In the works, eventually.
Sadly, Falcom has announced they are no longer supporting the PC platform - mostly due to a small Japanese PC market and their distributor backing out on them - and have moved to PSP and NGP development. They also seem to be focusing a lot on their easy-to-sell Sora no Kiseki brand, which I haven't been able to really get into. Not to sound like a jaded neckbeard, but I fear "old Falcom" has jumped the shark, especially ditching the PC after 20+ years of dedication.
Need moar Xanadu and Brandish, less cute, mass-market, anime rip-off stuff. /rantAlso, Falcom really needs to release their catalog on Steam.
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