You have one of, if not the best starting points for Final Fantasy in the whole series on this system with X. Just play it. There’s no mainline numbered Final Fantasy game that ties together. They’re all separate stories. A few share a common setting with Ivalice, but that’s about it. Hop on X now. I know there’s a PC version, and that’s probably the recommended way to experience that game at this point, but I don’t really care how you start it. If you ever wanna experience Final Fantasy, FFX is the one a loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooot of people will say start with.
Radiata Stories - a looker even for a PS2 game.
NFL 2K5 - the greatest NFL game ever made.
Jak and Daxter - This console’s Crash Bandicoot.
Rachet and Clank - I actually have the same problem you have with Final Fantasy with this series. Just pick one.
Need For Speed Underground 2 - One of the best arcade racing games ever made.
Burnout 3 Takedown - Same as above except you crash the cars instead of pimp them out.
SSX3 - Some say Tricky is better, I like them both but usually give 3 the edge.
Soul Calibur II - Best Soul Calibur game IMO
Dragonball Z Budokai 3 - Played the shit out of both this and Budokai Tenkaichi 3
I’m not even scratching the surface.
Its more of a paradigm shift than a need for innovation. There’s a lot more solid bodies to work with. The animation workflow might actually be less of a task because of that. Less dangly bits until you get to Tyranids. Everything is a ranged unit first. Instead of line battles with clashing melee units, siege battles with constricting maps and city scapes should be a lot more common. The real problem I can see them having is adjusting the pace of the units. 40k has things zipping around the field. The battles should be more rts like than the slow and methodical clash of lines.
Whatever they do I’m pretty hyped about this. All the Total War games have been a staple in my library since Medieval 2. Despite all the trash that CA has been up to the past few years they still make good games. I think having a fresh slate with a familiar enough adjacent setting will be good for them.