Final Fantasy Re-Releases Ruins Pureness

[te72]

Thanks for the historical lesson Areala. I believe Suikoden was probably the first RPG that I started on my own. Had played FF Mystic Quest and Secret of Mana first, but played them on a friend's recommendation. Didn't play FF6 until about 10 years after its release, and have never played Dragon Warrior.

An example of not needing a cheat unlocked through difficult achievements, speaking of Final Fantasy, would be the prized you can collect from the Kalm Traveller in FF7. Oh, you beat the two ridiculous super bosses? Here, have a gold chocobo and a set of master materia. By then, it's highly likely that you don't need either, so... kinda a moot point.

[CastleVanity]

To be fair Final Fantasy games i played since the first had always changed from time to time, I mean they went through a lot of systems till they ended up on PC/Androids/IOS. The perfect ones was Final Fantasy I,II and IV for the PSP now if Square released III (2d version) with psp graphics instead of the 3d ones, i can imagine how that would look like dame with 5 and 6 but...yeah.

As an adult now, i never lost my love for Final Fantasy, I played the good, bad ones and never lost my nostalgia for it. Now that Final Fantasy & remake is coming out for the PS4 i'm more than excited. They haven't lost their "purity"...yet they just deviated when we love about the original FF that we all grown to love.

[te72]

You know, there are a few RPG's that I want to play, but just can't find it in me to commit to them:

-Breath of Fire 3 (now on PSN!!!...although I have a disc copy)

-Alundra

-Earthbound

Part of why I am apprehensive about starting a game like this, is I know full well I could play 3 or 4 other games in that same time frame. It's a tough call for me.

[SLTE]

You know, there are a few RPG's that I want to play, but just can't find it in me to commit to them:

-Breath of Fire 3 (now on PSN!!!...although I have a disc copy)

-Alundra

-Earthbound

Part of why I am apprehensive about starting a game like this, is I know full well I could play 3 or 4 other games in that same time frame. It's a tough call for me.

I can't speak for Alundra, and Breath of Fire 3 is admittedly fairly long when you take fetch quests and dialogue into account, but Earthbound isn't that bad. Your first play-through shouldn't last more than, I dunno, fifteen or twenty hours? Depending on how much you explore each area? I guess that's a fair time investment, but not that much more than the average game. It and BoF3 are also toooootally worth playing.

[kitsunebi]

I can't speak for Alundra,

I can, and here's what it says:

"I WILL BREAK YOUR MIND AND CRUSH YOUR SOUL!! YOU WILL NEVER DEFEAT MEEEE!!!"

Seriously, that game is hard without using a walkthrough. It's like if Zelda was designed by sadists. But it's really good (the story I can't even remember, but the gameplay is spot on). I can't remember how long it took to finish, but I was using the strategy guide (oh man, could Working Designs make a beautiful strategy guide), so your mileage WILL be completely different if you try to go it alone without help.

[miketheratguy]

You know, there are a few RPG's that I want to play, but just can't find it in me to commit to them:

-Breath of Fire 3 (now on PSN!!!...although I have a disc copy)

-Alundra

-Earthbound

Part of why I am apprehensive about starting a game like this, is I know full well I could play 3 or 4 other games in that same time frame. It's a tough call for me.

I adored Earthbound. One of the most charming, quirky, goofy games I've ever played. Not as long as most traditional RPGs (it can probably be beaten in 30 or 40 hours, if memory serves) but easily one of the most memorable. The game's got a weird vibe that sticks with you - it's not just the eccentric stuff, it's the melancholy ruminations on family, friendship, and the sense of maturation and growing up. Earthbound is what I would describe as an "experience".

But yeah, the eccentric stuff is great. This is a tune that accompanies some of the enemy encounters (enemies with names such as "Manly Fish" and "New Age Retro Hippie") and it probably says more about the atmosphere of the game than I can.

[Areala]

"I WILL BREAK YOUR MIND AND CRUSH YOUR SOUL!! YOU WILL NEVER DEFEAT MEEEE!!!"

Alundra: only in your dreams.

*huggles*

Areala

[te72]

I can't speak for Alundra, and Breath of Fire 3 is admittedly fairly long when you take fetch quests and dialogue into account, but Earthbound isn't that bad. Your first play-through shouldn't last more than, I dunno, fifteen or twenty hours? Depending on how much you explore each area? I guess that's a fair time investment, but not that much more than the average game. It and BoF3 are also toooootally worth playing.

I've started both BOF3 and Earthbound in years past, but never got terribly far in either. I think with BOF3, I rented it, played it a LOT during that week, and when my grandma offered to buy me a new game, I went with Worms 2. I don't regret that choice.

I think with Earthbound, it was a matter of, "hey look, FF6!"

I can, and here's what it says:

"I WILL BREAK YOUR MIND AND CRUSH YOUR SOUL!! YOU WILL NEVER DEFEAT MEEEE!!!"

Seriously, that game is hard without using a walkthrough. It's like if Zelda was designed by sadists. But it's really good (the story I can't even remember, but the gameplay is spot on). I can't remember how long it took to finish, but I was using the strategy guide (oh man, could Working Designs make a beautiful strategy guide), so your mileage WILL be completely different if you try to go it alone without help.

Interesting. I do enjoy a challenge with my rpgs, so long as it is a fair challenge. Speaking more on Vandal Hearts? You know the Trials that you can go through to power up Ash? Yeah, loved those. Defeating the super bosses in the FF games? Takes me some time to figure out strategies, but I get there eventually. Although, Yiazamat in FF12 can kiss my butt, I'll never get those 6 or 7 hours back, and man was that a boring fight...

That, and did anyone else play Dragonquest 8? I seem to recall fighting a bunch of optional dragon bosses late in the game, and that being a lot of fun as well.

Alundra: only in your dreams.

*huggles*

Areala

What's an elf gotta do to get whipped around here?

[Areala]

What's an elf gotta do to get whipped around here?

"You never touch the other elves like that."

Also, calling Alundra an RPG is a bit of a stretch. It's RPG-like in the sense that A Link to the Past is an RPG: you get money, you can buy items, and you can find stuff that beefs up your abilities, but there's no XP system for leveling up.

*huggles*

Areala

[kitsunebi]

Also, calling Alundra an RPG is a bit of a stretch. It's RPG-like in the sense that A Link to the Past is an RPG: you get money, you can buy items, and you can find stuff that beefs up your abilities, but there's no XP system for leveling up.

*huggles*

Areala

Yeah, it's an action/puzzle game, like a 32-bit version of A Link To the Past with the difficulty increased by at least a factor of ten.

[te72]

Oh, I knew what it was going in, aside from the difficulty. Hence why I bought it back in oh... 2007? Very nice condition, and I think it is only missing the map that came with it new. Good ol' Working Designs, whatever became of game companies who made nice packaging and extras as just how they did things?

[miketheratguy]

Oh, I knew what it was going in, aside from the difficulty. Hence why I bought it back in oh... 2007? Very nice condition, and I think it is only missing the map that came with it new. Good ol' Working Designs, whatever became of game companies who made nice packaging and extras as just how they did things?

I'm still wondering what happened to simple instruction manuals.

[Areala]

I'm still wondering what happened to simple instruction manuals.

Tears in the rain, my friend. Tears in the rain.

*huggles*

Areala

[miketheratguy]

Tears in the rain, my friend. Tears in the rain.

*huggles*

Areala

Wow, that was a great reference.

[te72]

Blargh, another thing ruined by the shift to digital media. Damn you internet! ...yes I realize the irony here.

[stryphos]

I know I was hoping that the PSP for example would've pushed out a Final Fantasy VI release. Just about every one of the first 6 Final Fantasy's has been repackaged one or more times it seems in the last decade or so, so I guess I'm numb to it.

[te72]

Welcome to the forum stryphos. As for FF6, definitely a great game, but I"m not entirely certain that a remake or updating is really anything it needs. Maybe the graphics could be a bit crisper, but it certainly doesn't look bad, and the sound... sound is still fantastic.

I played the SNES version myself, about 12 years ago. Were you aware of the GBA re-release? I believe there are some extras that were new to that version...

[stryphos]

Welcome to the forum stryphos. As for FF6, definitely a great game, but I"m not entirely certain that a remake or updating is really anything it needs. Maybe the graphics could be a bit crisper, but it certainly doesn't look bad, and the sound... sound is still fantastic.

I played the SNES version myself, about 12 years ago. Were you aware of the GBA re-release? I believe there are some extras that were new to that version...

I actually did play through the GBA version and you're right there were a number of additions. They added 4 additional espers, 2 new dungeons (1 being a Dragon-based one where all dragons have been upped to Level 99, crazy hard!)

Sound is still wonderful on the SNES and it holds up well. I mentioned the PSP remake as I was hoping that it is a game that would have been interesting to see from that perspective.

[miketheratguy]

Final Fantasy IV was amazing on the PSP. The graphics and sound were dazzlingly crisp. It was like rediscovering the game all over again, and since it's my favorite in the series that only made things that much better. The extras, the option to switch between new and original versions of the music...it was a great, great release.

Why they never did the same with Final Fantasy VI - my other favorite and the objective best - I'll never know. I'd happily scoop up a remake of FFVI faster than any urge to go back through the obscenely overrated FFVII could ever take hold, that's for sure.

[stryphos]

haha I'd agree with that! Glad to see there are others that feel similarly!

[Estil]

I forget are they doing a remake of FF9 or not? I don't yet have a PS3 (much less a PS4!) but of the trilogy of PS1 FF's, FF9 is by far my favorite (even if FF7 (and in the SNES's case FF6) is the one that gets all the attention). I wouldn't mind seeing what they could do with that one in terms of remaking/upgrading it!

Then again I do have a WiiU and they did do WiiU remakes/upgrades for Zelda Wind Waker and soon Twilight Princess...I'm not sure if I should bother with those though, aren't the GC versions good enough?

[Estil]

Final Fantasy IV was amazing on the PSP. The graphics and sound were dazzlingly crisp. It was like rediscovering the game all over again, and since it's my favorite in the series that only made things that much better. The extras, the option to switch between new and original versions of the music...it was a great, great release.

Why they never did the same with Final Fantasy VI - my other favorite and the objective best - I'll never know. I'd happily scoop up a remake of FFVI faster than any urge to go back through the obscenely overrated FFVII could ever take hold, that's for sure.

I do think those extra chapters or whatnot they included in the PSP version of FF4 does look interesting...I'm tempted to get a PSP just for that (and I like how unlike the DS you can play PSP games on the TV with a special hookup).

[miketheratguy]

haha I'd agree with that! Glad to see there are others that feel similarly!

About which part, that FFIV on the psp is great, that FFVI is the objective best, or that FFVII is obscenely overrated?

I do think those extra chapters or whatnot they included in the PSP version of FF4 does look interesting...I'm tempted to get a PSP just for that (and I like how unlike the DS you can play PSP games on the TV with a special hookup).

I have to confess that I never even went through all of the other stories on the PSP release, for me it was addicting enough just to jump back into FFIV (and such a good version of it to boot). I can't remember the name of the cable but yeah, there's a plug that can connect the PSP directly to a tv with composite hookups. I don't know if that cable works on all models though - if I recall correctly they worked on my slim model because I hacked it and downloaded a program that overruled Sony's stupid restrictions against the cable.

[te72]

I rather enjoy the PSP for what it is. Set of headphones makes all the difference though. I can't imagine most games on it are gonna look good if you blow them up to modern tv sizes... also, quick note, I believe that cable was actually a component, rather than a composite / RCA.

I would love for FF6 to get a bit more attention, perhaps just an up-rendering, sharpen up the pixel art a bit, so long as it still looks natural.

As for FF7, Mike, it really is what you make of it bud. I would absolutely, HIGHLY recommend you read Elentor's LP of it on somethingawful. It just recently finished, and should hopefully be added to the archives soon... As for me, I played it a lot like a classic rpg. I had my fighter, my monk, my healer, my tank, my blue mage, my dragoon, my ninja, my long range gunner, and a weird cat on a moogle for some reason. Again, all in how you as the player, decide to treat the game. The versatility is probably a good reason we even got successive FF games, as it allowed them to sell it to a LOT of people.

It's kinda like how Ford sells a bunch of trucks that I couldn't care less about. They make a good amount of money on selling thousands and thousands of the things, and then take that money and develop a car like the Ford GT, an awesome mid-engine supercar. FF7 allowed Square to fund future games, such as the fun-at-the-time Ehrgeiz.

As for FF9, it's getting a Steam release, that's the extent I know about it. Apparently it was the only of the PS1 era FF games not put on PC...

[kitsunebi]

I rather enjoy the PSP for what it is. Set of headphones makes all the difference though. I can't imagine most games on it are gonna look good if you blow them up to modern tv sizes...

Dunno about the cable in question, but when emulating the PSP, anything composed of polygons looks really good blown up on a giant display since it gets up-converted to 1920p resolution. Anything sprite based looks bad, since it just stretches the sprites making it kind of chunky-looking.

As for FF7, I hope I don't sound too pessimistic for saying that no matter how you feel about the merits of the game itself, the only reason it became a huge success in America was because people were wowed by the pre-rendered cinematics so prominently featured in the ad campaign.