Final Fantasy IV, V, VI and CT on Playstation disc: overview

[Bananamatic]

I meant South Figaro, not counting early Narshe as a city lol
that's like 30 minutes into the game

[Sumez]

Can you actually buy them there? I don't think I ever realised. Anyway it still counts as a difference in the PS1 version as far as I can tell.

[FinalBaton]

Doesn't the PSX version have a pretty long battle transition, both into and out out it? On the SNES it's basically instant transition instead of the screen slowly fading out

I thought the after-battle fade out was there in the SNES version too. Is it not? It's been a long time since I've played the SNES version. Will go check some videos comparison.

EDIT : checked the two vids Bullet Magnet posted. The after-battle fade-out in the SNES version is quicker by 2-3 seconds

[FinalBaton]

Judging by that video, FF6 also gives you the ability to run right from the beginning of the game, same as the GBA games?

correct. In fact FFIV and FFV also feature this.

[FinalBaton]

The load times in PS1 FFVI made me want to kill myself BITD and still do today. :[

Wow. lol.
I don't have the same experience as you at all with that port. There's a bit of load times but they're not terrible or anything IMO. The game is totally playable and the load times didn't really bother me.

Now Crono Trigger on PS on the other hand... >w<

[BIL]

Give me convenience or give me death! I didn't even try CT's port after that, haha.

[Bananamatic]

FFIX was still the worst in terms of being slow, especially the battle loading
VII and VIII weren't such an issue because they had super short dungeons and in VIII you could always just use enc-none to avoid randoms entirely (and both had way faster battle loading than IX to begin with)

[FinalBaton]

Give me convenience or give me death! I didn't even try CT's port after that, haha.

I don't have a SNES copy and I don't like playing on PC emulators. And the PS ports offer me 2 things that are essential for me to enjoy the game :

-the original game graphics
-a 240p video signal, so that I can feed that into my CRT RGB monitor and get the same visual experience as the the SNES version, scanlines and all.

So, you could say that for me, the PS ports are very convenient

[Bananamatic]

emulators let me play romhacks instead that make the game actually slightly difficult and fix all the broken shit (like the evasion glitches and magic being stupidly overpowered) while keeping everything else intact and not making me waste hours on watching loading screens
each to their own I guess

[FinalBaton]

Yeah I understand why people would enjoy PC emulators. But they're just not for me. I want to play on real hardware and sprawl on my comfy couch, and game on my big CRT monitor(that's 8 feet away from me) in 240p

To me the way to enjoy rom hacks and translations will be with an Everdrive. That way I can play on the console AND get all those functionalities.

I don't have a SNES Everdrive at the moment though, but I plan on buying one in the near future.
In the meantime, the PS ports are an interesting option

[WelshMegalodon]

I've been comparing footage from this recording of SFC FFV to SDA's recording of the Anthology release. The loading times could be worse, but the music sounds downgraded at times and the way the game hangs after each battle is ugly.

I'm having trouble finding footage for PS1 FFVI that wasn't recorded in an emulator (outside of CGR, that is).

[Mortificator]

Final Fantasy IV

This one is a GREAT version. Not only are there 0 loading times, but you get the FFIV Japan HARD TYPE version, which is the best version of the game by far. Not only are there more character commands, summons and items, but the increased difficulty over the USA version and Japan EASY TYPE version makes it more enjoyable.

I absolutely agree. The GBA and PSP ports are piss-easy as well, which just kills the game. FF4's system is on the basic side, so its difficulty is what makes the game compelling.

It's good to hear that the PS1 port of Final Fantasy IV is technically sound, but this individual would have me believe the retranslation is, contrary to popular belief, highly inaccurate.

The Engish script may be less accurate than the GBA/PSP translation, but I think the localization embellishments make it read better. I'm more interested in the writing being entertaining, at least for a video game like this with a relatively straightforward plot.

For FF5, I like the GBA's English script the best. The fan translation's is bland but serviceable, and the PS1's is pretty awful.

[Sumez]

I absolutely agree. The GBA and PSP ports are piss-easy as well, which just kills the game. FF4's system is on the basic side, so its difficulty is what makes the game compelling.

Is that really true? I haven't played PSP FF4 yet, but what I heard from other people is that it was on the level of the DS remake, which is definitely the most challenging version of that game I have played.

[Bananamatic]

I absolutely agree. The GBA and PSP ports are piss-easy as well, which just kills the game. FF4's system is on the basic side, so its difficulty is what makes the game compelling.

this whole "easy type" and "hard type" barely seems like a difference to me

FF4 is piss easy no matter what version you play, the only remotely difficult thing is the final boss and it's really just a level check to see if you can heal more than he can damage you
there are no tactical decisions in equipment or abilities, the characters are fixed and limited and only really good for spamming a command or two over and over
the only thing that affects anything is your level

Is that really true? I haven't played PSP FF4 yet, but what I heard from other people is that it was on the level of the DS remake, which is definitely the most challenging version of that game I have played.

The DS remake is trash
their idea of making it "harder" was to give every boss an overpowered party wipe move you have to somehow work around (final boss does nothing for 5 turns, suddenly uses a move that does almost double my max HP with no warning, once you figure out you have to defend before he does it he becomes even easier than in the SNES original) and the augment system is utter garbage - in order to get most of them, you have to feed existing augments into characters that permanently leave, meaning that if you use common sense and not guides and have played FFIV before, you wouldn't give them a single augment and miss the vast majority of the augments the game has with no other ways to get them

[Blinge]

The DS remake is trash
their idea of making it "harder" was to give every boss an overpowered party wipe move you have to somehow work around

Haha.. alas, this is my only experience of FFIV !

[Sumez]

No worries, Blinge. I have no idea what Bananaman is talking about. I loved the DS version. I hated the graphics, but the gameplay improvements put it far above the SNES version in my book.

[Bananamatic]

I don't like any FFIV gameplay tbh

fixed party+fixed jobs and fixed skill learn sets is several steps back even compared to the first NES FF1
no options, no decision making in your party, just slap on the best gear and grind levels
the story is ok but the gameplay is just boring as heck

the DS version just gave you "options" locked behind shit you need a guide for and increased difficulty in the worst way possible

[FinalBaton]

Love FFIV

Most bosses have a weakness you got to figure out and exploit(and it's not always just a spell either), and that's fun in my book. Of course it's nothing on the level of FFX battles but I still love them. More complex doesn't necessarily = more fun. at least to me.

I love the characters' skillsets SO much in that game, I think they make the characters amazingly fun to use. And that right there makes the battles really involving and satisfying. This aspect is actually something that is on top of my wishlist for a JRPG.

Edge is badass with his dual weapon weilding, elemental offensive spells, and STEAL command! Oh, and the THROW command... So much fun to use. I've always like characters who can deal good damage with swords AND cast black magic, going back to FF1 and the Red mage and the Ninja. Speaking of that, Edge is actually the FF1 Thief/Ninja class done right. I wish they gave the Thief that skillset, lol. I have yearned for a character like Edge so much while playing FF1 back in 1990, you have no idea. I can't even begin to describe how much fun I have using Edge in that game. I always have many options to choose from whenever it's his turn in battle.
Cecil, a heavy armor + heavy weapon user who casts some white magic and blocks attacks for weak party members? Hell yeah!
Rosa is a great healer but also has very respectable HP, and by using a bow (and thus gaining the AIM command), she deals good damage from the back row with the right arrows. And her PRAY command means that she can heal without using MP, and this is awesome at the lowest levels since this heals everybody. One of the most fun healers to use in memory for me.


And so on, and so on... Kain's jump command + his sprite design makes him so cool. Yang has a lot of battle commands to tweak your combat strategy (KICK, POWER, BEAR). Rydia, in addition to casting offensive magic, also has a powerful cure magic with the ASURA summons, which is so damn cool.

I guess your enjoyment of the game will depend on what you're looking for in a JRPG.

[FinalBaton]

FF4's system is on the basic side, so its difficulty is what makes the game compelling.

Agreed. The noticeable jump in difficulty over the US SNES release is a great feature of the PS port in my book.

[Mortificator]

FF4 is piss easy no matter what version you play, the only remotely difficult thing is the final boss and it's really just a level check to see if you can heal more than he can damage you
there are no tactical decisions in equipment or abilities, the characters are fixed and limited and only really good for spamming a command or two over and over

The characters being fixed is part of why the game's difficult. In the other mainline Final Fantasies, the developers had to make allowance for the various ways the party could be set up. With FF4, they knew exactly what your party would be capable of at any given time, and could set the challenge right at the limit of its abilities.

I'm not saying FF4's notoriously difficult within the medium as a whole, but out of the first ten main FFs (I haven't played XI through XV) it's probably the toughest. Why do you think it alone got an Easy Type release a few months later?

I absolutely agree. The GBA and PSP ports are piss-easy as well, which just kills the game. FF4's system is on the basic side, so its difficulty is what makes the game compelling.

Is that really true? I haven't played PSP FF4 yet, but what I heard from other people is that it was on the level of the DS remake, which is definitely the most challenging version of that game I have played.

Boss speed was majorly reduced for the GBA port, which the PSP kept (except for the final boss). Not counting the remake and its ports, I might rank the difficulty...

1. Original Super Famicom version / PS1 version
2. GBA version / PSP version
3. US SNES "Final Fantasy II" version
4. Easy Type version

[FinalBaton]

The characters being fixed is part of why the game's difficult. In the other mainline Final Fantasies, the developers had to make allowance for the various ways the party could be set up. With FF4, they knew exactly what your party would be capable of at any given time, and could set the challenge right at the limit of its abilities.

A great point also.

[BrianC]

Not counting the remake and its ports, I might rank the difficulty...

1. Original Super Famicom version / PS1 version
2. GBA version / PSP version
3. US SNES "Final Fantasy II" version
4. Easy Type version

Where does the Wonderswan version rank?

[Bananamatic]

Most bosses have a weakness you got to figure out and exploit

most of the bosses do barely any damage in the first place and their spells are ridiculously underpowered (Rubicante doing double digit damage when you have 2000 HP, seriously? The only dangerous attack is the one hit kill he has and it's single target, so it's a non issue, this goes for basically any boss except the last one)
doesn't matter if they have a weakness if it's ridiculously easy to heal up any damage they do so you could sit there for 30 minutes with no issues

Edge is badass with his dual weapon weilding, elemental offensive spells, and STEAL command!

FF4 has no useful steals in the first place

Rydia, in addition to casting offensive magic, also has a powerful cure magic with the ASURA summons

1/3 chance of getting a heal instead of an attack or a support spell, something that unreliable and random is not worth using

The characters being fixed is part of why the game's difficult. In the other mainline Final Fantasies, the developers had to make allowance for the various ways the party could be set up. With FF4, they knew exactly what your party would be capable of at any given time, and could set the challenge right at the limit of its abilities.

I'm not saying FF4's notoriously difficult within the medium as a whole, but out of the first ten main FFs (I haven't played XI through XV) it's probably the toughest. Why do you think it alone got an Easy Type release a few months later?

What exactly is hard about FF4 again? There are maybe two gimmick bosses that could potentially kill you before you figure out how they work and the final boss who can wipe you with Big Bang unless you heal every turn and have a high enough level, the rest of them has trash damage output
it doesn't matter if they have one attack that can do decent damage when 80% of the time they use something absolutely useless

V had plenty of bosses that could wipe their ass with your party in a few turns if you didn't have the appropriate defenses or took the wrong approach, same with X

[FinalBaton]

snip

Wow. I won't argue with you because it's clear that our view of the game is VASTLY different and it will just be a waste of time, none of us will convince the other, ever.

I'll just end by saying : regarding the difficulty, have you played the PS port or the original JP release in it's entirety?

[Bananamatic]

I only played the PS port (and the DS remake) and it was way, way easier than the FFV one on the same anthology disk, I was 13 or so at the time too

I have no idea why would you make it even easier, it apparently got an "easier" release only because it was only the 2nd FF in the US so everyone was new to the genre (just like Mystic Quest which was meant as a "novice" jrpg?)

[Blinge]

Oh sorry, I wasn't clear before.
I didn't enjoy FFIV much. Probably less than most others in the series.

Hell, I'd have preferred a sleepwalk game to mostly easy grindfest/ suddenly roadblock bosses.

But I played it years ago when my tastes were a bit different. I can't really complain about grindfests now as I'm enjoying Etrian Odyssey..

[Bananamatic]

If you mean FF4DS, then it's not really a grindfest, you can work around the instakill moves in some way every time even if you're underleveled, a lowest level game is actually possible compared to non-GBA versions of the original FF4 where you needed a certain level to beat the final boss

the only new gimmick I liked was the dr. lugae skeleton boss with the Reverse Gas, it was actually challenging in an interesting way rather than getting wiped in 1 shot if you didn't see it coming
the iOS/steam port has a normal mode now (and hard mode is the DS one now) and all the bosses are severely nerfed now to the point of being almost harmless

[Blinge]

Ah, regarding grindfest. I suppose that statement is also based in my experience/lack thereof at the time.
Guess it was the wrong word.

What I mean is, at the time I didn't appreciate the dungeons with nothing but random encounters for what seemed like long stretches. I was more used to the pacing of FF5-7 and 10

I haven't done much purposeful grinding in EO, either.

[BryanM]

The PSP version is probably the definite version for people who don't care about difficulty or polygons. It's great that the new art is actually good, as opposed to some of the horrors we've been assaulted with.

Hell, I'd have preferred a sleepwalk game to mostly easy grindfest/ suddenly roadblock bosses.

Pretty much all versions of FF4 are a sleepwalk game. The DS version just jacked things up a bit for hardcore fans who've played the thing a million times already.

Personal anecdote: my gf at the time kept getting killed over and over again at the Dr. Lugae battle. "You try to beat him!" Same exact party, I won the fight on my first try without any particular difficulty. Experiences may differ.

Where does the Wonderswan version rank?

To my understanding, the GBA version is an enhanced port of the Wonderswan Color version.

A bit shoddy as well, hence how it drops button presses in the middle of battle. A shame, since it lets you select your party members at the end and has that gratuitous bonus dungeon.

I don't like any FFIV gameplay tbh

fixed party+fixed jobs and fixed skill learn sets is several steps back even compared to the first NES FF1
...
the DS version just gave you "options" locked behind shit you need a guide for and increased difficulty in the worst way possible

As much as I like the game, it's true it essentially has no strategic or "meta-maxing" layer. I actually like the rotating cast, but there definitely could be more options on that front.

Even Dragon Quest 1 has maximizing strategies.

[WelshMegalodon]

The DS remake is trash
their idea of making it "harder" was to give every boss an overpowered party wipe move you have to somehow work around

Haha.. alas, this is my only experience of FFIV !

Oh sorry, I wasn't clear before.
I didn't enjoy FFIV much. Probably less than most others in the series.

Hell, I'd have preferred a sleepwalk game to mostly easy grindfest/ suddenly roadblock bosses.

But I played it years ago when my tastes were a bit different. I can't really complain about grindfests now as I'm enjoying Etrian Odyssey..

Oh good, I'm not crazy. The bipartisan echo chamber that is the Final Fantasy "fanbase" has you feeling like some sort of heathen for not liking IV, VI, or VII.

This more or less describes my impression of the game as well. I attempted the J2e fan translation of FFIV twice but could never be bothered to make it all the way through the final dungeon, even after having netted all the Genji gear.

various things

As a fellow FF1 lover, tell me... am I the only one who feels like Edge and Yang don't deal enough damage? I don't know the exact figures, but Yang doesn't seem to be anywhere near as much of a bruiser as the Monk and Karateka classes were in the Famicom games, and it's difficult not to compare Edge's damage output to what your dual wielding Red Mage/Viking/Mystic Knight was dishing out in previous installments. (The nerfing of the class itself, of course, is not unreasonable.)

I have no idea why would you make it even easier, it apparently got an "easier" release only because it was only the 2nd FF in the US so everyone was new to the genre (just like Mystic Quest which was meant as a "novice" jrpg?)

The stupidity of that particular decision amazes me to this day.

Spoiler

Though by no means particularly maligned by North American players, JRPGs only had a small (but loyal) niche audience in the States. The vast majority of the American console crowd still preferred their action/adventure titles -- Mario Bros., Legend of Zelda, Sonic the Hedgehog, Castlevania, etc. This undoubtedly had some the higher-ups at Square, Enix, and Nintendo scratching their heads. Why were copies of Dragon Quest practically leaping off the shelves in Japan, while Nintendo of America was forced to give away free copies of Dragon Warrior with Nintendo Power subscriptions? Were players' tastes really so different in the States? Was the concept of a game focusing on strategy, statistics, and storyline instead of fast-paced action and twitch button-mashing just too foreign to Americans?

Yes. That was exactly it.

Well -- that is if you disregard Dungeons & Dragons, the original role-playing game and precursor to everything from Dragon Quest to World of Warcraft, which had been devised in the United States in the early 1970s. And if you ignore all the American PC RPGs that came out in the 1980s, like Ultima, Might & Magic, and Wizardry. And that small handful of console RPGs that had been released in America, like the four Dragon Warrior and two Final Fantasy titles. And Magic of Scherezade. And Swords & Serpents. And Romance of the Three Kingdoms. And Tombs & Treasure. And Phantasy Star. And Pool of Raidance. And Shining in the Darkness. And Drakkhen. Oh, and then there were all PC RPGs that got ported to the NES...

This probably still happened, though.

As much as I like the game, it's true it essentially has no strategic or "meta-maxing" layer. I actually like the rotating cast, but there definitely could be more options on that front.

Even Dragon Quest 1 has maximizing strategies.

When grinding, use this strategy to speed up experience gain.

...That's about it, really.

EDIT: Added that the characters in question were all capable of dual wielding.