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I'm Sorry, But...

Posted: 27th July 2015 18:36

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I just hate this game!

I've tried to enjoy it, I've tried to get into it, but it is just so bad it drives me around the bend.

This isn't a troll post, it's just how I feel. Let me explain the things I hate most...

1) The music. Agh, the music is terrible. Especially that awful, droning battle theme that just goes on and on and on. I can't remember exactly how many times I've muted the volume just to shut that damn repetitive, whining dirge up, which considering just how difficult the battles are is plenty of times...

2) WHY is this game so hard?? Now, I'm up for a challenge, but this is just stupid. I have no objection to grinding in RPGs (hell I even enjoy it sometimes) but in this game the only effect grinding has is to give you even more difficult enemies in battle. Hardly an incentive to level up isn't it? And why are my party members just so weak? I'm pretty early into my latest (attempt) at a playthrough, and I have Cecil, Edward, Rosa and Lydia... NONE of whom are any use in battle! A child with nowhere near enough MP, a wimpy bard whose "abilities" in battle are useless, a woman who can cast some spells but is too weak, and a "dark knight" whose weapon is increasingly ineffective against many enemies. Even later on, my party is just pathetic. Weak members, ineffective "special abilities" and over-powered foes. Grr, I hate battles in this game.

3) The menu system. I realise this is an old game, but the menus are just so user-unfriendly it's a chore. And NO info anywhere! No info on weapon abilities, nothing to tell you anything apart from a weapon's base strength, it's all trial and error (and when you take into account this game's difficulty an error is often fatal). Now for clarification, I'm playing the PS1 port which I know isn't great, but the fact this is a game ported to the PS1 with no attempt to improve even this... Piss-poor from Square.

4) The story. Now, why am I going to Mt Hobs again? To meet someone, or to get something? Hmm, not sure, let's press on. Oh, another crystal needs saving from Golbez! Who's Golbez? Yes, the story is so rushed, and seems to leap from one scenario to another it's hard to keep up. Plus, there's nothing innovative at all, same old cliché piled upon same old cliché, yawn. Now I know many FF games are cliché-tastic, but they all did it better than this.

I know this game is well-loved by many, but I honestly cannot see the appeal.

Feel free to shoot me down in flames... pinch.gif

This post has been edited by OldComer on 27th July 2015 23:16
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Posted: 27th July 2015 20:23

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Fellow not-quite-FFIV-fan here lol.

The story is full of a bunch of somewhat-cliche "twists", which are probably most interesting the first time but I've always argued that they're relatively poor in terms of story coherence -- and some things feel like they're sort of just thrown together because they were there, rather than because of some sort of overarching setting design or setting justification. This can sometimes be a good thing, in small amounts, but I think FFIV overdid it.

That said, what version are you playing? I've only played FF II (US) (SNES). I notice that you're saying that it's pretty difficult so I assume it's not that one. The scripts of pretty much any other version should probably be better, though I'm not sure that beautifully animated cutscenes are the best way of handling some things.

Wait I just noticed that you said you're playing the PS1 version. I dunno about FFIV but I've heard that the PS1 versions of Chrono Trigger and FFVI had annoying load times, so that might be an issue.

Also yeah the basic battle theme does get a little annoying after a while. I think I had the lucky privilege of turboing through battles... I also think the SNES version of the music is slightly better, but whatever...

If I recall correctly, Cecil can generally hit stuff decently enough, though his being increasingly ineffective is sort of an important point story-wise. Rosa can definitely hit stuff if you give her a bow and arrows, though.

My experience has been that Edward usually can also hit stuff with his regular attack pretty reliably. He doesn't deal that much damage, but at least it's more reliable than Rydia, who misses most of her Fight commands.

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Posted: 27th July 2015 23:09

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You make a lot of good points, and perhaps I was a little harsh, but still, this game is difficultand very frustrating.

As for the story, I think that may have been the most unjustified part of my complaint; from what I've heard of this game's development Squaresoft had to cut some parts of the story to be able to fit everything in the game, which would explain some of the more jarring leaps in the story. Apparently many of the remakes (I think the GBA and DS version) included many of the parts of the story that were originally cut, making it much more coherent.

The remake(s) also addressed some of the issues surrounding menu designs, making them much clearer and user-friendly.

I think, of all the old FF games, this was the only one to be released in two different forms - a standard version and an "easytype", both of which were released in Japan, but as for the US it was (I believe) the easytype version that was released. That was a long time ago of course and I believe the version ported to PS1 was based on the standard version. That may explain some of the different difficulties we've experienced (that, or you may just be better and/or more patient at this game lol).

I know it's possible to equip Rosa with a bow and arrows, but the arrows are expended in battle, and having a limited supply of ammo is a pain, especially when it's the only way to make her an effective fighter. As for Edward, well I think he's useless in a fight (he may have an interesting-ish story and be a good character, but that's no use when his damage and hit rate are so low.

Everything I've heard about and experienced with this game tells me it was a real "nearly but not quite" from Square; the story could have been so much more epic, and even they seemed to realise this with their subsequent remakes on the GBA and DS; sadly I'm not sure I want to hunt around for old consoles and games, especially for a game I'm not overly keen on...

This post has been edited by OldComer on 27th July 2015 23:14
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Posted: 29th July 2015 03:08

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I felt the same way when I first played. I actually gave up on it after I lost Valvalis for the millionth time and tried VI instead, which I liked a lot better. My brother told me that I should get Rydia up to at least level 5 before doing anything with her, so I took her to level 10 and did the same with Edward and I had no prolems with them. As for the music... I dunno, I guess my brain just blocks it out pretty fast. I'm actually listening to the battle theme right now for... *switches tabs*... three and a half minutes and it's barely even registering in my head, so that my have something to do with my unlimited patience with grinding. But you know, you don't have to like it; bad plot twists and counter-intuitive battle tactics that change every two cutscenes aren't everyone's cup of tea.
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Posted: 31st July 2015 16:32

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I, personally, enjoyed the flip-flops in the plot, and the sudden spike or drop in difficulty, sometimes in mid-battle. It invests me emotionally in the outcome of the battle when key members suddenly disappear or turn up.

Some of the issues you speak of are often attributed to the slow pace of the game. FFIV was created in the era where you were forced to justify a $40 + price tag on a game with a mere 16 bit cartridge. This is counter acted in modern games with sidequests, and sidequests, and sidequests, and minigames. (Ugh! It took my 90 hours to try and complete Final Fantasy XII with those hunting sidequests, most of it was sitting there watching the cpu do its own thing after setting tactics)) They were forced to raise the difficulty and slow the pace of the game (causing the need to grind a little between boss fights).

I'll try and address the specific problems that were spoken of.

Edward starts out very weak, as is reflected in his personality. By the time you pass the Cave of the Antlion, he should be fairly competent going into Mt. Hobs.

Rosa should be a primary healer. Again, she starts out fairly weak, but eventually grows into her role as a White Mage.

With the exception of the DS version, the game is very generous with GP drops. Don't be afraid to spend it, especially on arrows for Rosa. (500 GP for 50, which is fairly easy to come by). Remember also: You sleep for free in Kaipo. Cecil should get a level or two by himself in the desert. The higher level Cecil is, the stronger his compatriots will be when they join the party.

Yang is powerful with some great abilities, such as gird.

Cecil is ineffective against undead, but is actually quite tough against all else at first. When he becomes a Paladin, he becomes absurdly powerful.

I love the story, the classic hero's journey, but I can't fault you for not liking it. I like the story much better than that of VIII or X, or even XII. Then again, if everyone agreed with me, life wouldn't be quite so much fun.

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Posted: 2nd August 2015 17:48

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I believe that we debated the merits of Final Fantasy IV in a CoNcast in the recent past, either in its own episode or in the Final Fantasy V episode, where we did some comparison and contrasting. I don't think you're wrong about the game getting a boost from nostalgia in a lot of circles; I'm certainly guilty of it.

That said, it hasn't stopped me from playing the game on at least five systems, and I've never stopped enjoying it. It's the very example of "to each his own," I think. Like chevleclair, I like the fact that it's a fairly straightforward path in terms of story, and that the twists and turns in the story lean toward the melodramatic. I also still love the way the environments are set up and how you proceed from one to another, and the music still really appeals to me, especially in the official Celtic Moon arrangements.

Quote (OldComer)
I think, of all the old FF games, this was the only one to be released in two different forms - a standard version and an "easytype", both of which were released in Japan, but as for the US it was (I believe) the easytype version that was released. That was a long time ago of course and I believe the version ported to PS1 was based on the standard version. That may explain some of the different difficulties we've experienced (that, or you may just be better and/or more patient at this game lol).


For what it's worth, the Easytype version actually wasn't released over here. There are actually kind of three versions with regard to the original SNES releases. The original Japanese release was one thing, and the American release was actually a slightly watered down version of the original Japanese. The Easytype version was actually easier and less complex than even the American release. TCRF is a good place to read more about that, but searching these forums will probably talk about it quite a bit as well. https://tcrf.net/Final_Fantasy_IV

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Posted: 2nd August 2015 22:28

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Quote (OldComer @ 27th July 2015 18:09)
As for the story, I think that may have been the most unjustified part of my complaint; from what I've heard of this game's development Squaresoft had to cut some parts of the story to be able to fit everything in the game, which would explain some of the more jarring leaps in the story.  Apparently many of the remakes (I think the GBA and DS version) included many of the parts of the story that were originally cut, making it much more coherent.


That would explain some things. I haven't played the other (non-SNES) versions so I don't know what they're like.

Quote (OldComer @ 27th July 2015 18:09)
As for Edward, well I think he's useless in a fight (he may have an interesting-ish story and be a good character, but that's no use when his damage and hit rate are so low.


I remember his hit rate being respectable enough that, despite his lower damage, he was a useful party member just for the extra Fight command.

Quote (chevleclair)
I, personally, enjoyed the flip-flops in the plot, and the sudden spike or drop in difficulty, sometimes in mid-battle. It invests me emotionally in the outcome of the battle when key members suddenly disappear or turn up.


I didn't like the way the plot twists sometimes seemed really arbitrary, though I appreciate that they tried to tell an interesting story with them. That said, the constantly-changing party composition was quite fun.

This post has been edited by Glenn Magus Harvey on 2nd August 2015 22:32

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Posted: 2nd August 2015 22:39

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Quote
For what it's worth, the Easytype version actually wasn't released over here. There are actually kind of three versions with regard to the original SNES releases. The original Japanese release was one thing, and the American release was actually a slightly watered down version of the original Japanese. The Easytype version was actually easier and less complex than even the American release. TCRF is a good place to read more about that, but searching these forums will probably talk about it quite a bit as well. https://tcrf.net/Final_Fantasy_IV


Oh, I didn't know that; I was under the impression it was only the easytype that was released in the US (I live in the UK, so FFIV wasn't released at all on the SNES). Thanks for the info.

I must say though, I have enjoyed the game more in the last day or two. I've just completed the Mount Ordeals mission and made Cecil a Paladin, and I thoroughly enjoyed it too. I had to grind a little to make Palom and Porom usable in a fight, but once I got Paladin Cecil - wow. Levelling up five times after the first battle never gets boring, and now the party feels much stronger.

So maybe I'm starting to appreciate the gameplay and story a little more, but the battle music still annoys me and the menus are as unhelpful as ever. But I am looking forward to what happens next, and it will be interesting to see what challenges lie in store.

FFIV may never be one of my absolute favourites but I think - for the first time since acquiring it - it's a game I can still enjoy.
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Posted: 3rd August 2015 02:18

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Cecil in FFIV is like the party's pillar -- very good attack power, tons of HP, gets the best heavy armor, and has a few white magic spells just for kicks. The spells are kinda useless but it's a nice touch. (I think two of them are non-calculation spells so it's actually better to spend his MP for those spells than Rosa's MP.)

He functions kinda like endgame Ness in Earthbound, in the sense that he sort of serves as the meatshield. More so than Ness, actually -- Ness is actually tank + healer, as opposed to tank + meatshield (because of Cecil's Cover ability).

This post has been edited by Glenn Magus Harvey on 3rd August 2015 02:40

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Posted: 27th January 2017 03:21

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Quote (Glenn Magus Harvey @ 2nd August 2015 20:18)
He functions kinda like endgame Ness in Earthbound, in the sense that he sort of serves as the meatshield. More so than Ness, actually -- Ness is actually tank + healer, as opposed to tank + meatshield (because of Cecil's Cover ability).

Well, as a Paladin, Cecil can be used as a healer in a pinch, of course - he gets the first two tiers of Cure over time. But in total fairness, I only recall ever using that side of him outside of battle just to save Rosa's MP and my healing items.

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Posted: 29th January 2017 07:08

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Quote (Rangers51 @ 26th January 2017 19:21)
Quote (Glenn Magus Harvey @ 2nd August 2015 20:18)
He functions kinda like endgame Ness in Earthbound, in the sense that he sort of serves as the meatshield.  More so than Ness, actually -- Ness is actually tank + healer, as opposed to tank + meatshield (because of Cecil's Cover ability).

Well, as a Paladin, Cecil can be used as a healer in a pinch, of course - he gets the first two tiers of Cure over time. But in total fairness, I only recall ever using that side of him outside of battle just to save Rosa's MP and my healing items.

I used Cecil a lot on the moon when I needed to heal and didn't want to waste Rosa's MP. Cure 2 is effective enough to get the job done. Also I totally understand why GMH says Cecil's a meatshield, his cover helps in a pinch when Rydia gets low.

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Posted: 29th January 2017 07:38

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My thought is that games like FF4 are easier to enjoy as a kid, because you don't typically have the perspective of having played games, read books, or seen movies with far more ingeniously tailored plots and characters.

On the other hand, I played it for the first time only a year or two ago and quite enjoyed it, though I also have a penchant for vastly overleveling before jumping into a major quest. I think I took Rydia to level 20 or so right after I got her before I went any further in the game. Needless to say I was roflstomping baddies for a good long while.

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Posted: 30th January 2017 09:50

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Final Fantasy IV cannot truly be understood until one has played Dragon Warrior (NES) and Final Fantasy (NES). Bonus points if you go the extra mile (I'm not kidding) and at least attempt to get through Phantasy Star (SMS).

Once you've digested those, you may do one of two things in our modern internet society:

1. Limit your perceptions to what was released in the USA at the time

or

2. Play the series in the order they were made.

If you want the experience of being an American kid getting into JRPGs in the 90's, I'd say choose #1. If you want to know how the series evolved, I'd say choose #2, but it will take longer and be frustrating: FF2 and FF3 on the NES are quite punishingly hard.

FF4, then, is a step back from all that; you complained in your OP about the characters having too weak an attack power; I hate to break it to you, but Cecil and Kain are dynamite compared to how you start any of the first 3 games in the series.

The LIGHT WARRIORS all start at level 1. They have no equipment whatsoever. They have 400 g. Frioniel & Co. (FF2) begin with some bare-bones equipment and an utter lack of any ability to kill the mood at a party. They are utterly powerless. So, too, with the Onion Knights of FF3, they start the game barely able to take down a group of Goblins.

FF4 gives you Cecil and Kain out of the gate, and they will largely destroy just about anything you see in the surrounding field of Baron's countryside. Enter the Mist Cave and you start seeing some encounters with monsters that take 2 hits more often. But that's kind of it.

If you level Lydia (Rydia?) a bit, she gets more MP and some useful magic, and frankly Tellah makes it somewhat easier to do so, because he has basically everything you need magic-wise. Therefore, do not let Tellah leave the party without Rydia getting some training in, would be my ProTip of the day.

Really, you are judging FF4 based on games that came after it. That's why it seems odd to you, I'm gonna bet.

By the way, the "EasyType" version wasn't really that much easier gameplay wise I don't think. It was called "EasyType" because there's not so much complicated foreign loanwords in it, as was in the original script. It's "EasyType" because the "Type" is "Easier." Literally, the type, the copy, the dialogue script, is easier for teenage Japanese people to read.

...See Tomato's Legends of Localization web page for further details.

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Posted: 30th January 2017 16:39

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Isn't that kind of the point, though? FF4 is much more interested in telling a story than any of the other games you quoted, and it doesn't make any sense to have Cecil and Kain as level 1 babies and also commanders of their respective forces within Baron. It's condescending to say that you can't truly understand a game and compare them to things that are unfair comparisons.

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Posted: 30th January 2017 17:10

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Quote (Neal @ 30th January 2017 11:39)
Isn't that kind of the point, though? FF4 is much more interested in telling a story than any of the other games you quoted, and it doesn't make any sense to have Cecil and Kain as level 1 babies and also commanders of their respective forces within Baron. It's condescending to say that you can't truly understand a game and compare them to things that are unfair comparisons.

Linear time is a thing, Neal...

I didn't mean to condescend...I merely said that judging the game based on what came after it is not as logical as judging it based on what came before.

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Posted: 5th February 2017 04:40

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Quote (OldComer @ 27th July 2015 13:36)





4) The story. Now, why am I going to Mt Hobs again? To meet someone, or to get something? Hmm, not sure, let's press on. Oh, another crystal needs saving from Golbez! Who's Golbez? Yes, the story is so rushed, and seems to leap from one scenario to another it's hard to keep up. Plus, there's nothing innovative at all, same old cliché piled upon same old cliché, yawn. Now I know many FF games are cliché-tastic, but they all did it better than this.

I know this game is well-loved by many, but I honestly cannot see the appeal.

Feel free to shoot me down in flames... pinch.gif

Quote


1) The music.  Agh, the music is terrible.  Especially that awful, droning battle theme that just goes on and on and on.  I can't remember exactly how many times I've muted the volume just to shut that damn repetitive, whining dirge up, which considering just how difficult the battles are is plenty of times...


I don't really agree with you here, but maybe that is nostalgia earbuds on my part. The simplistic 16-bit MIDIs of FF4 bring me back to a simpler time. A time where I could sit and play RPGs for hours and lose track of time. The music can be repetitive and the songs are usually no more than 50-60 seconds long with a couple of loops and I can see that being annoying.

Quote
2) WHY is this game so hard??  Now, I'm up for a challenge, but this is just stupid.  I have no objection to grinding in RPGs (hell I even enjoy it sometimes) but in this game the only effect grinding has is to give you even more difficult enemies in battle.  Hardly an incentive to level up isn't it?  And why are my party members just so weak?  I'm pretty early into my latest (attempt) at a playthrough, and I have Cecil, Edward, Rosa and Lydia...  NONE of whom are any use in battle!  A child with nowhere near enough MP, a wimpy bard whose "abilities" in battle are useless, a woman who can cast some spells but is too weak, and a "dark knight" whose weapon is increasingly ineffective against many enemies.  Even later on, my party is just pathetic.  Weak members, ineffective "special abilities" and over-powered foes.  Grr, I hate battles in this game.


You have to do a little level grinding I think. I love FF4 but I'll admit the grind can be frustrating. There are a couple places where you NEED Rosa to get the spells Float and Wall/Reflect. (Going into the Summoned Monster cave or the Sylph cave and then fighting Asura). If you played the game without too much grinding Rosa will have to grind up 4 or 5 levels to get all the way to Reflect. Can be annoying though when I play the newest (DS) version I seem to be that level earlier than I was on SNES.

Quote
3)  The menu system.  I realise this is an old game, but the menus are just so user-unfriendly it's a chore.  And NO info anywhere!  No info on weapon abilities, nothing to tell you anything apart from a weapon's base strength, it's all trial and error (and when you take into account this game's difficulty an error is often fatal).  Now for clarification, I'm playing the PS1 port which I know isn't great, but the fact this is a game ported to the PS1 with no attempt to improve even this...  Piss-poor from Square.


I will concede this point. The menus are pretty clunky and there are some awful translations in there. For example, if you have a 2-handed Sword "Avenger" and you try to equip a shield you will get a message box that says "To equip" which is supposed to be an error message saying something like "This weapon requires two hands".

Quote
4)  The story.  Now, why am I going to Mt Hobs again?  To meet someone, or to get something?  Hmm, not sure, let's press on.  Oh, another crystal needs saving from Golbez!  Who's Golbez?  Yes, the story is so rushed, and seems to leap from one scenario to another it's hard to keep up.  Plus, there's nothing innovative at all, same old cliché piled upon same old cliché, yawn.  Now I know many FF games are cliché-tastic, but they all did it better than this.


I don't agree here either. I will admit they are cliched today but I think by the standards of 1991 a game with the world size and story of FF4 was pretty groundbreaking.

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Posted: 6th February 2017 05:13

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Quote (Electricbassguy @ 4th February 2017 20:40)


I don't agree here either. I will admit they are cliched today but I think by the standards of 1991 a game with the world size and story of FF4 was pretty groundbreaking.

That's the thing, back when this came out in 1991, this wasn't a cliched story. It hadn't been done before and was fresh. The previous installment that came to the US was pretty weak in the story department, where the narrative didn't flow. FFI was about the ORBS, warriors of light, something something Garland/Chaos. IMO, there was lots of drama (is Kain on our side? will Cecil figure out his place?) and the flow/pacing was great. Is it now viewed as hackeneyed? Yep, because so many others have touched on similar notes. But before all them, there was FFIV.

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Posted: 22nd October 2017 04:50

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Hi, everyone. I'm new to the forum. Before I get started responding to this topic, please let me exclaim how refreshing it is to find a forum where differences of opinion are respected! It certainly permits discussion rather than all sorts of other unpleasantness.

Final Fantasy IV (II to me back in the day on the SNES) was an amazing game compared to many other video games (mostly on mainframes and DOS PC) I had played previously. Adventure, Zork, Alternate Reality The City -- all of these games were okay, but were lacking. Final Fantasy VI (SNES III) had been my first FF game, and the prevailing wisdom is your 'gateway' game to the series will by default be your favorite, but no. Not that I don't love FFVI, too! But, even though FFIV was a bit of a step back in graphic terms, the character-driven focus, along with the music (most of it, I agree with a previous mention that the battle music is somewhat droning and monotonous -- but, balance that out with the overworld theme that is one of the best in the series, imho, particularly the Dissidia arrangements!), the sheer creativity of the monsters (oh, I had been an avid tabletop RPGer, too, and was tired of standard elves and orcs and goblins from D&D) the plot, even with some of the more sappy elements -- all of it became greater than the sum of its parts shaping it into a cohesive whole that is still delightfully satisfying in a way that few other games have equaled (looking at you, Chrono Trigger!) and none have ever surpassed.

Like other posters have mentioned, I've played this game in different iterations on different platforms. Some old-time players don't like the DS remake, thinking that it's too easy, or not caring for the chibi-esque art restyling, or the voice acting, but I'm not one of them. For a player who wants to like FFIV, but is turned off by its classic incarnation (and who has access to a DS) I would recommend giving that version a try. It's more modern in both appearance and playability, but maintains the key elements that make this such an amazing game in the first place. Oh, and it corrects some of the rushed and incomplete feelings some have mentioned, as the translation is better. It's quite clear now in the opening sequence that Cecil commanded a raid on Mysidia that resulted in unjust deaths. In the SNES version, that was obscured as I suppose the idea of a military raid on an unarmed town (by the supposed hero of the game, even!) would have given the American censors conniption fits. In fact, we have only about half of the original intended game in some regards. Cecil was supposed to be able to do more than 'fight' and 'item' when he was a dark knight, for example. Many things were dummied out in the original American release.

As for the most common complaint I've heard about the DS version voice acting? It's that they sound 'too old'. Again, it was mentioned in this thread before, but both Cecil and Kain were accomplished and ranking members of the Baron military before the game even starts. They shouldn't sound like unsure teenagers! And Peter Beckman aka Anthony Landor (the voice actor for Golbez)? Shivers!

I haven't had a problem with the party being under-powered when compared to the monsters, though it is easy enough to get into trouble in that regard. If you go dashing off for Mount Ordeals right after Mysidia, you can be in a world of hurt. Cecil's dark sword is a liability against undead, which are teeming on the mountain, and Palom and Porom, if you don't equip them well and spend some time leveling them first, won't be strong enough to counteract that weakness. On the other hand, Cecil's dark sword instant kills the Zuu monsters on the way to Ordeals, and they give you great xp, and decent gold. Take your time walking from Mysidia to Ordeals, even wander around the forest aimlessly to get more random encounters, and the Mysidia Mages will help get your troubled Dark Knight to the peak to take up the true sword of his destiny easily enough.

I guess that's a trick I've learned from some of the DOS PC games. Grind, either to level for combat power, or to find a specific item, or to amass resources. Pick an area you can manage, close to some sort of healing, and grind. I'm doing that right now in a replay (on the SNES system) of FFVI(III). I'm in the Veldt gathering Rages for Gau. I've got the airship parked nearby to dash in for healing when I need it, and to swap out the other characters as they learn their spells from the Espers. Granted, you can't level in the Veldt, but taking the time to teach everyone on hand all the spells I have? That will come in handy once I pick up the thread of the story again (which will destroy the World of Balance, but what can you do?)

Still, to each his (or her) own. Again, it's refreshing to find a forum where different opinions are respected. Cecil might be one of my all time favorite characters for video games (not just Final Fantasy ones) but that doesn't mean he has to be everyone's, too.
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Posted: 22nd October 2017 15:12

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Black Waltz
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It's quite clear now in the opening sequence that Cecil commanded a raid on Mysidia that resulted in unjust deaths. In the SNES version, that was obscured as I suppose the idea of a military raid on an unarmed town (by the supposed hero of the game, even!) would have given the American censors conniption fits.


This wasn't taken out of the original USA SNES version.

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Cecil: Then, take the crystal by force!


There are even lines of dialogue in the USA version that make it abundantly clear that Cecil issued an order for his troops to kill the two black mages, and when the white mage resists, she gets iced too. I mean the game starts with a woman getting murdered right in front of you, assuming both black mages were even male (though I suppose it didn't matter much with characters that can fit on the face of a SIM card).

...There was no ambiguity about it. The fact that they thought after the original Japan release that dialogue had to be added there was what was different from the JP version.

Minor point of fact. smile.gif Welcome to the Caves, Man.

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Posted: 22nd October 2017 19:57

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Forgive me for not being clearer. I believed it was a bit ambiguous that the initial raid had killed Mysidian mages from reading the dialog as there is force and there is deadly force, and even though Cecil says something along the lines of 'your crystal or your life' the little dash attacks that result in the mage sprites disappearing (instead of 'turning red' and sinking into the ground as definitely killed monsters do everywhere else in the game) and the fact that the jail cells in Baron are full of captured mages, almost seemed as if it were a deliberate attempt to blur the situation to sneak it by the censors. The DS version added a line about 'cutting them down' in regards to the Mysidian raid that makes it much clearer that there were people killed. *shrug* Though I suppose this is a ymmv consideration.

I find it fascination to read the various translation notes on this webpage --
http://legendsoflocalization.com/final-fantasy-iv/intro/

just to see what changes were made in the game when they translated it for a different market and tghen further translated for different releases on different platforms.

And... I still need to discover if this is a good forum for me or not. Time will tell, I suppose.
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Posted: 22nd October 2017 23:12

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Black Waltz
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Part of this is that I always simply assumed that they were killed, when I first played. I wonder how someone could think differently...? eh.gif

It's been a very long time indeed since I've played the SNES version. And if foruming makes you nervous that you'll get into an argument over SNES game trivia, then...

I dunno that seems like it might be some kind of generalized anxiety you're dealing with. There are things in life quite a bit more important to me than people being civil on the internet. I've come to view it as something only a fool would wait for, though I agree it would be nice if they were.

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Posted: 23rd October 2017 02:37

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IIRC, other characters' deaths in the game are indicated by their sprite flickering and disappearing, too. So yeah, everything points to those mages being killed.

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Posted: 6th February 2018 15:14

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I feel like there are multiple references to them being actually slain as opposed to just incapacitated.

For me it is indeed the nostalgia aspect but it is a little more than that. Another poster mentioned that folks should play the original FF, Dragon Warrior and at least give an honest go with Phantasy Star (which is fair advice, PS is a pretty rough grind).

I cut my teeth on Final Fantasy, shortly after it was dropped in the US. I actually didn't play much Dragon Warrior until I decided to play through it as an adult, same with PS, though I can't recall if I finished that one. Final Fantasy was so amazing to me at the time and it's what introduced me to the genre and fantasy in general. Despite it's many flaws at release and the fact that it hasn't aged gracefully doesn't take away from how revolutionary it was and the impact it's had on gaming... I still go back and play through it about once a year or so.

I suppose my point would that starting on Final Fantasy and seeing the transition of going from that to how they utilized the SNES and made that amazing jump from FF to "FF2" (I had no idea about the real FFII and FFIII until I was older and the internet became more prevalent) was just absolutely mind blowing to me at the time. The music, the much improved sprites with the new tech, the characters having fleshed out personalities (taking in account for the limit of text at the time) and the story having well, a real story and twists and turns and happiness and anguish (yes, they are all cliché now but what was going on at the time has to be at least be considered) really made an impression on me at the time.

I think FFVI is a better game overall but I've always my favorite FF is either IV or VI, depending on which one I'm playing at the time.
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