AtmaWeapon
07-26-2008, 11:34 AM
Is anyone else playing through the Final Fantasy IV DS remake? I'm just past the point where you visit Mist the first time, and here's my thoughts.
FFIV is one of my most favorite games, so I was excited about this. It also made me kind of worried, because when I like a game like I like FFIV, I tend to get angry when some minor detail that was important to me gets overlooked.
I've got to say that it really feels the same, but the additions make it worth picking up. It looks like the cutscenes from the PS version were added, and though they are lower resolution on the DS it's still a very nice touch. The music has been remixed by Nobuo Uematsu (making me have to buy another soundtrack CD *grumble grumble...*) and it really adds a lot of value to the game. Many important scenes in the game have had voice acting added to them, though I must admit the actors come off as fairly dry and emotionless. So far little Rydia's done the best job, though Cecil has his rare moments.
Combat mechanics appear to be similar, but it really feels slower than it did in the original. I believe it's part because a lot of attacks have slightly longer and snazzier animations, but all in all the timing feels slower. There is an auto-combat mode where everyone takes default actions which is nice, but I wish there was a way you could prioritize enemies as there's several situations where the fight is easy only if you take out a particular enemy first. You have a lot of control over how your combat menu appears, and you can even put spells directly on the combat menu, which is a great boon considering how often you need a particular spell in certain places.
One complaint about the 3D conversion I have is that it seems most of the items hidden in pots and other scenery are gone. It may be just because it's hard to line up just right with them and I haven't done that yet, and I hope this is in the case because finding these items saved me a lot of gil in the original.
In short, so far I feel it's a great remake and worth the money. I do wish Square would make more original stuff like The World Ends With You, but this is a very good way to take an old property and make it exciting again. If they do this with FF VI, I'm signed up, and it's a shame they aren't doing it with Chrono Trigger.
FFIV is one of my most favorite games, so I was excited about this. It also made me kind of worried, because when I like a game like I like FFIV, I tend to get angry when some minor detail that was important to me gets overlooked.
I've got to say that it really feels the same, but the additions make it worth picking up. It looks like the cutscenes from the PS version were added, and though they are lower resolution on the DS it's still a very nice touch. The music has been remixed by Nobuo Uematsu (making me have to buy another soundtrack CD *grumble grumble...*) and it really adds a lot of value to the game. Many important scenes in the game have had voice acting added to them, though I must admit the actors come off as fairly dry and emotionless. So far little Rydia's done the best job, though Cecil has his rare moments.
Combat mechanics appear to be similar, but it really feels slower than it did in the original. I believe it's part because a lot of attacks have slightly longer and snazzier animations, but all in all the timing feels slower. There is an auto-combat mode where everyone takes default actions which is nice, but I wish there was a way you could prioritize enemies as there's several situations where the fight is easy only if you take out a particular enemy first. You have a lot of control over how your combat menu appears, and you can even put spells directly on the combat menu, which is a great boon considering how often you need a particular spell in certain places.
One complaint about the 3D conversion I have is that it seems most of the items hidden in pots and other scenery are gone. It may be just because it's hard to line up just right with them and I haven't done that yet, and I hope this is in the case because finding these items saved me a lot of gil in the original.
In short, so far I feel it's a great remake and worth the money. I do wish Square would make more original stuff like The World Ends With You, but this is a very good way to take an old property and make it exciting again. If they do this with FF VI, I'm signed up, and it's a shame they aren't doing it with Chrono Trigger.