"One to be born from a dragon..." -- Let's Play Final Fantasy II

The DS version isn't "better" translated so much as it's more fancily translated.

The DS version has Cecil going NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! and I can't decide if I love or hate it.

Also, they mispronounce "Yang" in the DS version.

"But Brick, that's how--"

THEY MISPRONOUNCE IT.

Yawng.

Yayng

Yan-GUH

Yin?

Y'awnggh?

Now Rydia keeps getting two-shotted in the waterway...

The DS version is really kind of weird. The localization seems more like something from an Ivalice game, the difficulty is jacked way up... and Square is completely ignoring its existence with the PSP game, which is based on the GBA game.

They absolutely ruined the ATB, too. The original FFIV is one of very very very few games that does an ATP system right (no real unnecessary waiting, battle text aside, no stupid bars). The obscene cast times of all the high level spells and the fact that Rosa has, literally, every useful spell in the game at the end (I didn't FAQ my augments, so no doublecast for me) just sort of breaks everything fun about the game. You'll get 4-5 attacks off with Edge while Rydia attempts to cast Thundaga (and dies before she can get it off because Cura also takes two rounds to cast). At least once she learns flare she can do something semi-useful. And forget ever raising anyone in combat, since you can't target dead people with heals there's no chance to start working off the punishing cast time on a Cure spell before you get out the raise/phoenix down.

It does makes some of the worthless spells good. Stop and Hold are basically required, Cecil is going to start off casting shell/protect every fight.

Not all bad, though:



Once I was used to combat again I made it to Mysida in 2:28. No game overs, though I did waste some time trying to get Rydia through the waterway before just gunning it and running to the first save point.

EDIT: damn it, focused too much on getting Ika and Ruga into that 2nd shot and I wasn't facing the camra. That's a lot more hilarious if you can see the deadly serious look on the pig's face.

Yeah, the charge times on spells in that game are fucking ridiculous, making them barely worth using at all, except in that I had to make my spellcasters do something.

Everything about this post just reinforces my decision to stop playing FF4DS and feel good about it, aside from serious pig.

I'd rather have an ATB bar so I could have a visual element of which character is going to go when.

The DS version only served to validate my natural pronunciation of everyone's names. I was pleased.

It's kind of a janky thing, but stuff like the character thought bubbles kept me sufficiently entertained until the end. Even if augments are terrible.

I like FF4 DS, but you have to take it as its own thing. Like another game based on the same story. It's not my favourite FF4 (the Euro GBA version is right now, hoping the PSP version can replace that), but it's different enough to validate its existence.

Also, it's a difficult FF, which is like a rare flower from the Square of the last twenty years.

And THAT is why he's a rotting corpse. From spending centuries trying to shoot the exact square that shows the exit.

Someone has to have done this before, but I haven't seen it yet, so:

Hey, Boss! I dropped your gil while we were running from those monsters!

I'm all for difficulty (I generally do casual low-balling when I replay my RPGs), but FFIV DS isn't difficult in any sort of fun or fair way. The fact that I have to beat most bosses with Cecil, Rosa and (random damage dealer X) because I can't keep anyone else alive, and that every major fight has to start off with Rosa using casting haste from an item and someone else casting slow from an item to even be close to winnable just doesn't do it for me.

It's an interesting remake, but it's a pretty messed up game (still hasn't stopped me from playing, though! Just need the crystal sword now and the final dungeon's cleared out, pink puffs aside).

...I don't know whether to profess my love for you after seeing this picture or punch you in the dick.

Wrong, all wrong. It's clearly pronounced You-nah. ^_^ I'm just kidding; please don't kick me. --;

Yep, someone did.



I lost all the data for that full 3D PSP remake you were working on, Boss. Might as well cobble together something with 2D Korean-y graphics for a quick buck or three!

Double post (maybe), but I couldn't quote everything I wanted with the first one.

Yeah, I agree. As much as I was interested in seeing Final Fantasy IV get an actual remake, the DS game's general look and translation made it feel like it was some other RPG. I can't say I'm too surprised Square-Enix decided to use the GBA FFIV as a base instead, given that it's a 2D remake.

I still wish S-E would put a bit more oomph into the 2D for these remakes, though. Detail schmetail, I'd love to see the 2D FFIV monsters with actual animation for once, like the monsters in the Dragon Quest remakes and Strange Journey. Hell, even Pokémon has animated monsters now with Black and White, and it's got about 650 of the things! And that's not even counting all the gender variations and alternate formes!

Oh well. Guess we can't expect that brand of awesome from GBA-to-PSP Final Fantasy remakes. And S-E knows they'll sell anyway. Cha-ching. =(

Oh god oh god D: D: D:
Guise, FF4hardtype nerfed Virus and level 3 elemental magic by making them take about as long as og Meteo to charge
FF4DS is a romhack
D:

I still find it baffling how they did FFII so godawful on the DS, when FFIII was incredibly-super-duper-mega-awesome on the DS. I think SE just likes to toy with our expectations. coughcoughFF13coughcough

Wait, that combined with the insanely brutal counter attacks the bosses do (Cagnazzo comes to mind, what with Slowing and Poisoning the entire party at once on a counterattack)....

IT ALL MAKES SO MUCH SENSE NOW HOW DID I NOT SEE THIS BEFORE?!

Pretty much. Squex said (or stated something to the effect) that they developed FF4DS for people who already knew the game inside and out, so they'd subvert expectations and provide new challenges. Isn't that what most romhacks amount to? People twisting the game to "challenge" experienced players?

Man, am I the only one that liked FFIVDS?

I should go back and do a second play-through to see if all this vitriol sours the experience.

I liked it. I never played it on SNES, couldn't deal with it on the PSX. I've only ever played through and beat it on the GBA (same with ff6)

I didn't find it that hard to adapt to the difficulty. I prefer the GBA version, but I thought the DS version was fine.