Final Fantasy IV

Oh how I miss the era of 90's games, where the JRPG was king. There were many gems during that time, but Final Fantasy IV will always have a special place in my heart. The definition of a JRPG classic, FFIV was a pioneer landmark that truly ushered in an age where video games could tell a complex story just as well as any movie or novel. While many Final Fantasies came after this one, most of which can be argued to be "greater"/better, FFIV's status as a classic cannot be denied, and I'm happy to say this remake of it is worthy of the original in every way. First off, the original FFIV is a beloved entry in the series for a number of reasons. In many ways, it was the first of its kind in terms of storytelling in games. It has a rich world filled with likable, memorable characters with motives that make each easy to relate to and root for. The story is filled with events both exciting and poignant, many of which are truly unforgettable. The whole experience is saturated with charm and a tangible sense of adventure. The gameplay follows the traditional JRPG formula to great effect, with a wonderful balance in its RPG elements. Nobuo Uematsu's soundtrack for this game is legendary, giving the already exciting story even more grandeur and gravitas. The game is definitely one of the best entries to grace the Final Fantasy series, and I hold it in high esteem in my heart alongside FFVI, VII, and IX. It's a lovely game. That been said, when you get a chance to play a remake with so much effort put into it, and from the same core team that worked on the original so many years ago no less, you take it, and you thank yourself and the gaming gods you did. This is, without a doubt, my personal favorite version of FFIV. Why is this my favorite version of Final Fantasy IV? After all, you can get the game in its original SNES form (including digital rerelease form for the VC and PSN), as well as ports for the PS1 and GBA , and an even more recent, arguably more retro remake in the form of FFIV: The Complete Collection for the PSP which contains both FFIV's sequel AND a brand new interquel. So again, you're probably wondering why this is my preferred version. Let me tell you... - The script. The script in the original SNES release, when it was known as FF II in the US, is imfamously known to be terribly botched. The localization team back then had no idea what they were doing. For this DS remake, however, Square went all out and had Tom Slattery translate this new version's script (the stellar Chrono Trigger DS translation was his work as well). The result is a script that finally gives the timeless story of Cecil and his companion the grandeur, depth, and sophistication it has always deserved. This is, without a shadow of a doubt, thee vest best translation of Final Fantasy IV. It has a tremendous amount of depth and nuance to it, and this story has never been more enjoyable to take it. It also has a great deal of levity and humor to the mix as well, including the "YOU SPOONY BARD!" line lovingly preserved. It's a wonderful balance that makes the story so compelling and charming. Complimenting this script in certain places are excellent cutscenes with voice overs from voice actors renowned in the business for their skill and ability, and they hit it out of the park here. Almost every character benefits a lot by their voice actor and new script. Not only that, but some characters' stories have been expanded to include more depth and background, which is also very much welcomed. Knowing that the same core team as the original wrote these new parts makes the entire story in this game feel brand new again. This, in my opinion, is the most compelling reason to view this as the definitive version of FFIV. - The engaging changes to the gameplay. In order to make this game appeal to veterans of the original game, the development team worked hard to give this game a much increased level of difficulty, and they definitely succeeded. This version is hard as nails in terms of its combat. Enemies hit a lot harder. Bosses are so difficult, you really need to learn the right strategy just to stand a chance at beating them. While some may chafe at the difficulty of this game, I personally thought it made it more engaging. You are required to be quick with your fingers and your mind as you enter battles, employing proper strategies to stay on top. I really enjoyed this myself. There's also a new "Augment" system in place that allows you to teach certain skills and abilities (ones that used to be limited to certain characters) to anybody of your choosing. This new system allows for even more strategy and planning, as you can combine abilities in ways that lead to devastatingly powerful characters. For instance, teaching Cover and Yang's Kick augment to Cecil allows him to retaliate after defending an ally from attack with a super powerful blow to, not just the enemy who attacked, but every enemy. Talk about a powerful combination! This augment system made what was already a fun JRPG into an even more engaging experience. - The visual enhancements. This tends to be the most controversial aspect to the game that turns people away. No one will deny that the environments and enemies look fantastic. Battle screens look splendid, the overworld is charmingly colorful, the towns all have distinctive personalities, and the visuals shine even in close-up scenarios in the cutscenes. What people seem to have a problem with are the "chibified" models for the main characters, but I personally like them a lot. I don't understand why some think they're untrue to the originals. If you look up promotional art for the game from its release, they looked a lot like the characters do in this game, except now they're a lot more detailed. Heck, they look like the PSP version's do but in a 3-D world. I find they are given more emotional expression in this style. I don't get the hate. I think the visuals in this game are pretty gorgeous, and they really seem to push the DS beyond its capabilities. As far as I'm concerned the visuals are a win in this game. - The audio enhancements. Like I said earlier, Nobuo Uematsu's soundtrack for this game is splendid, filled with a sweeping grandeur that still sounds great. For this remake, they remade the wonderful compositions with much more lush orchestration that befits such a moving score. Anyone who hears this game's version of Interlude, The Red Wings, the Overworld Theme, all of the battle music, etc. are in for a genuine treat. Wonderful job here! Like I said earlier, the voice acting in this game is another audio aspect that could have been disastrous but turned out great here. Let me be clear, I am not bashing any other version of FFIV with this review. I love the PSP Complete Collection version of this game a lot myself, but with the aspects mentioned above, it is my personal opinion that this DS remake is, hands down, the best version of Final Fantasy IV available. The original was and still is a wonderful game to take in, with many timeless aspects, but with the DS remake, you get what was already a classic elevated to the level of a masterpiece. Square did great with this one. IF ONLY they would give Final Fantasy VI the same kind of treatment for the 3DS! So buy it, prepare for an amazing tale of redemption, friendship, and adventure, rediscover a landmark in video game history.

This is probably the best version of Final Fantasy IV. It has content not present in later or prior releases like Whyt and related minigames, as well as the augment system which, while present in later versions, is messed with in the PC/iOS/AND releases. You can't go wrong with FFIV. It has an ATB system (this is the game that introduced it!) where you have gauges that slowly fill up and allow you to do an action with that character once their ATB gauge is full. If you set the battle system to "Active" in the options, enemies will attack you even while you're selecting spells or items, which forces you to think on your feet. There's also plenty of unique equipment you can get throughout the game, particularly the incredibly rare and hard (tedious) to get Onion equipment and other equipment added in this version. Only equipment equipped to your hands will show up on your character, for better or for worse. Still, the equipment that does show up looks cool, and the various special effects are exciting. The visuals are great, and will not make your eyes bleed like other DS games. Some people hate the slightly chibi art style, but I think it works rather well. FFIV DS has colorful and pleasing visuals, and this version is no different! The OST is amazing. The tracks do a good job of not only setting the mood, but getting an emotional reaction out of the player. Since FFIV DS was my first experience with FFIV, I decided to listen to the original OST to see how different it was, and they seemed to have stayed very faithful. I'm impressed, since usually remakes butcher/change the OST so much it becomes unrecognizeable. Here, it seems like they made higher quality versions of each track, which is what every remake should do, provided that the OST was already good in the original. (some minor spoilers about the plot here) The plot is not necessarily completely original, but it doesn't need to be. It's still unique enough that I care about it. It could be the world that it's set in, how strange and mysterious the world is, but the plot itself is still entertaining. Fetching crystals, conspiracies about the king, the main protagonist's girlfriend getting captured...oh, and the world of FFIV is larger than it first appears! The characters, like the plot, aren't original, but you still might find yourself caring about them. The voice acting is likely the reason for this, as while the voice acting is so Shakespearian you might cringe, you find that you like it anyways. It's like how the VA in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is so bad, yet it has charm because of it. You have your angsty ninja, somewhat tsundere summoner girl, pretty/feminine white mage who also happens to be the main protag's girlfriend...again, they aren't exactly unique, but they are lovable. The previously mentioned augment system was introduced with this version. How it works is that at certain points in the game, places or people will have abilities that you can receive from them and put on other party members. Once you use an augment on a party member, there's no taking it back unless you reset. You may take it out of their command menu so that it doesn't show up in battle, but you cannot assign that ability to another party member, unless you get another copy of said augment and use it on them. Now, previously unique abilities like Yang's Focus can be applied to someone like Kain or Cecil. While this is a good thing, it has some major drawbacks. You can miss certain augments. Also, if you forget to obtain some augments or don't find them before you beat the game once and go onto your New Game Plus, you're forever screwed out of that copy of that augment. So basically, if you want a true 100% run, you'll likely need to hit up GameFAQs or another site that hosts guides. All in all, do not pass this up if you're a JRPG fan and want to enjoy the best version of a classic. While it's not flawless, it's easily one of the best RPGs ever, up there with Final Fantasy 6 and 7, Chrono Trigger, and Kingdom Hearts.

Final Fantasy IV on the DS is mostly a fun game that goes very light on the story, which sometimes borders on the absurd. If you come from the great era of computer RPG's AND have played japanese RPG's, then you know what to expect: there is no element of choice, there is a big focus on level advancement even though your stats are determined automatically, your role is already pre-determined and nothing you can do changes the outcome of events, and, finally, battles play an immense role. ** STORY ** Most people like RPG's because these are games that, usually, can tell a good tale. Well, this is not such game. The story starts out fine and poses and interesting dilemma: you are a knight sent on a dark quest that raises suspicions about the king's judgement even in a loyal soldier such as yourself. After a few events, you are forced to take on a rather personal mission to find out what is happening behind the throne which will lead to a wild, ridiculous series of events involving an ancient evil, companions that come and go and give their lives for your cause so easily that they make dying look fun, and all sorts of beasts and locations taken from a wild mix of all the world's mythologies. Basically, put in a measure of every mystical tale you've heard, every mystical location you know of, and a few crazy, wild tales in a container and mix thoroughly. After playing this game for a while, nothing will surprise you anymore. You will have seen all sorts of absurd creatures and events and will have traveled above and below. I seems to me like this story was written by a 12 year old. I kept expecting to battle ninja-robot-wizards, but I guess they weren't trendy in '91. Don't get me wrong, it's kind of entertaining if you, like me, like fantasy. Don't expect a grandiose tale though, because this isn't one. ** GRAPHICS, SOUND, MUSIC ** Being a DS remake of the original FFIV (FFII on the SNES), it features updated graphics now in 3D polygons. Visual quality is very appealing, but the character models are somewhat lacking. Your characters look like munchkins instead of great heroes, especially when confronted by a boss enemy, that literally towers above you. Sound quality is pretty good for DS standards, and the game even has fully-voiced animated cutscenes. Voices are very well done by professional voice actors, and the animations are very fluent and well executed, in a cartoonish sort of way (don't get me wrong, it's great!). Music is pretty standard JRPG-score. A lot of tunes are somewhat tacky if you will excuse my opinion. But then again, this is a 20-year old game with a new wrapping. ** GAMEPLAY ** In general, the game is fun and exploration is rewarding (literally!). You will see a big variety of locations and battle a huge assortment of enemies. There is too much focus on battling, however. As most JRPG's this one goes light on the role-playing and heavy on the tactical battling. Now, this is the most annoying aspect of this game. While the battles are really fun and demand an effective strategy, you will be facing random encounters every two or three steps no matter where you are: outdoor, dungeons, caverns, palaces, more dungeons, etc. For practical purposes there is no way of avoiding them(*) and you won't see them coming. It's like you hit an invisible enemy that suddenly materializes in front of your eyes. This isn't too bad since you have to grind-for-your-life: enemies will get really strong and you'll have to spend a few hours actually searching for random encounters to increase your level, which in my opinion completely breaks game and story immersion. In other JRPG's such as Square's own Chrono Trigger, you don't have to do nearly as much level grinding, so you can enjoy the story and feel like what you do has some kind of significance. Excessive random battling is game breaking in an RPG, in my opinion. These many battles and the necessity to grind levels separate you from the story which you will be playing at intervals, making this an unnecessarily long game. (*) There is a way of avoiding random encounters, but getting it is itself MORE annoying than random battles, as you need a particular item with a drop rate of less than 1%. ** FINAL THOUGHTS ** While the game itself can be rewarding and entertaining, there are certain design problems with this game that make it feel very frustrating at times. This version includes a Quicksave option (a-la Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia) that lets you save a temporary file anywhere you are in the game, but deletes itself upon loading. Some save points are set way too sporadically, making you replay a couple of hours if you happen to die from an unusually strong random encounter or simply make a mistake. All in all, an entertaining game, but not the greatest one I've played that's for sure. Then again, we computer RPG fans were really spoiled in the 90's, so my RPG standards are set too high. If you have a DS/DSi, you like cheesy fantasy, don't have any other RPG to play on the DS and have a bunch of hours to burn, then sure, get this game. Why not?

Final Fantasy II for the SNES (the original US release of FF4 back in 1991) was the first console video game I ever bought, and a life-long favorite of mine. This remake is the reason that I bought a Nintendo DS, and I count it well worth it. While the various other remakes of FF4 are wonderful and well worth it in their own right, this DS remake is top quality update of one of the greatest games ever made. The story is wonderful (as always), the translation is much improved (FF2 for the SNES was a little hard to follow due to its rather poor translation, but that probably lent the game some of its original charm. I've understood the plot better with every re-translation of the game, and I've been thrilled that the phrase "You spoony bard!" has remained unchanged, though I miss the original "Let's Go!" while leaving every inn), the graphics are astounding, the musical score (one of the best ever) sounds as good as ever, and there are a number of "extras." What I mean by "extras" is that the game gives you extra plot (flashback to Golbez's childhood!) at several points, in addition to the augment system which lets you customize your characters in new ways, and best of all, when you finish the game you can save your data and start a new game with your previous augments and rare items (like the Chrono Trigger "New Game+" option). I was thrilled to see this kind of re-play value built-in to a game that I know from the past I've already enjoyed playing through 7+ times in its various incarnations. The difficulty is definitely increased (the original FF2 was based on the Japanese "easy type" version of the game, not the mainstream FF4j), but not nearly as impossible as some of the reviews here imply. I (as an old-school fan) was determined to play through the end sequence Bahamut-Robot-Lunar Subterran, which is how the game used to be best played. However as many have pointed out, the Bahamut cave is an extremely huge jump up in difficulty. I also neglected to play around with the augment system and didn't even realized I had picked up the "level lust" augment which cuts down on grind time. As a result I had to spent 5 hours leveling up outside of the Bahamut cave, which I think most people won't want to do (I don't recommend it). Get the level lust augment, play through the robot, then fight Bahamut when you're good and ready. Zeromus is difficult, but in a way that is very satisfying to defeat (and nothing as hard as the Emerald and Ruby weapons of FF7). My finish time first time through was 37 hours and 9 minutes, with 5 hours of that sheer grinding outside the Bahamut cave, about 3 hours of that grinding at 2 or 3 other points in the game, and the rest just playing through. I enjoyed every minute. The ability to close the DS and have the game go into standby meant that I could play on my bus commute. I think this game is best enjoyed after playing an earlier version (esp FF2!), but it's so well done that anyone who enjoys Final Fantasy should be sure to like it. I highly recommend this game.

I'm a huge Final Fantasy fan, but I had never played IV before, either as II during the SNES days or the re-release for the GBA (there was one of those, right?). This new DS remake is a gem, though. I wasn't terribly impressed with the DS remake of III, mostly because I didn't feel that it had much of its own personality and the story and characters were kind of flat, by modern standards. This game remedies those problems with the inclusion of cutscenes with voice acting at all of the major points in the game, and it really does a good job at driving those scenes' emotional impact home. I'm totally hooked on the characters and story, which is unusual for me with the earlier Final Fantasies. As far as game mechanics go, one of my favorite features is the ability to customize the battle menu for each character. You can rearrange or remove not only main commands (Attack, Black Magic), but you can throw specific spells/skills on the main menu as well (Fira, Esuna). I love that I don't have to have Attack on the top of Rosa's list, and instead I can get straight to Pray or Cure with just one press of a button. Another nice addition is Auto-Battle. Press X during a battle, and your characters will automatically carry out certain assigned actions until you press X again and cancel Auto-Battle. This came in handy the other day when my little cousin wanted to try the game. I set it to Auto-Battle and had him walk my characters around while they did the fighting and leveling up for me. The only other time I might use this feature is if I'm eating something greasy and I want to put my DS down while I wipe off my hands or somethin'. Hey, a game's snackability is important! I'm also loving the Augments you can collect and give to your characters. This gives them new abilities, often the abilities of other characters who are no longer in your party. I have a killer setup right now where Cecil has Draw Attacks and Counterattack, so he takes damage for my team, then strikes back right away. I love little strategies like this. I'm really enjoying this game so far. A great purchase and a great game from a series I love.

When I first played this game on Super Nintendo, it was called "Final Fantasy II". I have since played this game to death, but at the same time, it is still one of the best Final Fantasy games of all time. I love the story, the graphics and even the music. At one time, I read a review that stated that the music was dramatic, the plot was lacking, and the whole game is bad. I beg to differ. And now that the game has gotten a much needed makeover, the whole game is excellent. Let's break this bad boy down. Graphics: 8 out of 10 Finally! Its in 3D! Seriously though, the graphics do look awesome, and they didn't lose any of the original "feel" of the game. It is nice to see that they took the time to keep the original characters while they made an update to the graphics. All of the characters make nice trasitions to the 3D realm very well. Sound: 9 out of 10 All of the tracks are now orchestrated,and they have beautiful sounds of fights and of the spells. Gameplay: 8 out of 10 I would have preferred NOT to have both screens go blank during the Summons. That is SOOO annoying. Other than that, the game plays fine. The challenge is definitely there, and you don't have much in the way items, so you have to level up and get LOTS of Gil. Overall: 9 out of 10 This game just plain rocks. If you are a fan of the original game, or you want to play it fresh, you can't go wrong with this game.

Meaning, if this were not a remake of one of the greatest RPGs ever and just a DS RPG that had come out to stand on its own, this would be an overwhelming 5 star game. Granted, because it is a remake, it is tough to please all of the fans of the original. As a fan since the very first Final Fantasy, I have enjoyed watching Square fumble around through the years, occasionally bringing American gamers sheer brilliance (FF6, FF7, Chrono Trigger, FFTactics) but often sending us garbage (FF8, FF Mystic Quest, Tobal...). Though the original Final Fantasy was very good, Final Fantasy IV (FF2 on the SNES release) was the game that set the bar just as Secret of Mana set the Action RPG bar. I have some pros and cons with this version. But note that the original US release was slightly tweaked for American gamers who Square and Nintendo felt would be turned off by its difficulty. I made a note of the changes below. This is a true remake, not a re-release as the GBA and PS1 games were. For a long time fan of the series, I enjoyed the fresh look and feel of this game while it retained the old school charm from the original. So on to the various versions: Final Fantasy IV Japanese Super Famicon release (can be played via fan-translated ROMs): much higher encounter rate, exp gained slower, gold gained slower, several bosses were very difficult, Cecil had Darkness ability as Dark Knight, Rosa had Pray ability Final Fantasy II US release: changed dialogue to be approved for 3 year olds (no mention of death, dead, dying) and included the phrase "you spoony bard", changed some item and spell names (White instead of Holy, Light Sword instead of Holy Sword), reduced encounter rate, lower level gain xp requirements, more powerful black magic damage, no Darkness ability for Cecil, Rosa had PRAY changed to AIM (Nintendo probably felt 'pray' would offend someone) Final Fantasy IV PS1 release: made the changes back to the Japanese style, tougher bosses, slightly higher encounter rate, better dialogue, some FMV cut scenes, and the annoying battle command window glitch Finally, Final Fantasy IV DS: Pros: changed to a 3d graphics style (therefore it doesn't feel like playing through the exact same game as before), enhanced musical score, voice acting (kind of a pro and con), cool cut scenes add more drama, higher difficulty, lots of added content, better battle interface (two screen works well), ATB improved Cons: the augment abilities (sorry, I felt that they added a bit too much power and I didn't use them - I preferred the higher difficulty), lengthy summon and special attack sequences in battle, mini map (sorry, I don't like them, I end up staring at it more than the actual screen!) But these cons are minor. I still enjoyed the game immensely. I had hoped for a little more bonus content, maybe some extras for the end of the game (mini-games and such). The other thing that would have been nice: a playable version of the US FF2 complete with silly dialogue (I know you can play on a ROM, but it would have been nice, and wouldn't have taken that much memory, plus many younger players haven't played the original). Overall: A worthy game for any RPG fan and a beautiful trip down memory lane for those of us who fell in love with the series years ago.

Final Fantasy IV DS is a complete remake of what many American gamers know as Final Fantasy II for the SNES. IV was the first 16-bit FF game, and the story was more detailed, the characters more complex, and the graphics and sound more believable than ever before. The DS version keeps the complex and interesting story intact (with a better translation) and features vastly improved character and location graphics in a 3D world. This portable RPG holds its own against anything available for the DS/PSP and is a must-play for fans of Final Fantasy or those looking for a story-driven RPG. It is better than both previous reissues (GBA and PSX), because they were ports with minimal new features, and the Playstation version had long load times. There are many plot twists that keep the player moving onward in uncovering the story details and defeating the ultimate enemy. Dark Knight Cecil starts as a pawn of the enemy, and ultimately weaves through a complex tale to redemption, while saving the world from a great evil. The supporting characters are some of the most memorable in Final Fantasy history, even more so because the player has no control over scripted events that decide who gets to be in your party. I loved FF VI (6) also, but some of the characters were non-essential to the story. In IV (4), every character has a purpose, and sometimes they show up to help out unexpectedly. I'm about halfway through the DS version and it is both a nostalgic trip and a genuinely good RPG that paved the way for greats such as FF VII. I hope that Square Enix continues the remake trend with enhanced versions of FF VI and VII on modern consoles.

great game and great seller! I recommend you buy this, FF fans won't be disappointed.

Was a gift and the husband enjoys it very much

There a few games that come along in a life time and change a genre; one of those games is Final Fantasy 4 (or 2 if you played it like I did originally on SNES). FF%/2 came out when I was ten and it really set the bar for how intense a story can be. With the all new SNES hardware at it's disposal FF4/2 was the game that was a solid ten across the board. When SquareEnix decided to revamp the title I was nervous but excited, needless to say I was not let down. Making use of the DS' dual screens and over all power improvements the new FF4 is a great take on the old story. The dialogue is cleaned up, video cut scenes are added and the soundtrack was given just the slightest polish. The only area that falls a bit short is the voice acting, which is fine, albeit a tad cheesy. The challenge level is still there, and I love the small touches for old buffs like myself ie; thought balloons for each character with what is currently happening in the story line. I even like the way you can see your weapon in the menu screen to see exactly what sword, staff, bow, etc it is you are currently using actually looks like (not enough rpg's do that btw) All in all the game is great. I suggest it highly to anyone who is looking for a great DS game to play down the road or anyone who is a fan of the newer Final Fantasies and wants to revisit the foundation of the series.

Excelente clasico , no debe faltar en tu coleccion

Excelente juego, llego a tiempo y sin problema. Es la version actualizada de FFIV con gráficos adaptados para el DS, lo recomiendo ampliamente.