/vr/ - Retro Games

I recommend starting with dragon warrior (the first jrpg) and then going on to ff1 to see what the hype was about. Go to the rom hack site and see which hacks you prefer for yourself on the script. There will be plenty of opinions. Rev b is a later revision of the game with likely minor changes. The non rev files are rom hacks

I just started ff1 last week, I'm going to play one ff a month for a year.

I picked the restored version, so I could mass-buy potions, use the "Sabre" spell, etc. It was pretty good, but there are still some issues compared to the modern releases, like Thief/Ninja only gains 2 accuracy per level instead of 5, so he doesn't get a ton of hits to compensate for being weaker than Warrior

>>9570560
1 is pretty fun in it's original iiteration still. 2 is fucking hell though.

3 is a masterpiece and the NES version is still the best. The sheer scale of the game is massive for an NES RPG.

>>9570619
>3 is a masterpiece and the NES version is still the best. The sheer scale of the game is massive for an NES RPG.
For 512k of ROM it had better be.

>>9570570
Never heard of that game, might look it up.
By from hack site you mean romhacking net? I see a "Restored - 2019 Script Port" on the list so maybe that's where my friend got his files.

>>9570590
>I just started ff1 last week, I'm going to play one ff a month for a year.
Exactly what I'm planning to do! I've been told to just play PSP or PixelRemaster by some friends, but the PR version looks even worse than NES imo, not worth breaking my bank account for that.

>>9570619
Why is 2 hell? And is that why people say to go straight to PSP/PR versions instead?

>My question is, why shouldn't I play the original NES? Is it really that bad?
Half of the spells don't work at all. It's extremely poorly balanced, you'll often get completely fucked by randomness that you can't do anything about whereas the rest of it is just trivial number crunching (especially a problem since pretty much all the tools intended to deal with bullshit RPG status stuff are broken). So basically standard JRPG stuff. The real flaw with FF1 is that it's narratively very sparse in a genre that is only good for narrative.

>>9570646
FF2 is grindy as fuck because it doesn't use standard levels, and there's a lot of dumb shit like a lot of rooms that have nothing in them, where they spawn you at the center and every step triggers an encounter.

People oversell how "awful, broken, and esoteric" early RPGs are. It makes them sound more mysterious and romantic than they actually are. It's more that the tedium and frustration to interesting ratio is way out of whack, even for RPGs. You can definitely get through them and enjoy them, you just need a lot of patience.

FF1 doesn't work correctly on Flash carts or emulation as it uses the random junk in the NES's RAM at power on to seed its RNG. I thought some emulators did have a "RAM randomizer" option to work around this but I guess if you were playing on hardware you need the actual cartridge for the game to work properly.

>>9570560
Your friend is a dumb zoomer that doesn't like video games, he's telling you to avoid the originals because you can't just hold down A to win the game without paying attention to it. Don't listen to his shit.

>>9570659
FF2 isn't grindy, you're just a retard that claims so because the shitty walkthrough you're following to the letter says it is.
Try actually playing it instead of listening to dumbasses that don't know what they're talking about.

>>9570724
I've played it well over a decade ago dude, chill.

I remember grinding a lot, but maybe you're right and I was retarded.

>>9570724
>x isn't thing everyone says it is
>I won't give any reason, I will just assert it so obnoxiously as to imply that no justification or explanation is needed
Well SOMEBODY is following a script, anyway. nta

>>9570730
>>9570731
Guidetards see lategame monsters hit them for 5000+ damage per round and think this means they need to grind HP into the stratosphere, when the reason they get hit for so much is because those enemies deal percentage-based damage. All grinding HP does is make it a pain to cure because you lose so much more than intended. What you actually need to do is grind evade. "Grinding evade" is done by equipping a shield. Which there's no fucking point in not doing because using two weapons doesn't actually make you attack with both.

There's your entire top tier walkthrough. Use shields.

>>9570654
This is what I was afraid of. From how much bugfixes the "Restored" hack seems to have in it's Readme, the game's a mess. Tho I don't like quite a few thing it changes.

>>9570659
>where they spawn you at the center and every step triggers an encounter
Geez, sounds like pure annoyance indeed.

>>9570661
I'm looking through the hacks someone mentioned and thinking about applying some basic bugfix patches. The "broken" translation or letter limit doesn't bother me. Think it's funny.

>>9570674
Honestly if I was to spend money, it'd be on the 1-VI bundle of PR on Steam. I really want to play the original versions tho, especially after reading the Steam reviews.

>>9570694
I understand a game being hard, but if it's caused by fake difficulty like equipment, spells, stats or classes not working, then it's just sad how aggressively some people defend it.

>>9570747
Honestly the bugs in the original FF1 don't hurt the game too much. The only big thing it changes is that you can't buff your fighters attack with the Temper spell, but desu that spell is pretty broken powerful anyway.

>I understand a game being hard, but if it's caused by fake difficulty like equipment, spells, stats or classes not working
It's not.

>>9570747
"Half the spells not working" is a massive overstatement, and the balance issues mostly work in your favor because the Fighter class is so much better than everyone else you can basically set your own difficulty level based on how many of them you bring. The generally agreed on most powerful party is 3 Fighters and a Red Mage.

>>9570746
Your rant makes no sense, a "guidetard" would actually know that those monster do % damage because the guide would tell them that. In fact I didn't even know about the info you just gave because I in fact didn't have access to guides when I played this. So yeah, my solution was grinding.

>>9570762
>a "guidetard" would actually know that those monster do % damage because the guide would tell them that
No, the guide won't tell them that because the guide writer doesn't know that, so he just says the game is super hard and you need to grind everyone to 20000 HP to stand a chance.

The entire reason people think FF2 is hard is because all the early guides were written by retards that gave extremely incorrect information and their readers just assumed it was true.

>>9570762
So why didn't you equip shields when the game gave you shields?

>>9570767
>the guide won't tell them that because the guide writer doesn't know that
That's assuming you'd use a shitty guide, though

Most people would go to gamefaqs and get the most up do date and recommended guide, which usually is pretty detailed.

>>9570771
Probably because I was a retarded kid. I just remember gaving everyone two swords and bruteforcing the game with grinding.

>>9570781
Using two swords deals exactly as much damage as using one sword, which means anyone not retarded is not going to do that.

So in other words, the game is only grindy if you're extremely retarded.

>>9570778
"FF2 is super grindy" is one of those "facts" that gets passed around everywhere, and it originates from those early shitty guides. It's only recently there's been good guides for the game.

>>9570646
2 is the most dungeon crawl like of the series. I actually like it a lot, but it's a type of game FF would not ultimately evolve towards and mainstream JRPGs did not evolve towards.
When you play 2 and then 3 observe the linearity of dungeon design and the relative shortness of them versus 1 and 2.

>>9570783
Can't expect much from 12yo with no internet. It's a miracle I managed to beat it.

>>9570797
I recently played it without a guide, and just sort of fucked around and did what I wanted with the characters and got through it without any real grinding.

>>9570646
It's the western version of dragon quest. Japan went fucking wild for it and they made like 100 clones of it for Famicom and elsewhere. It's fun to play and it'll remind you of lots of famous Japanese series like Pokemon. Final fantasy 1 built on the original dragon quests and made it a little more interesting. Story wise they're not connected, but in a gameplay sense, it's a direct continuation on a golden formula. So I think that's a fun way to get into the early final fantasy stuff and appreciate the hype. Anyway, it might be solid advice for having a good time, but you're coming here for final fantasy advice and you might not want to play some non ff game and that's cool too.
Yeah romhacking net is what I'm talking about. For sure that's where the files came from. Also don't be afraid of double xp hacks on nes jrpgs if you find yourself grinding a lot.

>>9570761
I might play a clean version to see how far I can get first. If I beat it (or give up after like a week of being stuck somewhere), I'll check out patched ones. I'll see that 3F1RDM combo too since apparently black mage, thief and black belt aren't the best choices due to the bugs, thanks.

>>9570804
I will, thanks for the tip.

>>9570980
I'll check that game out, so no worries.

>Also don't be afraid of double xp hacks on nes jrpgs if you find yourself grinding a lot
It's not the grind as much as unnecessary random battles that always put me off from trying FF, especially older ones. Having absurdly low lvl enemies jump at you only for you to spam B/X is just annoying.

>>9571057
>apparently black mage, thief and black belt aren't the best choices due to the bugs, thanks.
Has nothing to do with bugs. Black mage is pointless because Red Mage learns all the actually useful spells that can't be cast by items and Thief and Black Belt are just worse versions of the Fighter.

>>9571110
Black Belt has better midgame damage and is infinitely cheaper than the fighter.

>>9570747
>Geez, sounds like pure annoyance indeed.
It was basically a hack of forced encounters in Wizardry.

>>9571163
Infinitely cheaper than using things you find in chests?

>>9571173
Hand-me-downs might work with two fighters, but a third will definitely require some side shopping.

>>9570762
> a "guidetard" would actually know that those monster do % damage because the guide would tell them that.

You overestimate the capicity was gamefaqs guide writers, especially when we're talking about older games. In most cases the writer seems autistic BUT doesn't know or wouldn't think to check the code of the game or even the RAM map to back up his stuff. Like
>according to my math this enemy has about 570 HP!!
or you could have opened the RAM map and looked at the actual number with a signle click, dumbass.

There are SOOO many cases of guides for old RPGs that got like
>okay at this point you should be lvl 20 to stand a chance!!!
When in fact that point in the game is balanced around level 13-5. Meaning they just mindlessly grind and grind and grind for hours when it's not needed.
Random example I stumbled upon some time ago: Dragon Ball Z: Kyoushuu! Saiya Jin. Everyone online claims the game is insanely grindy. There was a bit of grind sure, but nothing extraordinary, I mean it's a 10h long game tops. so why is everyone like that? Because a guide claimed that and for instance recommends to grind what would amount to 6-8 hours (not an exageration) before the first boss alone, when 1-2 hours is more than enough.

so yes, guides for old RPGs could be shitty, and in some cases hurt the reputation of some games

>>9570560
Alternatively you can play the PSX versions of FF1 and 2. They retain the same difficulty/balancing but fixed the bugs like the non working support spells in FF1.

Outside of the bugfxies the only differences in those versions are
>you can have auto-targetting
Meaning, two characters attack the same enemy. First character kills the enemy, second character automatically targets the next enemy rather than hitting air like in the original games. However, you that setting is optional and you can turn it off, and in fact I recommend to do so.

>the inventory in FF2 is a bit bigger
but still feels small in the end
>there is a run button

>>9571192
PSX FF2 actually has an unlockable 'hard' mode which is really just the original difficulty. Not sure what they casualized, though.

>>9571057
>random battles that always put me off from trying FF, especially older ones. Having absurdly low lvl enemies jump at you only for you to spam B/X is just annoying.

Yeah that just shows you haven't played them, and like everyone, excepts Famicom RPGs to be just like modern jRPGs.

Once you start actually playing FF1/2, you'll be BEGGING for meaningless encounters so you can have a break. Unless you backtrack to earlier areas for reasons of your own, every single encounter will wear you down little by little and you'll be counting your number of potions and your number of spells, often backtracking to town before you even encounter a boss because you're running out.

If you want your meaningless mindless encounters, do play the GBA or other modern versions though.

>>9571206
Nothing actually, the hard mode just deactives the autotargetting and the run button. Not sure about the inventory though, but that's literally it.

>>9571214
Oh, sounds pretty pointless, then.

>>9571192
The FF2 remake makes it possible to dual wield for more damage in FF2, which makes it a lot easier for newfags to neglect shields and thus get their asses beat hard lategame. Not a good change.

>>9570747
>I understand a game being hard, but if it's caused by fake difficulty like equipment, spells, stats or classes not working, then it's just sad how aggressively some people defend it.

What's sad is how aggressively people SUPPORT the claim that any of these games is hard. FF1 is easy. It's a JRPG, so it's easy. Also, it's a JRPG so its biggest problems by far are those inherent in the definition of the genre. The bugs are a problem, but they're tiny in comparison to the basic flaws of the genre. Don't worry about the bugs. Play a version with them fixed or play an original version, and you'll have about the same experience. People can't shut up about them because only nerds care about old games like these and nerds can't stop their stupid brains from fixating on objectively quantifiable technical details, or from driving them to tell everybody else over and over about the special non-obvious knowledge they know so they can feel as if they've solved the problem of others' ignorance. Ignore that kind of nerd and forget about the stupid FF1 bugs. The only "difficulty" in these games is that they may require of you much patience. You have to trade time for progress, regardless of your skill level; that's part of the genre. You like it, or you don't, or you're somewhere in between. It's up to you. Don't worry about other factors because that's the only thing that might get in your way. And don't think new JRPGs or remakes of old ones are any different in this regard. "Time for progress" is just part of the genre.

>>9570560
Just play FF7, FF9 or FF10 like a normal person

>>9571174
After Elfland, equipment just isn't really sold in stores any more. Yeah, your third Fighter will be a bit gimped equipment wise, but there's not really anything you can do about that. Most strong equipment in FF1 is found, not bought.

>>9571276
My point is that a black belt is a fine replacement for a third fighter who will be using third-tier hand-me-downs, especially since the midgame damage will simply be better before the endgame swords.

>>9571110
Wasn't there something about INT not working? I can't remember. All this infodump is making my head spin lol.

>>9571192
I'll try the other versions after to have some comparison, tho only for FFI.

>>9571210
I'm only going off of from what my friends told me and the odd bit I read here and there. I don't play RPG games at all, much less JRPGs, I'm more into horror/strategy.

>>9571271
Might be because some people just don't tolerate senseless bs. I mean, if you grind for a spell or piece of gear only to learn it doesn't even work, or play a class that ends up being useless in late game, yeah you have a right to be pissed. Wasted time with no progress made.

>>9571272
Shh. Later.

>>9571359
You're not going to actually play the game, are you?

>>9571359
Nigga just play the game instead of caring so much about infodumps about minor bugs that don't matter.

The reason Red Mages are the only good ones is because magic is tremendously underpowered in FF1 and there's no way to regain charges mid dungeon, so having a single mage that can learn the few useful utility spells is all you need. It has nothing to do with bugs, black and white mages suck in the remakes too.

>>9570659
>like a lot of rooms that have nothing in them, where they spawn you at the center and every step triggers an encounter.
monster closets are SOUL

>>9570746
>>9570731
i followed a guide for FF2 and never had to grind. there's type advantages you can use to take on tough enemies

>>9570746
It's also fairly important to know that physical attacks can't attack back row and the implications that has on evasion and HP growth, and surviving paralyze inflicting faggots like Antlions. (it doesn't work that way in PR so back row is completely pointless)

But yeah mostly the shitty things about FFII are the dungeons being full of dead ends and trap rooms. Stat decay in the original version is not the most beloved thing either.

>>9571415
Stat decay doesn't happen often enough to really have an effect on the characters, it's whatever.

>>9571362
I am, been struggling to make my PS3 controller working though (either ScpTooking got messed up again or Mesen hates it, never used an emulator before and that's what came with the roms), so been playing it through retrogames. I dunno whether the battles are intentionally so sluggish or it's the site messing with it, the sound seems a bit delayed and there's some input lag too.

>>9571394
Bruh I don't want to restart if shit goes south, I've been in places where I had to start from zero due to bugs and it made me quit games before. It ain't fun.

>>9571486
There's nothing in FF1 or 2 that will ever go so south you'll "have" to restart.

>>9571486
>I dunno whether the battles are intentionally so sluggish
You select battle speed on the title screen with the left and right buttons, it defaults to the slowest setting.

>>9570761
>and the balance issues mostly work in your favor because the Fighter class is so much better than everyone else you can basically set your own difficulty level based on how many of them you bring.
So basically, the game is playable if you look up a strategy online telling you how to cheese the game

This is why the majority of retro JRPGs are ass and no fun

>>9571725
That's a mighty reach, anon. 99% of everyone will pick a fighter on their team first try because he is the first option and looks like MC material, and that's enough to beat the game.

>>9571704
I'm fairly certain he's not really playing it. This thread is nothing but an extended way to draw comments from people.

>>9571934
I'm literally getting my ass beat by sharks and some sahag mobs, but if this thread bothers you so much I'll let it die now. I got all the info I needed anyway.

>>9571952
Running is a valid strategy and the game is trying to teach you the value of it. Two sharks is a tough encounter not worth wasting time on.

>>9571982
What horrible advice. Running is almost guaranteed to make you underleveled for the upcoming dungeon, and the one after that. You get a little level leeway in some dungeons but I highly recommend fighting every random encounter. Also monk is OP and you should always have one

>>9571952
A single cast of LIT2 can take out whole groups of monsters when you're out on the boat. Sail around Cornelia until you're out of spells and grind on Kyozoka (sp?) until you have enough for spells at Elfland and the Silver Sword for your fighter. It's really the only somewhat necessary grind in the game. After that it's cake. And once you get the items that can cast infinite times your mages become almost OP.
Also, remember to unequip the nunchuks from your Monk once you've reached a certain level he will do far more damage unarmed.

I want to make a romhack of FF1 that does 3 things:

>replace the rainbow effect when opening the menu by a fade to black
>get rid of the main theme in the menu, meaning whatever music currently playing just keeps playing
>get rid of the vertical bar seperating enemies and characters in combat

These are the only things that trigger my autism

>>9570560
just play the pixel remasters on steam, don't listen to boomers

>>9572204
>grinding
Pleb

>>9573113

>>9572856
For some reason I like that last thing. I like us being in our own boxes.

>>9570560
Play the NES original. You don't need any other version. God, I wish I'd gotten to this thread before all the other posts. I'm not even going to read them. I'm sure they're just full of millennial shitters telling you play this-or-that other remake/update/reboot. You don't need the japanese famicom release or a retranslation. You don't need a bugfix patch. The NES version is grand. It's what we fell in love with. It started the fire in our minds. It launched the genre (yeah yeah, DQ beat it to market, we're not talking about DQ though).

It doesn't MATTER that the NES version may have a bunch of indecipherable bugs. That didn't harm our enjoyment of it or our curiosity with how the mechanics work. It won't harm yours. This game ended up on everyone's shelves, not in a bin. It's a beautiful, brilliant, timeless game. Experience it in the way that delighted millions. Any remake will only ever be a pale shadow of the original experience.

>>9570560
>My question is, why shouldn't I play the original NES? Is it really that bad? And which even are the original ones?
The programmer Nasir, was unfamiliar with RPGs and barely managed to code the game together. The classic Final Fantasies were always a little buggy, but typically you'd have to really go out of your way to notice - the first Final Fantasy is obviously roughest since it was Nasir's first attempt. Elemental weapons don't work as they should, a good fourth or third of the spells weren't playtested, stat bugs, etc. The game got more or less fully bugfixed in the WonderSwan Color remake and its PlayStation port. Rereleases from GBA onward go further and are based on the latter's easy mode, changing up a lot of the game mechanics to make it even easier. They don't really represent the original experience too well.
As far as the second game goes, reception is generally the opposite. A lot of people didn't care in retrospect about the experimental gameplay, so you see more people vouching for GBA-onward rereleases of II. GBA also adds a postgame, but like almost all the rerelease-padded content, it's not very good, in this case being a remix of the final dungeons. You might want to try GBA or PR if original just doesn't click with you.
Beyond that, III is more enjoyable in either 2D form for myriad reasons, and nearly any version of IV is decent (except WSC/GBA, & 3D TAY is horrible). The rest should be played in original form where possible, give or take a translation/restoration patch.
>I mostly care about translation accuracy
The ChaosRush one is the one you want then, preferably with an enhancement that makes the game play more like rereleases / as intended. Default is probably better since Chaos Edition looks like it makes a bit too much guesswork with DND equivalents. If you play a rerelease, note the script has been somewhat expanded in WSC and again on GBA to account for increased text space. WSC fantranslations are incomplete unfortunately.

People obsess over the little bugs in FF1 but in truth, bugs in 8-bit RPGs are the norm. Probably a combination of having less experience from what came before, less playstesting, and limited RAM and ROM. FF1, FF2, DQ2, DQ3, Metal Max, Mother, Pokémon, etc etc they all have their share of bugs and the funny thing is, very often you'll stumble on similar bugs or bugs caused by similar things.
Does that make the games bad? Well, objectively, they are flaws, but in the majority of cases they're things one will rarely stumble upon by himself or that don't really matter, at best a small nuisance. 8-bit jRPGs are still my favourite kinds of RPGs

While my list may seem short, I'm sure if people obsessed over more 8-bit RPGs as they did with those, we'd find more bugs everywhere. Meaning those are only known and obsessed upon because they are in the most famous games. The FF1 situation is similar to younger people listing the bugs in pokémon B/R because they want to "prove" by A+B that their soulless Po-litically-correct-mon is superior.
>>9573590
The background at the top would look so much better though

>>9573706
>The programmer Nasir, was unfamiliar with RPGs and barely managed to code the game together.

and yet the game was leagues above Square's previous RPG, Cleopatra no Mahou, and just before that he also programmed Rad Racer.
It's also worth noting that in terms of scope, in terms of number of mechanics, spells, classes, enemies, etc etc FF1 was unprecedented for a console RPG. FF1 was 3x the scope of DQ2, which was THE reference (and main influence) at the time, and only DQ3 would reach the same scope 3 months later.

After FF1, Nasir's work visa was no longer valid. Did Square find a new programmer? No. They moved the development team in the US for a while just so Nasir could work with them.
That should tell you how precious he was to them, and again, bugs in 8-bit RPGs were a norm, and in hindsight, the bugs in FF1 are nothing compared to what you can find in DQ3 (the infamous bug with creating too many party members at the inn which completly breaks the game)

>>9570560
>My question is, why shouldn't I play the original NES? Is it really that bad?
No, it's really good.
It has bugs in the sense certain items and abilities don't work as intended but the game is playable and it adds to the experience.

>>9573645
>>9573706
>>9573710
>>9573757
>>9573765
There's still hope for /vr/, thank god.

>>9573706
>WSC fantranslations are incomplete unfortunately.
How hard would it be to script-port over the Chaosrush version of FFI&II to WSC, using the official PSX or GBA to fill in the altered text?

Man are some of you aggressive af, it's just a game discussion, calm down. Honestly expected this thread to be dead by now.

>>9571707
Yeah figured out Respond Rate isn't what I thought it was, upped it to 4 and seems MUCH better.

>>9571982
>>9572204
Cave of Marsh taught me real fast the importance of PURE bottles and that SCUM are, in fact, scum. Started running away from them once my magic uses ran out.

>>9572204
Was wondering why monk/black belt was so weak, missing a lot with low dmg.

>>9573113
>>9573589
Yeah, think I'll pass.

>>9573645
>>9573706
>>9573710
>>9573765
Went with the clean NES version for now, gonna see how far I can get. The only thing I "cheated" with was look up which items don't work on gamercorner so I don't waste time/money and spell slots on things that don't work, going blind with the rest.

I'm getting my ass beat a lot but the game IS fun. Got my PS3 controller working with RetroArch and it seems to runs better than the site and Mesen, so omw to try and figure out what I need TNT for.

>>9573645
>It's what we fell in love with
>Experience it in the way that delighted millions
45% of FFI's (1.3m) sales were in Japan where they didn't have to deal with a crap ass translation, why pretend that's integral to the experience?

>>9573589
This, being too easy because the EXP curve is taken from GBA easy mode or some shit (arguably this is an issue of it being the kind of game where the final dungeon bosses are like twice as strong as anything beforehand so even with that Chaos may dumpster you at first), some battle scripting things, and the movement speed being slightly wrong which causes stuttering at 60fps that drives some people crazy are the worst things about PR as a remake, although you can mod that shit into just about anything. Obviously if you really want to play the original don't play a remake, but it's the one that generally most respects the original art design instead of redesigning all the party members and monsters, and the OST is great. Stuff is not only still based on the original Amano concept art but often more accurate to it.

>>9574130
You will never be Japanese.

>defending Final Fantasy 1 NES as anything other than a historical lecture
Your pathological contrarianism masquerading as snobbish originalism is as predictable as ever, /vr/.

>>9574132
You will never be a 6 year old child in 1988

Great thread. I was also just about to start going through the NES Final Fantasy and DQs.

>>9573645
>>9573706
>>9573710
>>9573757
>>9573765
Blessed posts. You guys make me feel less autistic for not minding and kind of preferring the original, buggy releases for first playthroughs of games. I want as close to the experience from when it released as possible.

Protip: you know that feeling you get that goes "oh no, everyone is exhibiting the same hive-mind opinion, I better form a conflicting one"? That sensation exists in the human psyche to encourage you to identify and exploit under-utilized opportunities that other people overlook because they're too busy following the crowd. It DOESN'T exist to get you to wallow in shit taste and consume shittier media all day.

>>9570767
Tell me where gamefaqs touched you, anon.

>>9570560
>My question is, why shouldn't I play the original NES?
Because the MSX version is better
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NR9wQqL9aMo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh9DUTubeo4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmdvnddxCNY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5U2o3ql7n1I

>>9570560
>I mostly care about translation accuracy
FYI, these would be the versions you want to play if that's most important to you:
FF1: Chaos Rush (seconding Default, maybe w/original font patch)
FF2: Chaos Rush
FF3: Pixel Remaster; Chaos Rush's was made before PR and it's a tweaked script port of the revamped DS remake that doesn't fully work, dunno if he/she ever plans to update it.
FF4: PSP has the least wrong with it, but DS would be better if prose was less flowery. No real equivalent for SFC but I guess the closest would be Fixed Evisceration (Namingway Edition is more popular but takes fanfic-y liberties).
FF5: This is the one I'm not too sure about. The GBA version might be best overall, but it feels like Square was being vindictive at times about their official PSX versions of 4&5 being outshined at the time by unofficial SFC translation hacks, so they overlocalized it to the point a few key scenes almost feel like parody. You'll see some defend these edits, but it's clear in reality that they have trash taste. SFC original does have a GBA script port. The base fan translation is showing its age, but you could try checking out Spooniest's "Legend of the Crystals" addendum instead. It fixes a number of problems with the original fan translation, and the latest 2.x update incorporates parts of the GBA version that aren't embarrassingly dated (to my knowledge).
FF6: hairy_hen's retranslation is undoubtedly the most accurate option. Just be aware that you can't turn off the bugfixes and stuff, but that goes for every relocalization hack, even the GBA script port (which alone is still more accurate than the original).
>>9571057
Thief and BM are the worst physical and magic-based classes, respectively, but you can get hella good mileage out of Monk if you dedicate yourself to grinding.
>>9571243
That's actually a good point, but if I remember right, original never gave an indication it wasn't hurting your damage output. Shields are very important in 2 though.

>working through series in release order like OP

>mfw by the time I get to 3

Why is jrpg combat so unfathomably shit and boring?

>>9574214
>FF6: hairy_hen's retranslation is undoubtedly the most accurate option.
She rewrote several lines to fix perceived "plotholes" and, like the other relocalization authors, doesn't know Japanese and aped off the documentation of people who do. If that doesn't bother you, by all means. There was supposed to be a major update that fixed issues but it's taking forever and ROSE is probably on par or better at this point. MoleMan's GBA Script Port with memes removed personally obsoletes all the other relocalizations and is more than fine enough.

>>9575651
EOP translation romhacks that aren't just script ports should really be mcfucking banned.

>>9575801
Yeah cuz never in the history of gaming was a fan translation better than the original.

Don't get me wrong, most of the time it probably is, but translators oftentimes change the meaning of certain cultural references or add unnecessary westernized ones (not to mention westernizing names, I hate that one with a violent passion) just so it's "better received in the west". Some people like it, some don't. Personally, I'm not a fan. Especially when I see translations in my language with not only awful grammar mistakes but also dumb references nobody cares about. Only met a handful of games in which I preferred the official translation's references to my language instead of a literal fan-made one, and that's excluding multi-ported translations (like JP>ENG>PL in my case).

Meanwhile, I started Megami Tensei

>>9570619
I couldn't get through 3 (only FF I haven't completed) for the same reason I couldn't get through dq3. Having to play with a group of silent, personality blanks for 30+ hours is fucking boring. Maybe I got filtered but I feel both those games are a waste of time. FF didn't really start until IV imho

>>9576041
The 3D remake gave them some personality.

>>9576041
FF3 used the same story mechanics as DQ3: the story is related to the NPCs, not through the protagonists, and each area has its own small story, not necesarilly related to the grand scheme of things too.

>>9570560
>>9574406
I played through all of them for the first time just last year, and to be completely sincere, the only FFs that I would ever consider replaying are VI - XII. These are my gold standard "real" FFs.

Of course some might say "but what about-", it doesn't matter. The early FFs on SNES were ok at best. The most memorable things about those were rarely a semi-important character dying. But even these moments are so volatile, that the whole experience of pre VI FFs just seems bland und unoriginal.

>>9576069
Yeah something about that just bugged me. I wasn't having fun despite wanting to enjoy it. I really liked the job system though and FFV is one of my favorite FFs
>>9576046
I tried that one too. It was a bit better, but I just couldn't force myself to play through it with those weird 3d chibis

>>9570560
I’m a bit surprised nobody has said this, but I wouldn’t recommend starting with 1 at all. Start with VI, VII, or X. They are the most accessible and great entry points. It’s not that 1 isn’t good in it’s own regards, it’s just not nearly as good as the ones from the mid 90s - early 2000s. If you want a higher chance of enjoying yourself and becoming a fan, then stick with some of the fan favorites at first. If you want to burn out and potentially never make it to some of the better games in the series, start out at the beginning.

>>9576221
>I wouldn’t recommend starting with 1 at all.
OP said they were finding it enjoyable. You know, in a /vr/ thread. Is /v/ trying to infiltrate this thread or something? That said, I wouldn't blame you if you decided to skip Final Fantasy II for now.

>>9576576
/v/ has been infiltrating this board for two and a half years.

FF1 is the best mainline FF

>>9576221
1 is significantly better than all the ones that followed it.

>>9576000
dumb illiterate ESL but nice trips

>>9576576
2 was better than 1 and 3
Your opinion is invalid

>>9570560
FF1+2 are best enjoyed in the GBA remake/port. They fixed literally everything. There are TONS of bugs in the original games, and the translation was always limited due to space constraints. You're better off reading a wiki article for FF2 rather than playing it through.
FF3, they never had a proper western release until recently. The light 3D iPhone/android port/remake is acceptable. its also just clunky enough to give you that old hardware feel without all the bugs.

For FF4,5,6, the GBA ports are acceptable. if you want to experience FF4 at its original jap difficulty, the DS port retains this, the NTSC SNES (FFII) does not. If you like to cheat/bug your way through the game rather than play FF6, play the NTSC SNES (FFIII)

7-8-9 work acceptably in an emulator 99% of the time, there is an antiquated but functional PC version of 7-8, and then the Steam rerelease that packages most of the critical bugfixes with it.

>>9576046
Funnily enough, I feel like the original characters somehow had more personality - the "personality" they tried to add to the 3D character ends the moment you get switchable classes. Squeenix sure tried to market them like did, though. Remember that opening FMV when Luneth shoots Ingus a dirty look after some dickfight, then scenes later Luneth nearly falls to his death but an arm grabs him in time, he looks up like "omg who is that," and it's Ingus smiling back like "hah I gotchu bro, didja really think I'd give up on ya like that?" Well nothing remotely like that happens in the game proper.

>>9570560
Just play ff2, ff4, and ff6. Refuse to touch further that trash series and begin playing the saga series instead.

>>9577937
got a mental barrier against anything 3d eh there grandpa?

I also decided to do the same a couple of years ago, and so far I have played the original releases of the first 4 titles
FF4 was easily my least favorite, but maybe it's just because I have a soft spot for 8-bit graphics

>>9577031
based and truthpilled

>>9576205
>Yeah something about that just bugged me. I wasn't having fun despite wanting to enjoy it. I really liked the job system though and FFV is one of my favorite FFs

I understand that feeling. Technically speaking FF3 is great, it looks great, sounds great, there is a lot of content and difficulty is spot on for me. However the game still manages to come off as a soulless knock off in between FF1 and DQ3, just a very good one.

>>9570560
PS1 version, updated sprites, plays 1:1 with the NES version after messing with the settings but this time the game works properly

>>9578060
>but maybe it's just because I have a soft spot for 8-bit graphics
yeah no shit idiot

>>9576576
>Is /v/ trying to infiltrate this thread or something?
yeah, who do you think was whining for 6th gen to get included? now we're stuck with them

>>9574130
It upsets me that the Pixel Remasters have the potential to be the definitive versions after hefty rollback mods, but modders are still jerking around instead of taking it seriously. They were made in Unity for chrissake, there's no excuse.

>>9580885
Then go do it. There's no excuse.

>>9573710
Well stated.

I - PSP
II - PSP
III - NES
IV - SNES Namingway translation
V - SNES RPGe translation
VI - SNES Ted Woosley edition
VII thru IX - PS
X - PC so you can download the cutscene skipper mod

Woof.
>>9577723
>FF1+2 are best enjoyed in the GBA remake/port. They fixed literally everything. There are TONS of bugs in the original games, and the translation was always limited due to space constraints.
That re-release already existed and it's called the Wonderswan/PlayStation version. Versions past that aren't interested in being those overdue bugfixed versions so much as incrementally casualizing the game for newbies.
>FF3, they never had a proper western release until recently. The light 3D iPhone/android port/remake is acceptable. its also just clunky enough to give you that old hardware feel without all the bugs.
That remake completely overhauled enemy encounters for no good reason* and made bosses insufferable by giving them many more attacjs per turn, often attacking just-revived allies.
*ostensibly due to DS limitations, but then IV kept the monster limit intact.
>For FF4,5,6, the GBA ports are acceptable.
Friggin' eww. Maybe V at best since it's been the least accessible and the PlayStation translation was horrid, but IV has a bunch of laggy bugs and misc glitches that don't exist in any other version (and the European revision, while it removes a gamebreaker, doesn't fix everything).
>if you want to experience FF4 at its original jap difficulty, the DS port retains this, the NTSC SNES (FFII) does not.
Every post-SNES release of IV is based on the OG JP difficulty, EXCEPT the 3D versions which do their own thing ans are generally harder if you don't game the new augment system.
>If you like to cheat/bug your way through the game rather than play FF6, play the NTSC SNES (FFIII)
Oh yeah, everyone who played the original game didn't play it, they were actually cheaters.
>7-8-9 work acceptably in an emulator 99% of the time, there is an antiquated but functional PC version of 7-8, and then the Steam rerelease that packages most of the critical bugfixes with it.
PC versions also have texture errors, and the resolution makes the graphical flaws more obvious.

>>9574130
>45% of FFI's (1.3m) sales were in Japan

That would mean FF1 sold more in the US than in Japan

However, the source for your wikipedia numbers leads to a sales report from 2007 which has nothing to do with FF1 on NES.

Even if that number is correct, I doubt it includes the FF1+2 release on Famicom which probably adds a few hundred thousands at the very least

>>9574139
as is your pseudointellectualism

>>9580964
>Namingway translation
Cute, but that's an oxymoron because Rodimus doesn't "translate" anything, he just picks and chooses what he very subjectively likes from existing translations, which also results in adding things that weren't there in the original version of the game. He additionally started a horrible trend in Final Fantasy VI romhacking where total dummies with no translation background suddenly think that they too can craft the ideal localization of their game. I'm a lot more comfortable calling freakin' SKY RENDER a translator, because at least he gave an effort to retranslate things, even if it was amateurish and a decent chunk of it was mere guesswork from the previous translation, and he didn't pretend it was anything more than that by leaving his "improvements" optional. And Rod's constant "updates" do nothing worthwhile and always seem to magically occur when another semisubstantial upstart relocalization hack comes out, almost as if he feels threatened by their existence, and it tricks younger people who grew up in the "more updates=more support=it must be good" gaming hellscape into thinking it's the best hack. On top of that, he strongarms others into giving him minor enhancement mods so he can pretend to the uninitiated that HIS hack is the TRUE culmination of all their efforts, and lowkey puts down others that don't bow to him. He truly represents the worst type of egoist on RHDN. Fuck him.

Welcome to Corneria!

Oh no i died to enemy
>speeds up game
>grinds
this game is kinda easy
>skips thru dialogue
WhT the fuck am I supposed to do???
>doesnt have a manual
>saves over wrong savestate

Is anyone familiar with the Final Fantasy IV Ultima romhack? https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/4134/
Would it be suitable for a first (and likely only) playthrough? Has a lot of reviews claiming it to be definitive, though I'm aware all the added and modified stuff messes with the original vision of the game. Not sure what translation is used for it either.

>>9583078
There are way too many changes listed there for your experience to be anything even close to authentic and I'm assuming most of them are made for people revisiting the game, but if you don't care about that then by all means go for it I guess

>>9580964
>II - PSP
filtered

Not to say there aren't subpar versions of these games (because there clearly are) but I find it a little fascinating how easily you can tell the agerange/experience of people who suggest certain versions of the classic Final Fantasies. You can divide it into at least three major phases:
>1987-2003 (Famicom-PlayStation): The Square Era. The company respects its legacy catelog and may do some QoL here and there for re-releases but otherwise leaves the experience relatively untouched. For oldies.
>2004-2020 (Advance+): The Square Enix Era. The merger fundamentally shifts priorities and the company no longer sees the classic games in the same light, suddenly perceiving flaws that must in some way be "corrected" in each successive re-release, effectively pulling a Lucas except replace George with mostly random employees. For newbies.
>2021-present (Pixel Remaster): The Postmodern Era. In the wake of the abject failure of the later re-releases, the company receives word that pixels are "in" and commissions a new coat of paint that outwardly goes back to the tried-and-true basics, but upon closer inspection carries over much of what was done to these games in the previous phase, creating hodgepodge versions that don't strictly belong in either phase. For plebs.

>>9571486
>>9571359
It's not that Intellect doesn't work, it's that it's never called. It's a flavour stat meant to push class feel. It is used FF2, however.

>>9574142
We're all autistic down here.

>>9584116
Pretty much all 2D FF ports and remakes have been done by Tose, all the way from FFIV PSX to FFVI PR. WSC introduced a lot of changes to FF and FFII that have carried over to all the subsequent versions, and WSC/PSX both completely changed the graphics for current tech like the PSP and mobile phone releases. SNES games just got direct ports to PSX (which suck) because the display format didn't change significantly between those two consoles. Similar reasoning as to why FFVII-IX weren't touched until the last decade, since they could just straight up be played on a PS2 and PS3.

>>9574214
>Thief and BM are the worst physical and magic-based classes, respectively, but you can get hella good mileage out of Monk if you dedicate yourself to grinding.
Thief was hit the hardest in terms of bugs. It's supposed to make up for its weaknesses in sheer luck and agility, but in practice, it's a total paperweight. It becomes better after class change, but that's not saying much when even a fourth-rate Knight w/Icebrand can out-damage a first-rate Ninja w/Katana. But in a bugfixed/remade version? Thief becomes MUCH more viable and almost feels like another class entirely, and Ninja's access to Haste and bugfixed Temper means it's not to be underestimated. Meanwhile, both the Black and White Mages are simply too damn squishy even accounting for bugfixed Int, and taking full advantage of them by decking out their magic slots makes them lowkey the most expensive classes to maintain, so they're hardly worth wasting slots. This ironically makes the default party of the NES/MSX version the best beginner-friendly one in the long run since it has the most reasonable variety; in the original/bugged version, Thief is just too much of a drag in the long run and you're better off replacing it with literally anything else. I dunno why remakes then swap out Monk and Red Mage for White and Black Mages. That's just a straight-up worse setup even in those versions. All the good magic can be learned by Red Wizard, and physical stats are way more important in this game, so it's a nobrainer. Overall, Warrior>Monk>Red>Ninja>Black/White>Thief.
>>9576006
Been thinking of starting a Persona marathon, but I'm still waiting for that fan-retranslation of the original PSX game to come out because hell no I'm not playing the butchered localization nor the PSP rerelease. Should I tide myself over with Megami Tensei->II->Shin->ShinII->If? Should I bother with the Digital Devil Story novel trilogy and MSX game? How about Devil Summoner/Soul Hacker, which I hear is in the same timeline?

>>9570560
just play iv, v and vi. PR are fine since they have some quality of life improvements.


play i, ii and iii only if you're die hard fan. Just finished iii and felt like it wasn't worth it

>>9586097
>PR are fine since they have some casual of life improvements.
whew, I'd sure have never known to go to bed after my bedsheets were cleaned to progress the game, thanx for the rec!

>>9585613
> All the good magic can be learned by Red Wizard
Due to the way the magic scaling works in remakes, doubling in base power at thresholds of 20, 30, 40, 50 etc., the Red Wizard will have what amounts to base level magic power of the NES/PSX versions still when nearing level 50, not breaking 30 until or after that point, while the Black Mage has gotten 1~2 extra layers of damage at any one point in the game. Then there's the overpowered healing items, standard MP system and other changes that change the game in a major way.
There simply is no need for Black Magic outside of Haste and Temper in the later versions due them being based on the easy version of PSX. The abundant healing items and overinflated leveling speed means that you're not in danger of being whittled down, and any damage your fighters deal is enough to one shot enemies, while your MP dependent mages will be either barely missing out on kills. For bosses you Temper/Haste/Giants glove the Master and one or two shot the bosses, save for Chaos. Even the Lich is handled easily with Diaga spells from your White Mage.
Personally I go for
>NES/PSX: Knight, Master, Red Wizard, White Wizard
>Later Versions: Knight, Master, Ninja, White Wizard.

Ps. please format you posts, it's really hard to read a wall of text with no breaks.

>>9583078
Love that version but would definitely recommend playing through the original first

>>9570560
I would steer clear of any hate filled 4chan comments around here as this topic gets brought up a LOT and the internet's cancer resides here. I'd honestly ask the people on RHDN and you'll get a lot more helpful opinions and tips.

As for legitimate recommends, just based on your post you're just asking for 1, 2, and 3 on the NES and not the SNES right?

Here's what I recommend -
FF1 - Apply this translation first. - https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/4624/
Then apply the original font with this - https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/2269/
Then apply this to restore the game closer to its original (including the infamous Peninsula of Power) - https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/4675/

For FF2 - https://www.romhacking.net/translations/2656/

For FF3 - https://www.romhacking.net/translations/4760/

Remember when /ffg/ actually allowed and encouraged screenshot Let's Plays and didn't consider them cringe shit? Good times.

>>9585613
nta but I would say
Megami Tensei II -> Shin Megami Tensei -> Shin Megami Tensei II -> Shin Megami Tensei if...

Then either wait for Devil Summoner translation -> Persona 1 Retranslation -> Soul Hackers or just skip to the Soul Hackers port for 3DS.

Megami Tensei 1 is really just not a good game

Play Majin Tensei, Majin Tensei II, and Kartia: Word of Fate if you want to see their take on the SRPG genre

Play Last Bible 3 if you want an RPG that's not in first person.

>>9573706
I'm aware that the DS version of FFIII is flawed as hell, and Squeenix in their blind/cheap ways routinely missed the opportunity to correct the major issues with its ports. And yet, for some reason I just can't quite put my finger on, something about the Pixel Remaster just FEELS wrong to me. I should by all accounts be falling in love with the game all over again, and clearly it had to be the PR with the most effort put into it, but it still somehow or another doesn't jive with me as well as the Famicom or even DS versions, even though I've been wanting a faithful 2D rerelease ever since the Wonderswan Color remake was unceremoniously canceled all those years ago. Can anyone help me to understand what it is about FFIIIPR that puts me off?

>>9586546
Seconding White Mage for decent support. There's still sizeable White utility you can't from Red compared to Black. Without one, you'll miss out on the Harm series, Heal 2-3, Cure 4, Fade, and Life 2. The only worthwhile Black Wizard exclusive spell is Nuke, but good physical attackers are still better by then anyway. Whites are also a little better physically than Blacks.
No matter how I look at it, Ninjas and Black Wizards are just grossly distilled Knights and Red Wizards.

For me it's
>Fighter
>Black Belt
>Black Mage OR Red Mage
>White Mage

>>9577723
>You're better off reading a wiki article for FF2 rather than playing it through.
No, I played the PR and it was fine. Nowhere near as bad as everybody makes it out to be. But not great either. Worth 1 play.

>>9584116
What a dumb take, lol. It's fucking video games and corporations who are trying to make money. Stop trying to make it this thing.

>>9588171
Probably it's that it's too easy. Just like all the PR.

>>9588171
Dunno man, it was my fav of the playthrough.

>>9591953
He's not completely wrong though. Yes they're here to make money but Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest have always been about abiding to the lowest common denominator to do that, but that lowest common denominator has become lower and lower with each generation thus rereleases get worse with time.
Imo it's actually pretty amazing the PSX versions of FF1/2 managed to remain that faithful, and didn't lower the encounter rate tenfold and add a bunch of bullshit to make things easier, like other releases of the time did (DQ3 SNES). They largely made up for that later on though.

>>9591934
You didn't play FF2, you played FF2 PR

>>9592316
PSX literally has easy mode my dude.

The thing that actually sucks about PR is battle scripting issues from being completely remade on Unity, like bosses being on RNG instead of a rotation so Chaos becomes unfair as hell, status effects not being quite the same, turn order not being seeded the same in later games, etc. If you could put that aside then PR has the most traditional gameplay systems since Origins and the cell phone version, but the 1.00 version of FFII PR you could fairly easily outright get stunlocked from 100% to death by random encounters and kill bosses without them ever getting a turn using the Sleep Blade, which had multiple fallbacks in the original. Status affects on physical attacks are no longer 100% so it's no longer game breaking anyways, but it's those kinds of details that are a shame. You can mod the gil and HP numbers to whichever you like easily.

>>9592446
>PSX literally has easy mode my dude.

Yeah, as in optional. Not "let's turn the normal game into easy mode". Also that's only for FF1, for FF2 the difficulty barely makes a difference.

>>9592453
The PSX remake of 2 adds dual wielding and removes magic penalties from equipment, both are pretty big changes.

>>9592482
Magic penalty actually does exist in PR, funnily enough.

Huh, since my thread is still alive 8 days later, I wanna thank whoever decided to chime in. I wrote down a ton of tips for this franchise and will definitely use some of them, if not all. I experimented a lot with the emulators and remade my party a couple times, and gotta say, Fi/Fi/BB/RM was soo much easier than Fi/BB/BM/WM, it's unreal.

That being said, I just finished the clean NES version and was pleasantly surprised cause I enjoyed the game a lot. I'm even thinking about trying out either the Restored hack or the PSP version to see how different they play.

>>9586712
The cancer is fine, I grew immune to it and laugh at it mostly.

And yeah, I was asking about NES since that are the rooms I was given. That translation you recommend I see is for the Restored hack so I'm going to apply it, so thanks for that one. The last patch tho I'll avoid, I don't care about the Peninsula and rather have the cleaner shops for a second playthrough.

Really curious to see if a Fi/Th/BM/WM setup will be more viable on that hack so that's going to be my new party comp. Hope Garland is ready for round two :)

>>9593625
Black Mage is just a horrible class in general. Super weak both offensively and defensively, no exclusive utility spells a Red Mage can't use as well, and his value as crowd control with the multi target offensive spells goes straight out the window once you find items that can do the same.

>>9570560
>I mostly care about translation accuracy
You could sum up the stories on a cocktail napkin. These aren't the games you play for writing quality. Arguably, none of them are. If you want the most retro-styled FF game with the most polish, I'd recommend you play FF5 if you haven't already. Everything before that isn't worth it except 4 and that is more like the later games due to the narrative and the lack of character customization

>>9576041
It's a classic dungeon crawl in the tradition of Wizardry, with a threadbare plot like most RPGs of its time.

>>9592316
Whatever man, nobody wants to play slow NES games these days. I'm thankful for the QOL changes present in all new releases.

Fucking gatekeeper. You still have your old versions go cry to them instead of trying to hold everything else back faggot.

>>9593625
Letting you know ahead of time that, if you enjoyed FFI, you'll probably really like FFIII and FFV, the early series generally established the odd-numbered games as more class-based and the even-numbered ones as more story-focused.
>>9593685
Maybe so, but let OP experiment from there, that's like half the fun.

When does the Monk start having better unarmed damage than with Iron Nunchucks?

Greetings. I am Anon#4000 who has not read this thread and only bothered to see the original post yet feel oddly compelled to weigh in on the matter. I am here to tell you that emulation and the secondhand market are both very wrong. Please delete your unauthorized reproductions and used copies within 24 hours. The only ethical way to consume video games is to buy a rendition that is currently sold through physical or digital retailers. For FINAL FANTASY, the Pixel Remaster series is an excellent choice. It is the latest incarnation of the classic FINAL FANTASY series, remastered for modern audiences with "retro" sensibilities. The FINAL FANTASY Pixel Remaster series is currently available on PC via Steam, Android via Google Play Store, and iOS via App Store. The FINAL FANTASY Pixel Remaster series is also coming soon to Nintendo Switch and Sony PlayStation 4, where they were available physically. For FINAL FANTASY III or FINAL FANTASY IV, you may alternatively or additionally purchase our 3D remakes, which are still available on digital markets. The 3D remakes offer an experience similar but alternative to the 2D originals, making them worthwhile playthroughs. Remember, by purchasing only these versions of the FINAL FANTASY series, you are supporting the company that brought you the definitive editions of these legendary video games. As much as I too have a certain fondness for these classic role-playing video games as they appeared on Game Boy Advance and Sony PlayStation Portable, Square Enix will no longer receive the desirable monetary compensation through these obsoleted platforms, so it is therefore not recommended that you seek those ancient versions of these video games. If the FINAL FANTASY Pixel Remaster series is your first exposure to the FINAL FANTASY series, you will have no frame of reference with what came before, which in our studies can enhance consumer experience even further. Please do your best to thoroughly enjoy FINAL FANTASY Pixel Remaster !

>>9594549
Firstly, you can sincerely fuck off. Secondly, you are delusional. I don't even have words to describe how much your post makes me precisely NOT want to purchase the Pixel Remaster or any other version you've mentioned. And now that I've tried the PSP version, I can see why people don't like it. Yes it has QoL upgrades and fixed lot of bugs, but compared to the NES thus far, it is boring as hell and outright too easy.

Hell, it's precisely emulation of old games or even pirating some to try them out which convinced me to buy most of my games, saving both me and the companies time and trouble it would take to refund an unsatisfactory product otherwise.

So yeah, no. I am not the "modern audience" you're referring to, I am an older, mostly retro gamer who enjoys old games precisely because they have a soul, unlike most modern games. Go suck Square-Enix's cock somewhere else, you deceptive shill.

>>9595580
>I am not the "modern audience" you're referring to
Obviously not, because only a senile boomer could be so inept at using the internet

>>9595596
Yea cuz todays "modern audience" isn't just a bunch of whiny teens, triggerhappy "adults" and kids with access to their parents credit cards demanding instant gratification. It totally doesn't explain the increasing dumbing down of each new re-repease either.

Why are lootboxes doing so well again?

FFI > FFV > FFIV > FFII > FFIII
Haven't played VI yet

>>9570724
I love FFII but even in the much easier Pixel Remaster the final boss is entirely a dps-rush grind check.

How annoying is it to set up emulation of FFI and II's PSP version? Any important fixes that need to be installed?
Am brainlet

i honestly cannot understand how the pixel remasters cause some people to seethe so much

>>9595712
I just extracted PPSSPP, slapped the game's ISO file into it and started playing, no config required.

>>9595731
From what I've gathered, people are mostly disappointed by the lack of bonus dungeons that the GBA and PSP versions introduced, removal of the peninsula of power and respond rate settings, lack of difficulty settings, and the godawful font. Some dislike the inability to choose between mana and spell charge system too.

>>9595712
>>9595945
Download the original PSP fonts:
https://cdromance.com/guides/original-psp-fonts-for-ppsspp-for-android-and-pc-download/

>>9595954
Bet thanks

thanks for making this thread anon, I finally started playing FF1 thanks to you

>>9595580

There are many ways to play the early FF games these days but I beat this on the original NES decades ago with a standard party of fighter, thief, white mage, and black mage. I never wasted time of buffs and I just grinded levels if I struggled but by the time I played this game, I had already beaten Dragon Quests 1, 2, and 4 and had played Final Fantasy IV and VI on the SNES, so I was used to the concept of level-grinding.

>>9588171
Your nuts lmao, FFIIIPixRem is easily the best one

>>9594149
FFIII doesn't feel like a dungeon crawl at all, it feels like an RPG on speed where your characters and their classes do not matter and it just themeparks you through each class and dungeon type.
It really suffers from DQ's problem of locations on the map being completely fucking pointless after you do the Quest of the Day. Everything just feels superficial and what story there is progresses too fast for there to be any depth.

>>9599362
>It really suffers from DQ's problem of locations on the map being completely fucking pointless after you do the Quest of the Day.

That is a good point, and something they lost from DQ2. In DQ2 towns tend to work like hubs from which you may lead several adventures, and come back to between these adventures: using Cannock to go to the cave in the east, then to the cave in the west, before venturing further. Using Hamlin to go to Moonbroke, find the item in the swamp, then the tower in the east before venturing further. Then of course using Tantegel as a base for going to Chamlock and the initial sea exploring; and I think Beran tends to present itself as the final base for the end game events.
Plus you do tend to have reasons to come back to this or that town for Y or X reasons

Everytime I think about DQ2's design, my favourite in the series, I find something new to say about how well designed or influencial it was and how criminally underrated it is. It seems to better regarded in Japan as they know that is the game that started DQ mania, DQ clones and tons of tropes and mechanics for the entire genre, while over here it is easily dismissed between DQ1 and 3. Of course, the west got DQ2 much later.

FF1 sort of followed DQ2's way to using towns as a hubs but in a lighter way. Then sadly, after DQ3's success, everyone started copying what DQ3 did, whether those things were improvements or not, and we got lot's of RPGs consisting of "enter new area with 1 town, 1 dungeon, move to next area with 1 town, 1 dungeon, repeat"

>>9599362
I was actually referring to FF1 but am retarded and didn't carefully read anon's post so I didn't realize he was talking about FF3.

>>9600257
Oh yeah, I totally agree on FF1 being a dungeon crawl. Super straightforward 'go into cave, fight eldritch horror, get cool sword' adventure gameplay with just enough story and environment gimmicks to keep you hooked.

>>9599219
Anon didn't deny that. Being the best out of a meh lot is still underwhelming. Final Fantasy lII just doesn't have any other good rerelease competition (though I am surprised anyone could ever have a soft spot for the DS bastardization). If a 2D reissue had just been made more accessible earlier, that version would undoubtedly be better. Just look at the WSC screenshots. Sure, it's incomplete and blurry, but it still manages to look way better than the Pixel Remaster since the graphics are clearly redrawn in that distinct WSC style that oozes charm. Pixel Remaster instead scraps that idea in favor of literally drawing/shading over a lot of the original graphics and sharing more samey assets with the line's remasters. It's lazy.
>>9574214
I still don't get how and why Final Fantasy IV's Pixel Remaster reverted to the GBA translation. What a bizarre oversight.

>>9600631
>all games should be remade to look like the time period I am personally nostalgic for
Okay

>>9570560
Just play the gba versions of the NES games

anything I should know before starting FF2?

>>9600809
Use shields

that's it

>>9601087
That, and don't be afraid to exploit the target-cancel bug to beef up your main three once you get a fourth party member.

FF1 = DQ2+D&D
FF3 = DQ3+FF1

FF2 is the only one that shines on its own

>>9600708
He didn't say that either.

>70 more replies to this thread since the last time i checked weeks ago
>all arguing about remakes
Remakes are garbage and if you play them you are garbage.

>>9601731
I really don't care how directly he expressed it, voicing the superiority of a visual re-imagining over a direct remake clearly implies it.

>>9602084
NTA but the PRs kinda sit in this awkward space where they're not perfectly faithful enough to get a pass on visuals staying true to system limitations, but then they don't commit to a total graphical overhaul enough either. Worst cases they just end up looking lazy and cheap. Same issues the phone remakes had desu.

>>9602084
It's more than visual fluff. The Pixel Remaster is (surprise) the easiest one between the Famicom and 3D versions. Back in the DS version, the monster limit was crunched due to perceived hardware limitations, so stats/classes were rebalanced across the board to make up for it. It wasn't perfect, but it got the job done and general game difficulty wasn't as wildly thrown off as some people make it seem. At worst, maybe the boss AI could've been improved. Pixel Remaster is aesthetically closer to the Famicom original, but it still carries over and builds upon a staggering amount of 3D remake changes under the hood, especially the parts of it that give you an easier time without regard for why that was done in the first place. Many of the added class abilities were kept, giving you a bigger edge in battle. The capacity system was replaced yet again, but whereas the 3D version gave you a reasonable adjustment period, PR now has absolutely nothing there to keep you in check. And while the formations are ostensibly based on the original, the monster locations are based on the 3D version; an easy example, Goblins only appear in Altar Cave in the original, while in the 3D and PR versions, they keep appearing well after the cave and show up in and around town, which is normally the point you're supposed to be moving on to the next phase of monsters. Oddly enough, a similar change may have been planned for the WonderSwan Color version
>>9600631, but it at least looks like they would've increased the number of outdoor Goblins to compensate (or it was just a test shot). Plus, in Pixel Remaster, game overs mean very little and the game freely allows you to restart from the beginning of the area. Final Fantasy III isn't even one of the hardest games in the series, putting aside the long final dungeon that eluded playtesting. Overall, yes, there is much dumbing down in the Pixel Remaster, and the Famicom and DS versions both had greater respect for your resourcefulness.

>>9602415
>It's more than visual fluff.
That's nice but that's all I was talking about

>Many of the added class abilities were kept, giving you a bigger edge in battle
Does this really make the game that much easier so much as just making more jobs usable though? Viking tanking everything is pretty good though.

>PR now has absolutely nothing there to keep you in check
Honestly switching jobs constantly sucks enough because of job levels outside of the situations where the game practically requires you to do so anyways. With Sage nerfed it's pretty much useless at the point you get it. Of course you could be a minmaxing autismo jackass and switch every character the fight before they level up to max your HP to exploit it but who the fuck is actually going to bother doing that

>>9602415
You can now base yourself on such screenshots for the WSC version. They are most likely test screenshots that represent no real point of the game.

>>9602415
You shouldn't base your anything off such screenshots for the WSC version. They are most likely test screenshots that represent no real point of the game.

>>9600809
As >>9601087 said, use shields.
Also, the game expects you to figure out that mage-type equipment like staves and robes are in the game for a reason, and to test it out enough to realize that magic is a lot more effective when cast by characters decked out in that kind of stuff rather than heavy armor and swords.

>>9602914
I just keep my magic users bare fist and punch everything to death

>>9600809
Don't bother with armor, fight naked with a shield and your main weapon
It took me so fucking long to realize why I just couldn't beat the final boss

>>9602140
The prob is that pixel remasters are a weird frankenstein's concoction of assets, and if you realize that it's very distracting. A lot of tilesets are ripped and barely edited from oversaturated GBA versions, but then you'll come across out-of-place graphics that look like they were made by different artists under different circumstances (because they were) like an opening that almost looks ripped out of the NES version or some shading that doesn't quite look right. Not to mention it's all a facade that retains the numerous mechanical changes from the latter-day versions. These are explicitly designed for newfags and people who game with them.
>>9602882
Literally what was said, but even without that, we have a pretty good idea of what that version would've entailed thanks to the previous remakes - overhauled presentation with minimalist, unintrusive qol. So the battle screenshot was prolly a mockup, but the crystal room is believable with what came before.
>>9602946
This is almost a good idea since your fists can become OP like OG FF monks, but the game unfortunately doesn't let you equip a shield and attack barehanded at the same time (unless some newer version lets you idk). Evasion is really that much more important than defense in that game. You can get away with black garb, golden hairpin, and ribbon, since they're the only pieces of armor that don't give you evade penalties. If you're playing the NES version, I might be helpful to know that some weapons also penalize your magical accuracy, which was removed in every other version since it was a bit too much.

>>9603139
>>9602946
meant for >>9602942

>>9603139
Every version of these games except for Famicom, MSX and WSC is like that. They took that initial remake and then piece mealed new assets for PSX, then GBA, then even the high resolution version on PSP, with totally different kinds of screens every time. Only FFIII PR -almost- doesn't suffer from this, except they still use FFV NPC sprites.

Started FF1 on PPSSPP, installed the font mod as suggested, got to Pravoka and decided to try out the Peninsula of Power and promptly got wrecked without saving. Fucking classic FF experience right there.
Do you guys suggest just cranking the resolution on PPSSPP because even at 4x, text and some pixel art seems blurry.

>>9603615
If you're playing a PSP game on PC and it isn't cutting your eyes there's probably bilinear filtering on, the screen is only 480x272.

>>9603628
Ah

>>9601087
>not dual-wielding for weapon stat growth
Failure.

FF2 stopped being fun for me after the Josef part

>>9605048
Kasion is a pretty big difficulty spike, especially if you've largely been ignoring magic thus far.
If anything it gets better after Josef because monsters get more interesting and you have to play a bit more strategically.

>>9571272
Fuck no

>>9574214
That makes me fucking hungry for some reason.

>>9576006
Enjoy your level down spells, that shit's annoying

>>9577031
It's the weakest SaGa game

>>9605241
I just hit reset and ran from enemies with such spells, except once at the very end when I had made substantial progress

I'm gonna admit that I used to really look forward to the opening FMVs Square added to their Final Fantasy rereleases. Sure, they're technically rather empty additions, but they really pumped you up back then and gave you the impression that they put effort into the rerelease. I mean, IV, V & I PSX are nothing to look at anymore, but sometimes they added a bit to the game, showing Terra receive her orders in VI PSX or the leads helping each other flee their hometown in II PSX. And III&IV DS/PSP? Absolute eyecandy. If they were going to redo IV, I was crossing my fingers for a redo of V & VI as well. Sadly, they got phased out down more recently, and it seems 2D III won't get a proper intro FMV either. Sucks.
>>9600809
The ultimate magic is NOT Ultima as you'd expect, but rather, it seems to actually be TOAD...

what a backwards-ass game lol
>>9603139
>It might be helpful to know that some weapons also penalize your magical accuracy, which was removed in every other version since it was a bit too much.
It of all things returns in Pixel Remster, though I thought it was also in WSC and PSX normal mode but I could be wrong.
>>9603962
See >>9571243

>>9597556

>>9570560
I've recently started playing the original vanilla Final Fantasy myself too, OP, I'd say I'm about half-way through. I've got to admit you'll do some grinding, but it's well worth it, I'm having a blast!
Have fun and good luck on your quests!

>>9594549
>The FINAL FANTASY Pixel Remaster series is also coming soon to Nintendo Switch and Sony PlayStation 4, where they were available physically.

>>9600809
Well, if you're playing in release order, I do have a very important one for when you get around to FF6 - when you have option to "jump" during a timed sequence, make SURE you select "wait" instead and actually wait until there's about four seconds left. If you don't do this, a certain playable character won't catch up to you in the nick of time, and will be permanently lost for the rest of the playthrough!

>>9609104
I'm finally replaying 6 in order to play T-Edition. It's been awhile since I replayed 6 at all, and even just going through the main stuff again is so nice. Such a great game.

>>9609104
Said character is pretty shit and you'll never actually use him though.

>>9609134
Untrue, Shadow is average.

>>9570560
you have to learn Japanese first

>>9570560
Your friend is an uncultured swine

>>9609134
You're thinking of Edge from FFIV.

Finishing up FFI on PPSSPP. Are the bonus dungeons all as fucking awful as Earthgift? Because if so, I'm not fighting the burnout of chasing Warmech just to do all that extra shit too.
This playthrough did make me realize that Fighter Fighter BMage WMage is probably the best way to play to actually get full use out of all the endgame items and spells. RMage can't cast damaging B Magic for shit.

>>9611716
>Are the bonus dungeons all as fucking awful as Earthgift?

Worse