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Final Fantasy Dawn of Souls Released

Posted by Zonk on from the arr-i'm-bikke-the-pirate dept.

Gamespot has details on the re-release of Final Fantasy I and II (that's II Japanese, not American) for the Game Boy Advance. "The two games were previously re-released for the PlayStation as Final Fantasy Origins in 2003, and the GBA editions games sport improved graphics, enhanced sound, and new dungeons to explore." These particular releases in the GBA format seems somehow incredibly appropriate. The original Final Fantasy had a big impact on my life, and it's great to see it get such treatment here.

55 comments

  1. Just so people aren't confused (like me) by Txiasaeia · · Score: 5, Informative

    This might be the Japanese Final Fantasy 1 & 2, but it's being released here in North America. Last time I saw this news story I said to myself "So what if they're releasing it in Japan!" So there you go.

    --
    Condemnant quod non intellegunt.
  2. FF3 by FLAGGR · · Score: 0

    All I want is FF3-DS :) (That snes one, only FF I've ever liked)

    1. Re:FF3 by satoshi1 · · Score: 1, Informative

      FF3-DS is the Japanese FF3, not the American FF3. JP FF3 has never made it to the states. Unless you were talking about JP FF3 this whole time, if so, disregard my comment.

    2. Re:FF3 by FLAGGR · · Score: 0

      NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

      Oh well maybe its good too. Damn squaresoft, or square, or squarenix or whatever theyre called now :)

    3. Re:FF3 by Neon+Spiral+Injector · · Score: 2, Interesting

      The Japanese FF3 was for the NES. So it couldn't have been what he was talking about.

      The Japanese FF3 was a pretty impressive game as NES games go. And the first FF to feature the job system.

      I can't wait to see what they do with it, but that of course would require me to get a DS. It'll wait until the first round of discounts.

    4. Re:FF3 by rmarll · · Score: 2, Informative

      Squeenix in the vernacular.

    5. Re:FF3 by incom · · Score: 1

      FFIII nes is actually a very good game. And it's rumored that they are doing a remake, not a port, so the gameplay and GFX would be designed with the DS in mind, which could be awesome. Besides portability, how could they improve FF3US anyway?(the psx version already fixes the bad translation)

      --
      True genius is grasping a situation like a peice of fruit, and peircing it just right so that it drains dry.
    6. Re:FF3 by arodland · · Score: 1

      Seriously, you've already got your SNES version and your PSX version. If that's enough, get one of the more heavy-duty Zaurus models and run it under emulation on that ;)

    7. Re:FF3 by superpulpsicle · · Score: 2, Interesting

      They need a Final Fantasy United or something where they put 1 gigantic story line and combine every previous final fantasy game ever made. And have characters time-travel in between FF1 and 2 etc.

  3. I Started Playing This Game This Morning! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    I never played the originals, but I love this new GBA version. It makes the daily commute more interesting.

    BTW, I heartily recommend the Minish Cap, too. I'm enjoying that one immensely.

    1. Re:I Started Playing This Game This Morning! by Guppy06 · · Score: 0, Troll

      "I love this new GBA version. It makes the daily commute more interesting."

      I'm sure it makes it more interesting for the other drivers around you as well.

    2. Re:I Started Playing This Game This Morning! by VendingMenace · · Score: 1

      of course they have things called "trains", "buses", "carpools", and "taxis" that people can use to transport themselves without actually having to drive a vehicle :P

  4. FF 1 and 2 is pretty good by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    These games were released on Playstation 2, but this time it is portable. I played the game for a bit and it is interesting to see how these two games influence later RPGs.

  5. Final Fantasy VII by Absolut+Fizznix · · Score: 1

    This is the one that matters. When will they put FFVII on the GBA?

    1. Re:Final Fantasy VII by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      FF7 is a polygon-based game. Assuming it ever gets ported to any current handheld, it will probably not be the GBA because of that reason (at the very least). Maybe the Nintendo DS, PSP, or the next GameBoy, but not GBA.

      And if you think FF7 is "the one that matters," you have a lot more Japanese gaming to do, so get to it.

    2. Re:Final Fantasy VII by Jerf · · Score: 1

      On the GBA? Never.

      But I'd hold some hope out for the DS, if it does well and the PSP does not. While my impression is that the DS is not a playstation (more like an N64), I think if you chop out the CGI, chop out the voices (if any, I haven't played it yet), downsample the textures and models for a smaller screen, and wait for the cart size to grow, you might just be able to jam VII onto the DS. It'll be close, though, and I think it might not happen until 2006-ish; even cut down I'd guestimate at least ~200-300 MB at a minimum, and we're about two doublings away from that, from what I can see. (I may be overestimating the CGI count; it is possible it might fit on a modern cart, I'm just being pessimistic.)

      (Either that, or maybe something that uses both the DS cart and a GBA cart, if the hardware can do that... and I would hope Nintendo would see the bennies of that and didn't make it impossible in the hardware. (Come to think of it, the Sega offering can scan the GBA port to see if you stuck a Sega GBA game in there, so it must be able to.) In which case the technical possiblity comes even sooner, but it'd be more expensive than average.)

      I'm mostly spouting off based on what I know about relative sizes of things; after all, boil any FF down to the basics and almost anything can handle the basic mechanics, it's the media that sucks the megabytes up. Of course this is probably pointless, if it goes anywhere it'll probably be the PSP, whether or not it does well.

    3. Re:Final Fantasy VII by Absolut+Fizznix · · Score: 1

      How much space do those GBA cartages have anyways?

    4. Re:Final Fantasy VII by MC+Negro · · Score: 1


      I think if you chop out the CGI, chop out the voices (if any, I haven't played it yet), downsample the textures and models for a smaller screen, and wait for the cart size to grow, you might just be able to jam VII onto the DS. It'll be close, though, and I think it might not happen until 2006-ish; even cut down I'd guestimate at least ~200-300 MB at a minimum, and we're about two doublings away from that, from what I can see.
      I would not be quick to predict whether or not the DS' media platform will be able to support a multi-disc PS1 games' size. While Nintendo says 1 gigabit (128 megabytes) is the limit, keep in mind that this is a early-launch quote. I recall early in the N64's lifespan Nintendo touting that the N64 cart format could hold up to 128 megabits of data, yet games like Zelda : OoT, Perfect Dark, Resident Evil 2 and Conker's Bad Fur Day were well over that limit. The DS uses flash memory cards. You can now buy 4 gigabyte compact flash cards, which uses the same technology as the DS' as far as EEPROM goes, anyways. When technology grows and production costs go down, I predict we'll see 512MB-1GB games on the DS. Also keep in mind that professional game development crews have quite a few tricks to employ for compression of textures, sound and FMV. For a long time, people thought that the N64 was incapable of handling FMV, just due to the sheer size of a 3-4 minute cutscene, relative to the size of the game. However, a game like Resident Evil 2 demonstrates that developers can be pretty clever with compression, as RE2-64 had all the levels, higher quality textures and all the FMVs.

      But as far as FMV goes, I don't think the DS will have a problem with that. the MP demo that ships with the DS has FMV in it, and because of this, I see no reason to believe why space or hardware would be an issue.
      --
      "You and your third dimension."
    5. Re:Final Fantasy VII by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "The one that matters" is a matter of opinion, of course. My "one that matters" is VI (known as III in the US).

      I want Kefka on my GBA, dammit!

    6. Re:Final Fantasy VII by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Run a SNES emu on your GBA, then?

    7. Re:Final Fantasy VII by WWWWolf · · Score: 1

      Yeah, I'd love to see FF7 done in FF6j/3u style on GBA, that would be just great.

      In my opinion FF7 evolved too much in directions that didn't particularly matter that much (oh, kewl, ugly 3D stuff and cruddy FMV... yawn). If there were a "faithful" remake of FF7 on GBA, we'd really be able to prove the talk that FF7 just wasn't as good as FF6. Or maybe prove such talk wrong. Who knows.

      What I'm really waiting for is the SNES FF6 remade on GBA, though - all good SNES RPGs get remade for GBA, why not FF6?

    8. Re:Final Fantasy VII by Kredal · · Score: 1

      Without the FMVs, I have no doubt that FFVII could fit on one disc. Resampling the textures so they are smaller but still look decent could cut the game size in half again, easily... and I bet it could all fit on one DS cart.

      --
      Whoever stated that signature sizes should be limited to one hundred and twenty characters can just go ahead and kiss my
    9. Re:Final Fantasy VII by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      Neither the DS nor the PSP could fit FF7 on their media. Chances of a re-release are VERY slim.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
  6. Gameplay question by Daetrin · · Score: 1
    All the article says is "Final Fantasy retains a lot of the improvements made in the PlayStation version, including better save capabilities and gameplay tweaks."

    So what i want to know from anyone who's actually played the game, how many of the changes are optional? I've been told that in the PSX remake you could select the difficulty level, either the original difficulty or a new easier mode, and i'm hoping that's one feature they kept. I've also heard that this new version replaces the old levels of spells with the MP system that all(?) FF games have used since then. I'm really hoping that that will be an option i could turn off as well.

    I can understand them wanting to revamp the graphics and music to some degree and i'll accept that, however i really wish they'd stop forcing gameplay changes on us. If i'm going to play/buy the games it's going to be for the nostalgia value. If i wanted an improved version i'd buy one of the newer games instead. I'd probably try out the changes as well, but i'd like the option to play it the way it was.

    When i was young and you had several guys attack one monster and the first attack killed it then your other attacks were wasted, and we liked it! Well, maybe not liked it, but certainly have masochistically fond memories of what a pain in the ass it was :)

    --
    This Space Intentionally Left Blank
    1. Re:Gameplay question by Mandoric · · Score: 1

      The only option in the Japanese version is kanji/kana text.

      Did a bit of research on the exact nerfage scale here.
      In addition, the bonus dungeons suck, HARD: 5 floors of extremely weak enemies, followed by one of a few bosses, each of which warps you to the next floor or out; to get through the lowest-level (Earth) bonus dungeon alone requires four passes through a 5-floor dungeon, only the first of which having any benefit at all besides a choice of four bosses at the end.
      The Fire dungeon actually includes a world-map-sided floor with no clues... that, once again, you're expected to pass through repeatedly on your way to kill bosses that you can only do one of per set per pass, ensuring 2-4 passes to get 'em all.

      All in all, the WSC ports of FF1 and 2 are much better; the game systems include truly optional autotarget, run, and other conveniences, rather than forcing a complete nerfing on the player. While they've only been released in Japanese, there's nothing in the games that can't be done with only a quick bit of pattern-matching from a FAQ, and a bit of luck and cleverness on Ebay or the like can net yeu the system for $20 and games (which also include FF4, released as 2 in the US; Makaitoushi SaGa, released here as FF Legend; and Front Mission) for $10.

    2. Re:Gameplay question by Bastian · · Score: 1

      When i was young and you had several guys attack one monster and the first attack killed it then your other attacks were wasted, and we liked it!

      I think maybe if they kept that feature in FF1, it wouldn't sell so well because people would realize that FF1 really wasn't all that great of a game in many respects. =D

      Maybe if they made an option for "Nostalgia Mode" . . .

    3. Re:Gameplay question by Creepy+Crawler · · Score: 1

      That was also in the style of AD&D games. The wizards were more like sorcerors. Limited spells, but cast any from group.

      --
    4. Re:Gameplay question by MMaestro · · Score: 2, Insightful
      No offense, but I think you need to go back and replay them. The old magic system in FFI was HORRIBLE since you never wanted to use your higher level magic except in emergencies, unless you were going outside of town purposely to get experience points, or against a boss (or Warmech).

      The stats system in FFII was hardcore to extreme measures. To raise stats in an area, you had to get affected in a way that directly affected that stat. Want STR? Gotta attack with melee weapons. Want VIT? Gotta get hit physically. Magic defense? Get hit magically. Etc etc. It wasn't consistent either since there were usually additional requirements, like you had to get hit while having low HP to raise your max HP. In the end of the game you COULD have characters with maxed out stats... but then you'd have to spend more time fighting than in a MMORPG.

      Oh and if you didn't work with other stats at the same time, the stats in other areas would actually go down. So that uber-physically defensive tank might go down in one hit from a magical attack. Sound like fun?

    5. Re:Gameplay question by dbooster · · Score: 1

      No, but it does sound like it could be a much better leveling system than the one currently used in RPGs. Obviously it needs tweaking, but does it not make more sense to suppose that the only way to improve one's strength would be to use it? As opposed to casting magic all the time, yet having your str increase when you lvl up? huh??

    6. Re:Gameplay question by GargoyleMT · · Score: 1

      This is very much akin to the system used in Fable. Strenth feats gain you strength experience, Magic gets you magic experience, the third category, and then there's general experience.

      If you want more strength, you pull first from your strength experience, then from general.

      Regardless, this FF compilation is going on my wishlist.

  7. hrm.. by th3space · · Score: 1

    I remember reading somewhere that while this FFII is original Japanese FFII, it's still not an exact port of the original, that it had been changed quite a bit to suit American gaming styles/preferences...does anyone know if that's true or not?

    If so, then I'll pass...I want the original in all it's supposedly 'difficult and confusing' glory.

    --
    "How like you to drag your keyboard to a gun fight." - Aaron Bedard (BANE)
    1. Re:hrm.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Final fantasy II for NES was never brought over here because it had a ridiculous leveling system. You could only increase a sword attack by attacking with it, or increase health by getting hit..but you had to use the sword 100 times before it leveled and had to get hit quite a bit. So leveling up was very difficult unless you ordered our guy to attack and cancelled it like 100 times (still got exp). Thankfully they changed it in this version so it is enjoyable. I played a tranlsated version of the original and it was pretty lame...dont worry about it.

    2. Re:hrm.. by Kirsha · · Score: 1

      You could always grab an emulator, the original old school rom and the patch for it in english.

    3. Re:hrm.. by \\ · · Score: 1

      Ask and ye shall receive. Compare it to the GBA game too.

  8. Two Games, Five Platforms/Consoles (REALLY!) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    With the GBA release of these two games, we have now seen these titles on a total of *FIVE* gaming platforms... count em:

    - NES
    - WonderSwan Color
    - PSone (under Origins title)
    - GBA
    - FOMA/NEC 900 series phones (FF1 released, FF2 under development)

    Of course a few of these releases are JP ONRY.

    Polymorphism at its finest, right folks?

    1. Re:Two Games, Five Platforms/Consoles (REALLY!) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Eh, FF has been released on six platforms. (REALLY!)

      "Of course a few of these releases are JP ONRY."

      Are you gay, or perhaps Irish?

  9. Dragon Warrior is nice as well by phaln · · Score: 1

    As a complement to your portable RPG gaming, I heartily recommend the Dragon Warrior series. Absolutely great.

    --
    SNACKS ARE AWESOME
  10. Ultima? by phaln · · Score: 1

    The Ultima series definitely gives the FF series a run for its money in terms of the consoles/systems it's been released on.

    Even the obscure Japanese FM Towns Marty got Ultima.

    --
    SNACKS ARE AWESOME
    1. Re:Ultima? by chrish · · Score: 1

      Let's see...

      • Commodore 64
      • Apple II
      • Atari ST
      • Amiga
      • Mac (unofficial Ultima III implementation, dunno if that counts, although it's apparently awesome)
      • DOS PC
      • Windows PC (Ultima IX)
      • Gameboy
      • SNES

      Plus whatever systems I've never heard about that had Ultima ports. I think we have a winner.

      Then again, given what EA did to Origin and the Ultima series, perhaps Final Fantasy is the actual winner.

      --
      - chrish
    2. Re:Ultima? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      NES - Ultima 3-5 (butchered ports)
      SMS - Ultima 4 (awesome port, probably one of the finest ones, lots of updates)

  11. I bought it by sycomonkey · · Score: 1

    So far it is fairly awesome. Having a portable RPG where I can save at any time will make my bus commutes MUCH more tolerable.

    --
    --The universe will not be altered by forum threads, even those which are very wry. --Tycho Brahe (Penny Arcade)
  12. Re:hrm.. -- IGN in agreement. by muel · · Score: 1

    In addition to parent's insight, IGN's review agrees and elaborates on FFII's updates.

    This link should probably be in the original subject post, too, methinks.

  13. Whole series? by tm2b · · Score: 1

    OK, how can I play the whole series on hardware that is currently in production?

    This covers I & II, and 7 onwards are on the PS/PS2. How about 3-6? I see that Amazon once had 3 & 4 as downloadable .exe files, but they are now "out of stock."

    I understand that different "episodes" in the series are not necessarily connected, but I'm still somewhat compulsive about playing games "in order."

    --
    "It is our blasphemy which has made us great, and will sustain us, and which the gods secretly admire in us." - Zelazny
    1. Re:Whole series? by GregChant · · Score: 1
      This covers I & II, and 7 onwards are on the PS/PS2. How about 3-6? I see that Amazon once had 3 & 4 as downloadable .exe files, but they are now "out of stock."

      There is the Final Fantasy Anthology for PSX, which includes Final Fantasy 5 and 6, as well as the Final Fantasy Chronicles for PSX, which includes Final Fantasy 4 and Chrono Trigger. Final Fantasy 3 is only available as an NES rom.

      Sorry.

    2. Re:Whole series? by tm2b · · Score: 1
      Final Fantasy 3 is only available as an NES rom.
      Well, it looks like I'm not totally out of luck then - according to the Final Fantasy Anthology link that you provided, Final Fantasy VI is a reworking of Final Fantasy III! Is that right?

      That very well might be good enough for me. Thanks!
      --
      "It is our blasphemy which has made us great, and will sustain us, and which the gods secretly admire in us." - Zelazny
    3. Re:Whole series? by SyncNine · · Score: 1

      Depends on what you mean.

      Final Fantasy VI is the Japanese title to our American SNES Final Fantasy III....

      If that's what you're looking for, then you're not out of luck.

      When he said that Final Fantasy 3 was only available as an NES rom, I believe he was referring to the Japanese Final Fantasy III.

      --
      To the darkened skies once more, and ever onward.
    4. Re:Whole series? by Bloomy · · Score: 1

      The game released in the US as Final Fantasy III for the SNES was Final Fantasy VI. Final Fantasy III has never been released in the US, though it is being ported to the DS.

  14. Changes by sbszine · · Score: 3, Informative
    The following GBA features are different to the PSX version:
    • Cutscenes - on GBA these are in-game rather than FMV
    • Translation - GBA has a new (apparently better) translation
    • Graphics - PSX version is better
    • Difficulty - GBA version is easier
    • Duration - GBA version is longer, has more caves / dungeons, and more monsters
    • Saving - on GBA you can save anywhere on the world map, on PSX you required special items to save (tent / cabin)
    • Magic - on GBA uses MP, original uses D & D style levels
    • Levelling - is easier on GBA, and max level is now 99 rather than 50
    --

    Vino, gyno, and techno -Bruce Sterling

  15. Great game, but... by nado · · Score: 2, Insightful
    The original Final Fantasy had a big impact on my life

    The original FF was a great game, no doubts about it. But I fail to see how it could affect one's life... Please elaborate.

    1. Re:Great game, but... by GearType2 · · Score: 3, Funny

      It saved his life. Seriously. Remember the bar fight? Yea I bet you don't, you were too drunk to remember. Dick. Anyways, it was brutal, if FF didn't step in and cool down those bums, I'm sure we all would have had a little part of us die that night, along with the death of the original parent of course... the very brutal bum beating death.

    2. Re:Great game, but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      rofl. made my night!

  16. The original by antifoidulus · · Score: 2, Informative

    re-release was on the wonderswan color. The playstation and now GBA game just added some minor tweaks to the major revision that occured when Square released it for the wonder swan color(a machine that never made it to the US, and didn't go ever all that great in Japan)

    --
    Monstar L
  17. Maybe I'm an Idiot, But.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why couldn't they make the game span several DS carts? Surely if they used more than one cart they could fit the whole FFVII on the DS, maybe even with graphical improvements. Sure, it would cost more, but I'll bet it would still sell very very well.

  18. You are still Missing One, Square by VGMSupreme · · Score: 1

    Alright, so lets get these (re)releases straight.

    FFI - GBA & PSX
    FFII - GBA & PSX
    FFIV - PSX
    FFV - PSX
    FFVI - PSX
    FFVII - PSX
    FFVIII - PSX
    FFIX - PSX
    FFX - PS2
    FFX-2 - PS2
    FFXI - PS2 & PC
    FFXII - PS2

    You guys are slacking. Where is my release of FFIII, Square?

    --
    The Galatic Freedom Force marches on! Defend!
  19. FFIV was also rereleased on the WonderSwan Color. by Vandil+X · · Score: 1

    FFIV was also rereleased on the WonderSwan Color.

    --
    Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, START