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The Lost Final Fantasy

Lost Levels has a great piece looking at the never-released Final Fantasy title. Really nothing more than a tech demo from the N64 days, it's an interesting bit of videogame history nonetheless. From the article: "Other gaming magazines, including Nintendo Power, also ran articles on the demo with different information, helping to fuel the rumors of an upcoming Nintendo 64 Final Fantasy title. When no further information about the game appeared and Square subsequently announced that a game titled Final Fantasy VII would be released on the Sony PlayStation, fans cried foul and accused Square of betraying Nintendo ... Most of these claims were nothing more than rumors that were spawned as the result of some shoddy journalism; however, many people accepted these rumors as fact, and these faux facts were perpetuated as being truths. But many rumors are based in fact, and the rumors surrounding Final Fantasy 64 are no exception. The images of the demo that were shown in GameFan, Nintendo Power, and other magazines were real, which meant that the demo itself was real. So what exactly was the demo, and where had the information in the magazines come from? "

38 comments

  1. Old stuff by Stormwatch · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Read that article a long time ago.

    1. Re:Old stuff by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      yeah really old. Wasn't this in EGM/Game pro a while back?

    2. Re:Old stuff by Dr.+Molf · · Score: 1

      I try and check lostlevels, atariage and nesworld at least once a week. Geez, next they'll mention that Flashblack 2.0 has been released!

      --
      indeed..
  2. whaaat? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Most of these claims were nothing more than rumors that were spawned as the result of some shoddy journalism; however, many people accepted these rumors as fact, and these faux facts were perpetuated as being truths. But many rumors are based in fact, and the rumors surrounding Final Fantasy 64 are no exception.

    Yikes... So
    Fact > Rumors > Claim based on fact

    Faux Facts > Rumors > Claim based on fact

    Right?

    1. Re:whaaat? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, my thoughts exactly. But that's just my thoughts, which are sometimes shared by others, which is exactly this case, where you share my thoughts. Shared thoughts often reflect popular opionions, which can often be based on popular true facts. It is my thought that this shared opionion is based on popular fact, but sometimes popular fact is just faux-fact, which brings us back to rumours and perpetuation of misleading journalism.

      wow.

    2. Re:whaaat? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, my thoughts exactly. But that's just my thoughts, which are sometimes shared by others, which is exactly this case, where you share my thoughts. Shared thoughts often reflect popular opionions, which can often be based on popular true facts. It is my thought that this shared opionion is based on popular fact, but sometimes popular fact is just faux-fact, which brings us back to rumours and perpetuation of misleading journalism.
      What an Opi_Onion?

  3. The Scoop in a Nut Shell by SScorpio · · Score: 3, Informative
    Back before the PSX and N64 came out Squaresoft (they hadn't merged with Enix until 2005) was researching the capabilities of the consoles and creating demos on them. This "Lost Final Fantasy" was nothing more than a demo of a battle engine to show off what could be done on the system. Ultimately Squaresoft went with the PSX due to their desire to incorporate full motion video in their games, and the N64s inability to handle this due to it using cartridges.

    The video is kind of neat to see what Squaresoft could have done on the N64, but it's unpolished due to it being just a demo. The only real issue is that this news is from several years ago as the job I was working at the time I remember first reading about this was from 2003 at the earliest. Oh well, the real lost Final Fantasies were the translated versions of FF2 and FF3 for the NES that were never released. FF2 from my understanding was completed; however, I'm not sure how far FF3 got. And before you say they were released FF2 and FF3 on the SNES were just renames of FF4 and FF6.

    1. Re:The Scoop in a Nut Shell by voice_of_all_reason · · Score: 3, Informative

      Not sure what you mean by "completed," since FF2 and FF3 have had fan-translations for a long time now.

      I have very fond memories of playing FF3 over the course of many years -- finding a new translation group had picked up the task, playing up until the point where they stopped, and waiting until a few months down the road when I happened upon a better patch.

    2. Re:The Scoop in a Nut Shell by Guppy06 · · Score: 1

      "Oh well, the real lost Final Fantasies were the translated versions of FF2 and FF3 for the NES that were never released. FF2 from my understanding was completed; however, I'm not sure how far FF3 got. And before you say they were released FF2 and FF3 on the SNES were just renames of FF4 and FF6."

      Welcome to the Twenty-First Century! Final Fantasy II is available in "Final Fantasy Origins" for the PlayStation (a port of the WonderSwan Color version with some FMV thrown in) and in "Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls" for the GBA (same WonderSwan Color port, only with new story tacked on after the end of II). Final Fantasy III is being made for the DS, in 3D (kinda like what Enix did to Dragon Quest IV for the PlayStation, I guess).

    3. Re:The Scoop in a Nut Shell by dbhankins · · Score: 1

      FF2 was completed and released along with FF1 as "Final Fantasy Origins" for PS1.

      The only one that I believe has never had an official US translation and release is FF3.

    4. Re:The Scoop in a Nut Shell by Echnin · · Score: 1

      Square merged with Enix in 2003. FFII has been released abroad on both the PSX and GBA. FFIII I'm less certain about, but I think it's been released; in any case, an NDS remake is on the way. In related news, FFIV was just released for GBA.

      --
      Lalala
    5. Re:The Scoop in a Nut Shell by nb+caffeine · · Score: 1

      You would be correct. As other posters noted, FF2 was also in the GBA release of Dawn of Souls. It is interesting, a lot more advanced (imho) than FF1, and was avilable on the same system in japan. I've only put about 8 or so hours into ff2 (finally got a working copy of ff7, so thats been my timesink).

      Any big FF fan would enjoy 2, if only to see what square was trying different back in those days.

      --

      "Something's wrong with you...and I hope we never do meet again." - Deftones When Girls Telephone Boys
    6. Re:The Scoop in a Nut Shell by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The numbering system does tend to confuse things.

      The first Final Fantasy game was released as Final Fantasy in both Japan and the US. It was also released as part of Final Fantasy Origins for the PS1.

      The second FF game was released as Final Fantasy 2 in Japan, but was not released in the US until recently, when it was part of Final Fantasy Origins for the PS1.

      The third FF game was released as Final Fantasy 3 in Japan, but to the best of my knowledge has not been officially released in the US.

      The fourth FF game was released as Final Fantasy 4 in Japan and as Final Fantasy 2 in the US. It is also part of Final Fantasy Chronicles and Final Fantasy Collection, each for the PS1.

      The fifth FF game was released as Final Fantasy 5 in Japan and as part of Final Fantasy Anthology and Final Fantasy Collection for the PS1 in the US.

      The sixth FF game was released as Final Fantasy 6 in Japan and as Final Fantasy 3 in the US, and was also included in Final Fantasy Anthology for the PS1.

      When the seventh game came out, I guess someone at Square said "It's getting confusing, let's just call it Final Fantasy 7 both in Japan and the US." The numbers have been synchronized from then on.

    7. Re:The Scoop in a Nut Shell by Is0m0rph · · Score: 1

      They did a good job on the GBA version of FFIV. Totally enjoying it.

    8. Re:The Scoop in a Nut Shell by C0rinthian · · Score: 1

      I remember watching the videos of that demo-battle (Featuring 3-D versions of FFVI characters) and drooling over the possibilites. I can't RTFA here at work, but I'm curious if it's got that video linked? I'd love to watch that again...(Nostalgia)

    9. Re:The Scoop in a Nut Shell by SScorpio · · Score: 1
      Yes I know and have both Origins and Dawn of Souls. I'm commenting on the original offical English NES version of FF2 that was just never released. Earth Bound for the NES was found as a translated prototype and released; however, I'm guessing FF2 & 3 (if it was completed) will never be released. The fan translations were a nice replacement but it still doesn't change the fact that we will never see them.

      You might also be wondering why I didn't comment on FFV. That is because the PSX release of it in FF: Chronicles (or was in Anthology) was an almost perfect graphic-wise port from the SNES. The release of FF2, and the 3d remake of FF3 look completely different from the original games. Also in Dawn of Souls the game system was changed so that you characters never lost stats as they leveled, they only gained them.

    10. Re:The Scoop in a Nut Shell by randomtangent · · Score: 1

      Correct 2 is available on the playstation with ff1.
      FF3 (the real one not 6 renamed like we got on the snes) is coming soon to a gameboy DS near you.
      http://rpgamer.com/games/ff/ff3ds/ff3ds.html is where I read about it first. I'm sure a google for "final fantasy 3 ds" would turn up more.

      --
      -Mike
    11. Re:The Scoop in a Nut Shell by Guppy06 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      "I'm guessing FF2 & 3 (if it was completed) will never be released."

      I'm willing to bet that S-E didn't reinvent the wheel when they brought FFII over here on the PlayStation and GBA. I don't think they ever tried translating III before, but I'd wager that any translation work done for the Famicom version is already out in the wild on other platforms.

      As for an English version of the Famicom game proper, there's pratically zero risk involved in publishing a ROM onto the Revolution's online service. There might be a good chance it could happen (and maybe a few Enix games as well; I think so far DQV for the SFC was at least partially translated before Enix fled North America).

    12. Re:The Scoop in a Nut Shell by LocalH · · Score: 1

      By completed, he means officially translated for NES release, although I wouldn't say the translation was complete, as there is still some mangled Engrish, but there was an official translation under progress before Square turned FF4 into FF2US.

      --
      FC Closer
    13. Re:The Scoop in a Nut Shell by voice_of_all_reason · · Score: 1

      Ooh, sounds fun. Was there really any big difference between 3 and 6j? Other than the names?

      Terra->Tina (Tina isn't a japanese name, like, at all. So it was considered "exotic")
      Cyan->Cayenne (like the spice. I dunno why)
      Kefka->Cefka
      Stragus->Strago

      Since there's no L in Japanese, I'm sure there will be a lot more goofy name changes (Rocke, Ceres, Rerm...)

      And some of the sprites (the female bosses) had additional clothes. Americans giving the Japanese a lesson on censorship -- how unusual.

  4. Wow by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    With such quality writing, it's truly a shame that this is only the second article posted to that site this year.

    Ho-lee crap.

  5. Revolution? by emptycorp · · Score: 1

    Do you think Nintendo will include this if the Revolution includes the entire back catalog?

    Also, what other hidden gems might be included if the former proves positive?

    1. Re:Revolution? by Cecil · · Score: 1

      Include *what*? A Tech demo?

    2. Re:Revolution? by antime · · Score: 1

      Seeing as it never ran on Nintendo hardware, my guess is "no."

  6. Too bad they went with Sony... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You have to love how those screenshots in the article look FAR superior to the Final Fantasy VII that finally came out on the PlayStation. Too bad they went with Sony, they could have created a far superior game on the N64.

    Ah well, the move to Sony started the downfall of a once great company.

    1. Re:Too bad they went with Sony... by antime · · Score: 2, Informative

      But the demo was running on Silicon Graphics workstations, not Nintendo hardware. It's impossible to tell from those shots what a game would have looked like on the N64.

  7. Question by lbmouse · · Score: 0, Troll

    I am not a video game freak (IANAVGF). How can something be the "Final Fantasy" if it is not the last one? Wouldn't it be something like "Second to the Last Fantasy" or "Almost the Last Fantasy", etc?

    1. Re:Question by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      its kinda like calling the xbox360 a 'next-gen' system, when clearly, it' moved from 'next-gen' to 'current' gen when it was released to the public. Expect the ps3 and the revolution to be called 'next-gen' for another year after their release as well...

      and 'last-gen' systems will be called 'current-gen' for quite a whiile .

    2. Re:Question by b1t+r0t · · Score: 2, Informative
      Yeah, I know, it's silly. The first one was supposed to be final, but they kind of screwed that up. It was too successful, it got a sequel, and it kind of went on from there.

      From Wikipedia:

      Square Co., Ltd. first entered the Japanese video game industry in the mid 1980s, developing a variety of simple RPGs for Nintendo's Famicom Disk System (FDS), a disk-based peripheral for the Family Computer (also known as the "Famicom," and known internationally as the Nintendo Entertainment System). By 1987, declining interest in the FDS had placed Square on the verge of bankruptcy. At approximately the same time, Square designer Hironobu Sakaguchi began work on an ambitious new fantasy role playing game for the cartridge-based Famicom, inspired in part by Enix's popular Dragon Quest (known in the United States as Dragon Warrior). Sakaguchi had plans to retire after the completion of the project so he named it Final Fantasy because it was his final game, although it was also going to be Square's final game. In fact, it's commonly believed that the game was named Final Fantasy because of Square and not Sakaguchi, although Sakaguchi himself has confirmed it was named because of his plans for retirement. Either way, Final Fantasy turned out to be far from being Square's or Sakaguchi's last game. Final Fantasy reversed Square's lagging fortunes, and became their flagship franchise.
      --

      --
      "Open source is good." - Steve Jobs
      "Open source is evil." - Microsoft
    3. Re:Question by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Blah blah, lies about Squaresoft being in financial trouble, blah blah, lies about it saving the company, blah blah...

      The reality is that Squaresoft is Japanese. Apparently they thought "Final Fantasy" (or Final Fantajee as it comes out in Japanese) sounded cool.

      End of story.

  8. Must... edit... post... must... edit... post... by ianscot · · Score: 1
    Holy cow, does that post need editing. It's like the long, loopy passages from Moby Dick about how white is usually associated with goodness. I mean:
    helping to fuel the rumors of an upcoming Nintendo 64 Final Fantasy title... ...Most of these claims were nothing more than rumors that were spawned as the result of some shoddy journalism; however, many people accepted these rumors as fact, and these faux facts were perpetuated as being truths. But many rumors are based in fact, and the rumors surrounding Final Fantasy 64 are no exception.

    Most of the claims were nothing more than rumors, which some people accepted as fact, which was then perpetuated as truth? How many ways do we need to say "rumor"?

    Translation: Rumors started based on the tech demo, but the final game never got released on N64.

    --
    "Fundamentalism" isn't about divine morality. It's about human authority.
    1. Re:Must... edit... post... must... edit... post... by Jakeypants · · Score: 2, Funny

      I agree with your comment that you posted on the article, but had there been no article, you wouldn't have made a comment. Since there was, however, an article, you posted a comment on it that I agree with. Because there was an article, you could post a comment, and you did, and the comment in question is one that I agree with.

  9. Alas by vga_init · · Score: 1

    I remember seeing this demo in full years ago after downloading it from a gaming community. I was quite impressed because I thought that perhaps Square was presenting some work that would suggest that they were reworking FFVI in 3D, but I was dissappointed to discover that it was only just a demo.

    One of these days I'd like to see a VI remake; I'd buy it.

  10. FF VI on GBA soon by kninja · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Your 6 remake will probably be on the GBA soon enough.

    They re-released
    Breath of Fire I and II
    Final Fantasy I and II
    Final Fantasy IV
    Final Fantasy III on the DS

    Final Fantasy VI on GBA is mentioned on several gaming sites but I bet it will be out next year about this time (last year they re-released I and II, this year IV, and next year it will be III an VI if current trends hold).

    My Speculation for Re-releases:
    Secret of Mana with Wireless Support on the DS/GBA
    Chrono Trigger

  11. Re:I really stopped playing after FF6 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Final Fantasy Tactics was one of the best Final Fantasy games I've ever played.

    Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, on the other hand, was a complete and under abomination. (And it's this game that Final Fantasy XII will be based on - can you feel the excitement?)

    Please do not mistake the two Final Fantasy Tactics. One is an excellent PlayStation game. The other is an abomination of a Gameboy Advance game.

  12. Re:I really stopped playing after FF6 by justchris · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Ummm, I think you played the wrong Final Fantasy Tactics.


    The original Final Fantasy Tactics was on the Playstation, and it was one of the best Final Fantasy games ever. The story was superior in all ways. The characters were memorable, and the gameplay was very nearly perfect.


    Final Fantasy Tactics Advance was on the Gameboy Advance, and pretty much was a result of Square eviscerating everything that made the first game fun. They took out the key game mechanic that made it superior to every other Tactical RPG I've ever played, they added judges, dumbed down the story, added races and thereby limited jobs, and all around shat upon some fond memories.


    On the other hand, I agree, FFVI was a great game. I think the story in IV was better, but VI was a better game.


    If you like the old Final Fantasy games, pay attention to the development house Mistwalker, and specifically Lost Odyssey (I think that's the name of it) which they are developing for the Xbox 360.

    --
    just some guy
  13. Thanks a lot, you guys by LocalH · · Score: 1

    LL is now down because you caused them to exceed heir bandwidth. Thanks a fucking lot.

    --
    FC Closer