Warning: unserialize(): Error at offset 0 of 217 bytes in /home/grafskay/public_html/mysst/wp-content/plugins/kento-post-view-counter/includes/geoplugin.class.php on line 71

Warning: Trying to access array offset on false in /home/grafskay/public_html/mysst/wp-content/plugins/kento-post-view-counter/includes/geoplugin.class.php on line 75

Warning: Trying to access array offset on false in /home/grafskay/public_html/mysst/wp-content/plugins/kento-post-view-counter/includes/geoplugin.class.php on line 76

Warning: Trying to access array offset on false in /home/grafskay/public_html/mysst/wp-content/plugins/kento-post-view-counter/includes/geoplugin.class.php on line 77

Warning: Trying to access array offset on false in /home/grafskay/public_html/mysst/wp-content/plugins/kento-post-view-counter/includes/geoplugin.class.php on line 78

Warning: Trying to access array offset on false in /home/grafskay/public_html/mysst/wp-content/plugins/kento-post-view-counter/includes/geoplugin.class.php on line 79

Warning: Trying to access array offset on false in /home/grafskay/public_html/mysst/wp-content/plugins/kento-post-view-counter/includes/geoplugin.class.php on line 80

Warning: Trying to access array offset on false in /home/grafskay/public_html/mysst/wp-content/plugins/kento-post-view-counter/includes/geoplugin.class.php on line 81

Warning: Trying to access array offset on false in /home/grafskay/public_html/mysst/wp-content/plugins/kento-post-view-counter/includes/geoplugin.class.php on line 82

Warning: Trying to access array offset on false in /home/grafskay/public_html/mysst/wp-content/plugins/kento-post-view-counter/includes/geoplugin.class.php on line 83

Warning: Trying to access array offset on false in /home/grafskay/public_html/mysst/wp-content/plugins/kento-post-view-counter/includes/geoplugin.class.php on line 84

Warning: Trying to access array offset on false in /home/grafskay/public_html/mysst/wp-content/plugins/kento-post-view-counter/includes/geoplugin.class.php on line 85

Warning: Trying to access array offset on false in /home/grafskay/public_html/mysst/wp-content/plugins/kento-post-view-counter/includes/geoplugin.class.php on line 86

The culprit: Final Fantasy IV (Super Nintendo, PlayStation, GameBoy Advance, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable)

Starting the tradition of three Final Fantasies per console, this is the first game of the series on the SNES, and, contrary to its two predecessors, this one actually did make it out of Japan in timely fashion. It also started a numbering confusion that would last for a while: since it was the second FF to be released outside of Japan at the time, it would be known as FFII. The original SNES game notably exists in two versions: what is called the ‘easytype’ or American version, and the ‘hardtype’ or Japanese one. The ‘easy’ and ‘hard’ bits should be self-explanatory. I guess the developers believed that the rest of the world wasn’t quite up to par with Japanese gaming standards. It probably didn’t sit very well with some people, as the Japanese version has since also benefited from a fan translation into English.

Despite this variation in combat difficulty, the game is the same in both versions, and it’s certainly a memorable one. For the majority of the Western audience, this was the first FF with properly characterised protagonists and a sizeable cast of them to boot, one of the largest in the series, in fact. Since every character also has a fixed class, or job, this also gives said classes a recognisable face, so to speak. Cain/Kain and Cecil, for example, have set the tone for the abilities and physical appearance of all dragoons and paladins in the FF series. Just about everything else in the game has taken a significant upgrade from previous installments as well: better (and longer) storyline, better combat mechanics, better graphics (with the notable introduction of battle backgrounds). True, the characters sprites still look somewhat squished while on the world map, but they are otherwise more detailed than the ones on the NES. Since this is still early enough in the series for first times, this game also marks the first appearance of proper save points.

FFIV also holds the title of “Most Remade Game in the Series”: as of today, it’s available to Western audiences on four different consoles. There’s the original SNES version, a PS version, with short cinematics of dubious graphical quality added at the beginning and at the end, which was released together with FFV as part of the European Final Fantasy Anthology bundle, a GBA version, a DS version and a PSP version, bundled with the game’s sequel, The After Years (which was previously only available on the Wii), as well as an exclusive episode covering the transition between the two. Each remake thus offers something new to the experience, the GBA and DS versions introducing the most significant changes. Overall, I would say this is one the best games in the FF series: solid, well-paced and fun, well worth playing or replaying.

Detailed review available! Read more here.