Final Fantasy IV looking much better! Release: 22/7/08

Hey Folks, for those people who own a DS and are consistently arguing that they don’t get enough CG babes, there’s a game that is about to be released in 3 weeks time. This time with added beautiful graphics and cool looking knights with swords and armor. Some people say DS graphics suck hardcore but thats not true, not true at all…

* P-Meister convulses in orgasm*

The Nintendo DS

Once again, the DS wins. Everyone knows that nintendo has won the handheld console war. That only means more game releases for NDS!! True that PSP has more potential to deliver better graphics, but the DS graphics is comparable and if played with properly, can deliver stunning scenes, as seen in FF IV’s CG. Sadly, like the FF3, the CG scene is only included at the start. BLEH! Why can’t they just put it at the right places. Anyway, yhe PSone’s FFIV is pathetic compared to this one. Ooo how I love technology. Hail to Square and Nintendo for their hard work. Lets move on to the game.

About the Game

This game is an RPG, the same old thing. This game is a classic of the old days. However, Square has improved this game in every aspect whilst retaining the brilliant storyline, giving the game a polished yet classic feel.

Storyline

For those who played the 2D version of the game, you can follow the game like you did in the SNES, but this time you get to see added cutscenes. Square does more than present something that already exist. Some scenes are greatly improved, check graphics section to get what i mean.

Battle System:

Every FF game has classes and every class has its strength and weaknesses(besides FF8 and its imbal guardian force cum limit break exploits). So just the basic fighter wizard healer and thief? WRONG!! I’m glad to say, the characters included will come with a special skill and the dragoon’s jump ability(my fav class) and many others will be in the game too. Hurray for those who liked the FF3s prestige classes. There is somewhat balance but everyone knows that in final fantasy, some characters are just much stronger than others. Different characters perform differently in different areas however, so choose wisely.

Difficulty:

Difficulty has been raised compared to its old version. Of course, this is also due to increased complexity of the game. Did i mention they improved the game in every aspect. Attacks by monsters may induce status effects. This particularly applies to a area and special bosses too. You will need to observe monster playstyle in order to survive. In addition, the active time based battle system will be sure to keep your heart pumping. Well, that applies UNLESS YOU ARE A WALKTHROUGH FAG! Anyway, to put it simply, you can’t win with just a 5 level extra gap, you’ll need strat( or a walkthrough).

Well, of course Square won’t dump players into a thrash and see what happens. They also give you stuff to play with, called abilities. Passive abilities are like auto-potion, guard, counter, hp+50% etc which we have already seen in other series. You can also train your character in the way you like, teaching them skills. For all the perfectionist out there, there’s a New Game + option that allows you to replay the game whilst retaining character abilities. This way you can technically teach every character every skill. The New Game + also allows you to deal more damage than 9999, so enjoy…

Graphics and sound:

Sound is done by the legendary Nobuo Uematsu, we can’t expect less. This time however, its remixed to suit the DS sound system. Its not terribly edited till its seriously noticeable however, retaining its uberness. About the DS sound system? Well, its pretty darn good(only with a headphone/earphone). I recommend Sony.

In addition to better sound, important scenes also have voices. WOOHOO.

Graphics wise, see for yourself. I don’t need to explain this. Some may complain that graphics don’t pose a lot of problems. Well it does. imagine watching a 2D pixellised scene thats meant to be emotional and compared to a CG scene and voiced scenes. Get it? Watch the japanese trailer to find out more!

Still, if you really hated the voices, you can turn it off or skip scene, but only an idiot will do that =P

Extra:

“Oh man! its FF4 again, but i played that 3 times already!!!” says mr. FF-Joe. Well, don’t worry! With great consoles comes great features. Expect new stuff. Minigames can alter summons made by Rydia and make them powerful. The best part is, there is a Wifi option that allows you to use these summons to fight with other people. Hurray.

Other like Super Bosses and side quests and the already mentioned New Game + are exclusive to the DS version only. The decant ability system and increased difficulty and voice over cutscenes will be sure to deliver an entirely different feel, the enjoyment that the creators intended for the players to have.

Introduction

Looks like I forgot to introduce the story, anyway, to not spoil the storyline, the main character Cecil whose kingdom of Baron wishes to collect the mysterious crystals. Of course, it can’t be that simple. The orders given to him by the king have moral and ethical issues. He was a Dark Knight, one of my favourite prestige classes who starts out pursuing the dream of his king. He was a loyal knight, yes, but every story needs a twist. The king turned out to be a BAD GUY! Cliche!! Yes.. but its a simple and enjoyable storyline. Most RPGs that were released in 1991 had ‘cliche’ storylines before it became cliche! Hence the word I would use is classic and original! Hurray to dark brooding hero!!

Limitations

Every game isn’t perfect. However this game kept a low profile in its limitations. I will still however bring it out.

1) Little stylus movement: Stylus controls allows you to move your character like metroid prime. However, it can also be played exactly the same way as a GBA using the D-pad. bleh.

2) Graphics could be better if brought to the Wii. Doh… but FF classics are games you play on the bus or train when you’re bored… no?

3) Nintendo really pushed the console to its limit such that you get to see lags here and there, but they are sooo rare you won’t notice it (unless you replayed the game 3 times.)

Conclusion

What are you waiting for? Its available for preorder in many stalls. This is certainly something that will be worth your money(and not worth to download on the R4!) for those who werent born at the right time to experience it on the SNES or GBA. For additional info http://na.square-enix.com/ff4/. KEKEKE, can’t wait anymore!! Hope you enjoyed this read. P-Meister signing off. I better finish Apollo Justice before this game comes out.