What are the best versions for FF I-VI

[LeClefLame]

At the time, I played FF I-VI for the GB advanced but did not 100% complete the games. I'm now going to replay the first six for this purpose as I've already done this for VII-X(2)* and now that new formats have been released and even some recommending old ones, which formats for FF I-VI are the best in terms of being the best enhanced and still true to the original?

*The PS4 HD Remaster for FF X/X2 is best.

[Wolf Kanno]

Being the purest that I am, my default answer is to basically emulate all six games as most of the releases have some problem or another, or simply change enough to be considered a different experience all together from the original in the case of FFIII and IV. I'll give a more elaborate answer for each though. I will say now that I generally don't like the PSP/mobile ports. Mainly because I strongly dislike the sprite work for all of them. In the case of FFI, II, and IV the sprites feel way too polished and clean for my taste, I generally prefer the more blocky 16-bit sprites. For the V and VI mobile, I don't feel like the sprites mesh well with the overall design of their games. The sprites look too lanky and their color palettes are several shades too bright for the darker and more vibrant background colors that just makes the games visually unappealing to me.

FF Origins is probably the best in terms of staying true to the original in regards to FF I and II. Origins is based on the Wonderswan version and is pretty faithful to the originals though it fixes all of the bugs in FFI making it noticeably easier. Dawn of Souls and the PSP versions both made compromises to the games difficulty in order to fit in some of the new content they added. Due to these games being pretty light on plot, I feel it's better to play versions of them that retain the original difficulty in order to get some entertainment value out of them. If you're more plot/character focused for JRPGs though and simply want to play these games for completion sake, then any of the newer versions will work cause the eased difficulty will make getting through the games much faster.

For FFIII, it's the same deal. If you want to the play the true experience, I recommend just getting an NES emulator and play the original. The higher difficulty and original game design format is noticeably different from the 3D Remake. The 3D Remake had to make concessions from the original in order to work on the DS it was initially designed for and despite being ported to better hardware, SE made no attempt to restore any of it. The other issue is that Job System was retooled in the remake to make it feel closer to FFV, where any class can stay viable until the end, as opposed to the original where you would likely be shifting classes constantly as they grew obsolete. If you're going to do the 3D remake then the Steam version is probably the best due better control options and being rid of the annoying and gimmicky Mog Message sidequest that some of the content is trapped behind in the original DS version.

IV has a a lot of versions. If you want to play the most faithful adaption, play an SNES emulated one with a good translation as the US version has lots of edits while the PS1 port has a lackluster translation. The GBA version is not bad, but find the European version as the Japanese/US versions are buggy. Not to mention the GBA has an inferior graphics/music card so the game looks and sounds off to anyone who has played the original, I was also not a big fan of the addition of the Lunar Trials and and the party switch mechanic, but I've already admitted I'm kind of a purest who is stuck in their old ways. The 3D Remake is a bit of an odd duck. It makes several gameplay changes to give the game more appeal to modern gaming tastes such as the addition of mini-games and more sidequests, as well as a real customization system called the Augment system which replaced the GBA's new party switch feature. What makes this different from previous entries is that they retooled the bosses and enemies to compensate for these new powerful upgrades so the game would retain it's legendary difficulty unlike the FFIII Remake. There are also some added story elements like a few additional cutscenes and the ability to read your party leaders thoughts on the menu screen. It's honestly not a bad way to go, but it does feel different enough from a fan of the original to almost feel like a different game in some ways.

V and VI are probably the hardest on this list because they've had the fewest ports behind FFIII but whereas FFIII has a clear option in my mind, V and VI don't. The issue is that the originals have the superior audio and visual components, whereas the GBA ports have the best translations and in the case with VI, fixes a ton of bugs that made the original game too exploitable and easy. For FFV, you can always split the difference and just emulate the game. The translation is serviceable though lacks some of the charm the new translation has, but thankfully is more respectful and higher quality than the PS1 translation. You also get the classic and superior graphics and sound over the GBA and mobile versions. VI is the one where you're going to have make some concessions. The GAB version plays better than the original and the translation is probably the best out of all the versions I've played though it does change a few lines people prefer in the original, but the graphics feel washed out, and the audio is noticeably different for veterans and considering VI is often argued to have one of the strongest soundtracks in the series, that's a huge detriment. The mobile version has fugly sprite work and the PS1 version has an inferior translation and noticeable load times. So your best bet is to emulate and use a fan translation to get the authentic feel but I kind of feel the fan translation is devoid of real personality for some characters and of course, you'll be playing with all the game breaking bugs still intact. It's your call at that point.

[LeClefLame]

Great info, but you left out FFIV: The Complete Collection. What's your take on that besides being on the PSP?

Also, out of curiosity, how different is the PSP version of of FFIII compared to the DS?

[Lord Golbez]

I'd go with the GBA/PSP version of FFIV. I actually played the PSP version on Vita, but I think it's close to the same as the GBA and the reason definitely is. As much as I appreciate the pure experience (and you really can't go wrong with the SNES version). These version add something that I always wanted from the original and which I think should have been in there - the ability to choose party members near the end. Like, smurf you Edge, seriously. I don't need you in my party. You're jut going to die.

[Lone Wolf Leonhart]

If you can get your hands on a Super Nintendo Classic, you can play Final Fantasy VI (III) with the nostalgic feel of a classic system, but at the same time, have the benefit of emulator control so you can pause, rewind, and create save states when you mess up. It's also great if you want a certain enemy drop and rewind to before the battle.

[LeClefLame]

Being the purest that I am, my default answer is to basically emulate all six games as most of the releases have some problem or another, or simply change enough to be considered a different experience all together from the original in the case of FFIII and IV. I'll give a more elaborate answer for each though. I will say now that I generally don't like the PSP/mobile ports. Mainly because I strongly dislike the sprite work for all of them. In the case of FFI, II, and IV the sprites feel way too polished and clean for my taste, I generally prefer the more blocky 16-bit sprites. For the V and VI mobile, I don't feel like the sprites mesh well with the overall design of their games. The sprites look too lanky and their color palettes are several shades too bright for the darker and more vibrant background colors that just makes the games visually unappealing to me.

FF Origins is probably the best in terms of staying true to the original in regards to FF I and II. Origins is based on the Wonderswan version and is pretty faithful to the originals though it fixes all of the bugs in FFI making it noticeably easier. Dawn of Souls and the PSP versions both made compromises to the games difficulty in order to fit in some of the new content they added. Due to these games being pretty light on plot, I feel it's better to play versions of them that retain the original difficulty in order to get some entertainment value out of them. If you're more plot/character focused for JRPGs though and simply want to play these games for completion sake, then any of the newer versions will work cause the eased difficulty will make getting through the games much faster.

For FFIII, it's the same deal. If you want to the play the true experience, I recommend just getting an NES emulator and play the original. The higher difficulty and original game design format is noticeably different from the 3D Remake. The 3D Remake had to make concessions from the original in order to work on the DS it was initially designed for and despite being ported to better hardware, SE made no attempt to restore any of it. The other issue is that Job System was retooled in the remake to make it feel closer to FFV, where any class can stay viable until the end, as opposed to the original where you would likely be shifting classes constantly as they grew obsolete. If you're going to do the 3D remake then the Steam version is probably the best due better control options and being rid of the annoying and gimmicky Mog Message sidequest that some of the content is trapped behind in the original DS version.

IV has a a lot of versions. If you want to play the most faithful adaption, play an SNES emulated one with a good translation as the US version has lots of edits while the PS1 port has a lackluster translation. The GBA version is not bad, but find the European version as the Japanese/US versions are buggy. Not to mention the GBA has an inferior graphics/music card so the game looks and sounds off to anyone who has played the original, I was also not a big fan of the addition of the Lunar Trials and and the party switch mechanic, but I've already admitted I'm kind of a purest who is stuck in their old ways. The 3D Remake is a bit of an odd duck. It makes several gameplay changes to give the game more appeal to modern gaming tastes such as the addition of mini-games and more sidequests, as well as a real customization system called the Augment system which replaced the GBA's new party switch feature. What makes this different from previous entries is that they retooled the bosses and enemies to compensate for these new powerful upgrades so the game would retain it's legendary difficulty unlike the FFIII Remake. There are also some added story elements like a few additional cutscenes and the ability to read your party leaders thoughts on the menu screen. It's honestly not a bad way to go, but it does feel different enough from a fan of the original to almost feel like a different game in some ways.

V and VI are probably the hardest on this list because they've had the fewest ports behind FFIII but whereas FFIII has a clear option in my mind, V and VI don't. The issue is that the originals have the superior audio and visual components, whereas the GBA ports have the best translations and in the case with VI, fixes a ton of bugs that made the original game too exploitable and easy. For FFV, you can always split the difference and just emulate the game. The translation is serviceable though lacks some of the charm the new translation has, but thankfully is more respectful and higher quality than the PS1 translation. You also get the classic and superior graphics and sound over the GBA and mobile versions. VI is the one where you're going to have make some concessions. The GAB version plays better than the original and the translation is probably the best out of all the versions I've played though it does change a few lines people prefer in the original, but the graphics feel washed out, and the audio is noticeably different for veterans and considering VI is often argued to have one of the strongest soundtracks in the series, that's a huge detriment. The mobile version has fugly sprite work and the PS1 version has an inferior translation and noticeable load times. So your best bet is to emulate and use a fan translation to get the authentic feel but I kind of feel the fan translation is devoid of real personality for some characters and of course, you'll be playing with all the game breaking bugs still intact. It's your call at that point.

So long as the two button-directional arrow pad gameplay are true to the original along with a faithful translation I don't mind the enhanced sprites of the PSP versions like for FFI for ex., but what about the soundtrack?

And I have no intentions of playing any of the mobile phone/tablet versions.

For FFII, I like the Soul of Rebirth sidequest as I see it as an extension to the story which leaves the GBA/PSP versions though my only tick is the default easy mode and I dislike that you can't get a version with both opening scenes.

The original FFIII is the only game I'll be willing to play an emulation of and then for completions sake, play the DS or PSP version (whichever better).

I dislike the DS version of FFIV for all reasons as I prefer the traditional 2D version. I have nothing against switching party members in the GBA even if it wasn't in the original because you can still keep the same party afterwards and the lunar trials seemed to me like a chance for each of the other living characters to obtain their final weapons which to me felt like an enhancement of the game, though you might be right about the selection of the bosses. The PSP version includes the Interlude and After Years stories but I dislike the translation, not including the lunar trials etc. so I'm very mixed on this one.

If the FFV emulation has superior graphics and sound over the GBA version I'll have to see it for myself if you can provide a link.

For FFVI, I'll stick with the GBA version. But if there's an emulation out there with the GBA translation, the audio quality of the PSone version, the bugs fixed, and improved graphics I'll play it.

[Lord Golbez]

Interlude and After Years are both bad and do not add value, IMO. But I won't take marks off for their inclusion. I like the PSP version for changing out party members and that's it. I don't even particularly care for/about the lunar trials. Just like to be able to put Yang in my party. I don't remember the translation being particularly bad. Is it different from the GBA version? I actually kind of assumed it was pretty much just a port of the GBA with Interlude and After Years added.

[Wolf Kanno]

Great info, but you left out FFIV: The Complete Collection. What's your take on that besides being on the PSP?

Also, out of curiosity, how different is the PSP version of of FFIII compared to the DS?

For the Complete Collection, it's basically the GBA version with the fugly updated sprites from the other PSP versions of FFI and II. It's not a bad version otherwise, it does let you switch between the SNES music while the game usually uses the DS version of the OST. It also has a few additional animations for things like the volcano exploding and Leviathan attacking the ship but otherwise it's pretty faithful to the original gameplay-wise barring the additional Lunar Trials and party switching mechanics being added in from the GBA version. It does have the sequels of which I've heard nothing good about Interlude, but The After Years are not terrible just incredibly redundant as a story, though the gameplay isn't bad outside of being incredibly grindtastic and I still feel Tokito needs to apologize to us fans for the final dungeon slog. I believe the PSP version uses the DS script. This game has like four different "official" translations and has basically been re-translated a new for every port since the PS1.

As for FFIII, I always forget it got ported to the PSP, but it's frankly a mostly straight port of the DS version including the Mognet Message quest but at least the Wi-Fi feature wasn't shut down like the DS version. It does have some music options and slightly enhanced graphics but it's pretty much the same as the DS version from what my sources tell me. Frankly most of the ports of the 3D versions of the game are based on the DS one, similar to how all the 16-bit ports of FFI and II are based on the Wonderswan version all the way up to the PSP editions.

So long as the two button-directional arrow pad gameplay are true to the original along with a faithful translation I don't mind the enhanced sprites of the PSP versions like for FFI for ex., but what about the soundtrack?

Soundtrack is taken from the FF Origins version while the translation is taken from the DoS version with the exception of the new Labyrinth of Time. My biggest issue with the PSP version are gameplay changes, the magic system is updated to be in line with more modern RPGs with a MP system instead of Vanician magic like the original and the classes have been altered to make them more powerful. The game pretty much plays like the Origins versions of Easy Mode if you ask me.

The original FFIII is the only game I'll be willing to play an emulation of and then for completions sake, play the DS or PSP version (whichever better).

While I like both versions, I prefer the Famicom version of FFIII the best cause I feel the classic entries need their original difficulty to stay relevant. As stated above, the DS version and PSP version are mostly identical.

I dislike the DS version of FFIV for all reasons as I prefer the traditional 2D version. I have nothing against switching party members in the GBA even if it wasn't in the original because you can still keep the same party afterwards and the lunar trials seemed to me like a chance for each of the other living characters to obtain their final weapons which to me felt like an enhancement of the game, though you might be right about the selection of the bosses. The PSP version includes the Interlude and After Years stories but I dislike the translation, not including the lunar trials etc. so I'm very mixed on this one.

I played IV back in the day on the SNES and having the party swap mechanic just feels wrong to me for some reason. I honestly prefer Yang over Edge in my final party and I liked the Lunar Trials but I find the whole thing to feel tacked on and hurts the game's overall great pacing. I don't have as much of these issues with the additional content in FFV and VI though, barring the new classes in V being unbalanced and poorly added in, I honestly loved the optional dungeon in that game, and for VI, if you never played the original, you almost not believe any of the additional content was actually added in cause it feels seamless in the game. Course the Dragon's Den was suppose to be in the original...

If the FFV emulation has superior graphics and sound over the GBA version I'll have to see it for myself if you can provide a link.

The emulation, as you probably know, is mostly a straight port of the SNES/PSX version. The issue with graphics is they feel washed out in comparison to the original, though it's not quite as noticeable as FFVI.
maxresdefault.jpg
It's hardly a deal breaker to me though, but as I said, I'm a purest so "definitive" means closest to the original experience to me. The audio is a different story, and where I will say the GBA has the inferior version, and this is kind of true for all of the FF ports on the GBA due to hardware issues.

Original version


VS.

GBA version


It doesn't feel as robust as the original, and you can tell it's had to slightly alter the arrangement to get a similar sound out of the GBA. Some people probably don't care about this, but I love FFV's OST so it was a bit off putting at times. Course, I can go with the GBA port for the most part as the issues aren't quite as glaring as VI's issues.

For FFVI, I'll stick with the GBA version. But if there's an emulation out there with the GBA translation, the audio quality of the PSone version, the bugs fixed, and improved graphics I'll play it.

Not likely. technically the only entry with "enhanced graphics" is the mobile/steam port, but I would direct you to do a google search to listen to the myriad of arguments concerning how bad that one is.

VI is easily my favorite game, and I'll agree the GBA script is my favorite, as well as appreciating all of the gameplay changes and fixes it adds, but as someone who adores this game and grew up with the SNES version, it breaks my heart to see the dilluted graphics and inferior sound quality of what I consider to be the best FF OST in the franchise. Just for comparisons:

GBA
FFVI_Gba_vs_Snes.png
Original

Original


VS.



Or

Original


vs.

GBA


I'm not trying to dissuade you from the GBA version of course, but man, as a huge fan of this entry, it kills me that it really lacks a strong port because almost every port of the game has had some glaring issues. I kind of hope that once FFVII Remake is out, SE will rectify the fact that FFV and VI lack a strong modern port of themselves. We're either stuck with the inferior scripts of the SNES/PSX versions or have to deal with bad visual/audio changes of the later ports. It's why I suggest the emulation because you split the difference. You get the superior graphics and sound of the SNES versions but get a script that falls somewhere between the laughable original translations and the superior GBA ones.

[maybee]

The PSONE translation of Final Fantasy V is abysmal. Avoid that, as much as possible unless you want to see how laughably bad it is.

Also, the GBA version has awesome moments like this :

[Fynn]

Just to clarify, no, the PSP version of FFIV uses the GBA script, just with a few terms (Carnelian Signet, Whisperweed, etc) just to keep it in line with TAY, which uses the DS script for flashbacks for some reason. And this illustrates my biggest gripe with this collection, which is inconsistency, and it goes far deeper than that. The DS version of FFIV is by far the best and I will go down with this ship

[Lord Golbez]

The DS version is alright for trying something different, but I'd argue it's the worst version. A. It's too damn hard near the end. Indeed, it's hard enough that I almost wonder if you have to make good use of the convoluted skill inheritance system to get by the last dungeon without intense difficulty, which leads me to my next point. B. It messes with one of the best simple, traditional classic level based skill systems by over complicating it with a weird inheritance based system. C. The Golbez backstory is some unnecessary trout. Like Jim Carrey as the Grinch sob story level trout. D. Intentional bobblehead superdeformed graphics. Don't like them. Don't get me wrong. For the most part, I enjoyed it, but it's the worst version to me.

[LeClefLame]

So long as the two button-directional arrow pad gameplay are true to the original along with a faithful translation I don't mind the enhanced sprites of the PSP versions like for FFI for ex., but what about the soundtrack?

Soundtrack is taken from the FF Origins version while the translation is taken from the DoS version with the exception of the new Labyrinth of Time. My biggest issue with the PSP version are gameplay changes, the magic system is updated to be in line with more modern RPGs with a MP system instead of Vanician magic like the original and the classes have been altered to make them more powerful. The game pretty much plays like the Origins versions of Easy Mode if you ask me.

Does the PSP version of FFII use the soundtrack from Origins? And do the same things apply like MP system and any other things?

[Fynn]

The PSP version is mechanically identical to the GBA version, but with Origins music

[LeClefLame]

Is there a possibility of a PSP emulator for FF4?

[Fynn]

There are PSP emulators out there. Don’t see why they shouldn’t run FFIV