I wish you added a conclusion section where you express which version you think is the best one according to you.

Yeah this series KICKS ASS

While i hate After Years, i agree, PSP is still the best one.

I honestly never understood why square insists on using HD text on a pixel art games. It doesn't mesh well at all, and creates inconsistencies.

True

They are the training wheels versions, but still fine if you’re trying to experience the story.

Agreed! I'm so happy I picked up the PSP versions at the time of their release. Also have the gba one.

I personally opt to play the PSX version for my first playthrough and then the PSP for a "Remastered experience"

The PSP version of 4 is also by far the best one, and even included the After Years sequel. Its really a shame we didn't just get a port of that... and that the PSP never got around to 6.

@@robbybevard8034 i think the PSP version also has a new chapter in between 4 and Years After. But anyway i don't understand why they didn't port this version on PC, it's the best looking over all 2D remakes and the most complete of the bunch.

Well, not sure why but they did try "revitalizing" FF3 in a way. The DS port had the characters become completely 3D. And, they added names and faces to the cast. This was not done in the OG version and they were 4 random children (Onion Knights) tasked by a talking crystal. This game isn't a best seller, but I do enjoy the looks and thought behind it. They played the safer route in the pixel remaster and redid the OG version. FF4 (as someone had mentioned) did get an epilogue and also a DS 3D remaster (but I'm not sure if the story was changed). I also don't know if FF5 got any remasters (3D or otherwise) as well as continuations. FF6 hasn't received new content (which is mind boggling) but people do hope. FF7 has received a plethora of revitalized content. Spin-offs, movies, and here recently is the game. Kingdom Hearts pays homage to many characters from the FF series, but for some reason Squall's name was changed to Leon (who is the protagonist for FFII). Selphie from 8, Aerith, Tifa, and Cid from FF7. Later we saw Steiner and his crew from FF8 in Kingdom Hearts 2, as well as Vivi from FF9, and Auron from FF10. Outside of that, Neku and the gang from TWEWY made a cameo in Kingdom Hears: Dream Drop Distance. No other FF characters have made a cameo as of this time in KH. FF8 did get its own remaster, where they updated the visuals and kept the core game somewhat the same, this is very similar to what they did with FFI and FFII. FF9 has not had any notable remasters at this time, nor any continuations for FF8 or FF9's story. FF10 did get a remastered update for visuals, as well as a second installment (somewhat an epilogue). We can skip FF11, and FF12 got a HUGE remaster for gameplay after a few years. FF13 was their next bread and butter and took center stage as they made 2 sequels for the game. FF14 also took a lot of manpower as they had to rework the game (from the ground up) and basically remaster it into the game it is today. And, FF15 has come and gained ports, but not much else to say. The pixel remaster is a breath of fresh air, and its nice to know they worked so hard on each of these titles. We could use something different to fill the void of what we see consistently right now. They can also use this to help fill the gap between their work on FF7's remake part 3. Maybe... Else they could just shoot us a Final Fantasy Tactics pixel remaster or something, maybe a sequel to that or another Bravely Default?

@@rewt3406 i think FF5 and 6 are the one with the less versions overall. The two have the original, the PS1 remaster, the GBA remaster, and the mobile version. Maybe because they are the best looking of the 2D era (6 being way better).

@@rewt3406 No remasters for FF5 after GBA, except that terrible mobile port. So still the GBA version is the only really good way to play it in English.

PR version makes you level up *really fast*. There's 0 grind needed to beat the game.

@@SethJV Yeah, but it has a fundamentally flaw compared to the other remakes: the return of the stat penalty.

Is it bad or just a bad details?

I just waiting someone to mod PR osts in the PSP version.

Is that one of them there revenants in your profile pic

@@Fractal_blip mebbe

I really enjoyed those PSP versions, but going back and looking at them, I can't stand the way the characters look. Reminds me of something from an RPG Maker program. I'll stick with the originals on NES/SNES.

It's odd because 1 and 2 are not nearly as highly regarded as 3, 5, and 6.

@@58jharris I think there were plans to make the first six games in this style.

@@Silvergun_Raven Wrong

Yeah, I wish the “pixel remasters” followed the psp style…heck, I even prefer the steam/mobile old versions to the pixel remasters.

I'm glad it doesn't. I think the pixel remaster looks way better.

@@PieInTheSky9 I mean, to each their own, but since this games were released to "celebrate" the classic FFs they could just put an option to change the graphics in any moment.

Because PSP graphics is hideous.

@@sebastianaliandkulche There is probably modifications of it online that adresses it. If you are a PC user atleast

@@matrix91234 hideous? False

I prefer the PSP music, but the PR should have an option to change between any soundtrack.

I prefer the soundtrack also on PSP. They screwed some themes like the Matoya cave.

What about the 3D remake of FF4, was it really bad or what?

@@maxwell2428 Both FF3 and FF4 3D remakes I would consider to still be worthy to play even if you played the 2D counterpart. Although it is the same game at the core, the presentation (cutscenes), voice acting and style is different enough for me. Just like FF7 (PS1) and the current remake. I'd say if you like FF7, you would be missing out if you only played just original PS1 game or the remake. Both will give you awesome experience without feeling like you are playing the game twice! Same with FF3 and FF4 2D and 3D. That's just my opinion

Wait it has lost content? I tried to look that up about Ff2 before buying it…

@@Logans_Login 17:12 timestamp on this video

This black sheep game is one of my favorites. There are probably only one or two NES/Famicom games I've put more time into. Part of the reward is drastically cutting down the grinding and time investment with knowledge of how the game works. The downside is that I have to shout to myself in every FF2 video that hitting yourself for HP and select-canceling are wastes of time.

@@dycedargselderbrother5353 How is it a waste of time? It does work quite well.

@@zanegandini5350 You gain the necessary amount of HP just by playing the game and excessive HP is a net negative toward the end when facing enemies that do proportional damage. HP restoration is comparatively expensive at the beginning of the game, so there will be extra downtime from acquiring money. Damage is gated by weapon strength so boosting levels does less than acquiring better weapons faster. There is a bigger advantage with shield levels -> evasion -> agility, but you'll most likely max out before the end of the game by keeping shields on the whole time. There is also the matter of slower growth by grinding low rank enemies as opposed to reaching later content faster and gaining levels organically with less resistance. All in all it just adds to the game's play time, which is fine if that's a preference, but that was a complaint of the video while demonstrating time wasters.

@@dycedargselderbrother5353 Yeah, that and other reasons are why i dont play the NES/PS1 releases. I recommend playing the GBA/post GBA remakes

@@sebastianaliandkulche The Souls version strikes a good balance. I'd suggest that for someone who wants a representative taste of the game but doesn't want to deal with the onerous strategic and tactical aspects. The biggest quality of life improvement is not having to unequip your weapon and shield to effectively cast magic. The Souls version of Exit is really cheap, though, and it'd be best if people didn't discover it on their first playthrough.

Even the original is misunderstood. It's definitely not for everybody, but a lot of assertions are made about it that aren't true.

Hmmm not sure if I should do the PSP or PS1 version 🤔🤔🤔

Yeah. The only thing i miss in the psp port is the lack of all the languages that the GBA version has and not having FF1 in the same UMD. Other than that is the best version of the game.

Lol I noticed that right away

Much better than almost any game in the franchise besides I imo.

He's definitely going to wait til the PR comes out too for it.

That’s a shame. It seemed like a genuine improvement.

Something to keep in mind with ground-up remakes of old games: Even if they keep all the exact stats and items and prices and exp/money gain of the original, it will always be easier for a multitude of reasons: 1. Newer game engines are much faster than game engines of the past. 60 FPS being the modern standard we expect. So since the old game was running at approximately 30 FPS, the overall game experience will be both smoother and faster. This means, even if the same amount of EXP was required to level up in the new version, compared to the original version, you'll still level up faster due to the game itself running faster. 2. Remakes will fix any glitches/bugs that they can. In FF1, this was especially a hinderance, as there were bugs everywhere, from Intelligence not working correctly, to half of the spells not working correctly. Fixing these means the player will be far less handicapped, which also means the game will be easier. 3. Quality of life features that make the overall game experience smoother, such as diagonal movement, purchasing more items in one transaction, bigger inventory space, faster text speeds, etc. These will make the game run faster as well, and feel less clunky. In other words, no matter what they do or don't do, the newer version will be easier one way or another. So the question you should be asking isn't "Is it as hard as the original," because this will almost never be the case just from the polish coming from the new version. The questions you should be asking are: "Does this provide the most polished way to experience the same game? Is there any new content to look forward to?"

@@tamerkoh I think you completely misunderstand how framerate works. Animations will be more smooth, scrolling especially will be smoother, but unless they got to 60 fps by literally doubling the speed of everything in the game (which I assume they didn't, otherwise it would have been mentioned in the video), you won't be leveling up faster. Battles will still take the same amount of time, they'll just be smoother while doing it.

@@mjc0961 That is true on an individual feature level, but you also have to look at things as a whole. Now that there are flying numbers for example, from FF3, instead of the old popups from NES FF1 and FF2, seeing damage/misses/crits happens far more rapidly than it did on NES, cause it doesn't have to take time showing so many box pop ups. Add on top of that the faster response times for input afforded by 60 FPS, and you can input and execute commands far faster than you would on NES. Almost maybe even double or triple the speed of an attack being performed on NES. So just say an average NES turn would take 6 seconds to execute, cause it has to show the character swinging, 4 box pop ups for the attacker, target, damage and death/crit/miss confirmation. With the newer polish like flying numbers and such, that happens in a matter of 3 seconds tops, since the results are displayed instantly, and the enemy dies mid animation. 300 EXP to level up now takes half the time to reach, despite it being the same requirement. Get what I mean now?

Would be easier if Square just released the originals, but they tend to George Lucas their own games often so that aint happening. Unlike Capcom where if i want Megaman 1-6. BAM, here they are! Ported perfectly!

@@matrix91234 even Konami came out recently with OG ports. I really wanted to own OG FFI...

I personally prefer PSP soundtrack, but i agree, PSP version is so good.

Idk... Both musics are too good but psp version is more accord of the original FF2, PE sounds always to try being epic and works in themes like Pandemonium, but more than that sounds strange.

Saga 1 is fun In a Aleatory learning curve kind of way, i don't think that we should judge Kawazu's desing only for one bad game in which he was experimenting

Not facts

Man. I miss Socksmakepeoplesexy. It ain't the same since the forums shut down.

Pat of the (now former)SuperBestFreinds? Or different Pat?

pointless content

@@kanaric That's not entirely fair to say for FFII, it gives a purpose to the tag-along crew that bit the dust throughout the game.

Where have you been? They been doing that. Only based off original with added QOL

They did that as to recapture the feel from the original version, hence the exclusion of the extra features and dungeons.

@@HashiNuke bad reason to cut content, it's BONUS content, meant to be played after you finish the main storyline. the pixel remaster versions are pretty bad.

@@johnlowe1255 ... you do realize of course that your assertion is as weak as a broken eggshell, right?

@@HashiNuke no it isn’t. Any new port/version of a game should include all previously released game content within it. Kind of like how it’s the industry standard for remasters to include all dlc in the package. That’s just…kind of the thing you do when bringing an old game to new platforms or re-releasing a game. It never makes sense to bring out a new version lacking in content and features over versions that are over a decade old. It’s absolutely incomprehensible

@@HashiNuke Nah, they're on the money. These pixel remasters are lazy versions and overpriced at that. The reason they gave was a pathetic excuse to do the bare minimum and rip people off.

Doesn't make you grind?? What am I doing wrong 😕

@@Dungeonposting With FF2, at least on GBA and PSP (the versions I've played), the strategy is to level up spells and stuff along the way, going from point A to point B. You don't have to stop and grind in separate sessions if you do this. Make sure you cast enough spells to use a lot of MP, and also raise your spell levels, in a single battle, while walking. Especially between towns on the overworld. When in dungeons, you can be a bit more conservative.

@Tamer Koh I actually put down the gba version because of how much easier it was than the NES distribution; perhaps OP is referencing a later version when he says it doesn't make you grind but I had to spend hours in the bushes before I could survive an encounter with the dark knights of fynn..!!

@@Dungeonposting NES and PS1 versions definitely require more grinding, but I don't think that makes the game harder, just more boring personally. You're stuck fighting the same monsters over and over for longer, because the EXP for the skills and stats was much slower, on top of slower battles (Since flying numbers didn't come til FF3, so there were all these box pop ups). If you can't move forward cause you need higher numbers, and it just takes longer to get the numbers necessary, I'd say that's artificial padding, and not difficulty.

@@tamerkoh word that makes sense 🤔 I was concerned that it would be like final fantasy 6 which is an experience I had to go out of my way to turn into a real challenge.. final fantasy 1 in its original distribution, glitched spells aside, is o guess the experience i wanted to emulate. Goin on Diablo style dungeon dives, running out of heals and fleeing back to town hoping you don't get stun locked along the way.. I found it to be a real challenge that was painful at times but not boring. I had guessed the difficulty in the newer distributions had been ramped down in order to make the product more consumable and popular, but your analysis does track, at least with my experience of ff2 like why do i have to fight 145 goblins before I can advance the plot even an inch forward :0

The Pixel Remaster of 1 was very nice to play through!

@@arekhautaluoma4276 Definitely hope I can experience all of these at some point!

Yeah, the GBA version is my preferred version of FFII. I played it back to back with the PR version and it was fun comparing the two games.

If only it didn't take 100 casts to lvl a spell and 16 lvls to max it I would be here defending the OG. Feels like bugs are the only enemies of the original duo (3 had some more... Intentional problems)

Rng not eng. Autocorrect why?

HP: Increases based on how much lost in battle, relative to your total HP at the time of battle Attack: increases based on weapon, how many times used in battle, unarmed has its own complicated formula Defense: Increases based on the sum of your base defense and equipment defense Evasion: Be targeted by attacks, doesnt matter if you dodge or not, just be targeted Magic Defense: Same as evasion, except be targeted by magic Strength: Use attack command a lot Spirit: Use White Magic a lot Intelligence: Same as Spirit, but use Black Magic Stamina: Lose HP, how much stamina determines how much HP you gain(example, have 40 stamina, gain 40 HP per HP level up) Agility: Completely random chance to level up based on your Evasion, higher evasion, higher chance of random level up each battle Magic: Use literally any magic a lot.

I cheat regularly in games. Using emulator options is usually considered cheats and… whatever. I consider it as a given. I WOULD HAVE gotten the gold if I spent x hours grinding, that’s time I spend with my grandkids instead. Using emulator options to speed battles and such is just reclaiming time you would have spent, especially on games made during an era when time consuming activities were needed to pad the playtime because of such memory constraints as you mentioned.

I just beat final fantasy nest on retroarch it has achievements like trophies which rom hack you use ?