It was announced this week that Square Enix will be bringing the two titles that started it all to iPhone: Final Fantasy I & II. Let’s not even bother trying to deny that these two games, while generic and clunky to today’s standards, jump started the Japanese RPG revolution back in the early ’90s. However, this being about the eighth time Square Enix has rehashed these titles, will gamers be willing to pay out again?
Of course, they will.
In all honesty (hear me out on this one), I’ll probably buy at least FFI, but why? While I haven’t completed every last Final Fantasy title and I don’t own a chocobo plushie, I consider myself a pretty major fan of the franchise and not to mention, FFI is one of my favorites from the series. However, it’s getting a bit tiresome having to buy the same game nearly eight times, wouldn’t you agree? Maybe not, but this is exactly why we have this column: to bicker discuss! We’ll have a little bit more of that after the jump.
Alright, so Squeenix (shorthand) always gives a little extra with every reiteration of the games such as beautiful new sprites, enhanced and remixed music and sometimes new dungeons to challenge even the most hardcore of Final Fantasy geeks. Despite these additions, nothing new happens. The Four Warriors of Light will still recover the four crystals and discover that (spoiler, highlight the following text to ruin it for yourself!) the first boss of the game, Garland, is actually an agent of the archfiends who duped them when he was sent back in time through a portal since he sent them into the future to do so. Thus, he could liver forever due a time paradox as the archdemon Chaos.
Pretty sweet twist for an NES game!
While there are several other developers and publishers who do this same thing every few years, Square Enix’s treatment of Final Fantasy I & II is a prime example of rehash fever. Perhaps it’s really not up to the developers (to be frank, I’m sure they’re sick of it), but the publisher’s decision to make a few extra bucks; ain’t nothing wrong with that.
So, if it’s an issue with cashing in every once in a while, why not maximize your earnings with not rehashes, but revivals or, better yet, ReBirths? That’s the way Capcom and Konami are headed and it essentially serves the same purpose while keeping things fresh. What more could both publishers and gamers ask for?
So, let’s face it: the rehash isn’t going anywhere fast. Let’s mix it up a bit shall we? We want to hear your thoughts on this, but let’s not stop there. Tell us your ideas for your dream revival of your favorite classic franchise. Is it an HD makeover? Maybe a total re-imagining of how the game is played? Perhaps a direct sequel to find out where your favorite characters are now. Maybe you like seeing the same game with newer sprites over and over again, nonetheless tell us!
If you beat the game already why would you buy it again? If they are not adding substantial new content buying a game again just because it was re-released doesn’t really make sense to me. That being said – I would however buy an HD release of shadow of the colossus. That game would be gorgeous.
Oooh, an HD version of Shadow of the Colossus. THAT I would definitely want.
If Chrono Trigger or Final Fantasy III came to the iPhone, I’d buy those in a second. I replay those games all the time. Both have such wonderful stories and memorable characters.
See I think rehashes are a good thing simply because it gives people a chance to play the game who haven’t had a chance to play it before. Case in point I have never played a Final Fantasy game until I got 1 for the PSP because I wanted to start at the beginning. But once I did I couldn’t look back. This will definitely add more fans to the fray, don’t just think about the people who have already played it but the people who might not have had a chance.
@ Dan that’s a good point, but let’s just avoid over saturating the market with games that already exist. I’m not sure every generation needs an iteration of Final Fantasy, but if this is unavoidable, put more umph into it. Reimagine the game in terms of today’s standards (this doesn’t mean it has to be 3D or HD, I’m talking gameplay and storyline depth as well) and it would not only place a better impression on the new audience but it would give veterans a better reason to revisit their favorite games other than another dungeon.
@Eric and Chris Despite everything I’ve said, an HD SotC in vein of the GoW series on PS3 would be awesome!! They could always add more as well in terms of storyline. Perhaps connect it more directly to Last Guardian and ICO if that is really what they’re getting at.
Ok. I’m just going to throw this out there. We have how many remakes of Final Fantasy 1? We have the original. The one for Playstation, GBA, PSP, I think a cell phone or two, and now the iPhone. If I missed any let me know. I know there are changes from teh original to teh playstation version. Besides just a graphics upgrade I think they actually changed the battle system and magic system to follow a more standard Final Fantasy formula.
How many versions of Tetris are out there. There’s probably been a Tetris on every single game system since Super Nintendo. (Since Super Nintendo meaning Master System and Genesis don’t count) Has that changed at all? People will continue to pay for it as long as it continues being played.
Instead of just redrawing the sprites in HD. Square should redo the entire game with a 3D make over. Yeah. Granted it may not be as good as the 2D in the eyes of many, but it will give the people who refuse to play 2D games a chance to experience the extremely dated story of this game.