The Definitive Versions of the Classic Final Fantasy's.

[Ack]

Wow, awesome. I can't believe that I've been with FF all these years, yet I've never dug around to see how I can play the better versions. Thanks guys.
And that Gameboy Player seems really interesting. I'd say the GBA version of FFVI might win if it fixes some glitches and can still upscale and look better.

I believe the translation is always different in some places, so you don't always get the same affect. If anything, the GBA's is closer to the actual, but it lacks some of the SNES version's personality.

[MrPopo]

Most notably the GBA version of FFVI fixes the evade bug, so that the blind status actually works and evade is useful.

[jp1]

How was the difficulty on that version? Was it like Dawn of Souls on the GBA (read: way easier than the original)?

It certainly makes a difference. It's hard to measure though since I had already played through the game and knew all the details it was definitely easier.

[brycester]

I have always been partial to the psone versions myself.... Look pretty good upscaled on the ps3..

[crux]

Strange to see so many people recommending the SNES version of VI. The GBA version features a re-translation, bug fixes, and added content. Wiki mentions visual enhancements as well, but I have no idea what that's about.

Oh, and I believe the re-translation only reflects the Japanese names, which will actually make the items and monsters more familiar to those that have played the later games in the series. The lesser audio chip is a big deal, as the it's one of my favorite Final Fantasy soundtracks, but I wouldn't call either version definitive over the other.

[Breetai]

Maybe I'm too old school... but I prefer the originals on their original systems (which does create a bit of an issue with II, III and V, in which I'd go for EITHER the originals on the Famicom/SuFami or the first English versions of these (PS1 I think in the case of II and V, and DS in the case of III.).

[Yukima]

Maybe I'm too old school... but I prefer the originals on their original systems (which does create a bit of an issue with II, III and V, in which I'd go for EITHER the originals on the Famicom/SuFami or the first English versions of these (PS1 I think in the case of II and V, and DS in the case of III.).

Same with me. I was planning to eventually get NES repros of FF II and III, and a SNES repro of V so I can play the games translated and on the original systems, and possibly get SNES repros of IV and VI with retranslation and bugfix patches applied. Either that, or have all six games on the PS1 (with FF III on a disc with a PS1 NES emulator).

[eSPy]

wow! what a great topic! never finished FF for NES so i might give the GBA version a go. currently away from all my consoles as im living in middle earth (Aka new zealand) at the moment, but i do have my DS Phat with Supercard SD and Edge. was playing the FFIII remake for DS a while ago but stopped after i got to the other world..should pick it up again but so many other great games came out at the time. so nice that the DS can play all the FF games from I-VI in one way or another. had so much fun on the original way back when, but being able to take it with you anywhere is a definite plus.

[skyknight]

Well, this is all up to personal preference, as some have stronger feelings for the original release.

Based on what I seen and played:

FF I: for your money, go with the GBA Dawn of Souls. 2 games in 1! Yes, it doesn't have the FMV found on PS1 or PSP, but that hardy matters, since the game is short when compared to later series. And I think this is the only game that gets ported everywhere possible, in JP, it was released on WonderSwan color, and downloadable for cell phones (before iPhone!)

FF II: same as above.

FF III: if you are the "honest" ones, DS is the only way to go.

FF IV: or final fantasy 2 if you aren't aware of what Square+Enix did in the last 10+years with the North American market (I still meet dudes like that!). Depending on what you want, the GBA and DS version are completely different, not just graphics, but in difficulty as well (+ minor bonuses); IIRC, someone mentioned that the DS version retained the original JP difficulty that was water-downed for Western release. This can be a topic by itself.

FF V: either PS1 or GBA, well, FMV or new classes?

FF VI: GBA does have the better translation, but PS1 has FMV, man, is that ever hard to choose?

[MrPopo]

FF IV: or final fantasy 2 if you aren't aware of what Square+Enix did in the last 10+years with the North American market (I still meet dudes like that!). Depending on what you want, the GBA and DS version are completely different, not just graphics, but in difficulty as well (+ minor bonuses); IIRC, someone mentioned that the DS version retained the original JP difficulty that was water-downed for Western release. This can be a topic by itself.

The GBA restored the difficulty with regards to enemy damage and attacks, but then the US release screwed up the battle timing which essentially causes enemies to act half as many times in a given time period, making it easy. If you can get a European release then they fixed that bug. The DS version, on the other hand makes some radical changes to the formula, which make it much harder than the SFC original.

FF V: either PS1 or GBA, well, FMV or new classes?

FF VI: GBA does have the better translation, but PS1 has FMV, man, is that ever hard to choose?

You left out that the PS1 versions have horrible load times and bad sound emulation. In my mind it is not outweighed by the FMV (which shows up a bare handful of times).