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While I never played the original, I've always heard much about it and have wanted to for a long time. Finally my chance has come, and boy am I glad.
The battles are standard fare safe for a few characters' special abilities. They can get somewhat tedious after a while, especially when trying to level up at the high levels. The story, though, is a great one with some very memorable characters. In all honesty I don't think it's better than FF7, but 7 was my first and it'll always have a special place in my heart, so I may be biased. This is definitely worth the buy, though, so if you're thinking of getting it, go ahead and do so. You won't regret it.
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Final Fantasy VI is one of those few games that I will buy over and over; I owned the original release (as FFIII) for the SNES and also the PS1 rerelease, making this my third time buying this excellent game. Since this is a port, I'll let the greatness of the original game speak for itself and focus on how well it was adapted to new hardware.
Issue #1: Playability
There are some slight loading times, but nowhere near the nigh-unplayable mess that was the PS1 version. You'll also notice some slight chugging during the more elaborate spell effects in battle, and your character seems slightly less responsive in towns and dungeons than in the original. In an action game this would be unforgivable, but since FFVI is an RPG that seldom requires precise control anyway, you'll barely notice it.
It's also worth noting that they've added the ability to run at any time, whether you have Sprint Shoes equipped or not. (This ability can be mapped to a button or enabled at all times, or just ignored for you purists out there.) IMO this is a long-overdue and welcome change. You'll also note that if you run while Sprint Shoes are equipped, your character will dash wildly about at twice the normal running speed. This is fun to try out for giggles, but not recommended for normal play, as it makes your character nearly impossible to control.
A "save anywhere" feature is also implemented, another long-overdue and welcome change that can safely be ignored by anyone wanting the "pure" experience of the original game.
Issue #2: Censorship
To my surprise and bafflement, there is some slight censorship in the scene in which you first meet Celes. In the original version, she is beaten (from what we can see given the basicness of the sprites, quite severely) by her Imperial guards. In the Advance version, this beating is completely excised. I am against censorship in all forms, so if I had known this in advance, I would not have purchased the game. Many players will not be so bothered, however.
Issue #3: Translation
The game has received a completely new English translation from the ground up. Players new to FFVI, of course, won't even notice, but veterans of the SNES and PS1 versions will find many of their favorite lines changed. What gets me is that this new translation is seldom actively BETTER than the old one, nor is it really any worse; it's just different for the sake of being different. I'm not sure why Squeenix would go to the expense and trouble of hiring another translator when it serves only to alienate fans of the original and dampen the game's retro appeal, but there it is.
That said, only complete and utter purists will find this a game-breaking change; most players either won't notice or won't care.
Issue #4: Sound and Music
Astute fans of the original will notice quite a few differences in the music and sound effects. Some of these are obviously unintentional byproducts of moving the software to different hardware. SNES sound (and for whatever reason, FFVI in particular) is notoriously difficult to emulate, and no port has gotten it perfect so far. This one does better than most.
But much of the music is also intentionally remixed. The effect is subtle, and often the changes are positive; adding extra MIDI instruments that were probably beyond the capabilities of the original hardware in order to flesh out some of the sparser pieces, for example. But it does beg the question: why mess with perfection?
At the end of the day, though, the greatness of the source material and the convenience of having it in a portable package outweigh any issues in translation, leaving me unhesitant in recommending this to any fan of FF or console RPGs in general.
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An exceptionally well-done remake to the SNES version. The extras are a fun addition as well.
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Final Fantasy is world that can only be fantasized about; in reality it may as well be Heaven to some, Hell to others. A world, weather true or false allows one to escape, to evolve into something this world can not offer. Final Fantasy is a world in which we all strive to find one day; it gives us purpose and meaning. I remember Final Fantasy from my childhood. I spent quite a bit of time in a mental hospital while growing up, my parents thought it to be appropriate to stick a 12 year old scared kid with a group full of gangsters, murderer's, rapist's, drug dependent psycho's. I was the youngest kid in the hospital the next youngest kid was a 16 year old Blood who has already killed a man and just so happened to be my room mate. After taking my belongings and beating me up, this particular gangster thought it'd be fun to sexually violate me. I'm only 12 and to young to read between the lines, yet know that I don't like it. Thanks mom and dad. I've never taken a drink, I've never smoked a cigarette, and I've never cheated in school or have been suspended. I never bullied younger kids or cursed. I got good grades and I was another one of the unfortunate kids to have the ADD label slapped right on me. In the early 90's it was a disease, an evil curse that only gets you locked away with no way out!!
So here I am for well over a year, I sit in solitude because I don't fit the criteria of AA or NA meetings, so I just sit, I sit until one day I'm told that I'm going home (only because the Insurance company couldn't afford to keep me in there any longer ). I finally get to go home and I find myself leaving the place more messed up then when I entered the place. The funny thing is that I wasn't at all messed up in the head before going to this awful place. I remember my parents having a packed bag all ready and set out for me telling me that we were going to the beach, without my brother's? I should've known it was a crock. I was tricked. We pulled up to a hospital out in the middle of nowhere, where I was taken away from the world as I knew it.
The only thing I took away from that place was Final Fantasy. It was the means of escape for many patients or criminals, what ever you want to call them. It brought a certain degree of sanity to these people that I could not understand yet knew that I wanted to share the same escape. This was a feeling that has long been forgotten, until the day Final Fantasy VII debuted. To many, including myself, this was the first Final Fantasy experience, which lead to FFVIII and IX. The sheer excitement and adventure it allowed us to be involved in only strengthened our desire to want more and learn more. It was then we learned the origins of FF I, II, III, IV, V, and the ever so unspoken FFVI which sparked the revolution. The games have been re-done re-mastered, and movies have depicted our imaginations. I feel as if we should go even further in our curiosity of the origins of Final Fantasy, those responsible for its creation, Japan. What an amazing culture, that provides us with an experience that we compare to an addicting drug. What else can they offer us? I see a society so peaceful, so energetic, and so happy. I understand, this is something that I want, and to attain that of which I, we desire, we must strive to mimic our values, and appreciate the culture that is JAPAN.
God Bless Japan.
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This game has always been so much fun. I remembe rplaying it when I was about 13 or 14 and even today it just draws you in. now with more boss battles and magicite it's a must have for video game nostalgics and rpg fans alike.
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