Josh H

Well, the GBA FFI and II were retooled a little to make them more accessible. i.e. not so much leveling and gathering gold was required.

PixyJunket

And if you're that opposed to the DS, the new GB Micro will have the same excellent bright screen, albeit smaller. If you don't have a GBA yet I'd really recommend the Micro for that reason alone. The screen on the SP, while lit, washes out the colors very badly.

PixyJunket

IV and V are quite playable on the PSone regardless of what you'll hear but VI and Chrono Trigger are plagued with horrible load times and the music on VI is really off. There's a bug in V when played on the PS2 with the save screen.. but it's not fatal.. you can go back and re-enter the save screen if you come across it.

daniel18

Yeah, but the Micro plays only GBA games - unlike the DS that can play both GBA and DS games, or the SP than can play GB, GBC and GBA games.

PixyJunket

True, but if you're going GBA only the micro looks like the best choice. I still need to SEE one to see if the screen is TOO small or not. I'm going to Gamestop (shudder) after work so hopefully they've got demo units out now.

Josh H

The GBA SP is too small and cramps my hands, from the looks of it I'd have the same problem with the Micro.

Thus I'd still reccomend the DS as the best way to play GBA games on the go.

If you just play in house, and have a Gamecube, then just get the GB Player.

madara

Ah, I already got this in my snes collection, a few versions from translation groups for my SWC as well. I've yet to hear and see gba game(Gameboy player) equal snes counterpart so I going to pass. This would just be an interior version to me, but you portable freaks should be in rpg heaven, enjoy!

Josh H

Wouldn't it be an exterior version since you could play it outside?

darkside

I honestly have no idea if its true or even if it would work for you, but the reviews so far on the micro have talked about how much more comfortable it is to use compared to the SP. I'm going to try one out for the heck of it and see. The price though is a still a killer for me.

Well that and the fact I have absolutely no need for a new GBA.

Josh H

Yep. DS and GB player are more than I need already.

PixyJunket

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5...600/ffiv01.jpg

My one hope that they added a shadow or outline to the text looks to have been granted!!

PixyJunket

September 30, 2005 - Square Enix may have shifted its portable gaming focus to the DS, but Game Boy Advance (and Micro) owners aren't being left out in the cold. Reports out of Japan indicate that the company will be bringing Final Fantasy IV (known in America as Final Fantasy II) to the system with updated visuals and gameplay systems. We currently know of just one of the improvements: character faces appear in text windows during dialogue.

FFIV may be just the first in a number of Final Fantasy revivals. Square Enix refers to the port as the first entry in the "Final Fantasy Series Port Project." Could FFV and FFVI also be set for revival?

FRwL

It should be the exact opposite if any, III hasn't been released here at all, it should come in its original format. It should have been on GBC for cripesakes, along with Dragon Warrior IV.

GreenMonkey

I certainly hope they don't tinker with it too much. I found FF1 on Dawn of Souls to be dreadfully easy, especially with the change to MP from an old D&D style of spellcasting.

gatoinfeliz

I'm surprised they never released FFIII (not the USA one but the Japanese one) since they were re-releasing everything on the PS. If anything, they could have bundled it up with Secret Of Mana (Seiken Densetsu II) like they did with FF4 with Chrono Trigger. I remember a lot of people liked Secret Of Mana as much as Chrono Trigger. I would have loved for them to at least bundle Secret Of Mana up with the never-released Seiken Densetsu 3 (the "part 2" to Secret Of Mana). I have played it as a rom and the story is really good and has a strong replay value since you can use 6 different characters with interweaving stories. I hear they are making a new Mana game. Hopefully they add this game to it somehow.

kvrdave

Yeah, there is definately a lot less time needed to get money, experience, etc. Still love it, but it was watered down.

darkside

I kind of get that, but I really prefered the way it was done on the GBA. I'm playing Breath of Fire right now on the GBA and the random battles every five seconds are tedious as hell. I've stopped and started the game several times because I'm just getting tired of all the random battles. Personally I prefered the way it was done with FF Dawn of Souls.

GreenMonkey

I was walking through FF1 Dawn of Souls. I mean, even boss fights weren't even hard, nor was the Earth Cave. Random encounters were just press a-a-a-a-a-a win.

I don't mind reducing the amount of random encounters or handing out a bit more cash to reduce grinding (I'll be playing the GC version of Skies of Arcadia for this reason). But they changed the mechanics behind the game, the difficulty of the fights, items are missing (silver swords!), etc.

darkside

Maybe picking up a GBM was a good idea after all.

That is of course if the micro faceplate even gets a US release.

Xander

So, FFV in Japan was FFII on the SNES, right? That's the one I'd really like to play again. Loved FFII and FFIII on the SNES. Can you get those for GBA, or just for PS1?

PixyJunket

Nope, FFIV.. THIS one, was FFII on the US SNES. It does appear all the SNES Final Fantasy games are coming out for GBA at some point (as indicated by the title of "Final Fantasy Series Port Project" on the Japanese FFIV site).

PixyJunket

The president of Square Enix has confirmed that FFV and FFVI will also get ports to the GBA!

madara

Now that's funny. Obviously this will not be the last time I mix up words but I doubt another will intiate the funny for both sides.

Setzer

AWESOME!

kvrdave

And I agree. But having replayed Phantasy Star on the GB, I wouldn't have minded them actually watering it down so I didn't have to use graph paper and map out the dungeons just like I had to 15 years ago.