Here's a question -

the Final Fantasy VI OST / OSV - Was it Ever Upgraded for GBA or DS?

I know the FFIV OST got musically upgraded for the DS, but how about FFVI?

I'm looking through RPGFan and VGMdb right now, but evidence suggests "No," but if I can have someone confirm it for certain, I'd appreciate it.

I'm not positive what's your definition of upgraded, but an FFVI DS hasn't ever released, but GBA so far. GBA's built-in sampler is not good enough (even with some additional PCMs) to even emulate the SNES soundtrack. Much less upgrading.

what Cedille said.

VI doesn't have any sort of remake even *planned* at this point. I suspect we have to get through V first.

There is the "FF Finest Box" if you want it. That'll cost you a couple hundred dollars.

It's the FFIV, FFV, and FFVI GBA soundtracks. But Cedille's point again needs to be heeded. It was "remastered" slightly for GBA. And by "remastered," he means downgraded. The fidelity of the FM synth is lost.

It would've been cooler if they went all out and just did NES chiptunes. Like those doujin "Chrono Trigger Famicom" albums.

Give it time. FFVI will get a DS remake, or whatever the latest handheld is in 2 years or so.

Ahh, I figured as much.

At least the FFIV DS soundtrack is actually really good, though "Zeromus" / "Final Battle" is REALLY weak, compared to the original SNES version.

The original SNES FFVI OST actually still sounds pretty good, so I can stick with that awhile yet.

Yeah, that version is really sad.

I'm of the opinion that FFV and FFVI don't need portable remakes.  At least, not if they're going to be in the style of FFIII or FFIV DS.  I just don't think the snappy battles of V or VI would translate well to a 3D engine.

I will say, though, the GBA version is the only take on that piece I really like. The bass and percussion come through a lot stronger for me.

I would say the same for the snappy battles of III and IV, personally.

Well, yeah.  That's why those games weren't that hot either.

You guys still have the GBA ports, PS1 ports, SNES originals, and probably Virtual Console releases at some point (at least IV/VI).

No harm in making a new version for the people who've already played the original and don't mind variation, or who'd like a more FFIX-style of a new game.

Anyways, the GBA versions of FF4-6 sound different. Some tracks are just obviously worse, but some sound more like variation. It can be interesting to hear, like the MSX version of Final Fantasy 1.

I have no interest in playing my all-time favorite RPG with a visual downgrade, which is what a 3D version on the DS would constitute.

If they make a DS version I hope they make it 2D with some gameplay tweaks to take advantage of the hardware.  Or better yet just save the remake for the DS's successor or a home system, where we could get properly upgraded graphics and hopefully a streaming soundtrack with some new orchestral arrangements.  Granted Square hardly ever (never?) do this with their remakes, but perhaps FFVI could be an exception.

I have every reason to believe that your opinion, plus the opinions of thousands of other disgruntled gamers who hate the "remake factory" Square Enix and so many others are quickly becoming, will not stop the continuation of 3D DS remakes of the FF series. III was meager in terms of international sales, but IV most definitely sold well enough to continue the trend.

Ramza

Oh, that I don't doubt.  But despite my trepidation of potentially slower-paced battles, I keep secretly hoping that these 3D remakes would find a home on more powerful hardware.  Can you imagine any one of the 16-bit titles running on PS3 or 360?  A higher, smoother-running polygon count, CD quality audio arrangement, and (best of all), an analog stick to do away with sore thumb d-pad pressing and awkward stylus controlling.

that is most definitely what I would want for a remake. FFVI with the production values of FFXIII.

Yes. Final Fantasy VI-13. No thanks!

I've never used the analog sticks for menus, they're really clumsy for that. Unless your menu is some kind of a virtual reality menu from Johnny Mnemonic, you're better off with precise digital control instead of slippy analog. Analog is better for movement but in RPGs that usually doesn't matter as much as the menu-driven gameplay.

um...PS3 has d-pad and analog stick. you could use D-pad for menus and analog for movement. And when I say "you could," I ought to follow it up with "and you DO in pretty much all RPGs."

So what exactly are you complaining about again, Sami?

I'm saying that having an analog nub is no reason or justification to subject these games to the compromises that a remake like that would entail, the kind of compromises showcased by FF13. You may like FF13, but not everyone does.

I still have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.

Final Fantasy VI remake: you start in Narshe, and fight monsters along a tube that leads into the abandoned city of Zozo, where you gain espers. You leave Zozo and fight monsters along a tube until you get into the hostile capital city of the Empire, where you fight imperial soldiers, and then, through some dramatic cutscenes, continue to the Floating Continent*. In a massive cataclysm, the world gets slightly more red-tinted and a more foreboding sky, but most of the tube remains intact. Now you fight monsters along the tube until the end, and witness credits rolling to a sappy pop song. Good job!

*Oh, what? Thamasa? Strago? Relm? Sorry, there were some cuts. There are now six playable characters, but they have different skill sets which makes it seem like there are more! Banon joins you for a while when you backtrack straight to Narshe, so that's like seven playable characters right there. Also, the airship in the cutscenes is really cool and it's actually the alternate form of Crusader, who you can receive as an optional esper from the game's optional sidequest of collecting twelve magical items along the course of the tube. Some of the dragons are still around as normal boss fights, they're huge and packing some really flashy attacks now!

Okay you whiny-pants noob, clarification of my statement.

Final Fantasy VI with the *audio and visual* production values of FFXIII. Keep the gameplay.

Are you SATISFIED? That's all we ever meant.

noob.

Way to mature, guy!

I'm saying that that exception is impossible. You can't take the good without the bad. Either you have Final Fantasy VI, or Final Fantasy 13. The production values are the reason why FF13 is the way it is.

I'm sure I or anyone else could pick this argument apart like you pointlessly picked Ramza's apart, but I think we all have better things to do.

Actually, I counter-argued Angela, and it was a coincidence (relevant to current events) that I used the same example as Ramza, just from the opposite viewpoint. He seems to have thought I was addressing him, even when he actually made no argument to begin with.

Re-reading the discussion, this seems to be where Ramza's confusion comes from.

I'm as hopelessly lost here as to what you're trying to prove as I was yesterday when a lady customer chewed me out with a long chain of obscenities for doing my job. I'll leave with my response to her: "Merry Christmas!"

I understand I'm being immature by using the word "noob." But come on... you think a game with graphics as good as FFXIII (not necessarily the battle animation, just the high quality characters and animation) NECESSITATE FFXIII's gameplay mechanics? That's just ludicrous.

I'm not so sure. I don't think a remake of FFVI would be an FFXIII clone, but here's something to think about: Do you really believe a company with SE's history would just update the appearance of FFVI? Furthermore, is an update really necessary and would it improve the game?

First point, updating FFVI's aesthetics to be on par with current games like FFXIII would be a massive undertaking; lots people, time and money. When was the last time SE did anything like that without messing around with other elements like story, gameplay, etc.? Personally, I'm not aware of any such examples.

When a project of that size gets going there are always changes. Always. Either people from the original team want to "fix" things they didn't like or new people want to add their own revisions or corporate executives want to update the game to appeal to current gamers. For better or worse, in my experience, that's how these things end up. And most times it's for worse. A face lift would be nice, but I think there are plenty of reasonable concerns regarding such an operation.

Second point, FFVI does feel dated, but are new graphics and music really necessary? I'm not so sure. Honestly, I'd rather just see a straight port of the original SNES game for something like the virtual console, PSN, or the Xbox arcade. Then I wouldn't need an ancient SNES (or tiny Nintendo DS) to enjoy the classic game. Not to mention I could use a d-pad, analog stick, or combination of both as I see fit.

Thinking about a flashy, new FFVI is interesting, but I'm not convinced that it's a good idea or that it would even be all that great.

Boco,

I'm convinced it would be a dream come true for me, to keep the gameplay intact but update the graphics on a massive scale (a costly effort indeed).

This, of course, is why I'm also convinced it'll never happen. Of course it's not a financially sound decision. S-E won't do it. They'll do the budget-friendly 3D DS remake.

Yes, this is what I originally meant.  The thought of using a template like FFXIII's had never crossed my mind.  My point was: if they're remaking the games the way they've been doing with FFIII and FFIV DS, why not use THAT template, but bump it up to console-based hardware?   (And yes, I too am convinced it'll never happen.  Which is why I stated, "I keep secretly hoping.")

Sami, using the d-pad for menus are a given.  An analog stick, though, would be far more convenient for on-map movement than the d-pad or stylus.  You've played FFIII or FFIV on the DS?  You don't agree that the eight-way directional movement is a cumbersome chore?  The original games that sported the standard four-way directions are perfectly suitable with a d-pad.  But when moving around in 3D, most any game, be they RPGs or no, benefits from an analog stick.

The DS remakes of FF3 and FF4 are some of my favorite RPGs from the past years, so I know them quite well and you can believe it's irksome when you belittle them. Those games wouldn't exist as they are if they were on a different platform.

I did agree that the analog nub is good for movement, but it's a rather inconsequential aspect in the quality of an RPG.

You don't think this is the least bit offensive or rude? You're correlating my comments with obscenities. You're saying that my opinions equate to some shouting, cursing random woman? It seems that you might be somewhat stressed, so I'll just leave you with that "Merry Christmas!"

No one's denying that.  Just saying that they could theoretically be a whole lot better with the extra frills.

Not to me it isn't.  Movement is almost always a consequential aspect of any RPG; it's how you traverse on the world map, in towns, dungeons, and various other locations and environments.  The likes of doing so in an analog-controlled title such as FFVIII and FFIX makes for a comfortable affair.  Replicating the same control scheme on a d-pad or stylus is not.

The Gamecube remake of Resident Evil pretty much renders your argument here moot.  It is totally possible to remake a game with modern graphics while retaining the original gameplay.

When you put it that way, it's pretty funny. Anyways, I think it's been well documented around here I can be a dick anymore; if it's rude, it's rude - I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. I take it you've never done anything rude? Why should I care what someone on a message board thinks of me? Bye.

Edit: Far from stressed my man, but if I can have fun by busting your balls a little, I'm gonna do it

That game is 7 years old. Things have changed. Besides a whole number of other differing factors, such as genre, publisher, the developers involved and age difference to source material. And more still. You're going to have to do much better if you don't like my argument.

"Your argument" continues to make no sense. Graphical quality on par with FFXIII does not necessitate FFXIII's gameplay. This is a FACTUAL STATEMENT.

What does it matter if RE and its remake are "old." What, exactly, has changed? Qui-Gon's point does fine in rendering your point as baseless. Because it is baseless.

Of course it is not absolute. The observation about Square Enix's inability to recreate a graphically resource-intensive Final Fantasy VI remake is not one of the laws of thermodynamics. But as far as how things are right now, that's pretty much the reality. Development costs have ballooned with HD graphics, and at the same time, the video game industry is contracting. Final Fantasy 13 sold less on its first week in Japan than any mainline Final Fantasy game in 12 years, yet cost much more to make despite the cutbacks. The time between RE1 and REmake was one game console generation. The time between Final Fantasy VI and the glamored remake would be three console generations, in a world where design conventions and budget considerations are vastly different.

Moving on to the more important aspect, the music, we already have Grand Finale. FF4 got the massive and mostly high-quality fan remix project this summer, and there's little stopping a similar effort for FFVI. Where did the urge for the project come from, not the diminutive DS remake with its synth sound, surely!

We don't need a "no expenses spared" remake to appreciate the music, and we certainly don't need a new game with resource-intensive visuals just to hear the fantastic compositions re-imagined.