Final Fantasy IV: The After Years

Well, I FINALLY got to play this (thanks to my nephew’s Wii) and DAMN, I’m enjoying it! I wasn’t expecting much- I mean, it’s a sequel, it’s retreads most of the same stuff and it’s got the SAME awful graphics… but it’s been a blast so far! Even knowing all the twists ahead (you know me, I love spoilers) I’m really enjoying the story and the gameplay. Maybe I’m happy to play a classic FF game after being disappointed with FF12. Just the scene where Kain battles himself had me cheering like a kid. :biggrin:

Currently playing Rydia’s quest.

I hated it. I’ve been stuck in the middle of writing a review for it since September, but it’s such a bad game imo that I can’t bring myself to even finish the review. The game starts out okay enough, but just wait til you get to the last dungeon which takes up more than 50% of the game’s length. See if you like the game then.

We’ll see. So far the only thing I’ve hated are the slimes, that you can only harm with magic, good thing spell-effect items are common (this is the only game I’ve had to use those regularly.) Oh, and the Demon Wall. Though it fell much more easily than in the first game. :smiley:

So how do you like the game storywise? As I said, I know all the twists and many of them are based on stuff from the first game… and yet, I’m enjoying the story. Maybe it’s nostalgia from seeing these characters again, but also, I find the dialog surprisingly good, I was expecting a poor translation. Moments like Biggs and Wedge’s deaths were actually touching.

Most of the story is not very interesting, usually consisting of retreading old ground, and sometimes even for the exact same purpose. Some of them are interesting (Palom’s and Edge’s, for example), but more of them are really dull, and one of the quests - Porom’s - consisted entirely of stuff from the past, stuff you’d already played in other quests, and about 10 minutes of stuff you hadn’t seen before. The end dungeon is long and obnoxious, and it also takes a big fat shit on the entire narrative of Final Fantasy 4. Have fun.

Well, so far I’ve had a blast. Maybe it’s because I’m more tolerant of unoriginal ideas than you as long as they look and sound good (I’m not even trying to remember the events being homaged.) And I really, really like the dialog. It sounds natural, in-character and likable, even funny in spots. Trust me, no one is more amazed that I’m enjoying this so much as me. The kickass music helps, too. :wink:

Things I’ve liked so far:
-The characters (though Palom is a dick, but I expected it)
-The combat system, especially the Bands.

  • The music- the FF4 Boss Theme is one of my all-time favorites!

Things I didn’t like:
-Losing Calca and Brena . Man they looked interesting even if they were just robots.
-The Moon Phase effects. I hate random effects that reduce your abilities with little warning.
-The graphics. Yes I know it’s a cell phone game and it’s an intentional homage to the original game but couldn’t they have spruced them at LEAST a little? Give us faces with visible emotions at the very least?

I’m up to Palom’s quest now… more comments later.