Current Events > Are the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series worth playing?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Ive only ever played 7/8/9/10..be thinking about starting the series from the beginning, not my favorite genre but more of a challenge for myself to say Ive played every single FF game.will take awhile Im sure but why the hell not?

The Pixel Remasters have boosts so you can remove some of the tedium from the earlier games. You can get through the first three games in about 10 hours or so each with the boosts on. There is a lot of grinding in those games otherwise. 4-6 I would suggest playing without the boosts (at least for the first playthrough) but you may want to use a few of them to also cut down on the grind.

They would be hard to track, but I would say find the PSP versions of I-IV and the GBA versions of V and VI. Those are the definitive editions that have the most content on them. The recent releases would be like the theatrical versions of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings while the ones with extra content are the extended editions.

Yes. Just play them in order. Maybe skip 2.

SonicZack posted...

They would be hard to track, but I would say find the PSP versions of I-IV and the GBA versions of V and VI. Those are the definitive editions that have the most content on them. The recent releases would be like the theatrical versions of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings while the ones with extra content are the extended editions.

Not gonna separately buy a PSP/GBA when theyre readily available on the PS Store..thanks for the info though

I think its a good way to go. The options to use boost settings really do cut down on the tedium of the games. Just picked them up and enjoyed replaying 1. The challenge to the game was the grinding and bugginess of the original, the remaster removes that. It made the game really easy but was a very quick play through, and I could go back and replay with adjusted boost settings later if I wanted.

I was fun, but haven't gotten around to the others yet.

I want to say that I at least felt a helluva lot easier than I remembered.

SilvosForever posted...

Yes. Just play them in order. Maybe skip 2.

Don't skip 2. The Pixel Remaster version turns it into a pretty good game, and it's nice for a fan of the series to see where so many of the mainstays actually originated.

If you have no other way to play the games

TMOG posted...

Don't skip 2. The Pixel Remaster version turns it into a pretty good game, and it's nice for a fan of the series to see where so many of the mainstays actually originated.

Im on 2. I had slogged through it earlier on the Vita and am finding this a lot more palatable.

I find the minimap in the pixel remasters annoying to the point of frustration. Why cant I just turn it off permanently?

I heard that was an issue in the pc releases that you had to get mod support to fix but my god I thought they would have fixed it officially in the year it took them to port the games to console.

I hate the pixelated graphics of the pixel remasteres....

some of the remakes\remasters actually have HD Sprites\Backgrounds, and yes I did play them first in the 90s , so when applicable, those are the best versions of the game

for the rest [redacted] + upscaling\filters etc for the win.

I just prefer modernized hd look over oldschool sd.
you also get access to modded versions of the games (FFVI has over 100 different modded versions) and randomizers.

100x more replayability

ZaruenKosai posted...

I hate the pixelated graphics of the pixel remasteres....

You expected something called a Pixel Remaster to not use pixelated graphics?

Pixel remasters are the way to go due to the qol updates and 16:9 aspect ratio for modern platforms.

The extra content in the PSP and GBA versions aren't worth playing an objectively inferior version of the game except for maybe 4 since the PSP version has The Interlude and The After Years which you could simply play after 4

TMOG posted...

You expected something called a Pixel Remaster to not use pixelated graphics?

No?

the non pixel remasters look much more modernized and hd, that's why pixel remasters are not worth playing to me.

I was simply answering the Topic Question and giving my reasoning as to why.

Will_VIIII posted...

Pixel remasters are the way to go due to the qol updates and 16:9 aspect ratio for modern platforms.

The extra content in the PSP and GBA versions aren't worth playing an objectively inferior version of the game except for maybe 4 since the PSP version has The Interlude and The After Years which you could simply play after 4

Hard Disagree

I love everything about the NON-Pixel remasters.

The graphics are updated to hd, textures and backgrounds, (in some of the remasters)
New content is added, sometimes bestiaries, music player, etc.
QOL Features almost always added.

if anything the very originals are the best with all the mods\randomizers etc\ but some of the remasters also have access to that stuff , but pixel remasters dont have any of that except for a few of the most basic QoL features.

the ability to upscale the graphics internally\use filters to make them look better, and access to special modded versions of each game such as randomziers and other stuff for each game is only available on the originals and in some of the remasters.

none of the pixel remasters have the abundance of mods and randomizers that the older versions have. that alone makes the pixel remasters the worst ones

zzzz boring.

I got em and had fun with it.

I have it on Switch and its great. I'm about halfways through 6. In the world of ruin. Music is what make these versions shine.

The opera house in the 94 release was limited by what they were given. PR version........just wait till you play it.

I just want a mod that adds the GBA music and content for 4-6

And for all 3 games to be less than 30 bucks

4-6 are still a good time

The short answer is that yes, the Pixel Remasters are fine ways to experience the first six FFs if you've never played them.

I personally prefer the PRs for their presentation compared to other releases. No, you will not find additional dungeon content that was in those other releases, but I think it's a very fair trade given the PR have just the most gorgeous music remixes.

Do NOT play FFVI on the GBA. God please no.

PowerOats posted...

I just want a mod that adds the GBA music

Who hurt you.

The pixal remasters are just fine. You're not missing out on much from the exclusion of the GBA content as the rewards weren't that great.

SonicZack posted...

They would be hard to track, but I would say find the PSP versions of I-IV and the GBA versions of V and VI. Those are the definitive editions that have the most content on them. The recent releases would be like the theatrical versions of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings while the ones with extra content are the extended editions.

FFVI advance is not the definitive version of FFVI. Just because it has a bit of extra content doesn't make it definitive.

Did they fix that bug in the FF IV remaster with having multiple vehicles underground?

GBA 6 was the only extra content worth playing that version for

CyricZ posted...

The short answer is that yes, the Pixel Remasters are fine ways to experience the first six FFs if you've never played them.

I personally prefer the PRs for their presentation compared to other releases. No, you will not find additional dungeon content that was in those other releases, but I think it's a very fair trade given the PR have just the most gorgeous music remixes.

Do NOT play FFVI on the GBA. God please no.

Does the FFVI PR finally fix the issue with the ending cutscene music falling out of sync with the vignettes? The original SNES release is the only version I've played that actually functioned properly in this regard; both the PSX and GBA releases fucked it up.

I've asked this question probably half a dozen times on CE and I think someone finally confirmed it recently, but since you seem to have a vested interest in the aesthetics I figured I'd get a second opinion.

3 is the only one worth playing since it was never ported otherwise.

The others have problems or are otherwise inferior to existing versions.

FF1 - play PS1 version for original difficulty + bugfixes or PSP version for best content.
FF2 - same as FF1
FF3 - there's no way to get the original difficulty without the NES so the PR version is as close as it gets. The 3D remake changes/enhances the content.

4-6 are a complicated bunch.

CyricZ posted...

Do NOT play FFVI on the GBA. God please no.

This. Absolutely garbage version.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

You are forgiven, but honestly playing SNES version gives you a better experience than the GBA version.

masterpug53 posted...

Does the FFVI PR finally fix the issue with the ending cutscene music falling out of sync with the vignettes?

Yes.

CyricZ posted...

Yes.

Awesome, might finally get off my duff and buy the PR then. Been too long since I played through my all-time favorite game and waaaay longer still since I got to experience a non-fucked up version of the ending.

Looks like most of the original is still better

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/5/8/AAPCn7AAEq0W.jpg

Why are the pixel remaster sprites less detailed than old butt hardware sprites?

Some characters were recolored to actually look like their character art.

Obvious exception being Terra because I'm sure they really didn't want to mess with the well-known green hair.

CyricZ posted...

Who hurt you.

V

Godnorgosh posted...

FF4, 5, & 6 Advance was my first exposure to the games and I fell in love with it anyway

I'm sure if I played the SNES versions first, I would prefer them.

One of these days I'll sit down and listen to the SNES version

deoxxys posted...

Looks like most of the original is still better

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/5/8/AAPCn7AAEq0W.jpg

Oh great, I'm irrationally angered by them previously butchering VI's character aesthetic again.*

* 2014

K181 posted...

Oh great, I'm irrationally angered by them previously butchering VI's character aesthetic again.*

* 2014

Then FF1 makes the guy no longer blonde and then angry

Is there any version of FF6 besides the SNES original that actually segues the first three sections of Dancing Mad properly?

Probably the most upsetting thing to me from playing the GBA version (a version which I otherwise didn't take all that much issue with) was killing off the first tier of the final boss and then the BGM just immediately and jarringly jumped to the 2nd part of the track, instead of only flowing into it naturally at a specific point like the SNES version did.

Years later, when I saw someone playing this battle on a different version (I thiiiiink the mobile version? but I'm not sure), it had the same problem that the GBA version had; killed off one of the tiers and the BGM immediately jumped to the 2nd/3rd sections of the track.

I mean, this is arguably a very minor thing, but I feel that one track is kind of a Big Deal in setting up the grandiose factor of the final boss fight it accompanies, and it pained me to look at how the rereleases (at least, the ones I'd gotten any exposure to) massacred my boy, to put it idiomatically. I just think it's bizarre how the first and arguably most unpolished/buggy/broken version of the game is the only one I'm aware of that managed to get the final boss BGM right.

Has this been finally fixed in the pixel remaster (or any other rerelease I'm not aware of, since from my understanding there's been a whole lot of them)?

Philip027 posted...

Is there any version of FF6 besides the SNES original that actually segues the first three sections of Dancing Mad properly

Well I can at least confirm that PR doesn't.

Wonder what they used to make that work.

It almost makes me wonder if what they did in the versions past the SNES one (again, at least just the versions I know about) was a design choice / intentional change.

If so, I really can't understand how/why, because it's just so much worse to me the way it is in the GBA version and beyond. I just can't fathom how whoever's in charge of such a decision would hear the way the original worked and be like "nope, I got a better idea" and somehow came up with this.

If it turned out it was because of a limitation of the GBA hardware, I would understand, but I feel like that excuse doesn't fly anymore.

It is possible to run the battle fast enough to skip an entire section of the music.

So it is possible that they're like "nope can't have that".

I mean yeah, but to me that's like artificially and deliberately slowing down the text scroll on your cutscene to keep people from skipping through it as fast as possible, just because it would mean they'll only hear 10 seconds of your minute-long Sad Cutscene track.

At some point you gotta accept that the people who Gotta Go Fast are gonna be missing things. Your "fix" for that, in addition to not being for things that weren't broken to begin with, shouldn't involve making the experience worse for everyone else.

Philip027 posted...

It almost makes me wonder if what they did in the versions past the SNES one (again, at least just the versions I know about) was a design choice / intentional change.

Personally I would flat-out refuse to believe that any of the sound bugs with Dancing Mad / the ending sequence in post-SNES releases were done intentionally; FF6 was the first video game that illustrated to me just how artful the medium could be, and I can say without hyperbole that learning those amazing little details in the original release were just 'happy accidents' would break what little faith remains in the industry.

Granted it's not something I think is very plausible. I remember the thought popped into my head around the time the DS version of Chrono Trigger dropped, and certain types were praised the lifeless, over-literal retranslation as being 'much truer to the original source.' And I started thing to myself 'boy, if someone tries to tell me that FF6's ending music being out of sync with the vignettes on all the rereleases is how the devs originally intended it, I am just going to snap.'

I'm not a huge fan of the sprites. Yes they are cleaner but they don't look GREAT if that makes sense.

I've played through and beaten FF1, FF5, and FF6 of the Pixel Remasters. They are worth it. The redone soundtrack is super nice. So is the sped up battle thing. I really wish they included the bonus content from the other versions like the bonus dungeons or The After Years in the case of 4.

pretending After Years exists is a grave crime.