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With Final Fantasy IV DS coming out today and looking like a truly worthwhile remake, it's bringing to mind how much I genuinely don't want Square Enix to do this to their other games, or more specifically Final Fantasy VI. Don't get me wrong, I think what they've managed to do with Final Fantasy IV is great. I am not a huge fan of Square Enix business practices as of late, but they have really managed to put something together that makes it worth purchasing despite already having a copy of the Game Boy Advance port. This said, looking at forums as I often do, and seeing the calls of fans for a similar remake of VI makes me just wonder why.
With Final Fantasy IV, there is an arguable case for a remake. Being of the early generation of SNES RPGs, the 2D graphics are rather ugly. The translations have never been all that fantastic and just looking at comparative videos, the story is just much more cinematic in the DS version.
Final Fantasy VI in my opinion has never suffered from any of these problems. The graphics have always been gorgeous. The 2D is so well done that I would rank it above many 3D games today, perhaps even FFIV DS. While the translation was not great the first time around, I never had problems understanding it. Even then, the updated script in the recent Advance port easily cleared up any fuzzy spots in the story. And while some argument could be made I suppose for giving FFVI the same cinematic qualities of FFIV DS, I just can't agree. FFVI is, to date, one the most enthralling, and yes, cinematic stories I have had the pleasure of enjoying. When I think of all the great scenes in the game, the opera house, the end of the world and the brilliant ending sequence, I can only picture them being ruined by a new 3D perspective.
I am not against remakes. Even within the Final Fantasy series I would support some new editions of older games. Despite the excess number of remakes already on the market, I would love to see a new version of Final Fantasy that maintains the original's difficulty. The only reason I hold on to my NES copy now is the sense of dissatisfaction I felt after playing through Dawn of Souls. Final Fantasy II could use a remake that corrects all the monstrous flaws that have made have led many gamers to consistently avoiud it. To date, it and Final Fantasy IX are the only single player FFs that I haven't beaten.
Despite the fact that the market is already completely oversaturated with Final Fantasy VII products and spinoffs, it is a game I think needs a remake. The graphics have easily aged as poorly as those of Final Fantasy IV, and even hardcore fans of the game will admit the translation leaves more than a tad to be desired. As great as VII was when it was still fresh, it could be even better if given a makeover correcting its flaws. Beyond that however, the Final Fantasy games are fine the way they are. There aren't enough reasons to remake the rest of the series and a remake without reason is exactly what many people think Square Enix has been doing as of late, milking a popular product for all its worth.
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