Thanks to a tip from Roger, I managed to snag a copy of Final Fantasy IV DS yesterday. I’ve just reached the summit of Mount Hobbs and can, so far, draw the following conclusions:
- The developers were wise to make it different and more difficult; otherwise, this would play out much like the PSone and GBA remakes. This is very much like playing an entirely new game with familiar characters and music.
- The problem with adding voice acting to a 17-year-old game is that people have been mentally pronouncing things a certain way for 17 years. I know a “Cee-cil vs. Ceh-cil” debate has been raging for years, but Dam-cee-an and Rid-ee-a (come on! It rhymes with “chlymidia!”) are new to me.
- Speaking of voice acting, most of the voices have hit the mark so far — particularly Tellah’s. But Kain’s is awful. Renée rightly points out that he sounds 20 years older than Cecil. What gives?
- Voice acting is, understandably, limited to scenes of vital importance (without giving too much away, the introductory sequence, arrivals in Mist and Damcyan and scenes between Edward and Anna get voice acting). I was a little disappointed to see that Rydia’s big scene on Mount Hobbs doesn’t.
- It’s somewhat hard to get used to the new aspects of game play, such as new XP and HP figures for enemies. But the remodeled character and enemy sprites look fantastic — especially the bulbous jelly things.
More as I go.
