[PioRow]

I had read from numerous reviews that FF4 for the DS was very hard, this initially put me off but i took the dive and got it anyways.
Very glad I did, its a real gem of a game. My first FF game was FF6 but I played all the previous SNES square games like Chrono trigger and Secret of Mana and FF4 really reminds me of playing those SNES classics.

But do prepare yourself for some grinding. To make any real progress you're going to have to spend at least 50% of your gameplay time grinding. I tend to grind a lot in RPG's so it wasnt a problem for me. It was very enjoyable to be rewarded for all my grinding by being able to get through the game without dying.

Seeing as I never played the original I have nothing to compare it to but this version had a brilliant map on one screen and some limited 3d on the other. Some of the cutscenes also have voice which is nice for a DS game. It has brilliant presentation and a very old school/new school feel. It isnt quite as complex as modern RPG's but thats to be expected.

Obviously if your not a fan of grinding then this isnt the game for you but if you like the SNES style square RPG's then FF4 on the DS is the game for you.

[Mike RB]

I hear a lot about FF games but despite playing games for the past 24 years, I've never played one.

I don't really play RPGs so am not sure what to expect. What game would you suggest for me to start with on DS? FF4?

[Flashy]

^^^ I think I'm right in saying the only "true" FF games on the DS are Final Fantasy III and IV, both remakes of previous games in the series.

Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates is more action-oriented, and it's not bad. It's certainly not difficult, which could be a plus. I think Revenant Wings falls into the same action-RPG category, but haven't played it.

FFIII is pretty good, but I did a lot of grinding on that (levelling up), but still wasn't strong enough to beat the penultimate boss, and was so frustrated I haven't returned to it in months. I've no doubt I'll get FFIV, and I've no doubt I'll get so far into it and the same thing will happen, but it won't stop me enjoying it, until then, at least.

My first FF was VII on the PS1. I hated it at first but soon grew to love it, and happily enjoyed VIII and IX as well. I'd say Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates wouldn't be a bad place to start on DS if you're completely new to the genre. It's kind-of the step between an all-out action adventure, like the 2D, top-down Zelda games, and the "true" Final Fantasy games.

You could pick it up brand new online for about £10 until recently, and I'm not sure I'd pay more than that as I finished it in less than 20 hours (maybe even 15, I don't remember), although I've just checked and the prices seem to have shot back up. FFIII is less than £20 at the moment, so the "in at the deep end" strategy might not be such a bad idea, and if you stick with it, there's hours of entertainment to be had.

Hope that's some help.

[Mike RB]

Many thanks for your most detailed and helpful reply. I will probably take your advise and try Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates.

I've not enjoyed playing my DS for a while so hoping this will get me back into it.

[PioRow]

Funny you should mention Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates, that was the RPG I was playing a few weeks back before I moved onto FF4. They are very different games. FF4 is a lot more hardcore, it requires a lot of grinding. CCROF is far easier and quite different. Of the 5 or so hours I played it involved quite a bit of dungeon navigation, which I like vs. FF4 which is the more traditional trek across a map to a location. Both are great games, CCROF is a lot easier to get into but the story doesn't seem as epic as FF4. Also I think CCROF has the edge on the graphics front.

Both fine games but FF4 is the more traditional Square RPG, CCROF is the RPG lite game.

[Jaydafeesh]

Will get around to playing this soon. Been to busy playing FFTactics 2 to play it.

[PioRow]

MY game save for FF4 now says 29 hours! Thats pretty good for me. Its my main game at the moment, taking priority over 360 and PS3.
I have got stuck a few times but after a bit of exlporing and guess work I have managed to make progress.
But a word of warning, I thought I was doing a lot of grinding, I thought my levels were pretty high but I still got owned in a few sections. If your not a fan of grinding avoid this game. For me its perfect, probably up there with FF6 where I got all my characters upto max levels and breezed past the last boss.

Its interesting to play this game after playing the sequels. I am seeing where the roots of all the current RPG's from square enix come from. I am starting to think that the more complex battle methods in games like FF10 and 12 dont make the game any better. I would love a new square rpg in the FF4 style with modern graphics. Hopefully sqaure can deliver on this.

[stormjai]

This was one one of the first RPG games I played on SNES (called FF III) ...played all FF games since then..this one was always one of my favourites...

this version on DS is improved and has been great!!! 24 hrs and counting...main game for me at present..

old school RPG - but brilliant!

[mrred]

sorry to be thick as s**t but what does grind mean

[CAS FAN]

Originally Posted by mrred

sorry to be thick as s**t but what does grind mean

It means killing the same enemies over and over to get your experience and level up.

[Steven]

To clarify, what are the proper RPGs?

I bought Revenant Wings and Ring of Fates. Only played the latter and have stopped after boss 4, but they are real time action RPGs I want a proper RPG dammit where I can leave the game on a text dialogue box, go off and make tea and then resume the battle between good and evil

[mrred]

Originally Posted by CAS FAN

It means killing the same enemies over and over to get your experience and level up.

sounds abit boring to me i'll give this game a miss

[CAS FAN]

Originally Posted by mrred

sounds abit boring to me i'll give this game a miss

Yes it can be and it's pretty common in MMORPG's where folk will go to a certain area or keep doing a certain dungeon etc. to get their experience and level up. Then as your level increases you can fight tougher monsters and therefore move onto different areas and dungeons etc. to grind again. There's usually a good story and certain missions and quests to go on to break up the grind but I must admit that i'm not a huge fan of grinding RPG's. There can be a decent level of satisfaction gained when you get to the end of a grind and level up but repeating the same thing over and over can be rather dull.

[Steven]

I want grinding! See above post

(was confused slightly as at first I thought this was some Tony Hawk game you guys were gnarling about)

[PioRow]

I am approaching the final dungeon and Boss of this game and while I have loved it I dont think I can recommend it to any but the hardcore JRPG/grinding fan.
I have my characters upto a very high level and I am still struggling which is very frustrating. Also there are parts where characters leave your party and take certian abilities with them which if you had know they were leaving you could of unequiped. Modern JRPG's dont this as much so I guess its one of those "features" that got removed over time.

I managed to get hold of FF12 on the PS2 so my next FF fix will be that but on the DS when I finally finish FF4 I will be moving onto Dragons Quest 4.

[PioRow]

Finally finished FF4 last night. My main character was upto max levels so the final few encounters were a lot easier than expected. But still with a maxed out character I had to use correct tactics, magic, items and summons to ensure victory.
Overall I really enjoyed the game but its definately not for the RPG newbie. Only play this game if your seriously into the FF brand and love to grind. Other wise try something else. I'm off to try the new Sonic rpg now, I hear its a bit easy which will be a nice break from the grind of FF4.

[Chanser]

Grinding builds character.