(Untitled)

[nleseul]

Apparently there is a sequel to Final Fantasy IV that was recently released for WiiWare, after having been out on Japanese cell phones for a while. This is probably more exciting than it really should be, but still.

Plus, episodic content! And classical graphics! Exciting but probably gimmicky, derivative, and disappointingKind of makes me miss

Comments

[seirai]

Aw, yeah, me too. I miss excitement about games without cynicism.

(Unfortunately, I read a detailed synopsis of the episodes, and...yeah, gimmicky, derivative, and disappointing ring true. Back in my day, people would make sequels out of love, not just to milk the cash cow...right?)

[nleseul]

So far, I'm really not that disappointed with it.

It's hard to tell yet if the story is anything special, though their reliance on rehashing plot elements seems like sort of a cop-out. (The moon left to seek its own light-but it's back!! The Tower of Babil disappeared-but it's back!! I'm fully expecting to eventually find out that Zeromus was destroyed forever-but he's back!!)

But I'm actually pretty happy with the execution. They have done some things narratively that I think work really well. The varying character perspectives work nicely, and I'm really looking forward to seeing how the character-specific sidequest DLCs contribute to that. And I feel like the design of random battles, at least early in the game, actually helps to reinforce the main character's development and gets the player to empathize with him. Getting the player to actually react emotionally to things that happen to a character is a pretty uncommon thing, let alone in random encounters.

[seirai]

Oh, your comments about the execution do sound promising. I'm glad to hear they're trying to do something innovative, even if it's not the story.

[sthira_sukha]

Aww.

[mythrilwyrm]

This gives me a more compelling reason to consider purchasing a Wii. More than 15 years after its release, Final Fantasy IV is still one of my favorite games of all time, and a sequel that's more than a half-assed attempt to cash in on the popularity and nostalgia of the original game sounds rather promising.