What kind of idiot buys Final Fantasy IV: The After Years WiiWare episodes in 2018? This kind!

I nearly did something really dumb earlier this week. Yes, even dumber than buying Final Fantasy: The After Years WiiWare episodes in 2018.

The dumb thing in question: I got this close to ordering a Japanese Wii just so I could buy a bunch of that region's Virtual Console releases before Nintendo stops letting people buy Wii Points on March 26.

Actually, the first part of that plan wouldn't have been the dumbest decision in the world. Used Japanese Wiis aren't too expensive at the moment, after all. What would have been pretty dumb, though: dropping a load of cash on a ton of games I already own in physical form.

In the end, I decided picking up a used Japanese Wii wouldn't be the best use of my hard-earned cash.

I still had the Wii eShop on the brain, though, and that prompted me to start thinking about the North American Virtual Console and WiiWare titles I could purchase with some of the money I previously planned to plop down on the aforementioned imports.

My first thought was to grab some of the old games I've stupidly overlooked since they first hit the Wii eShop--like Phantasy Star for the Sega Master System, Monster Lair for the TurboGrafx-16, and Kirby 64 for the Nintendo 64.

I actually bought two of those games--Monster Lair and Kirby 64--yesterday. Along with those titles, I bought all of the Final Fantasy IV: The After Years WiiWare episodes I'd previously passed on.

Thankfully, I only had to buy three of them--for a total of 1,400 Wii Points ($14). I went in thinking I'd have to pay for all but the initial three episodes and maybe Rydia's, so discovering I'd nabbed three others at some point was quite a thrill.

Why did I waste $14 on all this, especially considering I own Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection for the PSP, which includes the entirety of The After Years?

The only explanation I can offer up is it didn't feel right to me that my "copy" of the WiiWare version of The After Years would forever be incomplete if I failed to pay for the rest of its optional content.

Also, I'm more likely to boot up my Wii than my PSP at this point in time, strangely enough. And then there's the fact that I've already completed the game's first three chapters (the prologue as well as Ceodore's and Kain's "tales")--not that I can remember anything about them now.

The question is: will I ever work my way through all of these colorfully titled episodes ("The Eidolons Shackled" and "The Vanished Lunar Whale" among them) I just picked up, or will they forever remain unplayed?

Your guess is as good as mine. I'm certainly going to give it my best shot, though. Final Fantasy IV is one of my all-time favorite games, so I'd really like to experience this direct follow-up--and sooner rather than later.

Have any of you played the WiiWare version of Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, or even one of the versions released for the PSP, PC, or mobile? If so, what did you think of it? And based on that experience, do you think I've made a wise move or gone off the deep end?

Acquisition #130: Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection

Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection is one of those games I've had my eye on for some time but haven't picked up (well, until a few weeks ago) because I just wasn't interested enough in it (despite the fact that the SNES original is one of my all-time-favorite RPGs) to spend $19.99 on it.

When I saw that some third-party Amazon seller was hawking this compilation--which combines Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy IV: The After Years onto a single PSP UMD--for less than $10, though, I couldn't help but hand over my hard-earned cash.

The only hitch, which I sadly didn't discover until the game arrived on my doorstep, was that said Amazon seller wasn't hawking the North American release of Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection; rather, it was hawking the European release.

Truth be told, I'd prefer to own the North American copy--mainly because I like its box art more than I like the garish art that graces the packaging of the Euro version. I don't think the North American cover art is worth spending an addition $10, though, so I've decided to keep, rather than return, the copy that can be seen on the right.

Alas, I've yet to open my copy of Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection. (I'm starting to sound like a broken record in this regard, aren't I?) Rest assured that as soon as I do so I'll let all of you know what I think of this curious PSP release.

See also: Previous 'Acquisition #123' posts

Let's Play: 'Which Box Art is Better?' (Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection edition)

Well, it appears Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection will be making its way to the States after all.

That's not to suggest that I thought the game would languish in Japan--I mean, which versions of Final Fantasy IV haven't been released stateside in the last few decades?--but you never know with Square Enix.

Anyway, here is the art that will grace the cover of the North American version of the game, which will, according to Amazon.com, hit the streets on April 19 carrying a $29.99 price tag:

And here is the Japanese version's box art:

Although a bit bland, I prefer the North American art--if only because it features but a single logo (and not three, like the busy Japanese art).

That said, I prefer the art that appears on the Final Fantasy I and II PSP remakes that were released a few years ago to both of them.

See also: 'I'd like this a lot more if it featured just one logo'

I'd like this a lot more if it featured just one logo

The following appears to be the cover of Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection, which will be released in Japan (for the PSP) on March 24:

As always, I loooooove Yoshitaka Amano's artwork. What I don't love: The mass of logos that muddle up the box's bottom half.

Couldn't someone at Square Enix have come up with a single logo that incorporates all three titles?

I have just one issue with this trailer ...

... and it appears around the 1:26 mark.



I don't know about you, but that CG Palom scares the crap out of me.

Other than that, though, I give this trailer--for the upcoming PSP compilation, Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection--a big ol' thumbs up.

Now I just need the folks at Square-Enix to announce its North American release.

(Via andriasang.com)

See also: 'Looks like I'll be buying Final Fantasy IV once again'

Looks like I'll be buying Final Fantasy IV once again

I'm a sucker for the first six Final Fantasy games.

Over the years, for instance, I've bought the original Final Fantasy for the NES, the PSone (Final Fantasy Origins) and the Wii (via the Virtual Console). Likewise, I've bought Final Fantasy III for the DS and Final Fantasy IV for the SNES, PSone, GBA and Wii. (I've also bought Final Fantasy V and VI for the SNES, PSone and GBA.)

As such, it shouldn't be too shocking to hear that I'm going to be buying Final Fantasy IV once again--assuming the recently announced Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection makes its way to North America sometime next year. (It'll be released in Japan this spring.)



What will make this collection a complete one? Well, it'll combine updated (graphically, at least--see scan above) versions of Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy IV: The After Years onto a single UMD, for starters. Also, it'll include a new scenario that will connect the two titles.

Maybe I'll buy the PSP remakes of Final Fantasy I and II in the meantime, since both can be picked up for less than $10 these days.

(Via andriasang.com)

So, will this one hit WiiWare, too?

First, an admission: As much I loved that the folks at Square Enix ported the previously mobile-only Final Fantasy IV: The After (Years) to Nintendo's WiiWare service last year, I was let down by the final product.

As such, I'm not so sure I should be asking them to port the similarly mobile-only spin-off, Final Fantasy Legends: Hikari to Yami no Senshi (aka Final Fantasy Legends: Warriors of Light and Darkness), to the Wii as well. (The prologue of this multi-chapter title hit the Final Fantasy Mobile portal in Japan earlier this month. Here's a teaser trailer for it.)

I can't help but hope for it, though, because I think I'd be more likely to give the sprite-filled Final Fantasy Legends: Warriors of Light and Darkness a fair shake due to the fact that it isn't tied to an already existing Final Fantasy game (as was the case with The After Years).

See also: 'I'm a sucker with a capital s'