EDIT: Apparently I've got you covered, Hesh.
I put together some frame-for-frame comparisons, hopefully this clears up a few things. Also I'd like to note that some colours may be slightly off
(as in, not noticeable to the naked eye), due to emulators handling colours differently from each other. As well, to help with the process of gathering frame data, I removed the smoke effect layer on the town map gifs, in case anyone wants to point out how boring they look.
From
left to
right, the systems are
Super Nintendo,
PlayStation,
Game Boy Advance,
Game Boy Advance (patched). I'm not even going to touch the mobile version because it's garbage.
Regarding
COLOUR:
The colours on the
Super Nintendo and
PlayStation version are close to identical, if not completely identical. The
Game Boy Advance version is extremely brightened to make up for the lack of a lit screen, but the restoration patch brings the colours back to their original levels.
Regarding
EFFECTS:
In the
Super Nintendo version, the spell
"Banisher" masks the defeated enemy sprite behind the effect layer as it's pulled off-screen. The
PlayStation version, instead of masking the sprite with the effect, vertically removes the enemy sprite. The
Game Boy Advance version is even worse, with the enemy sprite simply disappearing before the effect is pulled off-screen. This is just one example of effects being changed for the
PlayStation and
Game Boy Advance versions.
Regarding
LOAD TIMES:
The
Super Nintendo has the smallest delay during a battle start-up
(about 76 frames, or 1.26 seconds), while the
Game Boy Advance version doubles that time
(about 160 frames, or 2.66 seconds). Finally, the
PlayStation version has the longest time to start-up a battle
(about 256 frames or 4.25 seconds), which may also be skewed from using an image file, and may be longer if you're playing a disc!
Regarding
THE REST:
The three remaining issues will continue to divide the fanbase for as long as they exist, and those issues are the translation, extra content, and audio quality.
The audio quality is simply better on the
Super Nintendo and
PlayStation versions, compared to the
Game Boy Advance, no one will argue against this. It does come up however, when you start comparing the additional content from the
Game Boy Advance version, and whether the audio quality is worth sacrificing for it. There is a patch for that as well, although as many users have noted, it still won't reach the levels of quality from the original. In the end, this boils down to how much of an audiophile you are, or whether you care about the extra content available.
The translation is a similar case. Some people prefer the humourous nature of the original
Super Nintendo and
PlayStation versions, while others will prefer the more literal translation that followed in the
Game Boy Advance version.
PERSONAL VERDICT:
I'd choose the
Game Boy Advance version with it's restoration patches since I prefer the new translation, and I like the extra content more than the audio quality. The
Super Nintendo version is also a great choice in it's own right, though. Don't bother with the
PlayStation or
Mobile versions.
