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[Grief.exe]

The PC version on Steam is based on the mobile version.

Although I know there was efforts being made to improve the PC version with mods. Anyone know if much progress was made?

Modders removed the garbage filter/scaling that Square implemented for the PC/mobile versions which actually significantly improved the new sprites and look of the PC release.

People were looking into replacing the sprites with the original SNES versions, but Square encrypted those files so it's taking some time. I don't know where to go to see progress on that mod.

 

[Mr. Nice_Guy]

Sorry purists, but I'm going to have to agree with this. If I had to replay this again, I would pick the iOS version. Besides the gameplay fixes and whatnot, just the fact that you will have it with you wherever you are goes a long way.

I'm never one to complain about graphics, almost ever, so I'm definitely not a purist. But it just looks like total shit; like bad flash animation. The gameplay tweaks make the game a more enjoyable experience, but it's not worth looking at the new art.

If you can go GBA OP go that route; especially with the restoration mods it's a fantastic experience. Though you lose portability that way.

 

[BasedKiliK]

Modders removed the garbage filter/scaling that Square implemented for the PC/mobile versions which actually significantly improved the new sprites and look of the PC release.

People were looking into replacing the sprites with the original SNES versions, but Square encrypted those files so it's taking some time. I don't know where to go to see progress on that mod.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4x0UF2m_8s

So it turns out that, surprise suprise, a complete copy of the original FFVI rom is buried within the Steam release, which is how all this stuff is possible. I'll definitely be keeping my eye on things now.

There's also a PC Gamer article from the beginning of this year that details the whole thing.

http://www.pcgamer.com/the-secret-that-makes-final-fantasy-vi-pc-perfect-for-modding/

 

[Dreamwriter]

HUGE HUGE GRAIN OF SALT, but wait for the rumored NX remake funded by Nintendo.

 

[BumRush]

HUGE HUGE GRAIN OF SALT, but wait for the rumored NX remake funded by Nintendo.

Don't do something like this to my heart

 

[Grief.exe]

HUGE HUGE GRAIN OF SALT, but wait for the rumored NX remake funded by Nintendo.

More like a fist of salt served with a fresh glass of brine.

 

[InfiniteCombo]

SNES is the tried and true original

Awesome. I just bought the cartridge last week. Playing it on my HDTV through a Framemeister. This will be my first legit RPG experience, since I'm not an RPG guy like, at all.

But man, the music is already epic. The victory fanfare theme is awesome, I was grooving to it for like an hour the other day.

 

[StereoVsn]

More like a fist of salt served with a fresh glass of brine.

Yeah, let's not go nuts talking about console remakes for unreleased hardware when there are lots of options to play this game right now.

 

[NinjaCoachZ]

HUGE HUGE GRAIN OF SALT, but wait for the rumored NX remake funded by Nintendo.

Wait for something that we have no reason to think exists at this point, when there's a bunch of perfectly good versions out there that would still likely hold their own against a ground-up remake?

 

[Grief.exe]

Awesome. I just bought the cartridge last week. Playing it on my HDTV through a Framemeister. This will be my first legit RPG experience, since I'm not an RPG guy like, at all.

But man, the music is already epic. The victory fanfare theme is awesome, I was grooving to it for like an hour the other day.

That's an amazing setup, you should post some pictures.

Do you have an SNES that outputs RGB?

 

[BasedKiliK]

HUGE HUGE GRAIN OF SALT, but wait for the rumored NX remake funded by Nintendo.

C'mon man. :/

 

[Pinkuss]

The playstation version is perfectly fine.

I haven't tested it because I own the disk, but I can imagine there's a slight improvement loading from the drive on the digital version.

I personally wouldn't touch the new versions, but that is up to you

Personally found it hell when I played it many years ago; super long loading just to enter a 2D menu (it must have been around 5-10 seconds to go in and out). The game emulated probably has very little improvement on this (and pretty sure I tried it on a decent PC many years ago with little improvement).

I'd go with GBA, may not look as good (but a good looking 2D game is still good looking) and the music is still decent. (And I lost my DS lite/copy... bad times).

 

[Pyrrhus]

Does the PC version of FF6 still run at a forced 720p like the FF5 port?

 

[Grief.exe]

Does the PC version of FF6 still run at a forced 720p like the FF5 port?

FFVI is a pixel-art based game, so it's likely running at a lower resolution than 720p, then upscaled to your native resolution through software-based upscalers. For a modern example, Shovel knight runs at 400x240p, then upscaled.

You need to run the filter mod that removes Square's garbage upscaling method for software that upscales the image cleanly and sharply.

 

[ElFly]

Holy shit I knew sprite art was designed with CRT scanlines in mind but I've never seen an example that impressive.

Keep in mind the screenshot in the post you quoted is not from a CRT; this is what an actual CRT looked like. The image you quoted is an emulator running a filter, ignoring that an actual CRT would have shown ugly scanlines. Well, unless you got a nicer CRT that had minimal scanlines of course.

 

[Shifty1897]

FF6 on mobile devices is like someone taking a dump in your eyes. It's so ugly. I'd rather play the PS1 version over that.

Truth.

 

[Pyrrhus]

Keep in mind the screenshot in the post you quoted is not from a CRT; this is what an actual CRT looked like. The image you quoted is an emulator running a filter, ignoring that an actual CRT would have shown ugly scanlines. Well, unless you got a nicer CRT that had minimal scanlines of course.

Unless you were a robot with telescoping eyeballs that is not what a CRT would have looked like if you were playing it at a proper distance. The scanlines were integral in optically blending the low resolution image, anyway. They made the game look better, not worse.

 

[InfiniteCombo]

That's an amazing setup, you should post some pictures.

Do you have an SNES that outputs RGB?

EDIT: I misread your question, so disregard my original answer.

Yes, my SNES is a a first generation one that has RGB output capability. (I actually own two SNES... One of them is a Mario All-Stars complete in box set). I've just been too much of a noob (and no time) to hunt down the RGB cables, so for now I'm just in S-video rookie land.

My goal is to have an RGB set up by the fall.

 

[Sinatar]

What we can say with certainty is that the mobile/steam version is gutter trash and should be avoided like the plague.

Hopefully someday modders will fix it, but until then. Nope.

 

[EVA UNIT 01]

yup and Wii VC is the cheapest way to play the best version

Does the wii VC take CC or do i need those wii points i just remembered existing

 

[EscapeArtist]

I'm currently playing through the PS1 version on Playstation Tv. It's a good game but the load times are a little crazy.

 

[ethomaz]

My hardcore way to play.

1. Kill only required enemies plus bosses.
2. Get the lowest level possible before the first 4 espers.
3. Every level you got have equipped one esper for stat bonus.
4. Continue killing only required enemies plus boses.
5. When you get Bismark (+2 STR) you can start to level up always one char per time with Bismsrk equipped.
7. Don't get level too high but just enough to have good STR with all chars.
8. Uses +2 STR until get these othos espers:
Golem +2 STA
Zona Seeker +2 MAG
Gigamesh +2 STR
Crusader +50% MP
Cactuar +2 SPD
Diabolos +100% HP
9. Use these espers to level up until max... chose what you want to increase because each char needs something different... I personally prefer stats points over HP and MP boost... there are others espers that gives the same +2 stats so you can level up more than one char at the same time.

PS. If I remember I had level 8 when got my first esper.

 

[Dr.Acula]

Why are people hacking audio/gfx/etc into the GBA version, why not just copy the GBA translation onto the SNES copy? I remember FFV being fan-translated from scratch, but has no one copied over the GBA dialog to the SNES version?

I know there are some bugs in the SNES version like Vanish/Doom, and others but I've played through the games a couple of times and never really encountered them.

 

[BasedKiliK]

Why are people hacking audio/gfx/etc into the GBA version, why not just copy the GBA translation onto the SNES copy? I remember FFV being fan-translated from scratch, but has no one copied over the GBA dialog to the SNES version?

I know there are some bugs in the SNES version like Vanish/Doom, and others but I've played through the games a couple of times and never really encountered them.

They have, but a lot of people also want the additional content that's in the GBA version and beyond.

 

[Rapscallion]

I've been playing on IOS and it's honestly not that bad. The sprites are notably different, but once you get use to them they look pleasing enough and the cosmetic change won't disrupt you that much if its your first time playing. One things that can be said for the mobile version is that it's been nice to have the game with me at all times. I've never played the original or other ports, so this version suffices just fine. I think I've been able to push through some of the lesser parts of the game because I could watch a movie or do something else while playing the game on my phone.

The biggest downside of the IOS version is the controls. It's just annoying to move around the map without an actual D-pad or joystick. This game requires you to bump into things a lot to find your way, and poorly implemented controls detract a lot from specific parts of the game. The game's visual style also tends to confuse, as it's often hard to tell what is the foreground and what is background, leading to a lot of situations in which I was unaware I could move underneath what looks like a wall.


That being said, I don't think the game quite holds up to the pedigree that many fans place on it. It's an interesting game with a very unique take on the FF structure and I can see how fans love the fact that the game doesn't have a strict narrative formula and instead allows players to tackle aspects at their own pace and with the characters of their own choosing, but the novelty didn't hit home with me as much as I think it would have when the game came out. It's a great game, but I wouldn't put it in the top 3 Final Fantasy games.

 

[firelogic]

Even if you speed up the game, the waiting time is long. If my memory serves me well, like 7 seconds or maybe more.

If you use disc speed FAST on Vita, it loads slower. Use NORMAL. I tested it today using my launch day Vita and FFVI downloaded from PSN. And when compared to other RPGs on PS1, the load times are the same, minus the menu loading when you hit triangle. So if it's your first time playing it, you won't think it's slow.

 

[Durante]

I'd argue the best way to play it on any modern screen is to use retroarch with the BSNES core and a good CRT shader of your choice.

You get the original SNES version (which is still the best, as per the comparison earlier), with features like save states and turbo if you want them, and graphically processed to the closest approximation of the original intention possible on current output devices (and without the unintended artifacts/drawbacks of CRT and analog signals).

 

[MadClacker]

Recently picked up my very first SNES, and the primary reason was for Final Fantasy VI. Nothing quite like playing the original game on original hardware while sitting in front of a CRT TV.

I somehow managed to avoid spoilers for this game and have been having an absolute blast! I'm thoroughly enjoying it and 15 hours in, am starting to understand why it's such a beloved game. It's also given me a whole new appreciation for the massive jump that was Final Fantasy VII.

 

[Disagree Guy]

Any way you play is pretty spectacular. In my opinion FF6 is the most perfect game ever made.

That being said I play on a HD upscaled SNES rom.

My favourite way to play.

 

[Actual]

I've been playing the PS1 version on Vita, and honestly, while the load times are noticeable, the low price and portability made it worth it for me.

 

[Bjoern the Smexy]

Virtual Console or GBA would be your best bet nowadays.
Don't bother with the PS1 version.

GBA has some small issues with the sound samples for the music, but it has more content than the original SNES version (which is the one on the Wii VC). It also sports a new translation with less censoring than on SNES.

PS1 has a few CGI cutscenes, which look horrible most of the time and don't add anything really to the presentation. It also has LOADING TIMES. They're not as bad as Chrono Trigger's loading times on the PS1 but they're still very noticeable. This one has the translation from the SNES version.

The versions for iOS, Android and Steam are okay too. The music is the same as on SNES (I think) but the sprites look sorta bad. It is overall a higher resolution though and afaik has the extra content from the GBA version. I don't know about the translation for this one, but I think it's at least based on the GBA version.


I personally prefer the GBA version because...well, being able to play it on the go is pretty cool. Having an actual d-pad and buttons makes it preferable over the mobile versions, too.

If you're only planning to play the game at home, maybe look into the Steam version.
Otherwise get it on the Virtual Console, especially if you don't care about the extra content.

 

[kunonabi]

Wii Virtual console is the way to go. PSX, GBA, and ios ports are all terrible.