My second defeat of FFIVDS has left me nostalgic.
I just completed my second playthrough of FFIVDS while taking a small break from P3P and the Vision Quest.
I realize that FFIVDS is easily the best version of FFIV, and I really love the expanded story and better character development of the game. I really got a grasp on certain characters in this game who have moved on to become some of my favorites in the FF fandom. The four most notable characters being Cecil, Edward, Golbez and Fusoya (who is no longer FuSoYa, which...makes me very happy)
Cecil, in the original game, comes off as personality-less and his sudden change into a Paladin comes off as forced. His relationship with the others, especially Rosa is somewhat confusing with it seeming like he sometimes wants to be around her, and at other times he wants her to go away. While all the characters really benefit from the "thoughts menu", I feel that Cecil is the one who is saved the most from it. He goes from a bland, seemingly uninspired hero (much of is caused by the original English translation) and becomes a very interesting, complex protagonist, and one of my absolute favorites in the series.
Edward, who many find insufferable in the original game, is so much better developed here, especially with the usage of language. His relationships with others seems improved, and the dynamic growth he undergoes is done very well. (And continued into FFIV:TAY where he becomes a certifiable badass) His mourning for Anna doesn't seem so whiny either. His voice also helps, the VA is soft and kind, but also can manage to sound both cowardly and trying to be brave all at once. Of course, on a purely game level, Edward is also much more useful thanks to the awesome Bardsong ability.
Golbez, in my opinion, was very lame in the original game. He looked cool and had a really cool theme, but his story was really convoluted, and his sudden change to "heroic character" at the end seemed really odd, not to mention his familial relationship with Cecil seemed to come out of left field. The DS version rectifies this greatly. In the new graphic style Golbez really comes out as intimidating and his voice is perfect. Where he really shines though is the added story segments and rewritten dialogue. His first encounters with Cecil lack the "mwahahah evilly generic!" feel and instead take on a really foreboding feeling that I didn't feel in the original. The added scenes to his childhood are what really sold me though. Seeing him interact with his family and Cecil and his descent into darkness made him much more rounded and awesome. The revelation that he is related to Cecil is given much more time to develop, and the ending sections of the game where it seems Cecil is trying to reconcile Golbez, the cruel instigator of a global war and Theodore, the older brother who is seeking redemption is gripping and touching.
Golbez's send off is also touching. Where as in the original game the writing came off as kinda lax and unmemorable, in the DS version Golbez says goodbye and walks off. The party urge Cecil to do something, anything, and Cecil finally calls out to his brother. Golbez freezes, turns, and we see him as Theodore. He smiles and is gone.
I just felt that Golbez's development is so much better in this version, and it bumped him up to one of my favorite FF "villains". (And though some people didn't seem to like how he was in Dissidia I thought it was perfect. His personality is perfectly in-line for how he appears at the end of FFIV and throughout TAY. It also helps that Golbez's chapter in TAY is one of the best, with the awesome playable flashbacks against the party.)
Fusoya is a character who no one seems to really hate, but no one really seems to care for either. Like all the other characters in the game he is made much more interesting with the new script, and his sense of duty shines through. I think Fusoya is a really interesting character (and may I say again, I hate the spelling of FuSoYa.)and it's probably a mix of FFIVDS and TAY that really make me find him awesome. His relationship with Golbez is interesting too as the two seem to gain a bond of trust, but never seem to really consider themselves friends. (Of course, they are actually family, but...)
The opposite of what happened to Edward affects Fusoya in gameplay. Whereas Edward gets much better in combat in the DS version, Fusoya arguably gets worse. My first time through the original game I thought Fusoya was the bomb. He was able to heal like Rosa or nuke things like Rydia, his only downfall being his sucky MP. In DS it seems his abilities are even more hindered. In the original game it seems like his damage what comparable to Rydia, though in DS he will noticeably do less damage than her (I.e: she will be fitting things for 4000 with Firaga and he'll be doing about half that). Though, in his defense, he does get the awesome 'Bless' skill (which is a permanent augment I have fixed on Rosa instead of "Pray")Even with the arguable weakning he still manages to become more awesome in this version.
While the obvious lesson here is that everyone got more awesome in FFIVDS, it's these four characters who really improved for me. I already loved Edge, Kain, Rosa and Rydia, and liked a number of the other characters.
The only characters who still remained kinda "meh" to me were the twins. They also got more interesting, but I still didn't totally love them. They did become much more interesting and cool in TAY though, especially since they aren't annoying half-pints and get a lot of development outside of their relationship to one another.
I realize that FFIVDS is easily the best version of FFIV, and I really love the expanded story and better character development of the game. I really got a grasp on certain characters in this game who have moved on to become some of my favorites in the FF fandom. The four most notable characters being Cecil, Edward, Golbez and Fusoya (who is no longer FuSoYa, which...makes me very happy)
Cecil, in the original game, comes off as personality-less and his sudden change into a Paladin comes off as forced. His relationship with the others, especially Rosa is somewhat confusing with it seeming like he sometimes wants to be around her, and at other times he wants her to go away. While all the characters really benefit from the "thoughts menu", I feel that Cecil is the one who is saved the most from it. He goes from a bland, seemingly uninspired hero (much of is caused by the original English translation) and becomes a very interesting, complex protagonist, and one of my absolute favorites in the series.
Edward, who many find insufferable in the original game, is so much better developed here, especially with the usage of language. His relationships with others seems improved, and the dynamic growth he undergoes is done very well. (And continued into FFIV:TAY where he becomes a certifiable badass) His mourning for Anna doesn't seem so whiny either. His voice also helps, the VA is soft and kind, but also can manage to sound both cowardly and trying to be brave all at once. Of course, on a purely game level, Edward is also much more useful thanks to the awesome Bardsong ability.
Golbez, in my opinion, was very lame in the original game. He looked cool and had a really cool theme, but his story was really convoluted, and his sudden change to "heroic character" at the end seemed really odd, not to mention his familial relationship with Cecil seemed to come out of left field. The DS version rectifies this greatly. In the new graphic style Golbez really comes out as intimidating and his voice is perfect. Where he really shines though is the added story segments and rewritten dialogue. His first encounters with Cecil lack the "mwahahah evilly generic!" feel and instead take on a really foreboding feeling that I didn't feel in the original. The added scenes to his childhood are what really sold me though. Seeing him interact with his family and Cecil and his descent into darkness made him much more rounded and awesome. The revelation that he is related to Cecil is given much more time to develop, and the ending sections of the game where it seems Cecil is trying to reconcile Golbez, the cruel instigator of a global war and Theodore, the older brother who is seeking redemption is gripping and touching.
Golbez's send off is also touching. Where as in the original game the writing came off as kinda lax and unmemorable, in the DS version Golbez says goodbye and walks off. The party urge Cecil to do something, anything, and Cecil finally calls out to his brother. Golbez freezes, turns, and we see him as Theodore. He smiles and is gone.
I just felt that Golbez's development is so much better in this version, and it bumped him up to one of my favorite FF "villains". (And though some people didn't seem to like how he was in Dissidia I thought it was perfect. His personality is perfectly in-line for how he appears at the end of FFIV and throughout TAY. It also helps that Golbez's chapter in TAY is one of the best, with the awesome playable flashbacks against the party.)
Fusoya is a character who no one seems to really hate, but no one really seems to care for either. Like all the other characters in the game he is made much more interesting with the new script, and his sense of duty shines through. I think Fusoya is a really interesting character (and may I say again, I hate the spelling of FuSoYa.)and it's probably a mix of FFIVDS and TAY that really make me find him awesome. His relationship with Golbez is interesting too as the two seem to gain a bond of trust, but never seem to really consider themselves friends. (Of course, they are actually family, but...)
The opposite of what happened to Edward affects Fusoya in gameplay. Whereas Edward gets much better in combat in the DS version, Fusoya arguably gets worse. My first time through the original game I thought Fusoya was the bomb. He was able to heal like Rosa or nuke things like Rydia, his only downfall being his sucky MP. In DS it seems his abilities are even more hindered. In the original game it seems like his damage what comparable to Rydia, though in DS he will noticeably do less damage than her (I.e: she will be fitting things for 4000 with Firaga and he'll be doing about half that). Though, in his defense, he does get the awesome 'Bless' skill (which is a permanent augment I have fixed on Rosa instead of "Pray")Even with the arguable weakning he still manages to become more awesome in this version.
While the obvious lesson here is that everyone got more awesome in FFIVDS, it's these four characters who really improved for me. I already loved Edge, Kain, Rosa and Rydia, and liked a number of the other characters.
The only characters who still remained kinda "meh" to me were the twins. They also got more interesting, but I still didn't totally love them. They did become much more interesting and cool in TAY though, especially since they aren't annoying half-pints and get a lot of development outside of their relationship to one another.