By 
Final Fantasy fanatics will be thrilled to learn that Square Enix has brought yet another classic from the series over to the Google Play Store. I’m talking about Final Fantasy IV, and note that this isn’t a port of the old 2D sprites version that was originally released for Nintendo and other consoles. This is a high resolution version of the 3D Nintendo DS version launched several years back. You 16-bit purists out there might not be too happy with that, but for what it’s worth it was a fine remake of an age-old classic.
Unfortunately, if you suffer from advanced stages of sticker shock syndrome you won’t want to see how much Square Enix is asking you to fork over for this. Look away now if you want to save yourself a heart attack. You ready? $15.99! Whew, now that we’ve gotten past that, I should note that the only saving grace for Square Enix is that this is nothing more or less than what they’re asking for on other platforms.
If you can deal with that and want one of the best Japanese RPGs there are then be sure to count your pennies up and head over to the Google Play Store. Watch the quick trailer above if you’re not sure what to expect.
There should be a discount for those of us who(se parents) bought this in the past! I can’t believe that this is $15. While it’s a great game, it is too much for a mobile game. I could see paying $5-$8 for it, but $15? That’s just too much.
that’s Square Enix for you… If I’m not mistaken, I’ve seen apps in the 20$+ price range
Yep. Everything I’ve seen from them is way too expensive. I can justify paying a bit for some utility application (office suite, touchdown), but for a game? I’m just not there yet.
If you bought this on a DS it would easily be twice as much. One thing I hate about the evolution of app marketplaces is the expectation that everything should be free or dirt cheap. If you want developers to invest in good quality products that have to make MONEY. $15 is nothing to pay for a good game. Especially when you come from my generation. We paid $50 for Mario Bros 2 in the late 80s. That’s like dropping $130 on a game now.
I remember paying more for Mario Bros 3 due to demand, I think $60. Had some Commodore 64 games that cost more than that. N64 cartridges went for as much as $80 a game.
Ya… I seem to remember one of the Zelda follow ups in 1989 having an actual retail price of 69.95. That was 24 years ago so games are far cheaper now then they used to be. If its not profitable we’re gonna get nothing but this obnoxious freemium crap. I’ve stopped playing games on my androids because of that terrible model.
Think that was the exclusive Gold cartridge which I still have lmao!
Yes cause if its worth it I would. I paid $15 for Spectral Souls, SPB Launcher, FFIII, and will get FFIV soon as I finish FFIII. Some games are really worth it IMO
I concur!
I would not pay $15 for a launcher. I alter the look of my launcher to be limited to the launcher. LoL!!
Yea I bought this WAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY back before there were any launchers worth a damn besides launcher pro. And to each its own what I may think worth the money omeone may be like its not.
I don’t get that complaint, a game is a game regardless of platform. When it was released on the DS is was a $39 game. They’re asking for less than half that.
I have no issue with it since yeah, you can play it across multiple phones, tablets, probably the Ouya and Bluestacks boxes. In the end, there’s very little differentiating Mobile Devices and current gen Handheld gaming devices – the only real difference being physical buttons.
That said, thankfully, stuff goes on sale a lot :)
When it was released on DS it required a cart.
That’s something that has to be manufactured and distributed.
Mobile games don’t have any of that cost.
And in return, it’s 65% cheaper.
But still 100% to 1500% more expensive than the competition’s games that started out on handhelds such as the DS and came to android.
Hell, SquareEnix is selling Chrono Trigger for android with ADDITIONAL content above and beyond the DS or SNES versions for $10.
So why would they price FF3 and 4 at $15?
If it not only seems overpriced when compared to the competition, but even against some of your own offerings… it’s probably overpriced.
It’s 100% to 1500% harder, better, longer than competitors game. You’re missing the point.
How am I missing the point?
The right price isn’t what you are willing to pay, it’s the price that makes them the most money.
Exactly and the fact that Square Enix have been selling games on the play store at this price suggests that they would have a better idea of what it profitable than you.
So by that logic I could go post a game for $100 and it wouldn’t be overpriced because I’d have more experience with pricing than you…
Participation does not automatically equate to Wisdom.
There are FAR more companies pricing their games well than are trying to hit a $16 price point.
‘Participation does not automatically equate to Wisdom.’
I imagine this is the thought of many people reading the comments here.
I imagine it is. How humble of you to admit.
I took something you said, changed the context and held it up as a mirror to show you your reflection.
In response you just said ‘I know you are, I said you are, but what am I?’. How very intelligent of you. I’m sure everybody is amazed at your wit.
You changed the context of a small portion of my statement because you thought it would make you look intelligent when your entire opinion is built on a straw-man argument that a company always knows best when it comes to pricing. Meanwhile you keep downvoting my posts because you can’t hold an adult conversation with someone whose opinion differs from yours without getting butt-hurt like a child.
I’m sure people aren’t amazed with my wit, but they’re certainly not impressed with your level of maturity either.
I was simply refuting that you knew better than Square Enix. I don’t recall saying that ‘a company always knows best when it comes to pricing’.
When I originally stated you were missing the point I was referring to the comparison being to the price of other console games. You started talking about the price of the competitions game, hence missing the point.
I notice for somebody that holds adult conversations you use words like ‘butt-hurt’. Surely this is a homophobic, anti-gay message.
Would you like to re-read what I have said in a non-emotional way and get back to me so we can have an adult discussion.
Just wait for this game to be discounted.
It makes sense though. For the price to go up. Think about it. The price of games are going up and people are still buying them. You can make better graphic and better games, but the software to make those games are quite expensive.
The software seems to evolve faster than the hardware.
The price is a shock for games currently in the market, but if this is what they charge for other platforms, it seems fair to me. Especially considering if you got it for a 3ds, it would be good for the life of the 3ds, and that’s probably going to be it. Backward compatibility doesn’t seem to be a high priority in game systems anymore. But with Android, you can play it on any device you have for the next decade or more. I think if the Android gaming ecosystem is really going to take off…we need to stop flinching when they don’t lower the price for us.
It wasn’t for the 3DS, it was in 3D, and on the DS…
When I read the article I wondered for a second if they had another release I missed…
Nah, just confusing wording. This whole “3D” fad lately has made us change what to call 3D polygonal graphics, and I don’t like that =/
As the majority of games are 3D ‘polygonal’ why does it need mentioning. You just point out when a game is 2D only.
my bad…I knew Game Boy, color, and advance(back lit screen!!!)…I can’t keep up any more.
Oooh, I’m sorry. The Advance did NOT have a back lit screen. The Advance SP introduced light into the world.
But you still get a lovely copy of our home game! ;)
I disagree you are painting a very rosy picture of the Android compatibility where I myself have experienced numerous problems with comparability. Some games that are listed as compatible with my Galaxy S2 on the Google Play store simply don’t work plus the problem with digital at large is that when the licences run out not like now where you have physical copies you can still get a hold of a game you simply can’t find it any more such as Simcity which was on Android but now isn’t due to what ? Due to compatibility issues.
Point conceded…that’s ridiculous. They can control which devices can install it, why pull it altogether? I guess any game that is good enough to charge that much is also probably complicated enough that they use the NDK as opposed to the SDK and compatibility issues would be an ongoing problem. However, I would also think that the continued promise of people buying the game at $15 would encourage them to keep the game compatible in the future. But, naturally they’d probably release a separate app, add “HD” and charge you $15 again. Jerks.
I think the very reason they pulled the game because it’s more hassle than it’s worth to get it working correctly being an IOS port.
It would come under bug fixing so they would have to get it working for free. It seems the support was probably patchy for SimCity from the get go but then new versions of Android OS are always updating and programs update to be compatible with the new features bug fixes etc.
With Android there are a lot of variables on a PC you have stable OS Windows with a support cycle of what 10 years or so sometimes extended (WindowsXP). However with Android it’s updating all the time not to mention hardware quirks like Tegra 3 / 4 based handsets.
However having said that $15 for a quality game isn’t a lot of money but then I expect a level of support that goes with me paying money for a product.
cheap games was enough to tempt players to the platform but the quality games will only be available if there is money to be made.
$15 is actually a decent price for a full length game like Final Fantasy. You already know what to expect from Square Enix. You pay for what you get. The game is running very smoothly on my Note 2. Can’t wait to download the next one they bring over.
I’m hoping for FFVI next!
People need to stop with the “its too much” comments.
Its a matter of opinion. Its too much for YOU. Not every one else. To some..its a fair price..to others irs cheap.
If you dont like the price…dont buy it. People are getting too use to 99 cent games. This is a console quality (was actually on one) game. No freemium crap to get you to pay dollar here ..dollar there…and by the time u realize..u spent 30 bucks for a 99cent game.
This is 15..sure..but its the full..awesome..retail console version of the game. Worth it.
lol I could imagine this been freemium it would ruin the game I reckon. Also people need to remember this is not a rushed 99p rpg its been remastered and looks great graphics wise.
If it’s a matter of opinion.. People won’t stop saying it. o_O
Exaclty, if it’s a matter of opinion then why would people stop expressing their own opinions.
Cause if its is too much for THEM..then dont buy it. That should be your statement. Why the need to go on to a forum or comments and then state..”its too expensive for ME”.
How is that helping anyone else make a decision. “oh wait..its too expensive for that guy…but its not for me..but since it is for HIM..i wont buy it anyway”
No..if someone thinks its expensive they will not buy it..if they dont think its expensive ..they will. No matter what anyone else says.
Scribblenauts was released at the same price on DS as FFIV, yet it’s $0.99 for the android version.
Hell, square is selling an android version of Chrono trigger with extra content above and beyond what the console version had for $10.
It’s not really a matter of opinion in this case… it’s overpriced.
Only to you.
And hundreds of thousands of other people who won’t be buying it because of the price. : /
Wow ‘hundreds of thousands of other people’. Have you got a source for that? Or are you just making things up!
Have you got a source to show that it’s just me that thinks it’s overpriced?
Of course you don’t. We’re both talking about opinions here, so don’t try to make it sound like your opinion is based in fact.
No you’re making statements. You’re telling Square Enix how to rrun their business. You know best :)
No, the thousands of other game companies pricing their games well are telling Square Enix how to run their business. Square just isn’t listening.
Basically your peeved at the price Square Enix is asking. Nobody cares, least of all Square Enix.
Apparently you care, as you have seen fit to reply to at least 7 comments AND downvote them. I’m not that petty so I will refrain from returing the favor.
Keep telling yourself that people on the internet think your opinion is gold. Maybe one day it will come true.
I’m not the one beating my chest and saying I know better than Square Enix. I downvote comments that I believe spread misinformation or do nothing to further the discussion. That’s part of the reason why there is a voting system. If I’d decided to downvote all of your comments regardless of their message, then that would be petty.
“No one cares”
*continues to spend time ranting against something you said*
: /
It would be misinformation if it weren’t an opinion. Just as yours is.
But great job trying to rationalize your attitude.
I don’t care about you being peeved at Square Enix. I do care about you making misrepresentations about what I have said. A difference you haven’t picked up on with your adult discussion.
You say you want to have an adult conversation, then you say “I don’t care about you being peeved at Square Enix” trying to draw an emotional response. So I guess I will return the favor:
Grow up kid, I’m done with you.
If you’d comprehended what I’d written I was refuting your previous comment. Your misinterpretation of this and further use of name calling shows us who is the real kid.
I wouldn’t worry about him, it’s always the same. People think their opinion is fact then when someone points out that that their opinion doesn’t really represent the opinion of others they get defensive.
It’s not fact, it’s just got some statistical evidence behind it, so it seems silly to disregard it when the opposing opinion doesn’t have anything more than that behind it… : /
You don’t need written statements from anyone. Just read the comments. There’s a whole controversy on the price alone. Half these people aren’t gonna buy it because it’s too expensive. Please drop your ego and at least accept that. Personally I think the price is fine. I’m gonna wait till it’s discounted though.
That’s not hundreds of thousands of people though is it @Chris Strife. I personally don’t own any Square Enix games on Android. Almost bought Chaos Rings when it was on sale recently. When I get a tablet as opposed to using my phone (with small screen) I probably will purchase some Square Enix titles at around the $10 price point.
I disagree with some specific statement’s @phor11:disqus made. Maybe you should re-read my comments @Christ Strife before accusing me of not accepting things and having an ego.
Just to make it perfectly clear I believe Square Enix could potentially make more profit by a price adjustment to their Android titles. I have never said otherwise despite what @chrisstrife:disqus or @phor11:disqus may say.
You still got that ego Josh. It IS possible it could be hundreds of thousands of people as the android community is vast and growing. Plus the fact that it’s proven that android is for “cheaper people”. You beg for reports of other people’s statements yet you offer none for yours (which I don’t need any). You seem to just be poking at people for fun. This is far from an adult conversation as you always downvote those who have opinions against you. Your ego is taking you over, sir.
When did I say it was not possible. @phor11:disqus was partaking in grandiose hyperbole and I called him on it by asking for a source. What statement’s have I made that you require me to provide a source for @chrisstrife:disqus?
I do poke at people when I disagree with them. Not for fun, although I am happy to admit it is not the best way to make my point and one of my character flaws. See my rebuttal to @phor11:disqus in regards to the voting system. Whose ego needed to join somebody else’s disagreement and then misrepresent me, accuse me of begging, e.t.c.
Once again I challenge you to state where I said it wan’t possible or that it’s not too expensive. When did I say I wouldn’t accept that some people wont buy it because it’s too expensive?
Oh. So you do agree with phor11 then? That possibly hundreds of thousands of people won’t buy it because it’s too expensive? Possibly just poking at him for a source which isn’t even needed? Why do you even ask for the obvious then? You darn troll! I should have known you had no morals.-_-
Please carefully read what I say before once again misrepresenting me @Chris Strife. This is in no way me being racist but given your inability to comprehend English is this your first language?
I do NOT agree with @phor11. He stated hundred of thousands …. without the ‘possibly’ that you put in front. I have agreed with you however that it is possible however unlikely. It’s also possible I am god (now there’s ego for you) because it is impossible to prove otherwise.
Care to address my specific questions or are you going to continue to troll here you morally decrepit human.
You’re falling pretty low here with those kind of statements, sir. When you drop this low, there is no way back. I do not feed trolls of your kind. You’re for real.
It’s probably best for you to stop given you’ve failed to comprehend anything I’ve said correctly and are constantly mis-representing what I’ve said.
Where is this Scribblenauts Android version? All I see are these guides. I would love to play Scribblenauts.
And I’m guessing Chrono Trigger was as good as FF4? Since you believe that FF4 is overpriced compared to what Chrono Trigger is giving.
http://www.amazon.com/Warner-Bros-Scribblenauts-Remix/dp/B00AB7HESI
And yes, without a doubt Chrono Trigger is just as good.
http://www.metacritic.com/game/ds/final-fantasy-iv
http://www.metacritic.com/game/ds/chrono-trigger
I still have the original console Chrono Trigger. That game was awesome….one of the first console RPGs I played all the way through.
Hmm… I do like RPGs. I may have to give Chrono Trigger a try as well.
You do realize that square spent a good amount of resources and money to REMAKE the game. Brand new 3d models, animations, and voice acting..etc..
Chrono trigger was the SAME game. And didnt even work very well. Might as well download an SNES emulator and load the rom.
Between the two games, chrono was the one overpriced.
They remade FFIV it for the DS and then ported it to Android/iOS.
It’s the exact same game, so why not advocate that people download a DS emulator and load the rom? (this is illegal in the vast majority of the world by the way, so you probably shouldn’t advocate for it on phandroid)
I never said that Chrono was priced well either. I think it would have sold a metric ton more copies at the $3 pricepoint. My point was simply that their FFiv pricing was 60% higher than even some of their own other offerings, so there’s a good chance it’s overpriced.
True..but whether it was made for the DS or not..i doubt the people that own the DS version will buy this. This is for people that never played it, or dont own the DS version anymore. If you forget the fact it was made for the DS, cause ur a android phone owner looking for a game on the play store…the quality, size and replayability of this game make it a decent price.
Not to mention unlike the nintendo store, or ds store or where if you buy a classic game and then get a new console (like going from wii to wii U, etc..) you have to rebuy those games AGAIN. Same if you own a DS. That cartrdige was only good to be used on the DS. You sell your DS and the game is useless. The play store is such that after you spend 15 bucks on this..you NEVER have to rebuy it again cause no matter the new phone or tablet you buy, you can keep playing this on future devices. This would be the LAST time you buy this game.
I can see me buying this. I need a good game to play and I’m almost done with Tales of The Abyss. LoL!!
I can’t wait to see the summonings. They’re always cinematical.
I will probably buy this if it goes on sale at some point. I love Final Fantasy iv but I personally dont fancy paying 15 for it I do think its a good price due to its remastering and stuff but at moment I got other things to pay for. I got FF III for full price but thats because Google kindly gave out £15.00 credit to people who brought a Nexus 7 around launch time :P
Final Fantasy VII please! I’d get that even if it was expensive.
I doubt that will happen lol.
It certainly will eventually
that will happen when FF7 HD Remixed 2.0 (over-clocked) Comes out on the PS9. Ill be waiting!!!
Apparently Phandroid blocked my original post:
1.) Buy (or side load for free) Mupen64Plus from the Play Store.
2.) Download a good Zelda Ocarina of Time ROM.
3.) Purchase a Bluetooth game pad from GameStop.
4.) Enjoy the best quasi RPG/action-adventure ever created.
1) Couldn’t blame them for blocking it, blatant piracy is generally a no go on sites like this.
2) While good, ZOoT is still ridiculously overrated.
I think it depends if you grew up with it. It will always hold a special place in my childhood, so imo, it will always be the best.
The game was ahead of it’s time, definitely not overrated.
It’s overrated because it simply didn’t stand up to the test of time as well as LttP. LttP still feels fresh when you play it even now. OoT feels old and clunky. It’s better than going back to play FF7 which feels like a relic now, but not by a lot.
Not to say it’s bad, I just don’t think it deserves a #1 spot.
We’ll agree to disagree :)
That seems to be how most of these types of discussions end up. :D
I own most of the original game cartridges for the N64 ROMs I play. Nintendo doesn’t offer the games on Android or iOS, so I can’t buy them legally. If they did I would buy them, because ROMs are hardly perfect and can be glitchy. Google recommends I purchase SuperGNES from the Play Store, so I guess they support piracy? Try again…
Ocarina of Time is perhaps one of if not the greatest action-adventure game, it is not an RPG though…
Agreed. If anything, I’d consider it a quasi RPG/action-adventure, as it does have “role-playing elements”.
If they remade 6 I’ll play it.
asking $15 to heat up my phone haha
I’m not buying this for the sake of space on my phone (HTC, the way you partition space is absolutely stupid) and because I already own the DS cartridge. That said, this is absolutely worth the money. FFIV is a fantastic game.
Eh, wake me up when FFVII comes out.
I dig it! Here’s my money square! Now fund FF14! and make it the most beautiful MMORPG EVER!
Would have been a bit better if they had released the PSP remake AKA Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection instead of the DS remake
If you want to buy it, buy it. Otherwise, don’t… How hard was that? Seriously, these companies have people that are paid to determine the optimal price.
I think the price is fair. It doesn’t matter how much other companies are pricing their products. When you make something, YOU determine what the value is.