Not a single one was released in Europe? No, I actually didn't know that part. Sucks.

I'm amazed they're doing this, and wonderfully impressed. I won't download them, preferring my handheld versions, but I know many people will, and I'm VERY happy for them.

Now how about Mystic Quest...I'd actually download that one. (yeah, I'm weird)

I really, really, really hope these two Parts will be released during a Hanabi Festival here in Europe. Doesn´t care if it is in english. But really wonderful would be, if Square would spend money to translate the other games as well!

That's pretty cool. I'll probably only get the first Final Fantasy since it's in 8bit compared to the 16bit of its sequels which I own the GBA versions of.

Europeans might have to wait until the second Hanabi Festival of this year to get the 3 American FF games since Japan gets them on May and usually NA and EU gets RPG VC games a few months after Japan does(Remember with Super Mario RPG?).

OMG this is the best day of my life since the Wii Launch and Hanabi Festival launch. SD Card Update, Arcade games, now Final Fantasy I to VI coming to VC?! Holy Heck...

Still waiting for Super Smash Bros.

@Stuffgamer1

Yes thats right my first one was 7 because of that.
But of course that didn't stop me loving FF1-6 after they released them in europe on other Systems.
Especially 5 and 6 ^^

i'm not very much into FF games but do the games have any story between eachother or are they similar to zelda games?

This is so great. Hopefully Chrono Trigger will be released eventually too

@cr00mz
Each one have a story of their own.
(thats why the direct sequels like X-2 and IV The After have the same number on the title)
So you can pick one without having played the others.

Crooked cucumbers! I have obtained a PSP remake of FF I and II! (I should have asked for Patapon, instead...)

Ah, well. I can buy the other Final Fantasies for cheap, instead!

@MarkyVigoroth
Look at the bright side.
You got better graphics and more extras
So it wasn't a bad purchase after all XD

(And FF:II maybe won't realease on VC, only if SE feel generous and translate the original game)

@MrPinguy
ok thanks for the quick reply

Will probably pick up IV and VI i'm not a huge fan of NES games (what with their awesomely bad graphix)

I've never played the first one, but I heard it is very hard and boring. IV and VI are definitely worth picking up, especially VI. Just keep in mind they will probably be released as II and III, like they originally were. I am not a FF fan either, cr00mz, but I did enjoy these two a good bit.

@Adam

If difficult is an issue go get the GBA or PSP version of FF1
>_> they were MORE but much MORE easy than the original NES one.

And no, i belive that they will change the titles (maybe not in the ROM but outside the ROM i am pretty sure, you know menu's names and stuff.)
They have good reasons for doing that and if i am not wrong, there is some VC game that have a difrent name from the original version.

I'm definitely interested in getting what is known on the SNES as FF II & III. FF I, however, I will get the GBA version of which comes with FF II (Japan) too. I prefer my games easy.

not that i particularly care but i am curious if mystic quest is coming as well. it was still fun for what it was at the time. i still recommend it to anyone who has a weekend to kill

Maybe (More like Hopefully) this is why Europe hasn't had that Hanabi festival yet.

With all this news coming through, it's like i died and went to virtual heaven. Honestly, what we've been getting today is fantastic

Sweet, now I can get four and it's WiiWare sequel ^_

And VI, I've heard nothing but awesome stuff about that one.

@Adam: "I've never played the first one, but I heard it is very hard and boring."

It's not, it's relatively light on difficulty, but can kill you if you're careless, and great fun to play.
The GBA and PSP remakes, however, are ridiculously boring and so easy you can beat them in your sleep. Stay away. Yuck.

Also, I really really doubt FF4 and FF6 will be released under those old, silly "FF2" and "FF3" names they had back then.
Square are actively marketing the games under their real numbers via remakes and ports and god knows what, and really wouldn't benefit from more confusion caused by people not knowing which game is which. It's already annoying enough with people refusing to refer to the SNES games by their real numbers "because it says 2/3 on my cartridge!!1".

The old numbering scheme is dead to Square, and it's i the best interest of everyone to let it stay dead.

@Popyman: "And VI, I've heard nothing but awesome stuff about that one."

Here's some negatives: Too easy, heavy character balance issues coupled with the fact that the only real difference between them are their unique battle ability, several battle abilities are badly thought up, and requires way too much effort to make "not as useful as others", the plot is rather disjointed and falls apart completely halfway through the game, and it's a rather mindless "plod along to next cutscene" affair at times.
Worth playing, but vastly overrated, and the beginning of the fall of the series, changing it from "holy crap awesome" to "eh, sure, whatever".

Holy crap, there's a lot of sweet news these few days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

wow! i´m really excited! final fantasy iii {snes} always was my favourite!

Even more fantastic news! Who cares if it's only those 3!? Those 3 were the best!

Wow lots of good news today, apparently...

FF2 Famicom was 100% completely translated by NOA and leaked to the net probably a decade ago. I'm just saying...potential.

I would be extremly happy to have FFI for the NES, and FF2 & 3 for the SNES on my Wii.

I guess FF4 will still have its bad localisation? I'm playing Secret of Mana right now and the dialogue is rather... dopey.

Very happy day! I love FF!

@Adamant
Can you actually have some fun while playing RPG? O-o'

I know, I know the GBA/PSP is too much easy, but please aside of that have some neat extras. (Psst, but hey i actually like the NES ver. more )
And 6 was awesome (but i like 5 gameplay better)

@J.K.
That's not an translation.
That's called a load crap of text.

@LinktotheFuture
Please just say FF4 and FF6 for the sake of our sanaty (to avoid confusion) >_>

Noooo, I want 6! 4 was decent, but 6 was the only Final Fantasy game that really impressed me (not that I've played all of them).
Also, thanks for correcting me about the difficulty, all of you who did. Maybe I'll get it after all. I think what I heard was that it was difficult unless you did a ton of grinding, perhaps. I don't know. I could have dreamed it.

The GBA and PSP remakes, however, are ridiculously boring and so easy you can beat them in your sleep. Stay away. Yuck.
What was wrong with the PS1 Final Fantasy Origin?. From what I can recall it still uses the charges spell system and fixes most the problems the NES version had (glitched spells, 8 bit interface which makes it a chore to play*)

*-Buying potions 1 at a time...ugh.

@Starwolf_UK
The matter here is the GBA/PSP
not the PS1 since you can play it like the original there

This is great! The only problem is own their remakes, so I wont buy them.

I want the origional III though.

@Starwolf_UK: "What was wrong with the PS1 Final Fantasy Origin?"

Absolutely nothing, that one's a fantastic remake. Hence, why I didn't mention it.

This is great news for those purist who wants the original.
Well I'm allready covered via the various GBA & DS remakes including V & Vi which I got as imports.
Still great news.

Never liked the Final Fantasy series.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

I have to say, I never really expected this to happen. I'm not a big RPG fan, but I did play Final Fantasy 1 on an emulator, and I really enjoyed it. For $5, I'll probably get it, especially since I can't find Dawn of Souls anywhere anymore( and no way in Hell am I the overpriced PSP remake).

I'll also be getting Final Fantasy II(4), since it's the only FF game I've played so far that has a story I like, and because I can't find the GBA remake( and no way in Hell am I getting that fugly DS remake).

And I'm not getting Final Fantasy III(6), since it's boring.

I doubt they'll bring II, III and V out unless they dump the remake translations on them and bump them up 100 or 200 points

I hope so, for FF5 at least.

I hope 2 and 3 appear. =D

And the remake of 1 on the PS1 was very good.

16-bit graphics, a few FMVs, great music, gameplay fixes (you can set options to attack someone else if your target has died, and others), YOU CAN RUN IN TOWNS, and a bestairy.

Meh, I always hated the first Final Fantasy. (the second one, too, but that mess was always a love it or hate it game.) Any FF after part 2 is cool by me, though.

Hell to the yes! I cannot wait to download FF1 and be 6 years old again.

The only one that I really want is 3 because I have all of the other ones on PSP or PS1 games and I don't own a DS.

I am probably in the minority but V is my favorite and wasn't it translated but never released?

Well I hope they release it now so I can play it on my TV instead of the small screen

I think Square has finally realized if gamers like a series they will buy the original and the remake if its good.

Final Fantasy, while revolutionary, opened a can of worms for videogames. Because of its success, we have thousands of games just like it.

@Mickeymac:
WTF MAN!!!!!!!
look I know its an opinion but seriously!!!
FINAL FANTASY VI(6) WAS THE BEST ONE YOU OVERHYPED FINAL FANTASY VII(7) FAN BOY!!! BTW KEFKA MAKES SEPHEROTH LOOK LIKE A TWAT!

"gameplay fixes (you can set options to attack someone else if your target has died)"

That's not a fix, it's an addition. The lack of auto-retargetting in FF1 was not a negative, but a gameplay mechanic that actually made you think a bit during battles.

"Final Fantasy, while revolutionary, opened a can of worms for videogames. Because of its success, we have thousands of games just like it."

That was Dragon Quest. Final Fantasy wasn't particularly inspiring.

I'll definately be getting one. I own and love the DS version of four. Two and three I never really liked. If they released 5 and 6 I'd consider it since I've got the GBA versions. Maybe this means we might get Dragon Warrior 1-3 sometime.

Sweet! Please release them all! I loved FFI on GBA and never finished II or III and want to give IV a shot! Plus, I can't wait for those WW sequels!!

THIS IS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT SINCE I BOUGHT MY Wii!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Final Fantasy IV was always my favorite

Don't let my screen name confuse you...lol

FFII on the NES was leaked years ago.
But it's doubtful Square Enix would release it legally, since the text was nowhere near release-quality.
So, I suppose Dragon Quest stands a chance. I have the GBC/DS versions, but I'd probably still get 2-4.
DQ1 is just a bit too primitive (and is probably cheaper to get a real cart due to NP over-production), whereas 2-4 still command some serious cash.

@44:
FFV was translated, but it wasn't released on the SNES because by the time they got to it (they halted it to work on VI), they felt it was too old.
At one point there was a plan to release it as a legal PC game, but that didn't work out.

My life as a darklord? Heh, sounds cool.

It would be pretty amazing if all 6 final fantasy games make it onto the vc...and chrono trigger as well.

The Famitsu website said that the next five titles after I are planned to be released in Japan.

http://www.famitsu.com/game/news/1222992_1124.html

Well, that's as orgasmic a release announcement as I've seen for the VC to date!

The best of the Final Fantasy series (IMHO), all planned for release. If I can have 1 and IV downloaded on my VC, that would fully justify my puchase of the Wii right there.

@19. Adamant's review of FFVI: - Though a bit stronger condemnation than mine would be, I'd largely agree with it. I am fond of the characters, but their abilities were not well balanced, the story was indeed uneven and jumped the shark at the halfway point (save for a few moments in the second half), but on the other hand had a villian as creepy as the one in FF1 and twice as obnoxious (in an entertainingly evil sort of way).

I'll buy any FF of the 1-6 range they'll put on the VC for NA.

BTW, IV and VI will always be II and III.......just the way it goes for games that memorable in ones youth.

FFV was released on the PS1 with unchanged SNES graphics and full English translation, so an import release could be possible.

@Adamant #48: You call that a FEATURE? I HATE games that don't have auto-retargeting systems! That's what I call a broken battle system.

Maybe it's just because I never played Final Fantasy on NES or SNES, but I've always been perfectly happy to get the latest remakes. Playing FFI on NES looks TERRIBLE since I first played it on GBA (not due to graphics, which I don't care all THAT much about, but due to the horrible interface). FFIV doesn't hold that problem as such, since I first played it on PS1, but I'm still quite fond of the DS version now.

Like I said way back at post #1, I'm happy for those who want these. I just don't really understand WHY they do.

Also, Gamespot reported that FFI-V would be coming to VC, though America only gets I & IV. Nothing about VI, anyway, but I would expect it's coming, barring some crap about a special chip or something. Maybe it just won't be out until 2010. The announcement WAS supposed to be for this year, after all.

Yes, I call that a feature. Games that DO have auto-retargetting tend to be of the "hold A to win the battle" kind. Having to actually pay attention to what you're doing is a GOOD thing, and such a system forces you to be aware of both your own and the enemy's stats.

Wow, the back end of march is like nintendo's equivalent of christmas apparently. How much good news have we just got??? Give me FF 6, thats the one everyone raves about right? I think I played 7 and 8 and was entertained, but not wow'ed.

Which is considered the best final fantasy?

@timp29 - I think the general concensus thinks FF7 is the best overall. As far as 1-6 go though, 6 is the one most people consider the best.

@Adamant: Well, I stand by my previous statement. I find there's a difference between being aware of stats (which is hard enough to do when you come up to new enemies) and over-obsessing with them. I like being aware of my stats to the point where I know whether I can beat the enemy, not which character will or won't do it. Especially when you get into crap like attacks that miss randomly or a character dies unexpectedly. I'd rather the game be able to take over for all that.

It sounds like you like your RPG's needlessly difficult, and yet are so used to them that they are not in your mind all that hard at all. That's great for you, I guess, and no offense meant, but I think that makes your recommendations for games worth little to most of us. I'm REALLY not trying to start a fight or something here, I swear. Just saying what I see.

@timp29: General consensus seems to be FFVII among EVERYBODY, and FFVI among those who know better. Coming from when I first played FFVII (far too late to not have a problem with certain graphical/gameplay elements of the game, such as how I can't navigate because I can't see what is or isn't a path), I actually think it may be the WORST FF I've played, and I've played FFII! Okay, so I'm probably exaggerating a bit. It still can't hold a candle to FFIV or FFX (my two favorites, basically tied at first). I even like FFXII better than FFVII!

@Stuffgamer1
FF:II is very, but very underrated.
Anyone that says it's the worst final fantasy, it's because they can't handle a chalange.
It's too much hardcore for them XD
///
And for the others, the lack of auto-target is not a flaw, it's just another way to play an RPG another gameplay mechanic.

About time. I hope FF1 will be an import in europe. And perhaps a FFIV release when it´s time for "the After"?

"I find there's a difference between being aware of stats (which is hard enough to do when you come up to new enemies)"

Sounds like nothing more than beating a game by not falling asleep.
I totally agree with Adamant and that has NOTHING to do with making games unnecessarily difficult. It implies giving them at least something of a challenge instead of just levelling up and sticking some tape onto the A button.
If you're into interactive movies, that's fine with me, but it sure is no gameplay fault, but a mere decision as Adamant already said.

The thing is auto targeting does leave you worse off if you choose not to think. Say there are two enemies with 10 HP and your guys do 4,5,5 and 6 damage. They can kill both guys...but if you throw everything at one guy it might not work out so well.

Say the person doing 4 damage hits first...the one doing 6 damage has to follow to kill but if the one doing 5 follows you can't finish the battle this turn. Heck, even if the guy doing 6 damage goes first the 4 damage one then has to follow otherwise the same fate (though its better off since the enemy left alive has less HP).

My real issue is where the game doesn't give you anywhere to look up the stats (not that it helps too much thanks to impossible damage calculations) meaning lots of refering to gamefaqs or writing down notes.

If anyone wanted information on the Final Fantasy II NES this article is good (since they talk to the actual translator):
http://www.lostlevels.org/200312/200312-ffan2.shtml

I'm better off keeping my GBA versions.

I seriously doubt that Europe won't get FF. Heck, they may even get it before us (remember SMRPG?).

Great! I can't wait for part VI. If we poor Europeans will be getting them that is, but I think we've got a good chance at the next Hanabi festival.

Big Hell's yeah on the FFIV: The After Years, but since I have most of the first four at least twice, I doubt I'll DL any of them... I dunno, I'm probably lying

the only final fantasy games i really want is 5 and 6

Me and a friend have had many arguments on which is the better games, the final fantasy or the dragon quest/warrior games. I myself have always loved the dragon games better then the FF games, what does everyone else think?

So we could See Final Fantasy 1, and IV and Mystical Quest

This certainly is good news, I've been waiting for these for a while now. I wonder if there's any chance of us seeing number VI as well.

Someone has created something called the Shaft, which is designed to play arcade ports (like the NES Pac-Man) the way they were meant to be played.

Playing these games on the old consoles is great fun sometimes, but I'm debating whether or not it is worth it for me to download them on the VC.

I own Final Fantasy (NES) and Final Fantasy III/VI (SNES) and Final Fantasy IV (DS), so I have the best of the early series available now.

There's something to be said for the ability to save my progress in an instant and then to come back to it later. The Wii gives me the ability to play an RPG like I play a shooter: fast and short (depending on my timetable). I can't do that with the original games- I have to get out of a dungeon and get to a savepoint.

This is actually one of the reasons why I don't play my RPGs as often as other genres. The amount of time that is demanded to invest in even the most user friendly games (Chrono Trigger DS) is still around 15-30 minutes minimum. I think the ability to play FF for short periods at a time with the VC's auto-save feature.

Honestly, I think I may re-purchase these games.

@MetroidMedia

I almost took you seriously for a second. Please tell me that that was a bad attempt at a joke.

@ Mickeymac
Why would that be a joke? I mean besides homeboy's overzealous method of expressing his less than humble opinion, I totally agree. Kefka is the ultimate badass. Evil makes him laugh. Sephiroth, on the other hand, has a complex about his origins and is taking it out on a world full of people he can't relate to. Don't get me wrong, I love FF7, but I can't agree that FF3 (it'll always be FF3 for me, just can't bring myself to call it 6) is boring. If anything, I was HUGELY dissapointed that FF7 removed the feature of a seperated party that underwent simultaneous but seperate plotlines. But the game made up for it with one of the most classic magic systems ever implemented, so, in conclusion: Different strokes for different folks, FF1 and FF8 are my favorites, anyhow.

PS - Auto-retargeting is for chumps

This is great news for everyone! It's awesome to be able to play FF games in their original form however not seeing FF2 and FF3 on the list is a disappointment. I have all the FF games I want so there's no need for me to download.

Marcel wrote, "Of course, the catch is that only Japan is getting them - American Final Fantasy fans can only definitely expect the first and fourth games, as they were the only ones originally released in the US."

Marcel, FF 6 (VI) was released in the USA originally, right?

@stinssd: ya, as FFIII.
My favorite FF's in order are: FFVIII, FFX, FFIV, FFVII, FFI, FFXII, and FFIII
I never played FFII, FFV, FFVI, or FFXI and I don't like FFIX.

What's with all the great VC news lately? I guess Nintendo was just holding back until the storage fix was in place. As for Final Fantasy this is great news! Final Fantasy IV is one of the first RPGs I ever played and I have some really good memories of it. Can't wait.

I'd actually be more interested in the Dragon Quest games getting put on VC. Since DQIII US can sell for up to $80 and DQIV can sell up to $150.

But yeah, this was a no brainer for SE. They are one of the best sellers on the VC. So they should throw any old game they don't expect to have a remake for in the next 5 years on the VC and cash in.

What about Final Fantasy 6, our 3, is there any word on that one, that was my favorite one. I'm hoping it gets released. Also to who says that VI sucked, try the original version, its much better. But great news anyway.

Bow down and worship Final Fantasy 1! Blasphemers be cast down into the fire pits! All your other precious rpgs owe their existence to this and Dragon Warrior.

I wonder if square enix will release the Dragon Warrior games...

I hereby officially concede that there are more people in favor of the lack of auto-retargeting than I thought.
That said, I still think it's a valuable system. Thinking more about my RPG playing habits (as conversations such as this tend to make me do after the point), I find that I DO tend to target based on projected strength and whatnot (not just piling everybody on one enemy all the time). Even then, an unexpected critical hit could kill an enemy early, and I don't like being punished for that boon. Maybe it's not really a "broken" game style after all, but it CAN get annoying sometimes.

As for FFII, I agree that it's underrated. I've had trouble getting used to the playing style for the game, but it is a cool game with a unique system.

I will now piss a number of people off by stating that I am NOT a fan of the Materia system. I found it very annoying, actually. I prefer teaching somebody a skill, and they know it for good.

I wonder if there's anybody who actually likes EVERY FF game...

Oh, and on the topic of the lack of auto targeting in FF1, even back in my youth RPG days back then, I was appreciative of the lack of auto (in spite of the spots it left some of my underpowered parties in sometimes) as the battle interface felt a bit then, even back then, and I felt like the chance of wasting attacks was the shining salvation of an otherwise Tape-The-Button-Down experience (which is never a good thing in a game that uses so many random battles).

You don't have to crunch the precise numbers to enjoy the experience of guesstimating how much of your force to dedicate to each Sahag (mispel of Sea Hag?). It made it feel just a wee bit more real to split your force up according to the enemy numbers and then have actual consequences for you choices.

Personally I loved the Materia system. Just all the different combinations you could come up with was really cool. Like you could make your character immune to ice attacks, etc. etc.

LOL I already knew this. I'm happy, though.

I don't get why Square Enix just can't transfer the translation English version from the PS1 FF Origin and FF Anthology to the VC. Nintendo did it with the first Legend of Zelda. The one available on VC is the revise translate one from GameCube's LoZ: Collector's Edition and not the original from the NES. Gannon (from the original) is now spell Ganon in the revise one.

@retro_player_22
Having played FF1 as a wee 5 year old (my first RPG...aaaah, memories) I'd much rather play it how it was upon initial release. When I downloaded Zelda for the VC to give it another go, for old times sake, and saw that corrected spelling, it totally pissed all over my nostalgia fire.

@lockelocke #78

I thought he was trying to spoof as an annoying fanboy. Even if it wasn't a joke, it was idiodic enough to pass as one. I mean, honestly, is it that hard to believe that people have differring opinions? And how the hell did FF7 get into the conversation? I didn't even mention it.

I thought he was referring to FFII & FFV, personally. Putting those up would almost make sense. FFII still really wouldn't, though, due to the improved graphics. How would it be listed? Not as NES, really. But it's not technically a SNES game either, even if it looks like one.