Phantasy Star: Fringes of Algo

I can't give you the sources now, because as far as I know, there is an interview in a Swedish magazine, but I've been told from a friend of ours who is working on translating the interview that Rieko Kodama admitted being strongly influenced by FFIV on making PSIV.

For me that was obvious, but what fellow PSIV fans think about that? Do you really think PSIV has far more similarities with FF series than the previous games? Do you think the influence was positive?

I would like to see this article (in a language I can understand or that can be accurately translated), because I never saw her admitted being "STRONGLY" influenced by FF. I mean, like many RPG of that era, she might get influenced a little bit, like she said that she was watching Dragon Quest and what it was doing when she created the first Phantasy Star (to improve on that). But I don't think she ever took so much inspiration on any FF that we can actually say "Now, this is definitely something I can see in a typical Final Fantasy game of that era"

On the other hand, I call PSIV as Final Phantasy Star because the influences are too obvious, IMO.

That is only your opinion on that one. Who's to say that Final Fantasy 4 didnt copied a lot of things from Phantasy Star II back then with the all the drama inside both game, multiples characters (like more than 4) in the game each with their specific skills set?

For me both are 2D turn based 16 bits RPG. The similarities stop there. In this era, everyone could take inspiration from everyone. Final Fantasy was not the "only" thing around in Japan. Dragon Quest was MUCH bigger (DQ being made by Enix, which was rival to Squaresoft in those good old days), and until I see a definite proof from a well translated Rieko Kodama interview, I don't believe Phantasy Star IV have anything to do with Final Fantasy IV...AT ALL. It's really an evolution of Phantasy Star II, which was really the big inspiration back in the days for many others JRPG.

Don't take it harshly, it's only my opinion. But I don't like to see the kind of topic saying "Phantasy Star is SOOOO just a Final Fantasy clone" without actual proof, when in my eyes, it's totally the other way around. Phantasy Star II was the main inspiration for many 16 bits RPG, and if anything, Phantasy Star IV main inspiration was just that, a previous installement from their own series

Could you at least give me 1 point that is NOT superficial where you can see that PSIV was influenced by FFIV "strongly" please?

To be honest, I barely remember Final Fantasy IV. I can't really comment on how similar it might or might not be to PSIV. I would like to see that translation when it's finished, especially if there are any specifics on what parts of FFIV were influences for Kodama. I would expect any RPG to take some inspiration from the most successful games in the genre, like Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest. Learning how much direct influence they had on PSIV would be quite interesting.

IMO, the story of PSIV is nothing like the other PS games. It is more childish, focused on character interation, many times pointless and that drags the game. The plot is typical FF: the disturbed hero is in a quest to know himself, he is the chosen one, defeats the ultimate evil and ends up marrying the pretty girl. Not to mention the excessive cheap thrills to make the player laugh or cry.

PSII had a deep plot, focused on events, plot twists amd hard gameplay
Nothing on PSIv but the engine and the ambiemt/references is similar to PSII.

SO, because the game was more light-hearted, this make it a Final Fantasy game? I'm sorry but this does not make the cut IMHO. Phantasy Star (the original) didnt have a deep plot too, and can you call it a Final Fantasy clone.

And even while being less dark than PSII (which is not totally a BAD point in itself), it's still darker than most Final Fantasy. Well maybe PSIV is not as "dramatic" as FFIV...but you know what? This is why it really can't be influenced at all. I'm sorry. But having played FFIV myself at least 3 times in my life, I still can't figure out the similarity between the two games outside that they're both 16 bits 2D turn based RPG.

But at least you have given reason as to why you think so, and for that, I'm happy It still does not shake my opinion though that there's nothing FF in PSIV. Maybe someone else have others opinions?

Of course, opinions are different because each one focuses in the points that appeal them most, and they are always different for complex things, like games. I respect your opinion.

One thing that, for me, is proof enough that PSIV is much different from PSIi is that most people I know like PSIV most in the series. Of those PSIV fans, many played it before PSII and they can't stand PSIi. Technology doesn't make the difference here because I've played PC rpgs light-years ahead of all PS games before playing PSII, PSIII and PSIV and still I'd rank them all in my top 20 games ever

I can't comment on FF4 seeing as it wasn't released outside of Japan until after 2000. Whereas we got PSIV way back in like 1994, or so? In the US, prior to the PlayStation compilation releases, all we had was FF1 on NES, FF2 & FF3 on SNES (which were really FF5 & FF6), and then starting with FF7 on PS we began to get all of the FF games in their correct order. So who outside of Japan save for a tiny handful of extremely elite hardcore importers could even hazard a comparisson up until the last decade?

It all seems such a mute point here almost 15 years after the game was released to now be discussing this. To be fare in this comparrision persons who've played PSIV and posess a copy of FF4 should be asked to compare the two after having spent a few hours playing both to weigh their thoughts on how the two games compare and also how they differ from previous games in each others series. Would make for some interesting reading I' sure.

uh....just to place things for those who didnt know yet, FFII on the US SNES was actually FFIV on the Japanese Super Famicom. Se we had the game since 1991 (or 92, I don't remember quite right). I've played the game on the SNES originally, then on the PS1, then on the DS (the remake. I skipped the GBA US version, because it was buggy from what I've heard, and the PAL release, which was better, costed too much when I became interrested by it), and I've played the After Years on WiiWare, and I'm wondering if I'll be buying the complete edition of FFIV (both the original and the after years) on PSP when it's released. I know FFIV more than enough, you can trust me. And even then, I can't find anything similar between FFIV and PSIV...at all. Sorry. I was not talking like I didnt knew about FFIV, in fact it's because I know way too well both game that I can clearly say that there's no similarity beyond the 2D 16bits turn-based RPG I mentionned earlier