Is 50 dollars too much for a 1997 game remaster? I was very excited for Final Fantasy Tactics The Ivalice Chronicles until I saw the price
Should we even call Final Fantasy Tactics The Ivalice Chronicles a remaster? More like an expensive re-release.
When I first heard that Final Fantasy Tactics was getting a remaster, it felt like a dream come true. I’ve probably played it a hundred times, finishing it with every party combo you can think of. It’s such a huge part of tactical RPG history, it’s wild that it took this long to get a proper upgrade for modern PCs and consoles. But funny enough, it wasn’t until today (while checking out the collector’s edition) that I finally saw how much the standard version actually costs.
FF Tactics fans deserve better than this “remaster”
I’m not saying Square Enix is totally out of line with the $249.99 price tag for the collector’s edition, that’s pretty normal these days. But the fact that the standard edition of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is $49.99 – that just doesn’t sit right. They’re basically charging modern game prices for a 30-year-old tilte with some upgraded visuals, better soundtrack, voice acting, and maybe an autosave feature.
Strangely, the standard version on Steam is actually $39.99, while it’s going for $49.99 on PlayStation4 and 5 and Nintendo Switch. Not sure if that’s a pricing error or if the PC version is just actually cheaper.
When it comes to visuals, there's not really that much of a difference.Source: Square Enix
I’m not even sure calling it a remaster is right. From what I’ve seen, it’s mostly just an upgraded edition with some tweaks to features and battle mechanics. That’s about it. They didn’t even add a new translation since that was already done in the 2007 War of the Lions PSP version. So really, The Ivalice Chronicles feels like the enhanced re-release of FF Tactics, just with a typical price for new games tag slapped on.
And yes, last year we got the Dragon Quest III redo, but that was a legit remake, not just a simple refresh. I was hesitant to pay $49.99 at first, but I ended up buying it because it really looked and felt like a new game, with new added content.
So when it comes to FF Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, since it’s not really a proper remaster, that kind of price just doesn’t feel justified. I think it’s better to stick with War of the Lions, it’s on iOS and Android for $13.99, and it goes on sale all the time for like $6.99. Let’s just hope that whatever’s going on with the Final Fantasy IX remake, they don’t mess things up with the pricing.
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