Which version would one suggest playing before playing The After Years and Why?
I know there's NA origional ff2, a playstation version of some sort, and FF4 DS.

The DS version will be the most accessible, but it's actually a pretty difficult game. If you can..."sample" the SNES original, try that first. >_>

if you've got a DS, i'd go for the remake if you can stomach the 3D sprites (check out some google images or a gameplay video; as I understand it, the updated look isn't for everybody, lol).

the playstation version was included in Final Fantasy Chronicles, which I had no problems with as it was a faithful port of the original game, but everyone else I've discussed the PSX FF re-releases with has complained about the load times (which were common back then), so keep that in mind if that's what you decide to go for.

If you can get your hands on an original SNES cart (it would be 'Final Fantasy II' IIRC), more power to you, but for sheer accessibility (i love that I can take my DS anywhere as opposed to my butt being glued to my chair in front of a TV screen), the DS version is gonna be your best bet.

Get it for GBA. It's easier to find and more affordable than the SNES one while not straying from the original style too much.

@Theblackdragon - How different is the DS version compared to the PSX one? Is the DS one supposed to be just as hard as the origional? Is the story changed at all?

@Adam - GBA one strays? How so? What name does it go under? I take that it's a little different from the psx one? (Other than Psx probably having FMV.) Is it just as harf as the overseas one. (I don't have a problem with that, by the way.)

ah, i completely forgot about the GBA version! that is also a valid choice (provided you don't have a DSi :3), and it may be cheaper. You can also find FFV in that form, which hasn't been re-released for DS yet.

The PSX version had an opening FMV before the title screen, and I don't recall them changing anything else about it (unlike Chrono Trigger, where they added a couple of then-new FMV sequences in for important events) unless they added in an ending FMV, because I never finished IV in that incarnation. so far as I know, the FF re-releases for PSX were all very faithful to the original games (aside from a re-translated game script for better accuracy), just with the load times because it was in CD form instead of cartridges as before.

The DS one is also not different main-story-wise, though the graphics are updated and the cut scenes that would have been all 2D sprites and dialogue are all acted out by the new 3D sprites, complete with voice acting (which wasn't that bad, as i recall). I do believe the GBA version added a couple new dungeons (Mt. Ordeals and the Lunar Ruins?), and the DS remake added the augment system and a New Game+ option, but none of that is necessary for full enjoyment of the game (though the augment system makes things much nicer :3). I'm pretty sure they also re-translated everything yet again to be absolutely sure the plot flows as well as it possibly can and it's all as accurate as possible.

What this guy said, the extra content is also great.

It seems like these fine folks here have pretty much covered all the fine points of each version of Final Fantasy IV. I too agree that the GBA version is the best one to get followed closely by the DS version. The GBA version is as close to the original as you can get and in my opinion is the best of the bunch! I like the extras in the GBA version better than the ones offered in the DS version. However, if you do end up getting the DS version you are still getting one of the best games out there. Personally, I just like how the graphics of the GBA version are nearly identical to those in The After Years; thus making for a very smooth transition between the two games. I wish you the best of luck in finding a copy of the game at a reasonable price! Hopefully, you will enjoy it!