Video: Here's What Final Fantasy IX Looks Like On The New Nintendo 3DS

Dammit, if this game actually came out on 3DS then the system would be home to my to three favourite games of all time; Final Fantasy IX, Majora's Mask and Sonic 2.

I guess for now I'll have to make do with two out of three and continue to enjoy FFIX on my tablet!

I would find this amazing if it weren't for the fact that FFIX has been playable on PSP for over 6 years.

FF V, VI, VIII and IX really need to be remade.
Any system would do, even PS4 as VII Remake looks pretty cool. They just need to be put on more modern systems.

@Peace-Boy
I heard that.

Just having every Final Fantasy 1-10, plus X-2, Tactics War of the Lions and both Dissidea games on Vita is enough for me.

If only that FF7 PC port was on Vita too instead of the original.

FF9 is coming out on steam within the next few weeks, with a (somewhat) HD remaster!
Closest we'll get to a remake on this game for decades though unfortunately, was definitely a bright spot in the series for me

That's impressive.

You'd think New! Nintendo 3DS could also run Nintendo 64 emulator... I know it's a bit too late already, but maybe Nintendo 64 VC could be technically possible.

Now this I would buy if it would ever to be release for the 3DS. Final Fantasy IX was my all time favorite Final Fantasy right above Final Fantasy Tactics, A-2, III, V, Mystic Quest, VII, A-1, VIII, X, and IV but not VI because Final Fantasy VI is still the best of all of them.

I'd be excited about this if, 1, I haven't had this in my PSP for years and, 2, they didn't just put out a fantastic version on mobile that I consider to be definitive. It's coming to steam soon too.

@JaxonH Yeah, I got FF3 on my Vita not too long ago, except I can't play it until I can get a bigger memory card.
I also plan on getting 4 on my Vita since it's the complete collection but that's about it. FF5 and 6 have better versions on GBA but I don't have one so I'm waiting on Wii U VC release or remakes. 8 and 9 looked really dated when I looked at gameplay so I think I'll wait for remakes of them. 10 has a better version on the PS4 so I'll get that instead.
I haven't even got into FF properly to be honest, the franchise looks interesting and I played bits here and there but that's about it. :/

@Peace-Boy
If I may.... start with Final Fantasy X. It's modern enough that you won't have a problem getting sucked into the game, and after you beat it then you probably won't mind playing some of those older PSone entries.

Had I started out with FF7 I probably would have given up on the franchise long ago. But now having experienced FFX remake, I'm really enjoying FF7.

It's great on PS4, for sure. I preferred to play on Vita because, Idk, RPG's just feel right on handhelds.

Go play Final Fantasy Explorers! That game is so underrated its freaking criminal...It isn't just a FF coated Monster Hunter clone, its actually different in many ways.

Oh and people who say its ugly haven't played past the first area/quest. The further you get the more gorgeous it becomes.

@JaxonH I prefer turn based battle systems and I think 10 uses a real time battle system? I like the look of the classics anyway.
I'll most likely get a bigger memory card before getting a PS4, so I'll be starting with 3 and 4 before 10 anyway.
I agree with you about RPGs feeling right on handhelds, though if there's a better version on a home console, I'll play that instead.

@Peace-Boy

Final Fantasy X is turn based, not real time. The closest thing to real time I can recall is Final Fantasy 7 that had an active time battle system, but even that is still turn based. It just has cooldown timer bars that determine when you can attack again.

For a second I though they were poting the steam version for the 3DS.

Honestly, I think this one has aged so badly. It moves at the speed of molasses and the loading times are pretty much unaccetable, so hopefully the steam ports speed-up function will make this playable again. But even with that I doubt they do anything to the terrible stealing mechanics or the terribad chocobo minigame which you're basically forced to deal with every playthrough.

@JaxonH Oops, my bad. I just looked at some gameplay and it looks really cool. Tidus is funny.
I must have been thinking of one of the other games or something.
FF7 is definitely turn based, that battle system sounds like Chrono Trigger which is one of my favourite RPGs.

@JaxonH @Peace-Boy You do realize that porting games on all platforms is a bit costly right?

Also, remember how lazily they ported Final Fantasy games on Steam with the exception of 7? I can't believe they were that dumb to make a lazy port of Final Fantasy 6 on steam let alone have hopes of them porting it to PS4, Vita or 3DS!

What they needed to show was a battle. I bet that would've chucked along even slower. Even so that's just a tease for me as I never beat the game and I so would if it actually did release on the system! Wake up Square to some profit!!

@Socar why not all three

Dope! Would most defiantly get this if it comes out for the 3DS. I would hope for a physical version but I wouldn't complain if it was just digital. Nintendo, we need more Final Fantasy on the newest systems. Explorers is great, been putting a lot of time in it, I highly recommend it to anyone here if you haven't picked up a copy!

@Socar I didn't say port, I said remake, e.g. Like the FF7 Remake on PS4. I didn't say all platforms either, I just said it didn't matter which one so I don't mind if a remake of any of them was made for just 3DS, Wii U, NX, PS4, Vita or Xbox One, but the most likely is PS4 with NX 2nd.
And I don't even know about how lazy the Steam ports are, I wasn't following FF news. I was talking about remakes anyway, not ports.
I don't know how you can be lazy with ports anyway, a port is the exact same game copied to another system. Now, a lazy remaster can be called Twilight Princess HD, but of course Nintendo has the excuse of making Zelda U so they can't do both while keeping to release schedule.

At least we know that SNES on the new 3ds is likely to run(Nintendo work on it).

@andrew20 he just said it would be very pricey

@AyeHaley Right on: Final Fantasy Explorers is awesome! Unfortunately, it seems to have been destined for the lukewarm reception it garnered among critics. However, I feel like many professional outlets and critics who claim certain things about the game obviously haven't played more than probably the first three tutorial quests. And it's about as similar to Monster Hunter as Yo-Kai Watch is to Pokemon. I'm currently EL84 and the 7-star Main Quests are really giving me a butt-whipping right now, lol!

@Peace-Boy that's not true at all. You have to configure controls and make sure the game runs with the system and a lot more. It's not something you can copy and paste for each game. Ports can be complicated if things worked for a specific purpose.

@Peace-Boy I'd recommend starting with FF4 on the PSP. FF4 is a bit old, but it's original design made it well paced, even without the updates added by the PSP version. It's not the best entry, though it's up there, but is a great compromise between many of the series strong points.

WHY DO YOU TORTURE ME?? Having this game on the 3DS is one of my (impossible) dreams.

@Zoda_Fett Well, okay. Of course there's those things that are needed, but I wondered what he meant by lazy Steam ports. There's those required things to make it work with the other system, but what can you be lazy with?

No need, the PSP does it all fine.

PSP.
If you want to play FFIX on the go, that's the answer to your problems. Just get a PSP, or a PSP Go if you're so inclined, and get the game on the system. You can find it on the PS Store for, like, ten bucks.

I always have my PSP Go and my 3DS with me, so I can play on one system the games that aren't on the other. Simple as that.

@Salnax Did you even read my comments? I bought FF3 and I plan on buying FF4 anyway. I still need a bigger memory card though, so I don't know when I'll be playing either. :/

As cool as this is, and add in the typical "if only" messages, I can now play FF9 on this very cellphone I am posting this message from.

And while a dedicated handheld will always be in the opposite pocket, having the game on either device is enough for me.

@JaxonH Was just wondering how the FF7 PC port was better than the original. I haven't played the PC version.

...And here I am waiting for a main Final Fantasy* game to be announced for a Nintendo console.

*Noticed how I said "main", and not "spin-off".

COME ON, SQUEENIX! Are you still holding grudges against Nintendo?! Seriously? After all these years?!

I really hope Final Fantasy VII Remake comes to the NX.

Not too bothered as FF9 is easily available elsewhere, I really don't see the need for it to be on 3DS.

It's another game I've owned for a long time but don't get the chance to play as I know it's a very long game.

@wazlon Mainly high res character models. Also can click L3, R3 or L3 + R3 to activate no encounters, max HP/MP or max limit breaks

@John_Enigma I hope the FFVII remake comes to NX too. Final Fantasy 15 would be great on NX too.

If only we knew what NX is.

@JaxonH Thanks, activate no enounters has almost sold it to me.

As impressive as this may be, isn't talking about emulators a big no-no here? Or is it okay if it's for an article, and if so, isn't that a double-standard?

Hands down my favorite Final Fantasy...I mean, it had such character!!

I'd love to have a properly running port of this on a Nintendo handheld. Alas, a man can dream.

You and your misleading headlines.

@Mogster The 3DS is already home for my favorite games of all time, Xenoblade Chronicles, Majora's Mask, Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater and the Pokemon series, but releasing PS1 Final Fantasys on it would be a dream.

Oh well, i'm more interested in "demakes" for Nintendo systems, honestly.

I own a PSP so no need for slow hacks in my household. It's a playstation portable, and that's what I use it as.

You shouldn't judge what native running games can do by how it emulates psx stuff but that's your choice. I just think it's next to meaningless to do so. New 3DS is clearly better hardware than PSP but doesn't emulate PSX as well and it doesn't mean that native games suffer for it. Xenoblade 3DS shouldn't exist if you use this video as something to go by, basically.

I don't think it's an impressive feat. I mean its cool that whatever code their using runs at all on the 3ds, but c'mon, the 3DS already has many upgraded N64 titles, and 2 modified Wii games running on it. So surely if the code was optimized or an emulator was built for it then it would run smooth as butter.

...What ever did happen that that FFVI 3DS remake Square hinted at in 2012? It's not like it wouldn't sell; I've seen quite a few people who want it.

Playing it on the PSP, not worth the struggle

Considering the PSP can run PS1 games just fine, I'm sure they can just optimize the emulator to run better on the hardware. Then again the New 3DS is just 4 Motorola Cliqs duct-taped together with the same amount of RAM as one Cliq (and the Cliq isn't so great at emulation beyond 16-bit)....
Still compared to the PSP it should be able to emulate PS1 perfectly. Even the original 3DS should perform just as fine as the PSP considering how close they are in performance.

@AyeHaley Ya I also have been loving Final Fantasy Explorers and feel it got a bit of a bad shake. I've got over 40 hours played and working on 5 star quests. Odin was a such a pain in the butt lol.

How is this impressive? The 3DS should be capable of running SNES and GBA games like they are nothing, but from all reports, the hardware struggles to run those platforms which is why Nintendo refuses to put out SNES and GBA games on the 3DS Virtual Console.

The issue for me is that a laggy version of Final Fantasy IX is not impressive when the PSP can run it along with Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII, and other PS1 games with no problem.

The PSP is a much older system then the 3DS and much weaker then either the 3DS and New Nintendo 3DS. How is running a version of Final Fantasy IX impressive when the PSP has been running a full, working version for years?

I'll give props to the hackers who did this, but if you really want to play Final Fantasy IX on the go, there are tons of used PSPs that cost around 50 bucks.

In 2016, this is not an impressive feat. Not when the PSP has been playing PS1 games for years now.

Square/ Square Enix are now mates, so why can't they release all the old FF on 3ds, that would be soooo sweet

Old news. But still worth, better late than never

The hackers says that Retroarch ps1 emulator could be fullspeed if hardware acceleration were added.

Sigh. I've actually had a dream about FFIX getting a 3DS remake. Clearly I have my priorities straight.

@KoopaTheGamer Of course it's possible. We've literally gotten remakes of four N64 games on it (two on the DS as well).

@NowhereMan11 Nintendo 64 games that are remade for 3DS have modified engines. They are not emulated games.

@JaxonH: Exactly. The Vita is where it's at!

I'd absolutely love FF IX on a Nintendo platform. It's the only non-Nintendo platform game that managed to nudge its way into my absolute top-favourite games of all time, it's just THAT brilliant.

@Yorumi @KoopaTheGamer

Sorry, I thought you meant power.

So the New 3DS can't even play FF IX in it's original aspect ratio? Fail.

I think accomplishing projects that haven't been done before is part of the initiation into hacking communities. Seems like you have to earn your place. It's kudos building. Always seems a little too finicky for the pay off to me and ethics are wobbly. Can sometimes fill gaps that Nintendo has left, though. The gold mii thing is the only aspect I've been interested in and that's because Nintendo have given the EU a paltry few and none again for about 18 months. Region lock is another gap that I might just use if certain games don't release for my region. Would be against the terms of the Nintendo Account, though. Not sure whether I should care.

@Mogster WOW!! we share favourites games!! first mine being Sonic 2, Second one Mario 64 and FFIX at last

Seems like people still don't get that the PSP can't emulate PS1. At all. It just runs the games the same way the DS ran GBA games. Software built specifically for the New 3DS rather than ported would surely improve FFIX's performance.

N64 emulation is very unlikely beyond SM64 w/ frame drops, especially considering my 2011 laptop barely runs half the library at a satisfactory level. There's a reason the Wii VC didn't have the full N64 library.

@Yorumi That's part of the reason. But when people hacked and built N64 emulators for the Wii, many games not available in the official store chugged in performance. Much of the library also performs poorly on computers due to the complex hardware of the N64.

@c1pher_c0mplet Exactly! I've played Monster Hunter 3 an 4 and FFEX is a completely different experience. And one I actually prefer over Monster Hunter if I'm being honest... I am actually addicted haha

It looks like a 16 year old game on a very small screen. Meanwhile I can play it on my Vita, PSP, iPad, PS1, PS2, PS3 and soon on my PC. These are legal ways, if I wanted to emulate it, I have been able to do that for over a decade too. Please tell me why this is newsworthy?

Very impressive, considering there's no framework in place for FFIX to function on the 3DS at all. The PSP had the benefit of having a full framework in place for innate PS1 emulation without any 3rd party emulators, and PC/mobile of course has everything.

@CrimSkies97 One can burn copies of their PS1 .iso files straight from the discs, then copy those files over to a modded PSP. The way that works is not quite the same as downloading PS1 files from PSN to specifically use for an unmodded PSP, Vita, PS3, or PS4...

"There's a reason the Wii VC didn't have the full N64 library."

Yeah, because Nintendo sucks at both securing retro license deals and making emulators!

@Yorumi I dunno, it requires some tweaking and just the right programs and settings, but I've gotten Wonder Project A2 working, along with the translation patch. That one is a particularly difficult game to emulate just right; it can only be done on a PC or PCified mobile device. The process was fairly involved, but I thought it was fun to see how the game would look screwed up without just the right setup!

@Spoony_Tech I would flip out if square would ever be kind enough to do a Final Fantasy Compilation on 3ds. I would be up for picking up a FF collection on 3ds. I would also love to see Final Fantasy XII converted to 3D.

When I saw the image and title, I thought for a moment that Final Fantasy IX was indeed coming to the New Nintendo 3DS. On the one hand, I'm disappointed it's a hack, and on the other hand, I'm relieved.

If it were a legit release of Final Fantasy IX for the New 3DS, I'd of have to go and get myself a New 3DS. As my 2nd favourite video game of all time, there is no way I'd be able to resist.

@PlywoodStick They wouldn't run properly anyway.

@LunaticPandora It is not surprising that plays on PSP or PS vita, because it was originally for a Playstation console, and its not very difficult port between them. But nintendo hardware and software are completely different, so its cool to see how they managed to make it work.

I would kiss their butts if they make FFVI remake for 3DS!