Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions hits iPad for $18

This is a rare reversal. Usually iOS games end up on other platforms with inflated prices.

The anal in me is not pleased with gaffgarion's class name change to fell knight instead of dark knight wotl.

The 12 year old in me chuckles 'cause I said anal.

While I agree $18 is highway robbery for the game, it isn't the same game on PSN.

PSN has the PSOne Classic edition of the game, which is the original PS1 release.

iPad/iPhone had the War of the Lions edition of the game, which is the PSP re-make of the original with the following differences:

Shared between iPad/iPhone:
*Re-written dialog to clarify the story a bit better and fix translation issues from the original.
*Added FMV movies (which one is in the header to this article).
*Sharper graphics compared to the original edition (Retina display supported).
*Touch controls
*The ability to spin and zoom the camera in precision increments, instead of the 4-point isometric view the PS1 version uses

iPhone Exclusive:
*$2 cheaper then the iPad version
*Fixed the Slowdown issue from the PSP version (The PSP version had a nasty framerate issue when using special attacks and during cut scenes where it would drop to ~20fps). This however was addressed by just putting a frameskip in place which now causes the special attacks and cut scenes to move FASTER then the original.
*More portable then carrying an iPad everywhere.

iPad exclusive:
*Fixed the Slowdown issue from the PSP version (The PSP version had a nasty framerate issue when using special attacks and during cut scenes where it would drop to ~20fps). I've heard (not seen yet) that the framerate is now normalized in the iPad version
*The graphics have been given an HD overhaul
*$2 more then the iPhone version

In my opinion, if you want War of the Lions and don't want to suffer through the horrid slowdown from the PSP, this is a pricey yet worthwhile purchase. I cannot however recommend it to anyone who bought the iPhone version first since there's not enough different here to really justify $18 on top of the $16 already spent.

Good news Joystiq, it's a suppository.
(I really want to hear their reasoning behind such a price difference between such versions).

I really wish I could play this on my PS3. I've been a fan of FFT for years and years, but I don't have an iPhone, iPad or PSP.

Good for them.

I don't fault them for expecting full blown idiots to support such pricing structures.

It'd be stupid of them NOT to get the most they can get.

I don't like such pricing, and therefore won't buy it, but I don't fault them. Just the idiots that will buy it.

At least if they enjoy it they'll be happy idiots.

Square, if this was $10, I'd buy it for the third time. I'd love to be able to play this on the way to work on my iPad. $18, however, is enough for me to say no.

sure it was 16 bucks, but i've enjoyed FFT:WoL on my phone since it launched. am i checking work emails at the jobsite? or making my chemist's stab each other to get enough JP for auto-potion? ....yes its worth every penny

@Beergut Quite the opposite. She's pushing Delita away.

Think I'll stick to my UMD War of the Lions.

Yes! I've been waiting for this!
I wasn't sure I could hold off much longer from spending the just-shy-of-$10 in iTunes gift card money I've had sitting in my account for a month.

I got the UMD of this game and could not finish it because of the mind numbing lag that would happen with almost any attack. Did they fix the issue with the psn download?

Square*Enix doesn't GET the idea of re-releases, do they? The idea is to release the thing for reasonable prices. Especially on a platform where the median price is $.99. Especially when the PSP version can be had for $10 new on Amazon! Especially when you've already released the bloody iPhone version but won't even bother giving previous owners a discount!

They've done this over and over and over on this platform. They never seem to stop and ask themselves "Why exactly is our game worth five times as much as the (excellent) Battle for Wesnoth?" They just arrogantly assume that people will shell out any price tag they slap on the thing. It's a slap in the face, and it's long past time they learned some sort of lesson on arrogance.

God, thank you for this translation. The old one's gaffes murdered the serious tone of the story for someone like me.

Plus, I'm a theater geek, so the pseudo-Elizabethan dialogue (which complements the already Shakespearean theatrics going on anyway) makes me gleefully giggle.

Is the slowdown in this version as atrocious as, uh, all the other ones?

It's a shame that this iPad version was released weeks before the new iPad with a Retina Display is announced instead of last August...then October...like it was supposed to. It will take them another year to upgrade it for the Retina Display.

@Beergut

I'm so glad I don't have that problem...., you know the whole "I see a penis in everything" disorder.

Japanese devs are too slow and hidebound at this point to compete. They need to charge you super-premium prices for old re-releases. How about that Jet Grind Radio port, ehhhhh?

Unless they're Platinum or maybe Capcom or have their little niche like Atlus, this is ALL THEY HAVE LEFT.

Be gentle.

@Beergut - No, it actually does look a lot like she's considering grabbing his mailed penis.

I dunno, I still think it's nice to have the iOS version because of it being a superior port of the PSP version (with the added cutscenes and what not), but I'm just so frustrated that Square Enix keeps pumping out these games and not making them universal, whilst still charging ridiculous amounts. And I still buy them..... I'd probably go for the iPad versions, but I only have an iPhone. That being said, it still annoys me that for the price, they aren't even universal. Even if they charged another $5 for a universal version, I'd be more than willing to buy it.

I'll just continue playing it on PSP thank you very much

Is it just me, or is the screenshot of some guy reaching for a golden robot penis?

I played through the WotL version when I had a PSP many moons ago, but like with Final Fantasy VII, part of the charm of the original to me was the horrible translation. That, and why did they feel the need to change most of the character names? Argath instead of Algus? Seriously, was there a good reason for that? Or were they just trying to constantly slap you in the face with a reminder that you're playing an updated version?

I actually just spent around $20 to buy a like new black label version of the PSX game from Amazon. I'd rather play the original anyway.

Square has gone way downhill since merging with Enix, IMHO.

I was about to say "cool another reason for me to get an iOS device". But at those prices...

:\

am i the only one that saw her touching a penis at first?