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Final Fantasy Origins Final Fantasy I & II Remastered Editions Review (continued)
More User Submitted Final Fantasy Origins Final Fantasy I & II Remastered Editions Reviews
Date: 2003-08-23
Very good yet frustrating
I love all final fantasy games, with the exception now of final fantasy 2. Both of these games are surely classics, they brought the biggest RPg saga into the world. Final fantasy 1 I always wanted to play, and my friend had it but he had no NES! I finally got it and played it and it was a great game, even though it was missing a storyline. I loved the final boss. Then I started playing final fantasy 2. That is the hardest frickin' game I have ever played! It utilizes a new battle system, where attacking yourself will make you gain HP, and there is no exp. Even so, I am stuck in this one dungeon called the dreadnought. I lose every time I go in there! And sometimes, you get to the end of a dungeon, all your guys are almost dead, and they say, "Wait, we need to go back and get the item" or something! And then you go back and you lose! It really makes me mad! And sometimes the last boss you fought is a random enemy in the next dungeon! You would like this game if you like hard games, because this one was only previously released in japan. It is worth it for that. And if you can beat this game, I salute you. But at least get it for FF1. You should not pass up this great offer, even if you can't beat one of the games (Although I bet I just suck at it). If you like these games, get FF7 and FF8. Those ones are great, too.FF1= 5 stars FF2= 3 stars
Date: 2003-08-18
just like a step back in the past
I know a lot of people harken fondly back to the days of 8 bit graphics, and pointless leveling up to visit places that all look exactly the same. I was drawn in by the promise of new CGI sequences. I was disappointed because the CGI was about the level of VIII and it was released in the US a lot closer to X. I guess if I get nostalgic, I'll keep playing, but I'd rather play something visually interesting.
Date: 2003-08-15
Let's Just Be Honest, Shall We?
I'll tell the truth--I'm not sure why you're reading this right now. There are only a few kinds of people who are likely to even think about buying this game. The first are people who want everything from the Final Fantasy series, and no matter how bad I tell you this is, it won't stop you. The second are people who remember the games from the 8-bit consoles (well, one of them anyway) and want to relive that, and they'll be buying this regardless of what I say. The last are people who, for some strange reason, like getting angry at people who disagree with them, and they won't buy this game, also regardless of what I say. Then again, I've always had an enthusiasm for pointless pursuits... By any standard you can think of, these games are not going to compare favorably against a whole lot from the Playstation. If you can only buy one game for your Playstation for the rest of your life, this one shouldn't be it. That doesn't mean it's bad--it's just the fact that it's only two 8-bit games. Here's the bad:
1) The graphics are terrible. While the FMV sequences are good, there aren't nearly enough of them to make this worth buying to look at.
2) I've seen pornographic movies with more (and more intelligent) dialogue. These games just aren't the story-driven romps that you'd be used to if you started from FF7.
3) Each game suffers from some gameplay problems, which I'll discuss below. The good:
There isn't any. They're 8-bit games, for crying out loud. You buy them and play them because you want to complete the series, and they're good for that, but there are better games you COULD be playing. Truth be told, I liked these games okay. The only thing that got me were the gameplay deficiencies. Final Fantasy is hideously easy on the basic difficulty, and it's disgustingly hard on the hard difficulty, and there's no middle ground. Final Fantasy 2 is worse--without a doubt, that advancement system must be the absolute worst I have ever seen in the history of video games. There is absolutely no way for you to play the game competitively without "cheating" (exploiting a painfully easy-to-correct deficiency in the experience award system). It took me perhaps twenty five hours to complete that game, and at least half of that consisted of 'Magic Spell->Target->Cancel.' Fewer levels and a more intelligent advancement system would have saved it, but alas, those were not meant to be. Final Fantasy 2 is still a decent game, though. I suppose I'm a little hard on it because I can see where adding dialogue would have made it better. There are some themes involved here that Square has totally left behind in their more recent titles (namely the pointless loss involved in war) which I wish had been explored better. Final Fantasy is still as you remember it--hard on normal, and far too simple on easy, but the same game dynamic, and still a solid title if you don't want a big story getting in the way of your game. Come on, people--these are great 8-bit games, but they're still 8-bit games. That's going to limit their ratings. Four stars is the best they could possibly have done, and the fact that I'm awarding them that should tell you what I think of them. If you remember the days of 8-bit gaming fondly, you won't be disappointed. If you're looking for Final Fantasy 7 with terrible (well, even worse) graphics, you probably will be.
Date: 2003-08-12
An Inexpensive Peek at Priceless History
The idea of reworking a previous release isn't exactly a novel one. Ever since Super Mario All-Stars brought Mario's extended history to the SNES, major game manufacturers have been attempting to capture their previous bolts of lightning in a new bottle. Tecmo released a fancier collection of its trademark Ninja Gaiden series, both on the SNES and the PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16. Capcom's original frontman, Mega Man, eventually saw his first three titles combined into one cartridge for release on the Sega Genesis. Even today, titles are reworked and re-released on new platforms, sometimes with frightening frequency. The legendary original Metal Gear Solid will soon find a new home on the Nintendo GameCube, while Sega's Shenmue II has already landed on Microsoft's Xbox with a whole bag full of new tricks. Obviously, some have been met with tremendous success, while others have failed pitifully. What it all seems to come down to is the publishers themselves, and their understanding of what endeared the players to their characters in the first place. It's in this aspect that Square-Enix really shines through with FF:Origins. They know what their fans enjoy, and aren't afraid to deliver it. They also know what their fans have disliked about their earlier efforts, and have made appropriate amends in each subsequent release. And, true to their names, these two titles are imbued with a great sense of nostalgia. They reek of "origin" tales, of the sense that something larger is only beginning to stir in the background. The gameplay remains fresh, even today, and merges flawlessly with the looks, feels and occasional functions of the 16-bit era, regarded by many to be the greatest age in the history of the digital RPG. While it's easy to note the lack of polygons, the somewhat primitive attacks and magic effects, and the limited capabilities of such a system, it all functions so well that you'll forget such minor nuances within moments of beginning these familiar quests. The two games in the collection play as differently as night and day. In FF1, you'll find yourself in a familiar position, whether you've played the original or not; you immediately select four characters from a short list of classes, customizing each with only a unique name to distinguish them from the others. Your characters may be any combination of Fighters, Thieves, Black Belts, White, Red or Black Mages, with each possessing various attributes unique to their class. From the selection screen, you're tossed almost immediately into the thick of things, arriving at the game's first castle, briefly retrieving your first quest, stocking up and heading out. Though significant efforts have gone into enhancing and bettering the story, everything still falls into place quite linearly and honestly needs very little explanation. Your characters are very black and white, each featuring strengths and weaknesses that are set firmly in stone. If you've recruited a party of four white mages, physical assaults will never be your strong suit. Likewise, if you've gone completely for brute strength, you'll want to stock up on healing potions. On the other hand, Final Fantasy II introduced players to a pre-set roster of characters, sacrificing the distinct "job" system of the previous title for a much more realistic and well rounded usage-based functionality. You're still given the opportunity to name your initial four characters, but the roles themselves are far less pronounced and truly depend upon your tendencies for each. If you habitually begin using the female lead in a healing role, she'll gradually become more and more proficient in magic, yet less and less so with physical attacks. The more damage a character takes in battle, the faster his hit points rise. Experience points are completely thrown out of the world of FF2, resulting in a system that was likely fifteen years before its time. If a next-gen game were released today utilizing this very same system, it would be hailed as a remarkable new direction for role playing games. At the time of Final Fantasy II's release, though, it was way too much to deal with. Continuing that trend, FF2 also forged new ground by featuring the first "rotating character" slot in the series' history. Much like in Final Fantasy IV, the first released for the Super NES, characters will join and leave your party when the storyline makes it appropriate. Three of your playable characters always remain constant, as any further departures would cause a serious clash with the character development system, but one slot is always reserved for a temporary ally. It adds a bit of suspense to the storyline, as the idea of a comrade falling in battle for good becomes much more possible and realistic. In the end, both titles are enthralling and addicting, with FF2 running about three times as long as its predecessor. They're animals of a different color, sharing in many aspects but standing extremely far apart in others. And, though these are two completely different games, they remain strangely tied to one another, alike despite their variations. Elements of both were used in the molding of Square-Enix's legacy, and each remains an obvious inspiration even today. These are faithful recreations, improving upon many of the old cartridges' infamous flaws, yet strangely ignoring others. The elements of excitement, anticipation and exploration, the foundations of the entire series, have been retained without hesitation while the graphics and sound benefit greatly from the fine tuning. Even the originals' lack of real sidequests and secrets have been accounted for, as both games are accompanied by hundreds of unlockable goodies. As I observed with my review of the very first game in the series, these titles carry with them an innocence that's rarely matched. There's a reason Chess and Checkers have been played for centuries without modification, and that same reasoning applies here. This is a steal at the introductory price, an inexpensive peek at the history of the industry through a pair of rose-colored glasses.
Date: 2003-08-06
1987 finally brought back to life (Life3)
I remember 1987. I was 9. Final Fantasy came out on the old school NES. I would play this game for hours and hours....and then, the NES would go retarted on me and I would loose everything. Hours and hours of experience levels lost, magic gone, everything gone.......and I loved this game so much I would just smack the NES around a little bit, get it working again and start over from the beggining! I just got FF origins in the Mail yesterday. I went straight home and popped it in my PS2.......both of the Cg's in the beggining were awesome. These were newly installed in the game for Origins....I won't ruin it for you, but if you are as big of a fan as I am of FF you will want to watch it more than once. The graphics are still 2D old school style during gameplay, but revamped a little bit as well as the music. I have only played the game for ten minutes during my lunch brake so sorry for the wack review. I'll write a better game once I have defeated Chaos again. Ciao Ciao. Z
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