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Final Fantasy V Advance Review (continued)
More User Submitted Final Fantasy V Advance Reviews
Date: 2006-11-12
Another blast from the past that doesn't disapoint
Square Enix is going back in time with their latest Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS titles. First we had Final Fantasy 1 and 2 on the GBA which were brilliant recreations of the original Nintendo Entertainment System titles that started the Final Fantasy series way back when. Then last year we had the first SNES Final Fantasy game in Final Fantasy IV Advance on the GBA which recaptured the fun that really made the series a house hold staple keeping the game the same as we remember with extras added in to make it even more fun then we remembered. Final Fantasy III which was a Japanese only exclusive NES game is now on the Nintendo DS introducing a new yet old game to fans old and young.
Now with thier next title in Final Fantasy V, will Square Enix again capture the magic that made their old games so much fun? The answer is absolutely yes!
This game is a great example of why the job class system, that Final Fantasy has become well known for, is so much fun to interact with. You start out with a team of four who have to save four special elemental crystals from being destroyed. Every time a crystal does happen to be destroyed the crystals will lend the would be heroes it's powers letting them change thier classes into more powerful fighters, magic users and specialist in the hopes of saving various worlds from a great evil in the name of Exdeath.
The story can be a bit on the weakside. Besides the point of fighting evil just because they are good guys and that's what good guys do there is not much more to the story then your typical Final Fantasy situation. The real draw of the game is the idea of building your dream team of characters in the classes you want to build them into. Some of the classes most will be familiar with if you have played a Final Fantasy Tactics game. There are some new and unique ones but over all they all have their pro's and con's and let you switch between them easy enough while being able to use previously learned abilities from one job into another job.
There are your typical classes in the Knight, Black Mage, White Mage, Monk and Thief. While there are more obscure job titles like Berzerker, Dancer, Beastmaster and Bard that add a lot of originality and newness to the game as it lets you be classes that you may have never thought of being in a Final Fantasy world.
A lot of the game will focus around you leveling up due to the fact that the only way to learn new skills for your current classes are to gain job points by winning battles. Also it can get quite expensive buying equipment for all the different classes as a lot use very specific weapons like whips bows and axes while most use swords and daggers. So this game is not one that you will be able to rush through quickly if you want to get the full experience out of it.
Overall this is a great addition to any fan of a good RPG series both young and old. The story is the only weakness as it could have been a bit better but the fun of the game and your own ability to choose what type of fighters you want to use at any given time make you forget quickly of the story going on and keeps you focused on the action and having fun with the many classes to find.
With three worlds, over 20 class choices, bonus classes and dungeons not found in the original games and so much more to do in this game you definitely can't go wrong picking this up. A very worthy, yet not as well known game in the long running Final Fantasy series.
Especially with Final Fantasy VI Advance on the way, this is a great way to pass the time until it becomes available. This isn't the greatest Final Fantasy game, but it seems to fit in perfect to the portable setting it has been put into. Get it today so you too can max out all the job abilities for all the characters.
Date: 2006-11-08
it's good
You already knew it was a good game becuase it's Final Fantasy, probably the biggest and most popular series in the history of video games.
This one is probably a little worse than the best Final Fantasy games (such as III and VII) but, despite that, what you have here is a Game Boy Advance RPG that has graphics that actually aren't that bad, and the storyline is pretty good too. You just can't go wrong with Final Fantasy games.
Date: 2006-11-07
Not the Best in the Series but Still Good
The first time Final Fantasy V was releasd in America was with the Final Fantasy Anthology package. Now the game is where it belongs. On a handheld system. The GBA is pretty much at the end of its life, but it still manages to get a satisfactory game every now and then. Final Fantasy V is by no means the best in the series, but it is, for the most part, an RPG that deserves appreciation and acclaim.
Final Fantasy V begins with a character named Bartz witnessing a meteorite come hurdling to the ground. When he goes to investigate he meets up with Lenna. Lenna is searching for her father who has gone off to the wind shrine to check on the wind crystal. Lately, the wind has been weak, and it can only be because something is wrong with the wind crystal. In addition to meeting Lenna, Bartz also meets Galuf, a man who has lost his memory in light of the meteorite crashing. All he can remember is his name, and that he too must also go to the wind shrine. Eventually Bartz decides to travel with them, and so your adventure begins.
In truth, Final Fantasy V doesn't have a good storyline... at least when compared to Final Fantasy IV and all the Final Fantasy games that appeared after the fifth installment. It's pretty basic and generic. This is obvious by how fast you'll meet your main party, and how much more emphasis is put on gameplay. These characters are not well developed nor is the story full of unbelievable plot twists. Except Final Fantasy V was not meant to be about storyline. It's all about the gameplay, and that's where Final Fantasy V excels the most.
As with Final Fantasy IV before it, Final Fantasy V uses the ATB battle system. All your characters stand on one side of the screen while all the enemies stand on the other. When a character's ATB gauge fills up, you'll be able to issue commands. The game then plays out in turn based fashion. Final Fantasy V is simple, yet it's a lot of fun, and it also provides a challenge. The gameplay is enhanced even more by the games complex job system.
The job system is extremely complex, even by todays standards. As you progress through the game you'll obtain job classes for your characters. There are plenty of jobs. Monks, thieves, white mages, black mages, and plenty more. Each of them learn several different abilities all of which can and will be useful to you on your journey. When you select a job with a certain character, you'll have to battle to earn ability points so that they can learn all the abilities they can. Some abilities are more useful than others, and the possibilities are endless. Also, once a character learns an ability, you can change jobs and have them equip it. So a black mage could, in fact, use white magic, provided he's learned the ability to do it.
You'll spend a lot of time on the field battling to get ability points. The more abilities you learn, the more ability points you'll need for the next. This is fine and all, but most enemies don't give up loads of ability points. So the game puts a huge emphasis on battling. This is also seen by the low amounts of experience enemies also give off. Leveling up is a slow process. The good news is battling is fun, especially with the job system in place. Unless everyone's jobs are the same, there's a nearly endless possibility of commands you can give in the middle of battle.
Final Fantasy V Advance sports the same extras as all the previous Final Fantasy re-releases on the GBA do. An extra dungeons and some extra bosses, and that's about it. Nothing too big, but worth the price nonetheless. It'll probably take you 20-30 hours to complete Final Fantasy V. It's not filled to the brim with secrets like future Final Fantasy titles, but mastering all the jobs will really keep you busy for several hours alone. It's also cool because along with the extra dungeons and bosses, you'll get four new job classes. This only adds more to the already complex gameplay.
Graphically, Final Fantasy V is a little dated, even by GBA standards. It looks far better than it did in Final Fantasy Anthology. It's much smoother and does have a little bit of an update, but it doesn't go the extra mile it could've. Enemies still only flash to attack your characters, and they're hardly animated. At least the game has a great soundtrack. Final Fantasy V goes on to show why the Super Nintendo era for Final Fantasy music was one of the best in the series. The game just sounds really good.
Final Fantasy V is a golden treat for Final Fantasy fans. It may have a weak storyline, but what it lacks in story it more than makes up for in gameplay. It's not the best in the series, but it's still a really fun game.
The Good
+It's a lot of fun to play
+The job system makes for a lot of variety in your party
+Great music
+The minor graphic updates are welcome
+Bonus dungeons and bosses
+There's a huge emphasis on gameplay
The Bad
-Not enough of a graphical update
-Weak story and characters
Final Fantasy V Advance Reviews Page: 5 of 5 Prev<< 1 2 3 4 5
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