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Squaresoft has done it again (or is it Square Enix now?)

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 9
Date: June 13, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Final Fantasy Origins contains the first two Final Fantasy games on one disk. Although graphics have been updated significantly, they still retain their old look, so unless you don't mind bad graphics, you might want to leave this page now. If the bad graphics don't bother you, then this compilation is a great addition to your collection, since, if you have bought every Final Fantasy game released for PS2 and PS1, you will have all but three, which tells us what will be next in all likelyhood. Anyway, in addition to improved graphics, there are also new features, such as an ingame monster guide, updated with every battle, an item guide, updated with every found item, and an art gallery, updated when you get a certain amount of monsters and/or items. I have completed Final Fantasy I and am working on Final Fantasy II off and on, and find them both fun. Although Final Fantasy I doesn't have much of a system, just EXP and purchaseable spells, it is somehow addictive, and Final Fantasy II is interesting due to its plot and system similar to that in Chrono Cross. While the games aren't the best in the series, not even close in fact, Square has dusted them off and improved them so that they are the best they can be, while still fitting on one disc, of course. Also the release price was wonderfully reasonable. I think if you want to buy a greatest hits Final Fantasy title, go for Final Fantasy VIII, VII, or just about any of the others (they're all in the greatest hits collection), but if you have those, and want to see where everything started, get Final Fantasy Origins, it's worth the money.

An additional note: Final Fantasy was to be Squaresoft's last game. It was supposed to be a goodbye present to the company's few fans. Squaresoft was going bankrupt, or something like that at the time, so they decided to put everything into Final Fantasy. On the days following its release, it sold so well that the dying company came back to life, continuing to make Final Fantasy sequals, along with other RPGs, always keeping that which revived them alive, with the title that was supposed to tell which of their games it was, the last (it has been a while since I heard that story, so some facts may be off, but if you are interested, you can always look online for the story)

Origins, Perhaps Only Good Once

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 10 / 11
Date: May 09, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I purchased FF: Origins for Playstation 1 because I have been a big Final Fantasy fan for years. I thought it would only be right for me to see the origins of this greatly known and loved series. However, I found myself to be slightly disappointed. Two games are in the FF: Origins game disk. They include, Final Fantasy I and Final Fantasy II.

Final Fantasy I: Dungeons, random battles, finding items, and running aimlessly in circles trying to find your way around. That's about all I could say about Final Fantasy I. At the beginning you get to select a customized list of characters. You can have any combination you desire. This is a great feature I enjoyed. My party included: Warrior, (originally called a Fighter), Black Mage, White Mage, and a Thief. If I wanted, I could've put a Monk in my party or even a Red Mage. Also, since you can pick four party members you could have 4 warriors or 2 black mages and 2 white mages...basically any combination you desire. The graphics from the original Final Fantasy to this Playstation version is quite improved. It is still in 2D, but the colors, sound, and graphics are much improved.
The reason I did not enjoy this game as much was because I was not compelled by any story or innovative battle system. You learn skills by buying them at a store. I hated getting lost in dungeons and there wasn't enough places where you could `officially' save your games. Memo file was introduced to this version of the game, but if I wanted to actually quit and shut off the Playstation, Memo File would be deleted. It seemed like a tedious game for me, but I wasn't brought up with the old school Final Fantasy, so I'm probably just a little spoiled with innovative battle systems and an in-depth story line.
Overall: A pretty short game, (about 30 hours) and a good remake of the roots of Final Fantasy. This is not my personal favorite by far, but I can't say it sucks.

Final Fantasy II: I seemed to like this one better. There was more of a story line, and this time characters in your party had a story and development. Skills were learned by not only purchasing them at a store, but then reusing them over and over. The only way they could level up or be useful in the game is by a repetitive act of use. This was how the rest of the game was done as well. To level up your HP, you have to get hit a lot and be in the critical at the end of battle. To level up your MP, use a lot of magic. This goes on and on. That's basically what you spend most of the time doing in the game is reusing skills and attacking your own character to raise your HP. Still, I liked this one better than the first.

For Both Games: As the game progresses there are Bonus Material to look at monster information, pictures, artwork, conceptual art, ect. There is a great feature that shows the percentage of monster defeated and items aquired.

Overall: A good game, but not my favorite of Final Fantasy series. If you've played the old version, I'd recommend trying out the improved version. And if you're interested in FF roots, here's the game for you. But for casual gamers, this may be too much of a bore as the battle system is not innovative.

Old school fun for the RPG Gamer

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 14
Date: June 03, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I may be dating myself, but I remember actually PLAYING Final Fantasy on the 8 bit Nintendo(THE OLD Nintendo, to you "New School" gamers who thing the Nintendo 64 is the "OLD" nintendo). People like me who have saw the fall of Video games in the early 80's and are relieved to this day that games like this that saved the industry.

To those of you raised on the PS1 and N64, the graphics are very 16 bit quality(considering FF1 and FF2 were 8 BIT GAMES, they are an improvement.) And another great thing is finally being able to play FF2, a game that was, until now, only released in japan, is pure golden.

I guess younger gamers can't appreciate these masterpieces of gaming history, but if you grew up with games like these, Final Fantasy Origins will be a welcome part of your collection.

Final Fantasy is the reason to own it, not II

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 12 / 18
Date: October 22, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Final Fantasy Origins is a re-release of Final Fantasy I and Final Fantasy II. I started my FF gaming with Final Fantasy VI and IV but this isn't a bad buy. It's great to see how the series began but I warn you that if you started with the PSX games you'll undoubtably hate this and loose interests and it's easy to see why.

Final Fantasy I I'll do first.

Graphics: N/A

I won't grade graphics. It isn't entirely fair to grade the game in this aspect. 8-bit wise they were astounding! 16-bit they're pretty good too.

Sound: 2/5

But I don't let up on other areas. Sound is one of those things that I'll actually expect someone to work on a bit. It would have probably been nice maybe to just keep all the beeps and such in the game actually. The new tunes in Final Fantasy are nothing special.

Gameplay: 2.5/5

Final Fantasy I paces pretty slowly and you'll find yourself not to enthusiastic with the game at first. Until about halfway through it's pretty unexciting and has no real direction unless you talk to lots of characters.

Story: 3.5/5

For what it's worth, Final Fantasy has an excellent storyline considering it came out in a time where saving a princess was the theme in video games. It was one of the first games where you went and saved the WORLD! It scores low because it moves at such a slow pace and has nothing to advance it. Your main characters don't say anything and if you began with FFVI like I did, you're used to direction which FFI doesn't have quite as much of. Also, the story is pretty boring at the start.

Now for Final Fantasy II. I'm sorry to say but this is probably the worst of the series and the way you raise characters was horrid!

Graphics: N/A

Again not going to grade but I was actually a little surprised at how much time Square spent updating graphics for FFI and then not updating nearly as much with FFII. In battle is great but outside of battle was ummm...not so great.

Sound: 4/5

Actually better than Final Fantasy I. BUT! The sound was actually changed from the original! It's good but I have to wonder what the original sounded like.

Story: 2/5

Easily the worst of the series as far as story goes. While the game get's off the a much better start than the first one it isn't really worth it. The story doesn't pace nearly as slow and the characters aren't as stale but the story didn't focus on saving the world as much as FFI did.

Gameplay: 2.5/5

VERY lacking here. Since FFII has no such thing as Experience points it's easy to say this is where the game lacks. Depending on the actions taken in battle determines stats. It's pretty bad because if a character attacks their strentgh goes up. It's easy to like this at first until you notice the flaws. Getting hit brings up your HP and defenese. Casting magic bring up intellegence, spirt and the like.

The problem with this is that unlike other Final Fantasy games it's impossible to have a balanced character. I assure you that if you have a strong character they can't cast a spell worth crap! It sucks to see an Ultima spell only do 100 HP of damage and then a normal attack do 20 times as much damage.

Also, magic levels up slowly unless you perform a trick mentioned by a normal reviewer. Not only that but you need someone who purely casts magic in order to actually heal a satisfactory amount of HP. Plus, this quickly drains MP and the battle engine isn't designed to let you use normal itmes in battle, which was actually a step DOWN from FFI.

Replay (both): 2.5/5

I'm not trying to be mean but when FFI moves at such a slow pace are you willing to actually sit through that. Not to mention that's hard to play FFII again. While the games have difficulty levels FFI is much too easy on easy mode and a little hard on hard mode (which actually is how it should be.) FFII can be pretty easy. FFII paces faster at least but the truth is, this is a collectors item after you're done with it.

OVERALL: The game as a whole deserves a four. It's great to see how the FF series got started but it's actually probably better to forget FFII and buy FFI on the NES. But there is one nice side to the re-release. Remember in FFI when you all selected to attack an enemy and then when it died before someone else got to attack they would swing at air? That's been fixed. Not only that but the menu is easier and you can dash now (which will actually make dungeons seem rather short).

You'll love these two games but not enough to really play them again.

A rewrite is in order.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 9 / 12
Date: March 26, 2003
Author: Amazon User

OK, few people seem satisfied with my review of Final Fantasy Origins. Fair enough; I reviewed the game before it came out, and said some things which weren't entirely correct. I'm still not changing my rating (4 stars), but perhaps I can defend it a bit.

If Final Fantasy 1 was the only game on the docket, I would give this 3 (or maybe two) stars. In fact, I played my old NES version concurrently, and found that I enjoyed it far more. Let me draw up a comparison.

Those things that are GOOD in Origins:
1) Enix decided to make a few tweaks in the battle system. In particular, your party no longer will swing at nothing should the enemy die before they have a crack at him. This was very stupid in the first version (I mean, why would you go to the trouble to attack if there was nothing in your path?).
2) The graphics have improved quite a bit, and while some may wax nostalgic for the old days, I think that the overhaul makes the whole enterprise easier on the eyes.
3) Many of the little secrets have returned, including the hordes of giants you can fight in the Terra cave to grow powerful and rich early on, and the little mini-game on the ship (something about holding one button and pressing another 55 times, hmmmm?).
4) Instead of having booby trapped chests, now there are booby trapped floor tiles, which add an element of surprise.

Those things that are POOR in Origins:
1) The normal difficulty level really isn't that much more difficult than the easy level. In fact, what really changes is the encounter frequency, and the enemy's ambush possibility. Essentially, the normal difficulty guarantees a longer game, but only because you'll have to fight 50% more monsters.
2) The enemy ambush level is ridiculous. I mean, during my play-though, I gained a pre-emptive attack a total of fourteen times in the game, while the enemy ambushed me that many times as I was preparing to enter the Temple of Chaos (or Fiends, in the NES version).
3) The Ice Cavern is ridiculous. Much of your chance of making it out alive relies on luck, hoping and praying that you don't get ambushed by four Dark Wizards, who will kill off your entire partyt before you can say "guh?".
4) The music, somehow, has gotten worse in Origins. Somehow, by sprucing up the tunes, the folks at Enix have made the mucic 100 times more annoying.
5) The collection menu is useless; I would have hoped to get more for my efforts.

As I said, if it were only FF1 on this disc, the game would merit less stars. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the addition of Final Fantasy 2. In fact, after playing this little game, I wonder what fools told Square not to release the game over here in the first place! The storyline is pretty good, and the growth system is quite novel (it resembles the Game Boy offering, Final Fantasy Legend pt. 2 which, as an aside, is probably the most difficult game ever conceived). Truth be told, I am sad that I left this game for last, and its addition really makes this new game worthwhile.

Well, there you have it. I feel I've justified my position now, and it is up to you (the buyer) to take or leave what I have offered.

Two classic RPGs are reborn!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 10 / 16
Date: March 08, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Back in the day, when the NES was the supreme home video gaming console, there were two major RPG franchises - Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior. It didn't take long before the former ended up beating the latter on pretty much every level. To date, over ten Final Fantasy games have been released, and the series has often been hailed as one of the best RPG franchises of all time. Recently, Squaresoft has rereleased the first two games in the series. Read on for my review of these games.

-FINAL FANTASY-
PROS:
-THE GRAPHICS HAVE BEEN REDONE. Now the game looks like an SNES game.
-THE BUGS IN THE COMBAT ENGINE HAVE BEEN FIXED. These were a huge problem in the original.
-THE WORLD IS HUGE. Even by today's standards, this game's world is quite large.
-THE GAME ADDS A NEW OPENING CUT SCENE. What better way to get a gamer's attention?
-IT'S THE ONLY FINAL FANTASY GAME WHERE YOU GET TO CHOOSE YOUR PARTY. All other Final Fantasy games had predetermined parties, but that's not true here!
-TO GET PLACES FASTER, YOU CAN NOW RUN! This makes traveling in towns and caves very convenient.
CONS:
-YOUR ATTACKS IN THIS GAME TEND TO MISS AS OFTEN AS THEY HIT! This becomes extremely annoying, especially early on in the game when your party is still weak.
-NO STORYLINE FOR YOUR CHARACTERS. The game DOES have a storyline, but it doesn't really involve your characters much at all! Weird, assuming they are the ones out to save the world.
-ALLIES KILLED IN BATTLE DON'T GET EXPERIENCE POINTS. This is a huge problem in a number of RPGs, and sadly, it's no exception here.
-WHEN AN ALLY IS KILLED, IT MESSES UP YOUR PARTY FORMATION! This means that every time a member of your party is killed, you have to reset the formation! This gets VERY annoying after a while.
-MANY STATUS CONDITIONS LAST AFTER THE BATTLE HAS ENDED. This is another big problem in RPGs that this game sadly suffers from
-YOU CAN'T RUN ON THE FIELD! This sucks, because this is where the running move would have really come in handy!
-DEFEND, A COMMON OPTION IN RPGS, IS NOT AVAILABLE HERE! Why would the game deprive you of your right to defend against attacks?
-THE GAME LACKS THE COMPLEXITY AND GRAPHICS OF A MODERN RPG. I personally care little for these two things, but many gamers will beg to differ.
-ALMOST NO FEMALE CHARACTERS! This isn't THAT big of a problem, but it's a problem nonetheless.

-FINAL FANTASY II- [PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED IN AMERICA]
PROS:
-THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THIS GAME HAS BEEN RELEASED IN AMERICA, IN ANY SHAPE OR FORM. Glad to finally see it here.
-THE GRAPHICS HAVE BEEN REDONE. Now this looks more like an SNES game.
-THE BUGS IN THE COMBAT ENGINE HAVE BEEN FIXED. This is a great improvement.
-THE WORLD IS HUGE. Even by today's standards, this game's world is quite large.
-THE GAME ADDS A NEW OPENING CUT SCENE. What better way to get people's attention?
-UNLIKE THE FIRST GAME, THE STORYLINE INVOLVES YOUR CHARACTERS! A major problem with the first game is that your characters weren't too involved with the story, even though they were the ones doing all the world saving - and that was fixed for this game.
-TO GET PLACES FASTER, YOU CAN NOW RUN! This makes traveling in towns and caves very convenient.
CONS:
-YOUR ATTACKS IN THIS GAME TEND TO MISS AS OFTEN AS THEY HIT! This becomes extremely annoying, especially early on in the game when your party is still weak.
-THE GAME DOESN'T USE A CONVENTIONAL EXPERIENCE GAINING SYSTEM. This game doesn't use levels. Rather, if you use a skill enough times, it becomes better. For example, attacking a lot will improve your attack rating. Some gamers like this system, but I'm not too crazy about it.
-ALLIES KILLED IN BATTLE DON'T GAIN EXPERIENCE. This is a huge problem in a number of RPGs, and sadly, it's no exception here.
-YOU CAN'T SAVE WHENEVER YOU WANT! You can only save on the field (which I guess is better than the first game.) Still, it gets very annoying not being able to save in towns.
-YOU CAN'T RUN ON THE FIELD! This sucks, because this is where the running move would have really come in handy!
-DEFEND, A COMMON OPTION IN RPGS, IS NOT AVAILABLE HERE! Why would the game deprive you of this?

OVERALL:
Overall this is an excellent package. I'm glad to see the original Final Fantasy be rereleased at long last, and I'm glad to see Final Fantasy II finally get an American release. If you're a fan of classic role playing games, or you're a Final Fantasy fan, don't hesitate to add this game to your collection.

amazing

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: May 23, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I was excited when I discovered that the first two Final Fantasies were released. my older brother had played them years ago- his friend had the imported version of FFII- and he enjoyed them. I couldn't wait to play them, and guess what? Thery're better than he said. I would definetly recommend these games if you are either collecting the Final Fantasy series, as I am, or if you just enjoy RPG games. A jewel.

the origins of Final Fantasy...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: July 14, 2003
Author: Amazon User

With the success of the Final Fantasy series over the years, Squaresoft decided to revisit some of the older games in the series. They had released Final Fantasy Anthology and Final Fantasy Chronicles, and brought Final Fantasies 4, 5, and 6 to the Playstation for the first time. Final Fantasy 4 and 6 were known on the SNES as FF 2 and 3 (the Japanese 2 and 3 were never released in America), and 5 had not made it over here, either. These were some of my favorite games and I was glad to have them available for the Playstation. But now I was hoping to get the first three ported over. I started to lose hope and we are now several years into the life of the Playstation 2, but Square released Final Fantasy Origins for the Playstation. Final Fantasy Origins is a compilation of the original Final Fantasy (NES) and Final Fantasy II. Final Fantasy II was never released in America until now.

Final Fantasy: This is the game that first got me interested in the RPG genre (which is now my favorite genre for video games). I played it for the NES when I was a child and this is the game I was excited to play again and not have any problems with save files deleting (a problem with my NES). This version of Final Fantasy has updated graphic, some enemies/items/spells with different names, and the option to turn on extra features that were not in the original version of the game. One feature is the ability to dash through towns and dungeons (making some things go a bit quicker). The other feature of note is called "auto-aim" and takes care of the biggest problem I had with the original version of the game. Now, when an enemy is defeated any character targeting that enemy for attack will automatically attack a different enemy. This seems common sense, but this was not included in the original. You also have the option to turn auto-aim off, if you so choose.

There is also the option to play the game on Easy or Normal mode. Normal mode is just like the original game, only with the addition of dash and auto-aim. Everything else is the same. Easy is the same game, only spells/items/weapons cost less, you level up quicker (and can surpass level 50), and can use more spells per level (You can use a maximum of 9 spells per spell level on Normal....this can be quite limiting). Upon completion of the game, your stats are entered into a "Collection". This records all the enemies you have beaten and all of the treasure chests you have opened in every area. The more you kill and the more you open, the game will unlock bonus artwork.

This is a very welcome upgrade to one of my favorite games of my childhood.

Final Fantasy II: For the first time, Final Fantasy II has been released in America. From what I have heard from people who got to play the game before the game was released, very few people actually liked it and they called it perhaps the worst game of the series. That very well may be, but the game wasn't that bad. This version of Final Fantasy II has the same updated graphics and auto-aim that we find in Final Fantasy. It has the same features and Collection Data as Final Fantasy.

This game is the first in the series to actually have a story and characters of note. You play as Firion, Gus, and Maria, three youths who escape from their town as it was being taken over by the Empire. They join a resistance group and from this point they do missions to slowly chip away at the Empire and to achieve certain goals. As you play, you have a different fourth member of the party which will move in and out as the game progresses. This game actually has individual characters with names and identities. The one thing to note about this is that the characters do not seem to have any noticeable personality. It was a step in the right direction for the characters, but to be honest, there wasn't much difference between your three as well as whomever was the fourth character.

In some senses this game sets the stage for the character building that you will find in Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy Tactics. You get to choose what kind of warriors each character is. If you want a strong fighter, then physically attack with him (or her) and the character will gain in strength and weapon proficiency. If you want a white mage, teach him white magic. The same with black magic. Here's the twist. Since there is no experience points in this game, you increases your stats through use. You won't gain in strength if you don't fight. You gain HP by being attacked and hurt. You gain magic points by casting a lot of spells in battle. When you learn a spell (by purchasing a scroll or by finding one) your spell is only on level one and you have increase the power of the spell by casting it a lot. Further, if you fight a lot your strength will increase but your intelligence will decrease, making you a stronger fighter but less able as a magician. I'll be honest, this is my least favorite experience/level system in any game, but it isn't horrible. If you attack yourself a little bit early on in the game it'll help for the beginning stages. Also, when you get the ship for the first time you can go to Mysidia and buy the Swap spell, and if you use this near Altair, you can increase your stats very quickly.

Overall, Final Fantasy II is probably the weakest of all the Final Fantasy games, but I would not ignore the game because of that. It is challenging, and it is definitely "old school", but it was still worth playing, especially if someone wants to beat all the Final Fantasy games. I'm glad that Square did not stick with this experience system and it is interesting to see where the Final Fantasy series came from and how it got to where it is now.

An Inexpensive Peek at Priceless History

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: August 13, 2003
Author: Amazon User

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.

The Beginning of an era (in remake form)

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: October 04, 2006
Author: Amazon User

For those who don't know too much info about this game, this is the remake of the first 2 NES games, not the originals. 2nd is that FF2 (FF2 in japan) was never released here in the US and finally that these 2 games are actually ports from the Wonderswan versions of the games. Wonderswan is a handheld gaming system (like the gameboy) that is in Japan only and has two ways to play the system (horizontailly and Vertically).

Because I have been a fan of the FF games for a long time, I actually can say that this is my least favorite of all of the Final Fantasy games that came out on the Playstation 1. FF1 doesn't really have any main character at all, but has a battle system similar to FF4 (2 in the US for the SNES). FF2 on the other hand has a main character but the way the game plays (both on the field and in battle) is a little strange. On the field, when you talk to somebody, when it comes to important events in the game or whatever, you have a menu of stuff to choose to say. However, as you progress through the game, you get more stuff to say. The point here is that it kind of sucks to have a limited amount of conversation subjects and have to actually find more as the game progresses. The battle system for this game is like FF10 (only you don't get to choose what to raise up for your stats) and you don't have any level system at all. it's like the first game. the reason why I give this game a overall rating of 4 stars is because RPGs that were made in the NES days are really difficult and don't have much storyline and subplots in the games (like Dragon Warrior), and only have to do a few important things (probably 10 or 15 all together) before fighting the final boss. these games were mostly just to level your character up, got do some things, fight some bosses, level up some more, do other things, level up some more, fight the final boss. plus these games are way too short, because in those days, games didn't have a lot of juice (memory) to put in a long game so you can probably beat the game in 10 hours or more. I am so happy that I got to join in on the RPG train around the time of the Genesis/Super NES to the PSone era to a few from this era (PS2, GC, Xbox) because you can do a lot more with these type of RPGs since they can take longer to beat. I am not saying that FF1 and 2 are horrible games, they just aren't as great as the 16 bit, 32 bit and 128 bit eras.

This game isn't that important to have in your Final Fantasy collection. however if you like the ancient old school RPGs from the NES era, this is recommended. If you are a starter on RPGs, this is definitly not a good start.

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