Final Fantasy Free For All Review

Final Fantasy Free For All

If you think about it, Squaresoft wields quite a hefty load of power. Not

the power of some dark and sinister evil force… nor the power to hurl comets and

time paradoxes at the world. No. Their power can be summed up in two words: Final

Fantasy. I’m not talking about the games — I’m talking about the lunatic

merchandising. Action figures are understandable, but did you know in Japan you

can actually buy Squall’s full costume, complete with short leather jacket, pants,

and belt? Griever necklace sold separately. What was Final Fantasy like

before all this? Answer: Final Fantasy Anthology – a collection of Final

Fantasy 5 and 6.

With

Anthology, what you’re essentially given is an emulator — an interpreter

that takes the original Final Fantasy code and allows it to be understood by the

Playstation. Just so the game isn’t exactly the same this time, Squaresoft tacked

on some of their trademark video at the beginning and ends of the two games.

Final Fantasy 5 (never released in the US before now) tells the story

of four adventurers on a quest to bring tranquility back to the land. The elemental

crystals of Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water granted peace and prosperity to the people

of the world. These crystals have mysteriously shattered, and chaos ensued shortly

thereafer. And wouldn’t you know it… a meteor fall out of the sky as well. Crazy,

crazy meteors. Why are they always causing trouble?

Final Fantasy 5 concentrates more on the gameplay, rather than a driving

story. To increase the ability of your characters, a “jobs” system is used. Once

you get it down, you’ll be able to thoroughly customize your characters by setting

jobs and combining abilities. It’s a pretty deep system that plays well. While

the story seems simple by today’s standards, the battle and development keep it

fun.

Final Fantasy 6 actually came out as Final Fantasy 3 in the

US (darned international conversions… even NASA can’t get them right). During

a time between the end of magic and the advent of technology, great beasts known

as Espers held the secret to the mystic arts. Long thought to be extinct, these

Espers are being sought out for their magic powers… powers that could lead to

war. Terra, a girl with no memory of her past, could be the key to unlocking those

powers.

What Final Fantasy 6 does really well is tell a story with an incredibly

large cast, and involve you deeply in all the characters. This is the RPG by which

the RPG’s of today are still derived, in terms of story development and gameplay.

There is a dual system in the game. Each character can equip “relics” that give

them special abilities (i.e. run faster or guard your teammates). In addition,

your characters can get the aid of those mighty Espers to help them learn and

hone their magic.

Before

Final Fantasy took on a lean anime look, it had the beautiful character

designs of Yoshitaka Amano. His art can be seen in the menu character screen shots

and the instruction manuals. Personally, I felt the best aspect of the new videos

was how well Amano’s flowing style was translated. I just don’t understand why

they changed Terra’s hair from green to yellow. All in all, watching a three dimensional

interpretation of a two dimensional scene is neat, but the videos feel more tacked-on

then part of the game. Merely justification for purchasing an old game. If Squaresoft

makes another repackaged old title, they really should make the videos intermittent

throughout the game.

Still, there are some problems. Sometimes, there were noticeable drops in

the frame rates. While we all know 2D bitmaps aren’t the Playstation’s thang,

these games predate the PSX by several years.They could have at least made sure

everything ran perfectly smooth. On the other hand, the problem does add to the

“nostalgic” feeling.

In addition to 5 and 6, Anthology comes with a compilation CD of music.

I’m not exactly sure how the tracks were selected, but among some beautiful tunes

there are a few duds that made it in. More bonuses would have been nice ( The

PSX release of Lunar came with the fancy packaging and other little extras).

Then again, Anthology is priced lower, making it a more affordable option.

My big question is: Where is Final Fantasy 4? Final Fantasy 4

(Final Fantasy 2 in the US) was included in the Japanese packaging of Final

Fantasy Anthology. It seems like Square is holding out on us, allowing them

the possibility of releasing a second anthology volume if this one does well.

But I’ll forgive them if they ever release the original Crono Trigger for

Playstation stateside.

Anthology is basically a chance for those who have never played a true

old school RPG to see where it all started, as well as how things have evolved.

The two games still hold up remarkably well, serving up a steaming plate of nostalgia.

As an entry for the Playstation though, I would’ve liked to see some more updates.

Then again, there’s the argument that updating it would take away from the original

experience of the game. Any way you look at it, these two games are still a worthy

trip down an old fond fantasy.