"Final Fantasy II - Not your typical RPG...and that's a good thing :)"

Ah yes. Final Fantasy II: The game deemed unplayable and horrendously awful by so many and looked down upon by those that can even handle it. I will not lie. When I first considered checking out this NES game, I came to GameFAQ's first and saw all the reviews either being condescending or bashing this game. It made me hesitate from playing it, but after actually mustering up the will-power to actually play this ''horrific'' game, I found it to be much more enjoyable than what has been said before. FF2j is a great game that is simply misunderstood by the easy-gameplay-spoiled RPG fans of this generation.

Gameplay: 10/10

Too bad that's as high as I can go. The gameplay is beyond perfect. Unlike the later games in the FF series and of course other RPG's made later, FF2j actually requires some thought. You can't just go somewhere without knowing what you're doing. You'll be killed. You can't go somewhere without the proper key items or magic required for an area. You'll be trapped. But of course, if you just pay attention, talk to NPC's and townspeople, and use common sense, nothing terrible will happen to your party.

Then there's the leveling system. It is genius. Unlike the ''experience points'' system of so many RPG's wherein all you have to do is battle for an hour or two to gain godly levels, FF2j's leveling system is based on more logical and realistic concepts. If you lose HP, you'll learn to take more and thus your HP will go up. If you use a spell several times, you'll get better at casting it and thus make the spell stronger. The entire leveling system is like this and in my mind, makes more sense than getting a set of points from monsters and getting stronger.

But of course Nasir's genius leveling system can be exploited by selecting and canceling commands and beating up your own characters. Think about it for a moment though. Nasir created the programming for FF1, 2j, and 3j. The amount of time and effort put into thinking up and writing out these programs would take a lot of intelligence. Do you really think he would have ignored such an easy-to-find exploit? I think that the way you can exploit it makes FF2j just that much more unique and easy while still being a challenge and fun. The gameplay is superb and what most people have a problem with (the leveling system) I find a refreshing change to the standard EXP system of practically every other RPG.

Storyline: 10/10

It is a sad story, filled with death, deception, and pure evil. However it's not so dark and down-trodden as our four heroes, joined by many others along their quest, ultimately defeat the evil and restore their world to its former self. A serious Final Fantasy is also a delightful change from the extra-happy other games in the series. Sure, they all have serious points but FF2j is all seriousness. And of course, the actual story's morals and lessons are far greater than the sadness within.

Sound: 10/10

Nobuo Uematsu pulls out a fantastic array of songs. Each one matches the sullen mood of the game but others are peppy like the Chocobo theme. There are also fantastically unique and enchanting themes like the boss battle theme. The worst part about it, however, is that there aren't enough songs (as was the case with FF1 but that's another review...). All-in-all, great work.

Graphics: 8/10

Although a lot of sprites are borrowed from the first Final Fantasy, there are plenty of new and individual sprites and backdrops. Even the borrowed sprites are refinished and ultimately lead to a graphically satisfactory game, although a little more work could have been done. But eh, the sea water is animated! That's good enough for me.

Replayability: 5/10

If you're a dedicated RPG player, you'll probably play this game a few times over. Otherwise, you might play this game once over. And the few of you that are only into RPG's for their simplicity and graphical superiority will abhor this game and rue the day you ever wasted one hour on this game. But for most of us, we'll play the game once and might replay a few of the last battles :)

Overall: 8.6/10

Final Fantasy II has been bashed by one too many people. And those that say ''it's not so bad'' are somewhat condescending. Of course, everyone's entitled to their opinion and not everyone has to love every game they play. But I for one think that FF2j is a great game that one too many people might be discouraged with for no good reason. Sure it may be different, but it's far from hard and even further from being horrific.

Give FF2j a chance! Now that Final Fantasy Origins is out, you can play FF2j in English! However you get it, whether by ROM, cartridge, or the Final Fantasy Origins PSX game, do get FF2j. If you can appreciate good games, you'll love it.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/20/03, Updated 07/20/03