Final Fantasy Anthology

"It's not groundbreaking, it's not new, but it's definately timeless!"

I really don't know where to begin with when talking about a compilation like Final Fantasy Anthology, so let's start from the origins of both games.

Both Final Fantasy 5 and 6, or Final Fantasy 3 as it was released here (FF5 never made it to US shores beforehand) were originally Super Nintendo Titles, and just like Square now, Square back then knew how to make the best out of the hardware limits of the Super Nintendo, not only giving us superior graphics of the time, but a story so long it would take days, or even weeks, for people to beat it.

Jumping to present day, Square no longer has relations with Nintendo (I'm still mourning, Nintendo fans) and these games have been rereleased on the Sony Playstation. But was the rerelease of Final Fantasy's 4, 5, & 6 in Japan really worth it?

At one point, Square said that they were not going to be looking back at their older titles...Either they realize that "Final Fantasy" is more marketable than they could ever imagine, or that, several years after being released on an old hardware, it still has the quality and playability to be deemed fun, no matter how old it gets. "Timeless" is a word not often found in videogames nowadays, But with the release of "Final Fantasy Collection", and then "Final Fantasy Anthology" in the States, Square proves that the word isn't as extinct as people originally thought.

"Final Fantasy Anthology" was released in the US, lacking Final Fantasy 4 (2 in the US), and while no real reason was given, it was speculated that the execution of the PSX convertion was so poor that it didn't earn a stateside port (Square/EA said it was due to time constraints, but us veterans know it was because the original script was so poor and they were too lazy to revamp it. Anyhoo....). In replacement of FF4, a soundtrack disk was included featuring randomly picked tracks from both games. Those folks at Square/EA have no taste in music, I'll tell ya.

Now, about the games themselves. Like I said prior, Final Fantasy 5 never was released in the States....until now! Was the wait worth it? that depends on who you ask, really. Many people who have been on the internet a long time have known of a fan-based translation of the game that was executed with superior professionalism, and when comparing this fan-based translation along with the official one, the official translation seems a bit "childish". This is probably because the official script was originally done in an era when Nintendo disliked anything that had to deal with blood or death (Before FF Anthology, Final Fantasy 5 was to be released on a few occasions, but were cancelled for one reason or another). But whether the opinion of the translation or not, it IS officially released, and people WILL be able to play it.

Final Fantasy 6 was released on this shore before as Final Fantasy 3. So you might not expect to find much different here....but wait a minute. There's a new "mode" in this game that was not there before. This "Bonus" mode allows you to view Pictures, a Beastiary, and even movies (There're only 3 movies, one of which is only accessable through this mode) And the more you complete the game, the more options open up. Nifty!

Both games suffer from obvious flaws, of course. Loading time is a big concern, especially during battles. Instead of the usual "Zoom" when you enter battle, you get a splash screen much in the likes of Final Fantasy's 7 & 8. And even though the music is there, some sounds and music didn't convert successfully and differences are noticable. Does this mean the games are bad? Like I said before, these are just two of very few games that deserve the word "Timeless". These flaws hardly scratch the qualities of both games.

So to recap. You have a game never officially released here, another game that was released but bears a new option, and a soundtrack with a selection of music chosen by a small cast of Square/EA Oompa-Loompas.

Willy Wonka's gotta be pissed!

And now for something completely different...Ratings!!!! (On a 10-point scale)

Graphics-6 Age is apparent, but it just proves that graphics doesn't always make the game.

Sound-7.5 Some loss in quality with the sound (Which is odd, being converted from a 16-bit system to a 32-bit system), but even with the loss the music stays strong. Tougher to tear apart than a roll of Charmin's.

Control-8 I'll have to get used to having the access and cancel buttons reversed, but otherwise it's the same as every other Final Fantasy, which is very good.

Fun/Overall-9 This goes to show that these games have longer lasting power than a car battery in an electric storm. May Final Fantasy reign on forever and ever! Amen!

This was my first-ever review on Gamefaqs! Hope you like it. And maybe I'll write another review, depending on when I get off my lazy butt.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 06/09/03