Final Fantasy Origins

"Final Fantasy 1&2 have gone from good to great!"

Forget that 'Final Fantasy' and 'Final Fantasy 2' were originally released for the NES(Famicom) gaming system over a decade ago. Square-Enix has put together a wonderful compilation at a great price for the Sony Playstation. If you are jaded by the more recent, cinematic-heavy Final Fantasy games, then 'Final Fantasy Origins' is right up your alley. By updating the aesthetics of FF1&2, as well as adding collectible material such as artwork into the game, Square has made the ultimate RPG collection for old-school RPG fans.

Story: 7/10

Final Fantasy: Very, very basic. You take control of four nameless ''Light Warriors'' who set out to bring balance and peace to the world. This is accomplished by returning power to four elemental crystals. Along the way, you will travel to different kingdoms, performing minor tasks to help out any who are in trouble. Basically, you're given a bunch of busy-work in between the skirmishes with the Four Fiends, who are minions of Chaos - the main antagonist.

Final Fantasy II: Much improved over FF1. This is the first FF game where you fight against an evil empire. The protagonists actually speak this time around as well. While the story is nowhere close to contemporary standards, it is very well told considering how old this game is. It was actually quite ahead of its time when it was originally released.

Graphics: 8/10

Both games have received a graphical overhaul, and now have the appearance comparable to the 16-bit FF games. The battle graphics are now very impressive, and now have very colorful backgrounds. The enemies now more closely resemble the original artwork by Japanese artist Yoshitaka Amano. The overworld sprites are still fairly small(and seem especially small in FF2), but this is about the only major complaint I have about the graphics.

Sound: 9/10

The sound department has also received a very welcome overhaul. The music sounds as good as any of the 16-bit FF games, and just about all of the remixed tunes are extremely pleasing to the ears. Several pieces of music are so much better than their 8-bit counterparts that just the ability to listen to them warrants a purchase of this game to music-lovers. The sound effects are just as impressive, and there aren't anymore annoying ''scrolling'' sounds when entering or leaving a location like there were in the NES games.

Gameplay: 9/10

Here we have pure, unadulterated, old-school RPG goodness. There's no overly-complicated gameplay systems in either game.

In FF1, you can choose between six different character classes, and you are stuck with these choices through the entire game, so choose wisely. You fight enemies for experience which helps you gain levels, as well as the ability for magic-users to cast more spells. Many areas in the game require you to level up before tackling the boss of the area, but there is never a ridiculous amount of leveling up required.

In FF2, you do not gain experience or levels. Instead, your statistics are affected by what you do in battle. If your character attacks with a sword, his or her sword skill will increase. If your Hit Points are lowered by being attacked, then your HP limit will increase. It's rather simple, but quite different from most other RPGs. This in no way harms the game, as it is every bit as fun to play as FF1.

Replayability: 9/10

Both games feature the option of playing through on Normal or Easy mode. When playing through, you can access a ''Collections'' screen which has bonus material such as monster statistics, art galleries and more. Part of the fun in each game is attempting to encounter every monster out there, and in order to access all of the bonus material, one must play through both Easy and Normal modes.

Overall: 9/10

FF1&2 were two of the very best NES games ever released, and now FF Origins is one of the very best Playstation One games ever released. You get two incredible RPGs with well over a hundred hours of play-time at a discounted price. This one should be a no-brainer.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 04/15/03, Updated 04/15/03