Final Fantasy Origins

"FF1: It was amazing. FF2: it was DISAPPOINTING!"

I almost casually found a french copy of FF Origins in a swiss store... I prayed my dad to buy it and so was... I went home and I put in FF1...

I was hugely surprised: even if I had got the hangle at FFX's graphics, the new remaked ones of FF1 highly surprised me! Even the orchestrated music were amazing... incredible, I really was happy, even constating that the PSX version was hugely easier than the NES one... I put in FF2...

At the beginning, the only negative thing to say was about the small characters: even if you are able to see their face on the status screen, when they step they're smaller than the FF1 ones... well, not the WORST thing.... graphics were as good as FF1 ones and so is for music (mmm... well, I liked FF1 musics more, though)...

Then, I began play through those games... and here begin the real review... my overall score is 7...

Final Fantasy

Graphics: 10/10

Oh come on! It's a psx! And after all there is the wonderful beginning FMV which lets you see a man fighting an huge red dragon... even being a PSX, the effects of that FMV are near as good as FF8/9 ones, so you absolutely have to buy FF Origins only for this!

Some other things to say... oh yes, the graphics are COMPLETELY remaked (you were expecting this, weren't you?)... in battle as in cities and in the world map (which particularly is smooth and well-designed). Character also are really good, it's a graphic which level is between FF5 and FF6... let's say Terranigma, just for making an example, or maybe Rudra no Hihou...

Battle effects are, yes, good... some may not be so well animated (like Cure, for example) but overall they're great, trust me!

Sounds and musics: 10/10

Not for today standards, but ALMOST! They're completely re-made (orchestral versions) and they're really GREAT! They can even be better than FF9 ones sometimes... (NOT better than FF8 ones, though! :P)

Sounds are good too... nothing special to say this time!

Storyline: 6/10

Enough, but there really is a storyline? You just take control of 4 light warriors which hold 4 crystals and you have to re-enlight them... and obviously you have to destroy the evil. Heck, original. Well...it was the first episode... so, a bit of justice, please!

Gameplay: 9/10

Pretty pretty good, since it was completely re-designed from its NES counterpart: remember the stupid equipment system? Now it's like every FF ever designed (except, well, FF1 of the NES!): you have slots for Head, Body, Weapons and you can equip Helms, Armors, Swords and so on... Battles remain the same, except that Drinks become Items (at least that...)... there finally is intelligent targeting (which means if 2 characters aim the same enemy and it dies at an hit of the first character, the second character will not hit the air but instead it'll hit another enemy. Heck, long explanation.).

There aren't so many items, except for the key ones. You only have things like Potion and Antidotes. There aren't MP in this game (buhuu... I don't like MP but I kinda would have liked a Junction system in this episode! Uh, right, there aren't summons here... too bad.): basically you have 8 levels of magic: every time you gain a level, the LMP (Level Magic Points, as I like calling them) may rise. Let's make an example: if you have 3 L1MP (Level 1 Magic Points), it means you'll be able to use 3 spells, it doesn't matter what spells (except that the fact they've to been of level 1 of course). Oh, you've to buy 'em...

You can save only using Inns (yes, you MUST rest in order to save.) or Tents/Cottages in the World Map. There aren't Save Points and there isn't a basic Save option. You only can Memo Save (a nice new thing in this 2 remakes): a little save wherever you want (yes even in dungeons, but not in battles) but it'll cancel itself when you reset the console. You can return to this Memo Save if you die or if you soft reset.

A little thing I forgot: the maximum reachable amount of HP is 999 (yes, nine hundred ninety nine), not 9999... heck, bad.

Difficulty: Easy --> Medium

It really isn't a difficult game... Even if I own every FF, I don't really think I am a skilled player, though I was able to finish it without problems, yes, it was the easy mode...

When you finish the first time the game, you'll unlock the Normal mode (with difficulties that are the same as the NES version). However, it isn't a difficult mode too, because you surely will be able to finish the game without problems (I like repeating myself).

Replay Value: Hugely High

Why? 'Cause you surely will not be busy, the first time, searching every single narrow corner to find every single treasure chest... you surely will do it in the second game, so...

And now... the game that hugely decreased the final vote...

Final Fantasy II

Heck, if it was disappointing, and it was only the EASY MODE...heck, what will happen in the difficult one? Meteors will fall from the sky causing 999999999999 HP damage at my characters? My my my...

Graphics: 10/10

Well, nothing to say here... they're as nice as FF1 ones, so I don't see why should I decrease the rankings... battle effects like spells and so on are really GREAT and weapons are too!

The World Map hugely seems FF5 one (well, maybe not that much...)... not for the shape, but for the graphics itselves... yes, they're better (FF2 ones are less ''polygonalized'' than FF5, FF4 and so on...) than FF5 and FF4.

Sounds and Musics: 9/10

Could really be a bit better... come on Square... you were able to make an unique game and you didn't? Too bad...

Music are really orchestrated.... yes... TOO MUCH orchestrated!!! The battle themes seem opera concerts!!!

Ack, the first disappointing thing...

For the rest, sounds aren't that bad... as nice as FF1 ones, so nothing to say here as well.

Storyline: 8/10

Absolutely better than FF1 storyline, I'll not spoil anything, though (well, mainly because I'm tired now, but even because it's a rule when writing reviews... has ever anyone respected it?)...

... Hey, don't misunderstand me! It wasn't sarcasm! There REALLY is a storyline! I swear!

Gameplay: 10/10

Amazing. Simply amazing. I loved that stat raising system that lets you to reach 9999 hp before the first dungeon...

Basically, there aren't levels: your stats raise by doing something in battle (HP raises by being hit in battle and lose more than half max hp... MP raises by losing more than half mp, even being subject of Osmose and so on...)... really really nice!

Overall, except that there are MPs, the battles are hugely the same as FF1, so go read that part for further informations.

Oh, finally you can save like any other FF... in the World Map. But, heck, there AREN'T SAVE POINTS!!!! ...

Difficulty: Incredibly hard --> Painfully Hard

In my entire life, I didn't see a more snervant game... basically, if you don't raise your MPs and you don't raise agility and magic levels... YOU'RE SCREWED! Got it? I spent hours only for doing a dungeon, even with HPs highly over the required amount (I wasn't able to finish a dungeon with 3 character at 5000, when FAQs required amounts were near 1000-2000)... so if you want a relaxing, relatively easy game, DON'T EVER PUT THIS GAME IN THE CONSOLE!!!!!

Replay Value: Same as FF1

Same as FF1 section. What? You wanna find every single chest in the game? Good luck, you'll really need it...

Buy FF Origins for FF1 and not for FF2, that's my verdict.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 11/29/03