Final Fantasy Anthology

by Square Enix

Product Features

• Includes both Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy VI
• Original 2-D graphics and 16-bit sounds
• For 1 player

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00002R28C
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 5.8 x 1 inches ; 5.6 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: June 30, 2003
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (266 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,191 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

Editorial Review

Showcasing two installments of SquareSoft's wildly popular role-playing game (RPG) series, Final Fantasy Anthology features the U.S. debut of Final Fantasy V, and reintroduces one of the best RPGs of all time, Final Fantasy VI, originally released as Final Fantasy III on the Super Nintendo gaming system.

Both games are straight Super Nintendo conversions, so their 2-D graphics and 16-bit sounds are admittedly subpar by PlayStation standards. However, SquareSoft has added brand-new, beautifully animated movies for both titles, and has given Final Fantasy VI the star treatment it deserves by adding a bonus mode where gamers can access loads of supplementary material, such as artwork and data files on the game's monsters and items.

While Final Fantasy V is one of weaker entries in the series, Final Fantasy VI alone is totally worth the price of Final Fantasy Anthology. Endearingly melodramatic characters, a genuinely epic story line, and rock-solid gameplay make Final Fantasy VI just as absorbing today as it was when it was Final Fantasy III. --Joe Hon

Pros:

• Brand-new animated movies
• Reissues Final Fantasy VI, one of the best RPGs ever
• Lots of supplementary material for Final Fantasy VI

Cons:

• Dated graphics and sounds may bother some gamers
• The previously unreleased Final Fantasy V may as well have stayed unreleased

Product Description

Final Fantasy Anthology incorporates two of the most beloved FINAL FANTASY titles ever published. First released as FINAL FANTASY III in the U.S., FINAL FANTASY VI brings back all of the qualities that made it the best selling RPG of its time, and adds a few bonuses unique to this re-release. The second title in this compilation, FINAL FANTASY V, is seeing its first ever release in the U.S. Featuring an innovative 'Job' system and a story that will take the player to different worlds, this title will finally show U.S. gamers what they have been missing. If you are new to the FINAL FANTASY universe, pick up Anthology as way of getting to know the series that has garnered the praise of millions. If you are already a fan, pick it up to relive the magic once again.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Even if your mildly interested in Role playing games, buy it, May 18, 2000

By A Customer

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Final Fantasy Anthology (Video Game)

"Final Fantasy Anthology" is, arguably, squares greatest role playing game release for the playstation yet."Final Fantasy Anthology" features three discs. The first disc is "Final Fantasy V", the second disc is "Final Fantasy VI" and the third is a collection of favorite tunes from both games. Both games contain epic plots, battles between good and evil, dragons, magic, insane evil, and other fantasy elements expressed at their best.

Final Fantasy VI

Many centuries have passed since the War of the Magi, in which god-like monsters with tremendous magical powers were used. Civilizations have been rebuilt with iron, machines, and technology. For years, the ancient Espers have existed only as lost lengends. Now an Esper has been discovered and the forces of magic are starting to return. The risk of another, more devastating war is about to surface.

Enter Terra. Shrouded in mystery, Terra is a young 16 year old girl stricken with amnesia. Imprisoned by the malicous villian Kefka, Terra is forced to joined his evil cause. She is the only being on the planet able to use magic, a talent which she she was born with. While exploring a cave, she unearths a Esper, and it kills her comrades, who hold her captive, allowing her to escape. Assisted by Lock, A wandering Theif, Celes, A traitor to Kefka, and many more comrades, Terra must learn the secret that is her past, and prevent the destruction of the planet.

The story and plot for this game is simply fantastic, and each character is engaging, with fascinating personalities. Each character has a interesting past, discovered and slowly revealed by clever plot twists. The story is, in my opinion, ingeniuis. Kefka wins my vote for best villian. Also impressive is the well written character dialouge. At times, it is extremely heart-rending and emotionanly charged; I personally find it refreshing for an modern day role playing game that does not fail to deliver well developed characters and touching writing.

It loved the depth of the characters. Many current Role-playing-games now adays tend to toss the character development in the dumpster. Even the newest final fantasy offering, "Final Fantasy VIII" suffers from shallow character personalities, but with "final fantasy VI" that is not the case.

If this game has one flaw, it is its weak graphics. The look is extremly dated. Even the beautiful movies inserted into this game do not help much, as they lack the quality of some of the newer offerings, such as "Final Fantasy VII" or "Final Fantasy VII", and are, for the most part, very brief.

The gameplay is excellent though. Each character has special talents used for combat,( Terra can turn into a Esper like being, Locke can pickpocket, Celes can absorb magic spells,etc). Characters can also equiqe Espers. The more battles you win, the stronger your esper becomes, and when it reaches a certain level, it will bestow a magic spell upon the bearer. It will also allow bearer to get bouneses to their attributes as they gain experence levels.

When you combine rock-solid game play, involving characters, twistingly clever storyline, terrifying villians, and more, the result is "Final Fantasy VI", a undeniable masterpiece that is, arguably, the greatest RPG of all time.

Final Fantasy V

The world thrived on the power of four particular crystals- Wind, Earth, Fire, and Water.With the power of Wind, people sailed ships. With the power of Fire, they began the industrial movement. With Water, people quenched their thirst, and from Earth, they received blessings.

One day, the Tycoon King, upon feeling an irregularity in the air currents, rushed to the Wind Shrine, only to find the Wind Crystal shattering to pieces right before his eyes. In addition to this catastrophe, an enormous meteor had fallen to the ground, causing earthquakes in the surrounding land near Tycoon Castle.

Unbeknownst to them, this event is about to bring four people fronm different walks of life together on a common journey. There is Faris, a pirate who felt the impending disaster of the Wind; Galuf, a mysterious old soldier who has lost his memory due to the force of the fallen meteor; Reina, a girl who has left Tycoon Castle in search of her father; and Bartz, a wandering traveler.

Why did the crystal shatter? What hapend to the missing Tycoon King? What meaning does the fallen meteor have?

The answers will start to unfold as this grand adventure filled filled with new encounters and many mysteries begins......

The first thing you will notice about "Final Fantasy V" is its rather dated look graphic-wise, a flaw that riddles "Final Fantasy VI" as well. for FF5 and FF6 time, however, the un-detailed sprite grahics by todays standards, but where considered decent when the game was released, and the monster design is somewhat decent, and tend to look pretty fierce.

But unlike "Final Fantasy VI", this game suffers from a rather weak plot. The plot lacks the clever twist and suttle magic of "Final Fantasy VI", and one may begin to wonder why this final fantasy was never previously released on our shores. Maybe its sucess was uncertain?

Also unlike "Final Fantasy VI" is the mediocre character development. All the characters seemed genuinely shallow and lacked enough depth to keep me satisfied. The only main character with a fair amount of depth was Ferris, a pirate.

However, what it loses in plot and character it makes up for with its solid gameplay. It's complexity is very high and it may puzzle and frusterate some and cause them to turn away, despite how good it could become. As soon as you pick up the first crystal shards, characters can select a certain such as a valent fighter, a spell-slinging magic user, a sly thief, etc. And as you battle the monsters and demons of this world, you collect more and more experence points. Eventually, you will be rewarded with new skills and powers related the class that you have chosen. While it may be a bore at first to level up your characters, as you learn more and more skills, the gameplay starts to enchant you as you attempt to level up your characters, and the gameplay then hits the borderlines of addictive.

"Final Fantasy V" is not, by any means, a flawless experence. The graphics are lacking. The characters are shallow. But due to the gameplay,"Final Fantasy V", is a RPG experence that is not to missed.

Final fantasy VI:***** (five stars)

Final fantast V:**** (four stars)

Music CD:***** (four stars)

Well, what are you waiting for? I will give several reasons why you should buy it.

1. Its cheap, price-wise.

2. The music CD is incredible. Track 21, Entitled "prelude" a.k.a the classic final fantasy theme, and the song "Terra" are some of the best video game songs I have every heard. The songs on the CD are melodic and beautifully composed.

3. "Final Fantasy VI" is still the pinnacle of Role playing games.

4. "Final Fantasy V" is much more entertaining than what many of the critics are saying.

5. JUST BUY IT!

66 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars You'll Love This Package, January 18, 2000

By A Customer

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Final Fantasy Anthology (Video Game)

This game is actually 2 games with a bonus music CD. Final Fantasy 5 was never released in the US, although some people reading this may have played an emulated version. It is a good game even without the graphical flare of Final Fantasy 6. It has a job system and it basically follows classic Square RPG format. Final Fantasy 6 is a better game and it probably set the mark for all RPG's following it. It's graphics, although now outdated, are still colorful and good. The music is awesome, simply put. You'll be humming these tunes at work or school all day. Every character has his/her own special skill which is a nice addition. The Esper system is easy to use and magic can be learned by all characters. The one point this game falls short of its SNES relative is loading time. It's not a big change, but it is noticeable....thats why only 4 stars. The new cut scenes pick up a little slack for the slow load time. The music CD is good but somewhat incomplete. There should have been more tracks on it.

All things included, this was MUCH more satisfying than Final Fantasy 8. Instead of releasing FF8, Square should have released this and made 8 better. If you liked Final Fantasy for the SNES, get this!

28 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Blast from the past, November 22, 1999

By A Customer

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Final Fantasy Anthology (Video Game)

I wasn't going to buy this game at first, but nostalgia got the best of me. I'll start of with the bonuses. You get a CD of game music along with the games Final Fantasy V and VI. I was really disappointed with this though. The tracks chosen for the bonus CD are boring and repetitive. What, no tracks for the Kefka theme, final battle themes, etc? A few were okay. Another thing I'd like to explain before I review the games is that Final Fantasy IV was included in the Japanese version of FF Anthology, but not ours. The FMV is amazing, especially for FFVI. It is less awe inspiring than FFVII but the style and design is less cold. The bonuses you get after beating FFVI (lists of monsters, espers, stats) are nice but anticlimactic.

FFV

This game was mediocre. The story is the weakest of all the final fantasies. Final Fantasy 8 has a much more interesting story than any installment, except possibly FF6. Characters are pathetically paper thin. It's the same old whoever controls the crystals, controls the world story. The pirate character has the irritating habit of saying "D'arrrrr" before every sentence. The only saving grace is the challenge.

FFVI

This, I believe, is where the series really gets good. Squaresoft took the whole Star Wars "Empire" plot but it stays fresh and interesting. The main villain, Kefka, is actually funny(and kind of fruity). It is a nice contrast to all the stereotypical "Darth Vader" type villains. If only Square had made this with current Playstation technology. The music is good but I disagree with all the FF freaks that think it is the best. The music is composed well but WAY too limited by the hardware. The loops are too small, thus making the music somewhat repetitive. I do agree that in newer installments the music is not "medieval" enough (but I feel the same way about how the theme in general has moved). As for gameplay, I like it better than the "job system" of FF5. I like how only one character can use certain special skills. I also like the emphasis at the end of the game on finding special items rather than so much boring level building.