Customer Reviews

Final Fantasy Anthology

5 star:		(191)
4 star:		(54)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

"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!

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!

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.

Let me first begin with saying this,if you started playing final fantasy at 7 or 8(mostly 8)you will probably not enjoy Final Fantasy Anthology.

The game comes packed with Final Fantasy 5 and 6(and a music cd). Final Fantasy 5 was never released in the Us you could only get it on a rom form.But anyway the game is very simple,yet complicated at times.The game is mostly about saving the crystals of the worlds(I won't go into detail you will have to find out for yourself :) ).Final Fantasy 6 is a story about a girl with the power of magic and the Empire is searching for her to help them control the world and have the "best" army.

Well let me just break it down:

FF5: Pros: Good Gameplay Some good character dev

Cons: Bad Graphics (for some), Not a great story, Can get somewhat boring for some, Music isn't that great

FF6 Pros: Great Story, Great Character del, THE BEST VILLIAN IN A VIDEO GAME! Fun Gameplay, Great sounds (like someones laugh :p),

Cons:

Graphics might be dated for some used to "newer" FF, Some people might get bored,

So the bottom line is if you like the older ones GET THIS GAME NOW! If you are new to ff still try this you might like it. Also both games have bad loading time.

Final Fantasy VI, or 3 on the Super Nintendo, was the second console RPG I played. (The first was "Lagoon" on the SNES, which was good.) I still believe that FF6 is one of the best of the Final Fantasy series. It has excellent character development, a good story, and for the first time, a villain with a background and personality. Up until this point, most RPG villains were "Mwa, ha ha, I'm Evil!!!" villains who were evil to have someone evil in the story. In FF6, Emperor Ghestalt and Kefka are deeper than that. One realizes too late that his greed has doomed him, the other is insane because he was the subject of magical/medical experiments. I have played this game six times, more than any other RPG.

Final Fantasy V was good. While I think FF6 was a little better, this is the first time FF5 was released in the US. It was interesting, and obviously the predecessor of the job system used in Final Fantasy Tactics. I think it was worth playing.

The Final Fantasy Anthology is the re-release of two classic Final Fantasy games, Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy VI (III in America). Both games are graphically dated, meaning that they use the Super Famicon (Super Nintendo) graphics - pixelated sprites...all 16 bits. Although it may not contain the same amount of eye-candy as the newer RPG's out there, these two games are simply two of the best in the genre. While the plot to FFV is very cliched, it's not the plot that makes this game shine. This game (not previously released in America) is known for its 'Job System'. This job system allows the player to customize their characters and let them learn new and different abilities, obviously allowing for different strategies for beating the game. FFVI is probably one of the best RPGs of all time, and certainly is much better than some of the newer game. This game revolutionized RPG's and set a new standard for how games in the genre should be made (although rarely followed nowadays). The game's plot is great, and really gets deep at some points. The plot of the game focuses upon a new Empire, seeking the lost knowledge of magic. The game's characters are heavily focused upon, letting the player get to know each of them. Gameplay is outstanding...with the fact that each character has their own set ability. Magic is done with magic points, and can only be used by learing them from Espers. Both these games contain great music, and the anthology contains a soundtrack which (is supposed to, but doesn't) has both games greatest music sets. Although there is a slowdown on FFVI (due to the fact that it's an emulation), it is nothing that can't be overlooked. Especially since this is one of the greatest RPG's. The only other problem with the anthology is that SquareSoft had not included Final Fantasy IV. Other than this, both games are great...even though they may not have as good graphics as other games.

It's nice when companies re-release the old games with a new twist. I loved these games when they were out on the snes and I love them now. The added bonus is that they added beautiful CG in to the story. Also they put a really good feature that I've wanted to see for some time...2-player combat. Instead of your buddy sitting and watching you play they can get involved and assist you in destroying your enemies. Hope you have fun with this one.

I wish there was more re-releasing old, classic games for new systems. I suppose some might see it as the companies just trying to squeeze more money from old games, but I love being able to play these games on new systems, and the addition of new features is always fun to experience.
As far as collections go, this is a very good one. Final Fantasy 6, originally 3, is a classic game, and considered by some to be the best FF ever. I can't say I think it's the best, but it is definitely an exceptional game that was even more remarkable when it was first released. It does already seem dated in many ways. At the same time, this is the final game in the series where you can experience the classic, 2D FF that many fans of the series have grown up with.
This game does have an excellent cast of characters, and one of the better storylines in the series. The espers, the first real summon monsters, are really cool, and theres somewhere around 30 of them, much more than any other game, which I like. Each character has unique abilities and weapons, which makes for great variety. A very fun old school RPG.
The graphics were amazing at the time, but already seem pretty dated. The sound as well. The music that was written for the game is some of Uematso's best, but the sound capabilities of the SNES are just too dated. If they improved anything, I wish they would have improved sound quality a bit. Also, the CG scenes they added were disappointing to me. They weren't that badly done, but I thought that they would be peppered throughout the game at the appropriate spots, which they weren't. They were only at the beginning and end, which I find disappointing. I guess they wanted the actual experience of playing the game to be identical to how it was on the SNES. I wouldn't have minded some small improvements, personally. Overall, they did a good job.
FF 5 was a real surprise, and it was great to play a brand new old style FF, never before released in the US. Lots of the reviews on Amazon say that it is really a sub-par game. I have to say I strongly disagree...I think its a great FF game. If you enjoyed FF 4 and 6, I think you'll definitely like 5. The graphics and sound are similar to FF 4. The gameplay is what makes the game so good though. You can switch your characters between the variety of job classes like in FF Tactics or FF X-2, and learn a large variety of different skills, then mix and match them. It's a very primitive form of the job class system, sure, but it's still really cool, considering the age of the game. I also really enjoyed the story of the game...it was about as good as FF 4. Theres a part where you're navigating through a graveyard of pirate ships infested with ghosts and zombies that is totally classic. I would definitely recommend giving FF 5 a chance. It is old and outdated, but definitely lives up to the quality of the FF series.
Now, a quick word about the music disc...it's pathetic. An absolute waste of time. If anyone could actually listen to that disc and get into the music on it, I'd say you have serious issues. It's tinny SNES sound, taken directly from the games. I can't imagine it would have been too much work to throw some real orchestrated versions (they are available in Japan) of the songs on here...that would have been great. Furthermore, they chose a bunch of the worst songs to include on the disc and left out many of the best. Terrible.
But, you won't be buying this collection for the music disc. The games are what matters, and they are quality, faithful ports of the originals. Highly recommended for people who want to walk down memory lane with some great old games.

"The game might as well stayed unreleased..." I don't agree with this at all! I personally appreciate the effort of Square to give us this game - a game we otherwise would not have. FFA should be a game in your PSX library. 2 for 1 - can't beat that. I feel as though even "new-school" gamers who played FF7 first would find these games entertaining. Now as far as the comment in the editorial about FF5, this game is the hardest in the series, next to the FF3 that Japan got (for the original NES). The bosses are hard, and mastering the job system in this game takes a lot of effort. Try going through this game without dying on a few bosses and you can consider yourself an FF expert.

My hat's off to Square for releasing these games to us hardcore gamers in North America. FF VI is arguably the best RPG in the 16-bit genre, and FF V, technically being a new game to North America, make this an unbeatable package. Square must know this, because they're doing it again with Final Fantasy Chronicles (FF IV and Chrono Trigger). Smart move if you ask me. Gamers like me will be first in line to get this compilation when it comes out. Meanwhile, if you see this somewhere and you don't own it, buy it! You won't regret it.

"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.

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 reason 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!