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With all the different names for the original 1991 release of the first title in this compilation (Final Fantasy IV in Japan, Final Fantasy II in the U.S.), role-players new to the game may get confused. Make no mistake, though: Final Fantasy Chronicles marks the first time this pivotal installment of the cherished game series has ever been available on the PlayStation. In Final Fantasy IV, players take on the role of Cecil, a loyal captain who questions the orders of his king, and for it is sent to slay a mysterious beast in a nearby valley.
In Chrono Trigger, Chrono must follow princess Marle's teleportation through time and locate her before an intergalactic parasite arrives to destroy the world. The original game, also on the PlayStation for the first time, was one of the first nonlinear role-playing games. The decisions that players make during the game will point them toward one of more than a dozen possible endings.
These new versions retain the authentic Japanese SNES stories and characters while updating their graphics and adding new full-motion video sequences and other features.
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One of the two games included is Chrono Trigger.
Chrono Trigger remains the greatest console RPG ever made. The version on this new CD compilation is identical in play to the original, but includes several animated cutscenes (done by Bird Studios, producers of Dragonball/DBZ and owned/operated by Akira Toriyama, who did the character designs for Chrono Trigger as well) which are themselves worth the price. (In point of fact, the price itself is interesting; the compilation of Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy 4 costs less than either of them did separately when first released.)
Chrono Trigger centers around the adventures of Crono (yes, that's the correct spelling), a young man whose only apparent unusual feature is skill with a sword; otherwise, he lives a rather ordinary life, getting his allowance from his mom, taking care of his pet cat, and, as the story begins, looking forward to the Millennial Fair. At the Fair, he meets with a pretty blonde girl, Marle, who wears an interesting pendant, and who as a stranger to his town asks him if he'd be nice enough to show her around a bit.
Things get strange when they visit the exhibit area of one of Crono's friends, Lucca, who's an eccentric inventor. Her invention mysteriously reacts to the presence of Marle's pendant, and Marle vanishes, leaving the glowing pendant behind. When Crono decides to follow her wherever she's gone and bring her back, he's catapulted into a time-spanning adventure which will take him from the present to 65 million years in the past, and thousands of years in the future, and eventually to confront a world-destroying monster which may, at the same time, have been responsible for the creation of Crono's own civilization. Along the way he will learn secrets of his world's history, gain new powers, and gather allies, ranging from the super-strong cavegirl Ayla to the technologically advanced machine-man Robo.
Chrono Trigger's greatest claim to fame was, and is, that it boasts many possible endings, all quite different, based on what decisions you make during the game. They're not all easily predictable, either, and at least one or two are rather creepy. It's also interesting in that, after a certain point, you no longer have to keep Crono in your party (most games have a set viewpoint character that you have to keep around). It's quite possible to finish the game with *ANY* combination of available characters.
Gameplay is, in my opinion, superior to that of any of the Final Fantasy games. For one thing, it avoids the "eternally wandering monster" phenomenon which makes overland travel in the FF series so damnably frustrating, while still allowing you to wander freely across the land and visit places, looking for clues, new things to buy, and new friends and allies. For another, the combat sequences are much more active than those of other RPGs of its same era, and include special techniques -- both for individuals AND ones combining the techniques of two or three characters at once. Once you beat the game, you have the option of using "new game+", which allows you to start with the same power, and most of the items, that you'd gained along the way the first time. This is useful for those trying to play through again, since it allows you to zip through combats which, the first time, took many minutes to complete. (it does, however, introduce a bit of cognitive dissonance, especially in the early parts of the game: "How the heck are they throwing ME in jail?! I have enough power to level this entire CASTLE by myself!")
The soundtrack of Chrono Trigger is unbelieveably good. Somehow, through the miracle of MIDI, the original game had 3 full CDs worth of music crammed on it, and the skill with which the MIDI was composed and produced made it sound, at the time, very nearly orchestral. Even today the sound isn't bad, and the re-done, fully orchestral version is amazing. Each major character has its own theme, and they're all excellent. Chrono Trigger's soundtrack still rates as one of my absolute favorites.
If you like console RPGs at all, this is one that you absolutely MUST buy, and keep enshrined somewhere.
However, I think it's important to note some of the issues in porting this cartridge game over to a Playstation disk. Cartridges, like the original one designed for the SNES have very fast data reads. This keeps the pacing of the game brisk and enjoyable. Unfortunately, when porting this game to a playstation disc, they did not take into account the amount of time it takes to seek data off a CD. As a result, the game has a series of small 10 to 15 second delays between various screens, interactions, and other events. This becomes a bit tedious, especially in the early game, when much of the game is developing the story stage. The game is still quite playable and enjoyable, but it does detract from the overall gaming experience.
re-released in this great package with some nice additions. I'll be reviewing the two games.
FINAL FANTASY IV
INTRO: In 1991, FFIV was originally released in America for the SNES under the name, "Final Fantasy II." But the SNES version was pretty flawed. For one thing, they censored the script and and it was horribly translated. Another thing is that they took out a few things, such as the Developer's Room. Also, they toned down the difficulty. Now the game has been re-released for the PS1 with the complete, uncut script, Developer's Room, and a harder difficulty.
GAMEPLAY: This was the first FF game to have more than the number of characters in your party. (you can have up to five characters in your party. Sweet!) The game has lots of secrets, spells, weapons, and summons. It's a really addicting RPG with a great challenge.
GRAPHICS: Meh. It was made in 1991, so of course the graphics look outdated. But they were good for the time.
SOUND: Not much to say about the sound. It's your standard SNES sound.
MUSIC: I love the music in this game. Even 14 years later, the music still packs a punch. I especially love the boss music. It's very catchy.
STORY: This game has a great story. I won't spoil it for you, but the story is very original, filled with plot twists.
ADDED EXTRAS: Besides having the complete, uncut game, not much. Just an FMV scene.
CHRONO TRIGGER
INTRO: Ten years ago, CT was released for the SNES. Even now, it's still one of the most loved and popular RPG's ever. Now it's been re-released with a ton of extras.
GAMEPLAY: CT is an RPG. However, there are things that are special about this game. For one thing the battle system is unique. You can use moves that combine different characters. It's a bit hard to explain.
Another thing that makes this game unique is the fact that you can time travel. You can alter the past, and have fun. Plus, more eras mean more sidequests.
GRAPHICS: Very ahead of its time. CT's graphics were beautiful, from the colorful 2D textures, to the forests, the graphics were topnotch.
MUSIC: Like most RPG's, CT has an epic musical score.
SOUND: Pretty good for 1995.
STORY: The story, I believe, is solid. It isn't the best RPG story ever, but it is easy to understand and very entertaining.
REPLAY VALUE: Most RPG's don't really have a replay value, but this does. Once you beat the game, you can do a New Game+, which allows you to start the game over with everything you had on the first game. Plus, there are many, [and I mean MANY!] endings to unlock.
ADDED EXTRAS: Awesome anime cutscenes, and much more!
OVERALL: Two epic RPG's in one package. A must have.
Firstly, this game is a must have for any collector. A FF collection without this game is no collection at all! Read more
I love final fantasy games. ^_^
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