Final Fantasy Origins Final Fantasy I & II Remastered Editions

by Square Enix

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00008RUYZ
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.5 inches ; 5 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: June 30, 2003
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (126 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,304 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Final Fantasy Origins, a special package of the original Final Fantasy (released in North America 1n 1990) and Final Fantasy II (never before released in North America) have been remade for the PlayStation game console and feature new cinematic movies, opening theme songs, event scenes including updates of the original event sequences, enhanced graphics, improved sound quality and new gameplay modes. Together, these two titles laid the foundation for the series and spawned many hit sequels that have now sold over 42 million units worldwide.

Product Description

Four nameless warriors are out to save the world as evil gathers across the land.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

78 of 80 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars And In the Beginning.... November 18, 2003

By Marc Ruby™ HALL OF FAMEVINE™ VOICE

Typical of me, I've been playing the Final Fantasy series backwards, starting with FFX, then FF7-9, and now the two games in cluded in this set, Final Fantasy I and II. The effect is, that as I move backwards, I get to see the beginnings of the ideas that later come to fruition. Since this series is noted for the originality of each issue, it is the little common themes, like Chocobos and wizard hats that make the entirety something magical. And here is where they all began.

Of course, Final Fantasy I itself is derivative. All long time PC and Atari gamers remember the beginnings of Origin Systems' Avater series with starry eyes. Little characters dancing about a world map, asking questions, falling into dungeons, and saving the world. When FFI first booted up I had a massive nostagia moment - the structural similarities are unmistakeable. Even so, FFI is unique in world concept and plot, improving on the formula enough to be an instant success and rescue a game vendor from impending bankruptcy. While it is primitive in many ways, it started an RPG revolution for the game console world.

From a production viewpoint, FFII is head and shoulders above FFI. The artwork is much more detailed. To the point that some of the monsters and background scenes are quite remarkable, and several of the characters actually have something that resembles a personality. The downside of ths is that the world is a bit smaller, and the story a bit shorter - but not in any harmful sense. While I think the FFI is probably the better game, FFII is really the first clear hint of what was to come as the series developed. And it helped to create the momentum behind one of the most successful franchises in gaming.

What Squaresoft did in repackaging these games is revise the graphic, especially the CGI cut scenes, and rework the music. In addition several new freatures - a bestiary and a collection of Amano Yoshitaka's original are for the series. This is one of the best jobs of resurrecting something old and making it as much fun as it was originally that I have ever seen. For the price, this is one of the best game sets one can buy.

33 of 36 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A real treat for RPG gamers April 13, 2003

By N. Durham HALL OF FAMETOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

As the PS1 releases get more and more shallow, it's good to see that this new compilation of early Final Fantasy games made it here from overseas. Final Fantasy Origins collects the original 8 bit NES Final Fantasy game, and Final Fantasy 2, both of which are brought to the PS1 as Wonderswan (an obscure handheld Japanese system) remakes of the original games. Older RPG players who loved the challenging gameplay of these games will instantly play for a nostalgia trip, but younger RPG players who are more used to Final Fantasy VII or easier and flashier RPG's won't find much to like here. The first game is a basic by the numbers RPG that is quite challenging and long on gameplay, but the second game is much much better and features great character development and storyline depth. The graphics are nicely drawn and colorful, reminiscent of early Super Nintendo-esque graphic quality, but the sound and audio really aren't anything special. As with any RPG the controls take getting used to, but are easy to handle after a while. Origins also plays more smoothly than the earlier released Final Fantasy Anthology and Final Fantasy Chronicles; it has much faster loading times and no slowdown whatsoever like the aforementioned games. All in all, I strongly suggest picking up Final Fantasy Origins, especially if your an older RPG player.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic January 4, 2004

By Jigen

Square, over the past five years or so, has done many remakes. The PSX remakes have been sloppy, to say the least. Terrible load times in Chrono Trigger, laggy battles and semi-slow loading times in FFVI, and no major upgrades added. FF Origins is a different story. The graphics have been updated and look great. It's not upgraded enough to lose that old school appeal(that's a very good thing), but it gets rid of those sloppy old NES graphics and bring them up to more of an SNES-quality. Also, as usual, Square included the neat Collections bonus', just like they have with all of their PSX remakes. There's a Bestiary, to view detailed information on each monster in the game, an Item list, to view information on the items in the game, an Art Gallery, to view original artwork by Yoshitaka Amano, and a secret bonus collection once you beat the game. The collections definitely add some replay value and fun to the game. There's also a few small gameplay upgrades that improve the game.

FFI:

The gameplay in this game is top-notch. It's what Final Fantasy relied on back in the day to sell their games. The newer ones still have great gameplay, but definitely focus more on characters and story than the past games. The battle system has recieved a complete overhaul as far as graphics are concerned. It has the typical SNES style battles, and there's an option to turn on auto-target, so no more trying to attack an enemy that has already been defeated. Those that want the original experience, though, can leave this off. As far as equipment is done in this game, it's pretty simple. You can equip one weapon, one shield, a Helmet, Armor, and Gloves. This old style of equipping items is my favorite used through out the series.

The world is massive, not only for it's time, but for todays RPG's. Not the biggest, but big. This game is pure fantasy when it comes to level design. Caves, Castles, Small Villages, Big Towns, etc. It's all very nicely done, and even though it's an NES port, the world pulls you in and it gives you that sense of adventure that the series is known for. The Caves and other levels that are filled with nasty enemies are pretty different from the newer games in the series. Some of them can get down right nasty, with many confusing maze-like sections and quite a few floors. And as you probably have heard, the random battles are pretty common. That's the biggest reason this is only for the hardcore RPG'ers out there. You need to have patience, or this game will eat you alive. If you can handle that, the game is a lot of fun. At times the battles annoyed me, but I enjoyed the levels for the most part. The villages, and it's NPC's, all give you the feeling of a living world. They're not as complex as Lindblum from FFIX or Midgar from FFVII, but they are cool in their own way.

One thing that sets this game apart from most of the series is it's difficulty. There's an easy mode included for those that want it, but the normal mode is what the game should be played on. It's not really THAT hard, but it's perfect. In my opinion, most of the series is too simple, with the occasional tough part, but I is a good solid challenge through each level. The bosses aren't tough, even though the last one will give you a nice challenge. That's the way it is, though. If you make it through the level with enough life and items to heal, you will be fine. The bosses aren't meant to be tough, it's the levels, unlike the newer games in the series, which are basically the opposite.

The last thing I will touch on is the music. It's brilliant for it's time, and when you listen to it today(in it's new updated sound for this game), you will love it. It's simple, shorter songs, but the talent of Nobuo Uematsu is apparent in each song. Many classics here.

Gameplay: 9.5/10
Graphics: 9/10
Music: 9/10
Lasting Appeal: 8.5/10
Overall: 9.5/10

FFII:

Unreleased in the US; it's the official #2 in the series. This is the first chance for us Final Fantasy fans outside of Japan to give this one a shot. This one had quite a few firsts for the series: 1.) Actual characters. Unlike the class characters of FFI, this one actually focuses on real characters with real personalities. 2.) A unique ability system. The one used in this game is the more times a character uses an ability in battle, the more it develops. Character attributes change according to how they're used in battle, so if you use magic a lot for one character, he will become more like a mage.(Weak attack power, high MP, and high Magic skills). It's a decent but flawed system, and it sometimes becomes tedious and annoying trying to give a character a certain ability. And 3.) A unique story. Instead of the now cliche Light vs Dark battle, it has an interesting story this time around. Here's the excerpt from the manual:

"In a distant land...
The peace long enjoyed by the people came to a crashing end.
The emperor of Palamecia summoned fiends from another dimension...
And the empire launched it's campaign for world conquest.

In response, a rebel force arose in the Kingdom of Fynn.

In the ensuing clash between the rebel and empire, Castle Fynn was taken. The rebels were forced to retreat to the remote town of Altair.

Amidst the chaos, four youths also fled the occupied Fynn. They were childhood friends, now orphaned and homeless...

And they suddenly found themselves fighting for their lives."

Definitely an upgrade from FFI in that area. FFII is definitely worthy of atleast one play through, but the guy behind this one has been behind some horrible games(recently it was Unlimited Saga), so don't expect a perfect game. The ability system is tedious and rediculous at times, but overall, a decent addition to the series.

Gameplay: 8/10
Graphics: 9/10
Music: 8/10
Lasting Appeal: 7.5/10
Overall: 8/10

One last thing I'd like to mention. The case and artwork on the manual and disc are amazing. Probably one of the coolest looking cases ever. The art on the disc alone makes me want to play this game. Enjoy the games, everyone.