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63 of 64 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
And In the Beginning...., November 18, 2003
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.
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33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A real treat for RPG gamers, April 13, 2003
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.
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30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Back to Final Fantasy's Origins!, March 13, 2003
The original Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II are the games that are in this new collection of Squaresoft classics. If you missed your chance to play Final Fantasy on the Nintendo, you now have another chance to experience the game that started the saga. Not only that, but you also get Final Fantasy II, the second of the Final Fantasy series.
(The FFII in Final Fantasy Origins is not the FFII released for the Super Nintendo. The FFII that was released for the Super Nintendo is actually known as Final Fantasy IV. Final Fantasy IV, along with Chrono Trigger, is part of Final Fantasy Chronicles, another collection of original Squaresoft games.)Final Fantasy is the game that made history in the field of RPG games. In this game, you start by getting to choose four characters to use for the rest of the game. The characters in this game are not unique characters, but job classes that include Fighter, Thief, and Red Mage. Final Fantasy II makes its first appearance in the U.S. in Final Fantasy Origins. In FFII, you take control of a group of people that are trying to stop the evil Empire of Baramekia from taking over the world. From what I have seen, in this game, in order to get stronger versions of a spell, you need to cast the spell often, opposed to separate spells to measure spell strength. This concept does not exist in any other Final Fantasy. Simply, this game is a must-buy for anyone who would like to experience the first two of the great RPGs with Final Fantasy in their titles.
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