Game Boy Advance

Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls

Square Enix’s flagship franchise has been the subject of some criticism lately. With no concrete date set for Final Fantasy XII, all fans of the series have to hold them over are movie offshoots, spin-offs, and remakes of earlier entries. However, I challenge anyone who thinks that the RPG giant is running out of steam to spend just a few hours with Dawn of Souls and not have their confidence in Square Enix restored all over again.

Le premier Final Fantasy est toujours une sacrée expérience pour tous les amateurs de RPG. Malgré quelques réticences concernant ses graphismes un peu archaïques, je dois reconnaître qu’il fait passer un agréable moment. Mais mon préféré reste Final Fantasy II, qui propose un scénario bien meilleur et qui fonde les bases de la série. Malgré son âge, cette compilation a donc de quoi satisfaire les fans invétérés. De longues et bonnes soirées d’hiver en perspective !

In the off chance you missed last year's excellent PlayStation One compilation Final Fantasy Origins, Square Enix's latest reinterpretation of its 8-bit dynasty could be one of the most surprisingly enjoyable pick-ups of the season. Though it's not as complex or attractive as the more recent GBA RPGs like Golden Sun and the Mega Man Battle Network series, Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls still maintains the most important element needed towards becoming an awesome videogame: it's fun plain and simple.

Many games of the NES and SNES are being ported straight to the GBA, everyone knows that. Some are worth this, others aren't. Nintendo has taken the first two parts of the original Final Fantasy series out of the closet, bundled them and dropped them onto store shelves under the name Final Fantasy I&II: Dawn of Souls. These titles used to be received with open arms, let's see whether they're still worth such treatment

Apesar de não ter o mesmo impacto visual e dramático dos episódios atuais, "Dawn of Souls" traz um excelente custo-benefício e uma oportunidade única de reviver dois dos mais influentes RPGs dos videogames.

La note n'a pas vraiment d'importance. Elle dépend de votre sensibilité à appréhender un jeu sous sa forme brute. Ce ne sont peut-être pas les deux meilleurs RPG disponibles à l'heure actuelle, mais ils comptent certainement parmi les principaux fondateurs du genre.

What we have here is Squaresoft’s ageing heritage in all its glory, transformed before our very eyes to become what could easily be a brand new RPG. The work done to improve this part of the Dawn of Souls package is breath-taking, with Square Enix deserve the utmost of praise from the world over, which means British gamers included. Rush out and prevent this from remaining the sales disaster over here that it currently is…

When I think of the games that have sucked the most hours out of my life thee come to mind as the big hitters, Civilization II and FF I and III. Not only did the FF series suck away large chunks of time from my life it is also one of the most influential and famous RPG games, if not in all genres, covering systems including, the original Nintendo (and its Japanese counterpart), Super Nintendo, Playstation 1 and 2, the Game Boy line and Computer (I left out GC since FF Crystal Chronicles was not made by Square I don’t count it as a FF game). So once again homage to the origins is here.

It's been 17 years since the Japanese release of the original Final Fantasy game, and now Square is looking back on its series' roots ... for the fourth time. After stints on the Wonderswan Color, PSone, and DoCoMo cellphones, Final Fantasy I and II return on the GBA. For those that have already purchased the PSone compilation, Final Fantasy Origins, there might not be enough new here to justify another purchase, but RPG fans that haven't owe it to themselves to pick this one up.

If you are a fan of turn-based RPGs, and you haven't played these games yet, you should get this version of them and give them a try. Their combined length will make the price of them more than worth it. If you've played Origins or the original versions, you might pass if the added stuff isn't enough to tempt you, but whatever you do, if you are a fan of turn-based RPGs, you owe it to yourself to play these games in some form.

First remade for the Japanese-produced Bandai WonderSwan Color handheld, Final Fantasy I and II both also enjoyed a combined showing on the PlayStation as Final Fantasy Origins. Now, the same versions of these games have finally made their ways onto Nintendo's Game Boy Advance, with the subtitle Dawn of Souls. While the games themselves are pretty much unchanged graphically, the GBA versions have some additions in the ways of bonus dungeons (in Final Fantasy I) and an extended storyline (in Final Fantasy II). The compilation here offers a lot of role-playing bang for your buck, and though each game shows its age a bit, the combined package is still worthwhile for old-school RPG fans and patient neophytes.

Funny thing about handheld systems: time has not really been kind to the two games contained in this collection, unless you're playing them during an otherwise dull car/bus/plane trip. A quick ten minutes here and there leavens even the most tedious level-up marathon, when the alternative is to stare out the window at the wing and engine.

One last thing they’ve put in is a bestiary which lists all the beasts you’ve killed in the games. I think getting 100% on this would take a lot of effort as I finished both games with about 80%, and even so according to the game records I had clocked 50 hours. It’s fantastic value for any game, let alone a handheld game, but it’s a less intense experience than an action type game so I don’t think you can compare play-time between genres.

There are a number of schools of thought on retro gaming. It's probably important, in the context of this review, that I pin my colours to the mast here - most old games are rubbish. Or to be precise, they've aged badly and become rubbish, just like your favourite shirt from five years ago, which now sees service washing the car on Sunday afternoon.

If you have a PS2 you can pick up a used copy of Final Fantasy Origins for next to nothing. If you don't have a PS2, you may be able to look around and find a used PSX system and a copy of the game for less than the price of a brand new GBA cartridge.

To a vintage console RPG fan, Dawn of Souls is a tribute to the humble beginnings of a game series that has evolved into some of the most popular and controversial titles on the market. You can clearly see some of the innovative threads from which the Final Fantasy series has been spun in these humble beginnings. The time and effort that was given to restoring these games is akin to that used to rebuild and preserve old colonial houses. Unfortunately for the end user, however, the results are much like taking a tour through such a restored house-you can appreciate the time devoted to rebuilding the archaic foundation, repainting the faded walls, and polishing the former owner's ugly collection of medieval sculptures, but you'll tire of its lack of air conditioning, high-speed Internet access, and major appliances quicker than you'll appreciate the overall nostalgia and aesthetic. Only serious history buffs need apply here.