PlayStation

Final Fantasy Anthology

Varje äventyr har en början. Och eftersom många spelare inte upptäckte Squares Final Fantasy-saga förrän under det sjunde kapitlet släpper de nu en samling som både fungerar som nostalgitripp och historielektion.

In conclusion, with Final Fantasy Anthology, you get 2 great RPGs: one making its belated first appearance in the US, the other a re-release of an excellent 16-Bit classic, as well as a music CD featuring a small sample of both game's soundtracks, all for the low price of $40. Final Fantasy Anthology is great deal and a worthy purchase.

Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy VI both have enough of those treasured definitive gaming moments during each quest to last through this current generation of software and probably the next. Who could resist the charm of Shadow (FFVI) or the genuine bond felt between Reina and Faris? Eventually I even found myself liking these games more so than FFVIII. Though the graphics will pale in comparison to those found in Square's latest eye-candy fest, its gameplay and characters remain as fresh as they were when they were released. This is the type of experience that cannot be beat even by many of today's RPGs and for the package and price, it shouldn't be missed out on by anyone calling themselves a fan.

As for the replay value. Final Fantasy Anthology features brand new CGs that the original titles never had. Around 60-70 hours of continuous gameplay. Excellently written stories, great cast of characters and addictive gameplay. If you are or not a Final Fantasy fan you should definitely pick up Final Fantasy Anthology.

Final Fantasy Anthology porte bien son nom et fait office de véritable collector indispensable pour tout vrai fan qui veut connaître les origines de la série. La conversion PSX et la localisation européenne auraient certes pu être optimisées, mais le pack comprend tout de même deux jeux en un, et qui plus est deux monuments de l'histoire du jeu de rôle.

Mediocre packaging and emulation quirks aside, it's hard not to like Final Fantasy Anthology.

Anthology is basically a chance for those who have never played a true old school RPG to see where it all started, as well as how things have evolved. The two games still hold up remarkably well, serving up a steaming plate of nostalgia. As an entry for the Playstation though, I would've liked to see some more updates. Then again, there's the argument that updating it would take away from the original experience of the game. Any way you look at it, these two games are still a worthy trip down an old fond fantasy.

The remake that could have been just wasn't, in the end. Square's growing affinity for profit as opposed to quality reared its ugly head in truly noticeable fashion for the first time here, and what should have been a great remake ended up being worse than mediocre. If you're in the market for a good remake, pick up Lunar instead. Otherwise, don't touch this offering with a ten foot pole; trust me, the pole will thank you later.