Summary
The great SNES legacy is back with some enhancements
The Good
This is an important compilations that brings back two of the greatest console RPG classics of all times:
Final Fantasy IV and
Chrono Trigger.
The most interesting innovation involves the gameplay of "Final Fantasy IV". The US SNES version of this game, erroneously entitled "Final Fantasy II", omitted some gameplay elements and reduced the difficulty level. Now non-Japanese players finally receive the original game, with all the additions, enhanced difficulty, and new translation. The result is a more challenging, but also more rewarding and rich game. Two fantastic CG movies, intro and ending, were also created for this release. The intro is very short, but it adds a lot to the game's atmosphere and captures precisely the spirit of its world.
"Chrono Trigger" boasts now animé-style cut scenes. Intro and ending animations were particularly lacking in the SNES release. The intro contained in fact just a few in-game battles from various locations. Fans of animé art will rejoice now at the sight of the wonderful new intro, that fits the game perfectly. There are also many extras in the game, many of which are available when you finish the game and then replay at in "New Game +" mode.
The Bad
The sound quality was the biggest disappointment here. There must have been a strange problem with sound emulation. Some of my favorite melodies in "Chrono Trigger" didn't sound the same way they did in the SNES version - supporting voices were too loud, and the actual melody almost impossible to hear.
I wish there were more pre-rendered cut scenes for "Final Fantasy IV". The intro is also much too short.
The loading times in "Chrono Trigger" are really exaggerated, it often takes several seconds to enter a battle, although the monsters have already taken their positions.
For a mysterious reason, the music of "Chrono Trigger" sounded at half-speed when I was running the game on Playstation 2. Needless to say it was absolutely impossible to play normally. I had in fact to buy a Playstation just for this game!
The Bottom Line
Compared to
Final Fantasy Anthology, this package has somewhat more to offer. "Final Fantasy IV" is quite a different game from the US SNES version, and "Chrono Trigger" has been enhanced with cut scenes more than the three contemporary Final Fantasies. Despite few shortcomings, this compilation is something a true fan and collector of Japanese RPGs can't allow himself to ignore.
See my reviews for the SNES versions of
Final Fantasy IV and
Chrono Trigger for a detailed opinion about the games themselves.
