Video Game Review: Final Fantasy 4 The Complete Collection(PSP)

Final Fantasy 4: The Complete Collection is one UMD chock full of value! Combining the original groundbreaking masterpiece with its modern sequel while adding in a bonus in-between game makes this the definitive FF4 collection to date! The extras in the main menu include an extensive music library complete with the original SNES tracks as well as all the modern remixes, a very detailed bestiary spanning all three games, and a movie gallery to view the CG intros to FF4 and The After years. Serving as both a love letter to fans of the series and an introduction to one of the most beloved entries into the Final Fantasy saga, The Complete Collection does not fail! A must own for PSP owners everywhere! :D

Final Fantasy 4 The Complete Collection(PSP) score: 8.5/10

Video Game Review: Final Fantasy 4 The After Years(PSP)

***SPOILERS AHEAD!***

Originally released in 2009, Final Fantasy 4 The After Years is the one and only major sequel to Square's SNES masterpiece, FF4. The After Years was later released for the PSP in the Complete Collection.

The story takes place seventeen years after the events of FF4 and FF4 Interlude. The Second Moon has long left the Blue Planet and the world's inhabitants made great gains in rebuilding there lives and there kingdoms. Cecil and Rosa now serve as king and queen of Baron and there son, Ceodore, has joined the kingdom's elite airship fleet, the Red Wings. While on his initiation mission for the Red Wings Baron comes under attack from massive hordes of monsters. Cecil attempts to fight them off but is defeated by strange being know as Mysterious Woman. At the same time, the Second Moon makes it's return to the Blue Planet. Across the world old friends unite, and are joined by new faces as they attempt to stop the advance of the Second Moon, defeat the Mysterious Woman, and discover the truth behind everything once and for all. The story for The After Years borrows a lot of elements from the original game, but it adds several new characters and creatures to make things new and fresh. One new feature to the game is the episodic format of the story. Each major character has his or her own story. Playing through each episode in a row shows coinciding elements across all the stories, creating a greater yet fractured narrative. Beating all episodes is key to unlocking the final episode, bringing the FF4 saga to an epic conclusion. All of the main characters from the first game make a triumphant return and are joined by several new characters, each with there own special personalities and abilities. Ceodore the knight in training, Ursula the daughter of Yang, Luca the female dwarf and mechanic, and even Golbez are just some of the new playable characters to the franchise! Despite familiar elements the story still finds ways to be fresh and interesting!

Some Characters from The After Years

Ceodore Harvey

Ursula

Cecil Harvey

Rosa Harvey

Rydia

Mysterious Girl

The gameplay to the FF4 saga also received some major additions. While the overall basics are unchanged from the original, The After Years sees some ambitious new mechanics implemented to make the game feel more modern. This biggest addition is the effects of the moon on the world at large. Moon Phase will change throughout your adventure at certain points in the story or whenever you use an Inn or rest at a save point using a Tent or a Cottage. Moon Phases not only affect the world but your party's stats and abilities as well. For example New Moon phase will increase the power of Skill abilities such as Kain's Jump, but White Magic like Cure will be less effective in supporting your party. Likewise Waning Moon phase will increase the strength of basic physical attacks, but Skill abilities will be less effective on enemies. To make things even more challenging, the 4 different Moon Phases also affect the enemies you encounter. Basic enemies and bosses also get increases and decreases to the same abilities as your characters. Fighting against a boss with strong physical attacks during a Waning Moon will put you in a world of hurt if you don't plan your attacks or have the wrong character set-up. Moreover you will encounter certain monsters in specific areas and dungeons during a set Moon Phase. Moon Phase's influence on exploration and more importantly combat adds a real strategy element to the mix that really keeps you on your toes as you try to find a winning formula to beat certain types of enemies and bosses. At times it can feel cheap to be stuck in an area with no way to change to a Phase that will better help you achieve victory, but this new mechanic sure adds a wild card element to the game that makes it feel more modern and fresh. Another new addition to the gameplay are Bands. Bands are special abilities and combo attacks that involve two or more characters, often characters that have a bond or connection within the story such as Cecil with Rosa and Ceodore. Some Bands are obtained directly in accordance to the progression of the story while others must be found in combat at your leisure. Effects of bands can be powerful combo attacks that deal massive damage to one or more enemies or special magic spells that buff up your party or hinder enemies. Finding a great Band can mean the difference between victory and defeat and finding them all can be a fun challenge in it's own right!

The presentation for the After Years is exactly the same as FF4 and Interlude. Detailed sprite based graphics with an old school charm, and the rich remixed classic soundtrack seen in the rest of the series. New areas help to break up the pace by giving newcomers and FF4 veterans some new places to explore. Nothing too major but it fits in just fine with the rest of the games on the UMD. :)

Final Fantasy 4 The After Years is a sequel that had some big shoes to fill. Despite the feeling of repetition, it manages to do enough to make itself feel new, modern and unique to its predecessor. While not the industry movie epic its forbear was, The After Years does the job of being a fun sequel that provides great closure to a beloved story, and does it well. Fans of Final Fantasy 4, as well as new players to the saga will find a lot to love in The After Years! A great game not to be missed!

Final Fantasy 4 The After Years(PSP) score: 8/10

Video Game Review: Final Fantasy 4(PSP)

*Hey everyone, sorry for the odd schedule this week. I had some important business going on around here so I didnt have time to review anything on Friday. anyway, here is my video game review for the week! My yuri review will be out tomorrow! :)

*A quick note: the next few video game reviews will be for the games in the Final Fantasy 4 Complete Collection for PSP. I will review each game individually then offer a total review for the whole package. This will be done for all game collections in the future as well! :)

***SPOILERS AHEAD***

Originally released in 1991 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System(SNES) Final Fantasy is one of the most ground-breaking and beloved entries into the FF series. Its masterful blend of great storytelling, innovative gameplay mechanics, graphics, and the large cast of likeable characters cemented Final Fantasy 4's status as one of the greatest video games of all time and the game certainly holds up to that status even by today's standards!

This entry in the FF saga was where Square really started to grow as storytellers! The story takes place on Blue Planet and follows the Dark Knight, Cecil Harvey, as he serves the Kingdom of Baron and there airship fleet the Red Wings. Cecil as well as his love interest Rosa Farrell and best friend Kain Highwind set out to discover why there kingdom has started to become aggressive with allied nations, as well as stealing elemental crystals from other kingdoms. Along the way they discover new truths about there world, there moons, as well as there pasts and as well as meet the true mastermind behind the war engulfing there world, Golbez. In there travels, Cecil and his friends also team up with a host of interesting characters. Rydia the summoner, Edward "Edge" Geraldine the ninja, Yang Fang Leiden the monk, Tellah the sage, Palom and Porom the twin magicians, Edward Chris von Muir the bard, and Cid Pollendina the engineer round out a cast that works really well together and bring the story to life! The story overall(especially when compared with the previous 3 FF games) has been credited with bringing dramatic storytelling to RPGs and the twists and turns and developments in FF4's plot will keep you engaged from start to finish! Even after over 20 years this story of war, love and redemption still knows how to wow you! :D

Some characters from Final Fantasy 4

Cecil Harvey

Rosa Farrell(hot!)

Kain Highwind

Rydia(hot!x2)

Golbez(boooo!)

As epic and ground breaking as the story was, Final Fantasy 4 also introduced several innovative gameplay conventions that are still being used in RPGs to this day! Like FF1 and FF1, you travel across the game's overworld and through dungeons battling monsters and defeating bosses. You are given the usual experience points to gain levels and increase your stats for each character. You also obtain and use gil to purchase weapons, armor and items to heal or enhance your party. One of the new mechanics that separates this from past FF games is the introduction of greater diversity in character abilities based on that particular character's class. For example, Cecil as a Dark Knight can use an attack that sacrifices his HP to attack multiple enemies with dark energy, Rydia can summon powerful entities called Eidolons to aid the party in battle with powerful attacks, and Yang uses martial arts to attack multiple enemies at once or one enemy for massive damage. Another feature introduced in this game was the fact that your party can hold up to 5 characters at once, and by doing so, you can arrange your party in two different rows to fit any situation you may come across. The front row is used for characters you wish to be your attackers. Being in front, characters deal the highest damage but also take a bit more damage as well and are more likely to be attacked. The back row is reserved for characters you use in a support role such as using White or Black magic and items. Characters in the back deal slightly less damage but take less damage as well and aren't as likely to be attacked. This concept of switching your party members from offense to defense is crucial to winning battles. Figuring out each characters strength and weaknesses and placing them in the right place adds a layer of strategy to the game and makes for some fun and challenging battles! Another new idea is the ability to switch party members with different characters. In past FF games you were only relegated to using a set group of characters and no one else. In FF4 after reaching a certain point in the game, you are able to sawp out characters in your party for others you have waiting in your airship or elsewhere. This system of swapping party members around can make for some fun strategizing as you try and discover new teams that can get you past a situation another team set up can't! The most notable gameplay element(and the most innovative) in FF4 is the introduction of the Active Time Battle(ATB) system. All characters have an ATB gauge next to there HP/MP bars. After a character takes an action, like attack, use magic or items, the character must wait until the ATB gauge fills up again. The amount of time it takes for the gauge to fill back up depends on the character's class and level. The higher a character's level is, the faster the gauge will fill. Items and magic can also be used to increase the speed at which the gauge fills. Since enemies also have an ATB gauge, you can also use magic and items to slow there gauges, but the same can be done to you. The ATB system was very innovative for its time and has appeared in several RPGs since, including other FF games. It may not seem so innovative now but it still works really well, and its use means one has to carefully plan out attacks and actions before there gauge fills up. All these mechanics combine to make for addicting monster slaying and truly epic and fun boss battles! 

The game's presentation, like FF1 and FF2, has been enhanced specifically for the PSP. The graphics are roughly the same as FF1 and FF2, but with a bit more detail. Also there is far greater variety to the game world. From the typical green and blue over world, to an underworld of lava and stone, and the high tech interior of an ancient tower, there is far greater visual variety in FF4 than in previous FF games. The epic soundtrack has also been upgraded. In this PSP version you can switch from using the original SNES tracks, or the new superior arrangement made for the PSP(also used in the  Nintendo DS version). Some of Final Fantasy's greatest tunes came from FF4 and listening to the soundtrack today its not hard to see why! ;)

Final Fantasy 4 is where the true console RPG craze began. An amazing story, fun battle systems, and amazing soundtrack all combine to create one of the best games I have ever had the pleasure of playing as well as one of the most beloved RPGs in general! There is so much to love in FF4 you would be doing yourself a great disservice by not playing this game. Easily one of my favorite games ever, a true classic! :)

Final Fantasy 4(PSP) score: 9/10

Video Game Review: Final Fantasy 2 Anniversary Edition(PSP)

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

Originally released in 1988, Final Fantasy 2 became the second entry in the long-running franchise but was sadly not available in the US for several years. That changed with the release of several ports and remakes on other platforms such as the PS1 and the Game Boy Advance. However, like Final Fantasy before it, this anniversary edition of FF2 for PSP is the definitive version to date and is a pretty good game to boot!

Like the original FF, Final Fantasy 2 is your typical fantasy RPG. You travel over an overworld map or in dungeons and battle monsters and powerful bosses, collecting items and weapons and encountering several unique characters along the way. The story of FF2 takes place in a world beset by war. After the Kingdom of Fynn is attacked by the evil Palamecia Empire, four youths, Firion, Maria, Guy and Leon set out to stop the ambitions of Emperor Mateus with the aid of a rebellion, and bring peace back to there world. The characters and setting are much more fleshed out than in the original game. The main characters actually speak and display personality instead of being silent heroes. The premise and overall story also shows greater improvement and you feel more absorbed into the story than with the original FF. That said, the story and characters are still pretty generic. The main cast is ok when you get to know them, but there really isn't much to learn about them. What there is to know you learn about pretty quickly. :P And while the story goes to greater lengths of introducing more action and plot, it's still your basic high fantasy story. Evil empire invades, rebellion is formed to fight back, group of young people set out to help and become the only ones able to stop the Emperor. The same basic template used by countless other RPGs before and since. But for and old school game like this, especially for a hand-held console, it gets the job done. 

The gameplay for FF2 is where things start to get more interesting. Yes you still run around on the overworld and in dungeons, fighting monsters to earn gil as well as experience points and find chests while searching for the next major boss battle to progress the story. The major difference between FF2 from most other entries in the series is that gaining experience to progress a level only increases your Hit Points(HP). All other aspects from strength to magic are enhanced through an activity-based progression system. When you equip your characters with certain weapons and magic and use them, the level for that weapon and magic ability will increase with each use. For example, having one character continually use swords will make that character very strong and proficient with all swords of that type.  Using another type of weapon you usually don't use, such as say bows and arrows, your character will be weak using them until you gain experience from using them. The same is done for magic such as Flame, Cure and Holy and so forth. Character attributes such as strength, intelligence dexterity also increase in this fashion and will affect how good your characters are at wielding what types of weapons and magic. This style of leveling up gave FF2 a unique flavor when it released as most other RPGs used basic class and level systems to enhance your character. While innovative for it's time, nowadays more games have come out using a system like this, but even so, FF2's gameplay still feels charmingly fresh, especially when compared to FF. At times though, it can get tedious to level your characters up like this. It can take a long time to get your characters levels to a point where they are very strong with certain magic and weapons and it gets tedious to have to enhance your characters in areas they aren't proficient in. This means one will have to decide how there characters are to progress, what roles they will play in battles and stick with that formation in order to avoid tedium and progress through the game at a decent pace. But if your one for experimenting and want to get all your characters maxed out, then there is plenty here to keep you busy! :) 

The game's graphics and sound have also been enhanced for the PSP, just like FF Anniversary Edition. Characters and the world itself as well as the monsters and bosses still have that nostalgic old school feel but have been given a new coat of paint for the PSP edition over past versions. Mainly, the graphics for PSP are enhanced from the Game Boy Advance Dawn of Souls Edition. Even though both FF and FF2 have been given the same enhancements for this platform, I still found the graphics to be a bit sharper and a little more detailed in FF2. :) The sound effects and soundtrack were also given a boost for the PSP and the game sounds just as great as FF. The remixed soundtrack from the Origin's collection on PS1 however, is still the big highlight! All in all this is one fine sounding, great looking game!

Since this is an anniversary edition like FF, there are several extras to be found in this version not available in others. There is the inclusion of the Arcane Labyrinth, as series of 3 new dungeons, which unlocks Arcane Sanctuary where several new bosses can be fought. The biggest addition to the game is a brand new story called Soul of Rebirth. Rather than being a random bonus dungeon not relating to the story, Soul of Rebirth actually ties into the main story and is a fun and challenging new addition to the FF2 cannon, giving newcomers and veterans alike something new to experience!

Overall, Final Fantasy 2 Anniversary Edition is, like it's predecessor, a fun old RPG that adds just enough to itself to make it feel like something new! Great boss battles, a fun and unique leveling system, a more fleshed out story with more interesting characters, and new dungeons add to make this the version to get! Add to that the fact that it's also a great way to experience other aspects of the Final Fantasy brand that got there start here(namely the iconic Chocobo and the character Cid). I can safely recommend this game to anyone who loves RPGs, Final Fantasy and/or anyone wanting to see more of the franchise's roots! If you belong to one or more of those categories do yourself a favorand give this game a shot! :)

Final Fantasy 2 Anniversary Edition(PSP) score: 8/10