Editorial Review

Long recognized as role-playing games par excellence, the FinalFantasy series gets a technological makeover in this installment (and seriesdebut on the PlayStation). Shedding the two-dimensional graphics and limitedsound capabilities of its predecessors, Final Fantasy VII features lush3-D graphics, beautifully animated "movie" sequences, and soundtrack-qualitymusic. Coupled with the game's intricate storyline, endearing characters, andimmense yet highly imaginative world, these new advancements make for a quite anengrossing experience.

The story of Final Fantasy VII centers around a solider named CloudStrife, who joins forces with Avalanche, a group of resistance fighters, to takedown an evil mega-corporation known as Shinra. (The fate of the world hangs inthe balance, of course.) Truly epic in scope, this four-disc game requires aconsiderable amount of time to complete---this reviewer gladly gave up over 80hours of his life to finish it. But it's definitely a rewarding adventure thatevery PlayStation owner should consider undertaking, especially since it's nowone of the low-priced "Greatest Hits" titles. --Joe Hon

Pros:

• Intricate and absorbing storyline with endearing characters
• Immense and highly imaginative game world
• Special battle system
• Beautifully animated movie sequences

Cons:

• Your friends and family may feel neglected

Reviews (87)

Square is Amazing
Chrono Trigger is flat out on my best list game.I actually wasn't interested in it thinking it was a stupid RPG. I was Wrong. It was the most addictive and fun thing of all time. I stayed up for hours into the night (for many nights) beating it.This game has everything,a good main charecter,crono who has wicked swords and fire magic,a robot who has super strong phsical attacks,a cave women who is very well balanced between Physical and magic attacks.You also get some other charecters like a sword weilding frog, a princess, and another girl.This game also has a good story line.Basically you accidently travel back in time and mess up the world.It's very interesting.I suggest anyone who owns a Snes buy this game.Although it is rare and hard to find(and kinda expensive)you might try finding it for the playstation.Square released Chrono Trigger and an awesome Final Fantasy game never before released in the U.S.for playstation.It was released on a two disc set and will be cheap if you can find it.Basically Im saying this game rocks and you should get it.

TRUE GREATNESS
While it wasn't THE best SNES game ever (That one going to Final Fantasy 3) it came in a close second. The addition of group attacks (2 or 3 characters launching an attack at the same time) was my single favorite feature in this game. This feature was one of the best additions to Squaresofts RPG's but Chrono Trigger is the only game where it's really showcased. Well, besides that there's an excellent "Time Travel" aspect to the game which I absolutely adore, a GREAT storyline that you don't always need to follow (you can go off and do some things using the element of time travel). It's a lot of fun seeing how what you did in the past can affect the future. There are also several endings to the game depending on when you decide to beat the final boss (YOU CAN DECIDE!) But I recommend playing the whole way through the first time to take full advantage of the great storyline and detailed world. Although there aren't many characters you'll only need a few to create your dreamteam. This game will hook you and not let you go. A great buy for new or veteran RPG players. It's also becoming a collector's item so buy one and hold on to it. HAVE FUN!!!!!

Reviews (592)

4 1/2
Final Fantasy IX is all-in-all, a wonderful game, as expected. But I didn't think that it had the appeal of the previous two games. FFVII was a masterpiece in itself, breaking nearly all RPG boundaries, while FFVIII was the second on the market, hate it or love it, you have to admit that it deserves recognition either way. While I thought that FF9 would be a GOD send (taking into account ALL the wonderful reviews about it), I have to admit that it was a bit of a disappointment. Don't misunderstand, it's a great game with a LOT of references of the Final Fantasys past (trust me... there are a LOT of references...), however, I just didn't think that it broke any HUGE barriers. It's nothing 'ground-breaking', really. The FMVs were beautiful and pleasing to the eyes. The characters (while somewhat superdeformed) were beautifully rendered. The thing that I really liked about this game, was the gameplay. It's so simple and yet, I found it fun to customize them. It's a fairly easy game with easy bosses, etc etc. The graphics are, to say the LEAST, definitely Final Fantasy. The battle/field graphics are surely the best of any Final Fantasy. The characters were all very loveable (especially Vivi ^^) and of course, interesting and at times, deep (this game returns to the more lighthearted mood & scene of the older Final Fantasy RPGs that were first available for the SNES). Everything about this game was incredible, but the drop in half a point was due to the story. The beginning had me BORED STIFFED. I scrolled through the dialogue more than I read it. The story just didn't catch my interest, although I asure you that it gets better. So in a nutshell, this game is definitely worth it--if you're willing to sit through about an hour of needless and rather boring dialogue. But that shouldn't stop you from getting the game. It's truly a classic, albiet a bit slow in the beginning. If you're still not sure about this game, rent it and give it a try to see if it's your thing.

8 rubbish,this good?
im sorry,but the person who put down number 8 is servierly incorrect.i bought this game when it first came out and took it back a couple of days after due to the firm belief that it was indeed aimed at young children.everything about it was,well,crap.the boss battles were comically simple,with the player left baffled with the limited options you have.attack attack repeat until dead.ff8 was a masterpiece,like 7.there was a plot to it,it just took time to understand,it was more complex.......not a simple 'save the princess' story.the characters in this game were terrible.for children.im gonna pick this up again cheap,to give it another chance,it was years since i played it,but i dont think il change my opinion.

Reviews (36)

My first FF, and one of the best games of all-time.
Note: I will refer to FF III as FF VI throughout this review, since that is its Japanese name, and the name given to it when released in FF Anthology.

FF VI was first released in 1994 for the SNES. It received great reviews and critical acclaim from people all over the world. This was also my very first FF, the one that got me into the other FF's and RPG's for that matter.

FF VI has it all: a great story, some of the best character development seen in any RPG, music that is still hailed as best video game music ever, moderate challenge, and one of the longest RPG's for its time. All the characters have their own background, and it's pretty tough at times to tell who the main character actually is. Terra, Locke, Edgar, Sabin, Mog, Cyan, Shadow, and everyone else is an unforgettable cast of characters, which really draws you into the game.

The usual FF summons are here, in the form of Espers. Equip them to a character to learn magic (ex. Ifrit, being fire-based, will teach Fire). This makes for a whole lot of customization and good replay value. Every character has their own skills, like in FF IV and IX (ex. Edgar has his Tools, Sabin has Blitz commands, etc.).

If you're a fan of FF's or RPG's and haven't played FF VI yet, you really should. One of the best FF's, one of the best SNES games of all-time, and my 6th favorite game of all-time....check it out.

Note: It would probably be better to buy FF Anthology, which contains this game and FF V. Despite longer loading times, you get both games for the price of one.

Absolutely Magical!!
This is the first and best RPG I've ever played.... I WAS ADDICTED. From then on I became a RPG fanatic, I have played everything from the Breath of Fire series to Lunar on Sega CD to Xenogears on Playstation.

Until this day, I haven't played a game as magical as FF6 (FF3 in the US). The storyline is absolutely brilliant, Kefka's plan to reign over the world, Shadow's secret background, the magitek factories, Terra's ambivalent and ambiguous feelings about herself, and definitely Kefka's last word's as GOD are all examples of the great "fantasy" qualities of this game. Today’s RPG’s such as final fantasy 8 have lame dialogues and realistic pursuits such as the well proportioned characters that are just lacking the imagination and creative individualities of its predecessors. All in all, I still like today’s RPG’s and I cannot imagine my life without it.

Here’s a top 10 list of the best RPG’s I’ve ever played (If you don’t care about graphics):

1.Final Fantasy VI (No comments necessary) 2.Chrono Trigger (After playing it, you’ll feeling like you’ve lived through it) 3.Xenogears (I love anime and robots and this is a dream come true) 4.Final Fantasy IX (Slow at first but a definite classic) 5.Final Fantasy VII (Love the bike rides and snowboarding experiences) 6.Dragon Quest VI (Great RPG if you read Japanese) 7.Lunar 2: Eternal Blue (Memorable characters) 8.Final Fantasy V (Neat job system) 9.Earthbound (Very wacky and very entertaining) 10.Breath of Fire II (Plain fun)

The real start to the series and the best one to play first.
A few years ago, I would've said this is the best in the series. I would've went on about how great the characters are, how good the soundtrack is, and how no other in the genre could match it. Well, I'm older now, and after playing FFIII/VI, I'm going to have to drop it down to third or fourth in my rank of the series. That's not saying it's a bad game, it just isn't as good as it was when I played it back in 1994-1999 on a regular basis.

The plot isn't up to the caliber of IX's, but it's average. You start out as Terra- a girl being used by the Imperial Army because of her ability to cast magic. After being wounded by an Esper, she wakes up to find the Imperials trying to get her back while hunting for the Esper. She runs away, saved by Locke- a treasure hunter, who helps her and takes her off to meet the king and get help in stopping the Empire. After going through most of the first half of the game, your new goal is to stop the Emperor from controlling the world with magic he seeks from 3 statues of goddesses. Unfortunately, halfway through the game, the plot becomes non-existant, as it's just a matter of going off to stop the bad guy and save the day. This is because you can beat the game with just three characters- Celes, Edgar, and Setzer. Getting the rest of the party is optional. What's nice though, is that there isn't the stereotypical showdown between x character and x bad guy that most the other FF's have for some reason or another. This one is probably the only one [with an actual plot] that doesn't have a main character either.

I remember the characters all being so deep back in the day. But at that time, I was also in 4th grade when I first played it. Plus Square wasn't really putting much effort into their character development back then as they are now. In fact, there's almost no character development at all. Usually, a quick 10 second scene often clears up any differences the characters may have with eachother. A great example of this is when Cyan flips out over teaming up with Celes, who used to be an Imperial soldier. You'd think that would lead to hours of him not trusting her, but no. They're buddy-buddy within seconds of his outburst. The only characters that actually develop are probably Terra and Shadow. But what is everyone's fascination with Setzer? He can't have more than 20 lines in the whole game, and everyone goes on about how "cool" he is. I must've missed something, because the only reason he's in the game is so you can get the airship. Other than that, you'll never need to use him again. Most characters are likeable though. Certain ones that people find annoying *looks over at Gau* make up for it by being some of the more useful in fights.

I do have to go on about Kefka though, as he is the single best rpg villain to exist. He's pretty much the Hitler of the rpg world. He has an excellent little theme, the classic villain personality, kills his own people, kills off people that don't agree with his motives, kills off a few major characters, double-crosses certain people, gains power only to kill off even more, and well I won't ruin it for you but he does end up getting what he wants. And that's something that no other FF antagonist has done. Seymour, Edea/Ultimecia, St. Ajora, Sephiroth/Jenova (the worst ones to date), everyone else- they got nowhere.

Graphically, this is some of the SNES' finest. The still-frame monster designs are well done, even if they're by one of the most overrated artists out there: Yoshitaka Amano. I should clear up why I say that real fast because I know people will click "no" for if this is helpful or not just because of that. We all know that fanboys lurk these reviews making sure nobody bad mouths their precious game. You can't tell me that everything Amano does is 100% original. Look up his artwork for Lock and Celes, then put them side-by-side with his designs of Zidane and Garnet. Yeah, that's what I thought. All the character sprites have wonderful animations. The designers didn't get lazy on the minor things either- when a character attacks with a weapon in their right hand, that hand swings. If they attack with a weapon in the left, that one swings. 'funny how they forgot about that in Tactics somehow. Spell animations look better than most early PSone games. they're smooth and rarely cause slowdown.

The soundtrack is still my favorite in the series. Each character's theme matches their personality (or lack of in some cases) perfectly. And we can all remember Kefka's evil little ditty. It's not some booming, serious orchastrated track like some overdone pretty boys' I can think of, but it gives you enough to know "uh oh, this guy means trouble" when it plays upon his first real appearence.

There is one thing you should watch out for it you're buying this version of the game- early carts are very glitchy in some areas. When using Relm's Sketch skill, there's a good chance the screen will get all messed up, and you'll have to reset. Though the Relm Sketch Glitch can also be a big help- if used in certain fights, you can get 99 of any item in your inventory. But I'd rather not takae the risk of losing everything I just did to get 99 items, which would make the game even easier to beaet. It's just too bad that you can't really use her Sketch/Control ability if you have one of the early carts. At least she makes up for it with having the highest magic attack in the game if you look at base stats/growth. And the translation isn't the best. A few lines were changed completely from the Japanese version. They aren't that major, but why Nintendo changed some of them is strange. And when Kefka goes "Son of a submariner!", he isn't saying what you think he originally was. It was something about how he hates Edgar I think.

Reviews (7)

Painfully woe
Well as I talked about in the my review of Lufia, this is what it's all about. Not pretty graphics (which are nice) but a story that graps you. As a prequel you can't get much better. Everything is explained and comes together from the first, things you questioned and wondered about, it's all here. On it's own it's still a great game. A story full of twists and turns. Characters that leave you wondering how much can they take, how far the can go. What will lie down in the dark depths of the next dungeon. That's right, old school, dungeons with staircase imblems. Intersting features that you can releate to in more modern times (equipment that give you special attacks). It's just one of those games that came from a great idea and got made better. Once again a solid game to see where modern day RPG get there heirtage.

The First game I ever played
When I was six years old my brother and my mother always played games in there spare time. They loved to rent games on the weekends. One day my mother came upon a Lufia 2 rise of the sinistrals. I begged my mother to rent the game for me. She did and when I got home that night I began to love the game. Every weekend we rented this game.Two years later my mother started teaching me how to read and pronounce the words in the game. For the next three years I asked if they would sell the game to us ,but they saying no.A few mounths later it was gone they said they sold it to the local pawn shop. When we got there it had already sold. Buy your game to day before it is all gone

A great example of a GBA Title
For 1996, this is one of the greatest RPG's ever. Ya I know that was 6 years ago, but the Super Nintendo is still the king of RPG's, and the best RPG's will probably always be on there, as 2D graphics were mastered during this time. Nintendo is making a good choice in reproducing such games as this onto the GBA.

Lufia II is actually before the times of Lufia I, and you play as the stars Maxim, Selan, Guy, and Artea as well as others in the quest to remove the Sinistrals. In the love story behind Maxim and Tia, the unintelligent Dekar, the overintelligent Lexis, the Compassionate Artea, The understnding Selan and of course Guy, all venture to the [Fortress of Doom] to rid the world of the Sinstrals.

Editorial Review

Lunar 2: Eternal Blue is old-school role-playing goodness at itsvery best. From the story to the simple battle system, it doesn't bore playerswith the details that can make newer role-playing games unbearable. No, Lunar2 won't impress anyone with its likewise old-school graphics, but that's notthe point. This game is fun.

The story in Lunar 2 doesn't take itself as seriously as otherrole-playing games, which contributes to the fun. The game's hero, Hiro, and hissidekick Ruby must help a young girl locate the goddess Althena. The quest turnsout to be long, spanning three disks, most of which hold full-motion videocutscenes.

The video sequences in Lunar 2 are probably the best part. They mixJapanese anime with computer graphics and are completely stunning. The in-gamegraphics, on the other hand, are ported straight from the 16-bit Sega CD, with afew enhancements, so those who like eye candy should consider themselves warned.--Robb Guido

Pros:

• Light and fun
• Super movie sequences that mix anime and computer graphics

• Outdated graphics

Features

• Fantasy RPG starring Ryu the dragon boy
• Explore and survive a lovely 3-D world
• Discover dragon stone combinations to enhance combat power
• Addictive fishing minigame
• For 1 player

Reviews (45)

Capcom Does It Again
Breath of Fire III is the best RPG game to hit the Playstation. You join Ryu and his allies once again so you could seek answers like "Who is God?", and "Who are the Brood?". These questions are answered as you go on with the story. I myself passed Breath of Fire III less than 40 hours and it is the most addictive series of them all. As you begin a new game, Ryu gets dropped by a train and abandoned in a forest not knowing what he his. He is found by thieves named Teepo and Rei which are trying to steal from a man named Mc Neil. After 15 hours of gameplay, Ryu's question is answered as the Brood, was his dragon clan. I recommend Breath of Fire III to anybody who loves RPG's.

It's an RPG.
Over the years the genre of role-playing games has been so rigidly defined that dubbing a game an RPG often describes it completely (if it adheres to those rules), and causes more than a few people to become rather angry if it doesn't. Of the stadard features of the standard console RPG, Breath of Fire III features: a party of three characters; turn-based battle engine (that allows little strategy); minigames (that add little to the game); an epic quest to save the known world; numerous magic spells and abilities; numerous items that serve a variety of purposes; a complex menu system.

From the list above you can tell that Breath of Fire III is not terribly original. The game's central plot, the key feature of the RPGs as a genre, does not enter development until well into the game (although not as late as that of Legend of Dragoon), and by itself lacks the involvement to propel the game. What propels the game is the large, pretty overworld filled with cities and other special locations, the large selection of spells, and an equally large number of foes for you to battle.

The graphics are pretty despite being simple, although the two-dimensional characters do not blend too well into the 3D pre-rendered surroundings. The ability to (slightly) rotate the camera is appreciated, especially since the game takes an incredible advantage of the feature through the great nmber of secret things that can only be seen from a certain angle. Nevertheless, the sprites rotate poorly, and you will be able to see exactly what makes those trees appear 3-dimensional.

The combat system is simple and intuitive, and will be instantly familiar to you if you've ever played a console RPG in your entire life.

BoFIII is solid, long, well-developed (for a console RPG), and unique in its own sense, however small of a sense that might be. Those who follow the series will be enchanted to see the characters from earlier games make cameo appearances. The game is addicting, probably because there is so much to explore, although casually purchasing newer and better equipment becomes a chore from the get-go. Breath of Fire III has its share of interesting puzzles, some of them rather absurd, some infuriating (althogh I was able to solve all of them after I thought about them for a while).

BoFIII will have you pressing buttons on gravestones in no time if you aren't looking for something exzceptional.

Editorial Review

You don't have to be a hard-core gamer to notice that innumerable--not tomention impressive--role-playing games (RPGs) have been released for the SonyPlayStation. Although the fourth installment in the Breath of Fire seriesis a fine RPG, it's doesn't quite hold a flame to the best of the aforementionedalternatives.

Breath of Fire IV is a single-player game that continues the story withthese "dragon people," who gave their lives to eradicate the evil goddess andrestore peace in their world. This time around, battle has broken out betweentwo powerful continents, and the fair Princess Elena has disappeared during atour of the war-torn region. The princess's sister, Nina, who reigns o'er theWindia Kingdom, vows to retrieve her missing sibling. She meets Ryu along theway, who joins the epic quest.

Breath of Fire IV's gameplay is refreshingly simple, with only a fewminor additions to its predecessor's battle system. Most noticeably, a new combosystem lets spells dish out more damage than when cast alone, by working inconjunction with other spells. As before, Ryu can transform into a dragon orhybrid half-human, half-dragon creature to gain special attack powers. The partywill pick up other drifters throughout the game, some of whom have the power totransform.

Each town opens up a new set of subquests and minigames (yup--there's anotherfishing game here, folks), both of which add longevity and replayability toBreath of Fire IV, although not everyone will appreciate the mandatorynature of these diversions.

Like many Japanese-bred RPGs, the musical score and crisp sound effects areexcellent, but there is very little voice talent in the game. In all, Breathof Fire IV is a solid, although not fantastic, RPG. --Todd Mowatt

Pros:

• Solid story
• Effective battle system
• Extraordinary musical score

• Average graphics
• Sometimes-awkward control and camera angles