Final Fantasy 2
Reviewed by Excerion@aol.com
The first role-playing-game (RPG) for the SNES was a brilliant story with
controls. It quickly became a classic of sorts, the standard by which other
RPGs are measured. It provides all of the elements a good RPG should have,
and it makes for an interesting story if you want to read it as you play it,:)
or a great game if you're a person who doesn't believe in RPG immersion.:)
Either way, you're guaranteed to have an interesting time for a few hours.
You can almost imagine the sounds of tramping through underbrush or the
whirring of the airship engines as you guide Cecil and his companions
through the magical landscapes on their quest as the story unravels
around them.
Graphics 6 out of 10
OK, the graphics are fairly good, but this is no painting. Other SNES
games have much better graphics, such as Final Fantasy 3 and Chrono
Trigger. However, it's good for it's time, as they weren't making full
use of the SNES technology then. Later games were much better, but,
oh well, at least it's better than a NES game:) You can make distinct
images from the icons, except maybe Cids?? (what is he supposed to
be, covered with hair??) The castle walls look realistic. The animations
are great, too.
Music and Sound 9 out of 10
This is no Mozart, but it has some good music. Take the tower of Bab-il
and the lunar underground for example. In the tower of Bab-il, you can
almost see the gears turning and lights flashing as the elevator ascends
to the top level. In the lunar subterrane (the really deep part with crystal
floor) you almost can feel the incredible power stored below, more
energy than produced by the sun in a year...oops, I'm getting a bit carried
away here!:) Really, it's not the quality of the audio I'm measuring here,
it's the creativity of the programmers. I'm listening to an enhanced
version of the sound on my computer as I write this, so...
Game Challenge 8 out of 10
This game is too hard. I really should be expressing this under frustration,
but leveling up is sooo boring, and it's the only way to get to a place to
deal with the higher-up monsters. That's one thing that subtracts from
the enjoyment of the game for some people, but I shouldn't be too quick
to judge. Some people LIKE leveling up, for heaven's sake! Ha ha ha...:)
However, the bosses and mazes are challenging, enough to be fun but
not so much as to be frustrating. And there are the interim rewards
for exploring and killing that serve to make you MORE powerful and
makes it easier to defeat monsters, and so on, that old cycle...
Game Play-Fun 7 out of 10
I like the airships and the Big Whale, all the chocobos and the beds,
but there aren't enough switches and computers and machines and devices
for me. I like manipulating things, solving puzzles, and pressing buttons,
not fighting things and putting on armor. There's nothing to make up for
good story, and in my opinion, there's nothing to exchange for good
puzzles and buttons.
Frustration
OK, I may be kinda dumb, but I forget to save. And if I die, I get dumped
back at my last save. sure, I like the save feature and all that, but they
should provide SOME automatic saves. I mean, come on people, you beat
two bosses and then get killed by an imp, you get booted back to your
last save, you tear your hear out. It may just be a game, but I have to
say, some things can be incredibly frustrating and this is one. And
another thing. I already talked about this, but leveling up gets really
boring after a while. I'm quite certain that some people have quit the
game because they just couldn't beat the boss, and they didn't want to
go around fighting monsters for hours on end. That's what happened to
me in Lufia 2. I mean, you don't want to read about the camp kitchen
in an adventure story, do you? That's the nearest thing I can relate it to.
Replayability 5 out of 10
Kinda like a book, once you know the story you don't want to go back
right away and read it again. RPG's are like that. There are some RPG's
where you like to go back, because there are multiple routes through
the game. If you just have one path open from beginning to end, you're
not going to want to play it for a while, as you've already done everything.
Ok, there are some reasons to go back, like the secret areas, items, and
whatnot, but those are very few. Other games are better at this, like all
the secret areas and optional things in Final Fantasy 3, or Chrono Trigger.
However, those aren't what I'm reviewing. :)
Game Value 7 out of 10
This one's a tough question. Once, I got to the last boss in a one-week
rental. However, I'd say that yes, the game is worth the cost, as it's
such a fun game and has replay value after a while since the first time
you finish it. But, I'm not really an expert on this subject. :)
Overall 7 out of 10
Final Fantasy 2 is an interesting game, basically a playable book. I think
that the emphasis in Final Fantasy 2 was on the story side, not on the
gameplay side. I mean, take this out of a game and put it in a book, you'd
have a best-seller in a month at most. The story is exceptional, and while
the graphics and replay value aren't that good, come on, it was only their
second try at a Nintendo RPG.