Backlog Burnout Review of Final Fantasy: Far From Final, Still Fantastic

System(s): NES, MSX2, WonderSwan Color, GBA, PSP, PS1, IOS, PSN, Virtual Consoles
Release Year(s): 1987, 1990, 2003, 2007, 2010
Rating: Everyone, Everyone 10+
Current Amazon Price:
$499.94 (NES), $9.99 (PS1), $54.99 (GBA), $9.99 (PSP), $8.99 (IOS), $9.99 (PSN)
 $9.99 (Nintendo Virtual Consoles)

The Skinny: 

While the original version of Final Fantasy is nearly unplayable in the modern day many of the re-releases are still extremely enjoyable and solid JRPG fun.

The Meat:

Final Fantasy as a series will always hold a special place in my heart. This is the series that originally got me seriously into video games. Final Fantasy II was the first RPG I ever played and Final Fantasy VII is one of my favorite games of all time. While the series has had its ups and downs (I'm looking at you Final Fantasy III -_-) it is safe to say that this is one of my favorite series ever and has been the most influential on me as a gamer and a person. It is also debatably the most popular and well known JRPG series in existence. Most people have at least heard about Final Fantasy if they haven't played one before. Also, as you can see from the information provided at the top of the article, the Final Fantasy games have been released and remade on a staggering range of consoles over nearly 30 years. While the main series is about to see the release its 18th major, numbered game I thought it would be interesting to take a look back at the one that started it all.

In the late 80s there was a small software company called Square that was the computer software division of a power line construction company called Den-Yu-Sha in Japan. In 1986 Square became an independent company. They proceeded to release a series of unsuccessful games and were in danger of going under. Then, a part time employee named Hironobu Sakaguchi had an idea to develop a role-playing game similar to the Dragon Quest series (known as Dragon Warrior here in the states) from Enix that was incredibly popular in Japan at the time. The development team raised the funds internally and had complete control over their creative product as a result. No one at the company expected the game to be popular and were all anticipating that it would be their final project before the company closed permanently. As such they decided to develop the game they had always wanted to make, not the game that the higher ups always told them to. If the game was going to bomb, why not do it on their own terms, This labor of love, the team's Final Fantasy if you will, went on to become one of the best selling RPGs of all time. It not only saved the company, it rocketed Square and Hironobu Sakaguchi to the forefront of the video game industry as the people to develop quality JRPGs. Final Fantasy has gone on to become one of the most popular and beloved series ever and the original game has been re-released countless times in many different forms. Some of these versions hold up much better than others.

Final Fantasy was first released in 1987, 1990 here in the United States on the Nintendo Entertainment system. This is the version of the game available on Nintendo's virtual consoles. The setup was simple. Players chose four heroes from a list of available classes. These classes are now known as staples of RPGs the world over. Fighter (warrior), black belt (monk), thief, black mage, white mage, and red mage. The player made party are the four heroes of light, and it is their duty to restore the power to the four crystals of earth, fire, water, and wind which are being sapped by the Four Elemental Fiends. The Fiends of Earth (Lich), Fire (Marilith), Water (Kraken), and Wind (Tiamat) serve as the games primary antagonists for the majority of the experience. While this may sound like a cliche plot nowadays, this is where it started. The gameplay is simple, party oriented, turn based combat. You select your characters actions and targets from a menu and then they carry them out according to their speed stats. Monsters are fought in random encounters that are entered while moving around the overworld map or dungeons. Since this game comes from an older school of RPGs the encounter rate is extremely high. While toned down slightly in later releases of the game, it remains quite high across all versions. These encounters are where the original version of Final Fantasy falls flat. They just haven't aged well in the slightest. Some of the mechanics are so antiquated as to be laughable. For example, if you have all of your characters select the same enemy to attack and the first character kills it, the remaining three will execute their attacks against the now empty space where the enemy was instead of switching to an available target. This wouldn't be too big of a problem if it didn't take 4000000 years for characters and enemies to execute actions. A basic encounter in this version of the game can last up to 7 or 8 minutes easily depending on the amount of enemies and how often your characters waste their time wailing on empty air. While these issues can be explained away or forgiven due to how old the game is it doesn't make them any less frustrating. Luckily, these grievances are fixed by subsequent releases of the game.

In 2003 a compilation of Final Fantasy I and II was released for the Playstation titled Final Fantasy Origins. This is the version of the game available on the Playstation Network. This compilation consisted of updated versions of both games, including improved soundtracks, updated graphics, and vastly improved gameplay. The gameplay went from being a slow plod of uncooperative mechanics to a smooth and sleek experience that is fast, fun, and nice to look at. Characters now auto acquired new targets if their current targets were already destroyed and the overall pace of combat was sped up vastly. This version of the game was a dramatic improvement in every way. The soundtrack especially is worth noting. While confined to the beeps and boops of the NES the original soundtrack was still extremely impressive. Now it was freed from the technological constraints of the NES to soar to its true potential, and its easy to see why Nobuo Uematsu, the man responsible, went on to become one of the best video game composers of all time. In my opinion he is one of the best composers period, in or out of the realms of video games. From chippy MIDI tunes to sweeping orchestral pieces and even operas he never ceases to please and amaze and later releases of Final Fantasy really showcase his early talent. While this version of the game is a vast improvement over the original, it is still far from the optimal version.

The next important North American release of the game was on the Game Boy Advance in 2004. This compilation of Final Fantasy I and II was titled Dawn of Souls. This version of the game is a blast. Slight graphical improvements over the Playstation version are nice, but the true draw of the game came from it being portable and including 4 massive bonus dungeons. These dungeons are awesome love letters to Final Fantasy fans, featuring bosses drawn from Final Fantasy III-VI. These bosses and dungeons are vastly more challenging than what is found in the rest of the game and are a blast to try to complete both for new players and especially for fans of the series. If you're looking for a good version of the game to play this is an excellent choice, however the best is still to come.

The 2007 release of Final Fantasy on the PSP is the crown jewel of the game's existence, released as a celebration of the series 20th anniversary. Featuring updated graphics, updated sound, and a new bonus dungeon in addition to the bonus dungeons from Dawn of Souls, this is the most comprehensive and complete version of the game to date. The gameplay is smooth, fluid, and the animations are absolutely beautiful. While basic, it is a supremely enjoyable and fun experience. Seeing where many accepted and familiar mechanics of RPGs began is a fun experience for game enthusiasts, and casual players will enjoy the simple yet rewarding story and gameplay. This version of the game is what can be found for apple devices from the app store. However I would caution against that version of the game as the controls are not nearly as fluid as the PSP version's.

The Bottom Line:

This one is an oldie, but a goodie. While the original NES version hasn't stood the test of time all other versions of the game are still a blast, especially the anniversary edition. If you are a video game enthusiast or an RPG fan you owe it to yourself to see how the legendary series began and experience this classic. Seeing the origins of Cid (referenced here as the ancient creator of airships long ago) and other such Final Fantasy staples is a major treat as well. However if you're jonesing for Chocobo riding you'll have to wait until Final Fantasy II.

Grant Nielsen

(Also just because I'm a Nobuo Uematsu fanboy enjoy the unbelievably awesome Final Boss music from Final Fantasy I)

Backlog Burnout Review of Metal Gear: Solid Snake’s first mission isn’t quite so solid

System(s): MSX2, Xbox 360, Playstation 2, Playstation 3

Release Year: 1987

Rating: N/A

Current Amazon Price: $24.48 (PS3) $25.41 (Xbox 360)

The Skinny:

Metal Gear is a decent overhead stealth action game that eventually crumbles under its own weight. If you are familiar with the series and expecting more of the same, playing the title that started it all may leave you disappointed.

The Meat:

The Metal Gear franchise is a powerhouse in video games. Currently spanning 10 canonical, main series games and almost twice as many remakes or spinoffs on consoles ranging from the Gameboy to the Playstation 4, you’d be hard pressed to find a video game fan who hasn’t at least heard of Solid Snake, Big Boss, or Raiden. However, this legendary series had what could only be described as humble beginnings. So humble in fact we never even received the first two games over here in the states until quite recently. Before we get into the review proper, it’s time for a little history lesson.

Some of you readers may be thinking “hey wait a minute; I remember playing Metal Gear on my NES way back in the day.” And technically you wouldn’t be wrong. A game called Metal Gear was released on the NES in 1988. It even had the same box art as the original. However, while the original was developed by the mastermind behind the current series, Hideo Kojima, in conjunction with Konami, the NES port that we received in the United States was developed by a totally separate team called Ultra Games. The version that we received is completely different in a variety of ways, not the least of which is that it doesn’t even contain a Metal Gear! It is also widely considered to be an inferior version, by both fans and Hideo Kojima himself, who has gone on record as calling it an insult to his creation. The real Metal Gear game was released on an obscure computer console called the MSX2, and was only seen in Japan and parts of Europe.  The only ways to legitimately play Metal Gear and its sequel Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake in the United States are as extras included on Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence. This update of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is available on either the Playstation 2 or as part of the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, or as part of the Metal Gear Legacy collection on Playstation 3. The version of the game that I played for this review was the version included in the HD Collection for the PS3. Now that the history lesson is over, on with the review.

Metal Gear is an overhead stealth action game that was revolutionary for its time. When this game released the concept of avoiding combat instead of seeking it out was novel and unusual. You play as Solid Snake, a member of the elite military unit FOXHOUND. A group of terrorists has reportedly gained control of a walking battle tank known as Metal Gear capable of launching nuclear missiles. You are sent by FOXHOUND’s commander Big Boss to infiltrate the terrorist’s fortress of Outer Heaven and destroy Metal Gear. You are also to rescue another FOXHOUND agent sent in before you named Gray Fox, as well as the scientist responsible for creating Metal Gear who is being held captive. While this set up may seem like typical 80s military fare, the execution and style of the game is not. Solid Snake is not your typical action hero. He’s not bulletproof, and as far as action video game protagonists go he is quite under equipped and underpowered. If you are spotted by an enemy soldier or camera, foes will pour into the room and odds are you will be quickly overwhelmed. You have no equipment or real knowledge to begin with other than your radio, which can be used to communicate with Big Boss and people you meet over the course of the game. You must slowly sneak around the fortress, rescuing prisoners and gaining information and equipment. These early parts of the game are excellent. The tension from having to sneak and the accomplishment you feel from successfully avoiding all obstacles and rescuing prisoners is extremely rewarding and exciting. However, the excellence doesn’t last. While the first half of the game is tense, exciting, and well executed stealthy fun, the back half is an exercise in frustration and all of the worst game mechanics that the late 80s and early 90s had to offer. The biggest offender is the key card system. Almost every door in Outer Heaven is locked. You must find keycards scattered throughout the base to unlock them. This in and of itself is not a bad idea. However, its execution is horrible. There are 9 different keycards to be found, and no hierarchy to their functioning. What I mean by that is key 9 does not also open doors locked by cards 1-8. It only opens doors locked by card 9. Same with all of the cards. And you can only have one equipment item equipped at a time. This leads to cycling through all 9 key cards every time you encounter a new locked door. Sometimes the room you are in will be full of poison gas or enemies. Instead of being able to wear your gas mask, which is an equipment item, you instead have to stand there, cycling through key cards while your health slowly drains, hoping you find the right one before Snake keels over. It is nothing but frustrating and adds nothing valuable to the gameplay.

The other great old-school sin that the game commits is its sheer randomness at times. Items necessary for plot progression will be hidden behind destructible walls with no indication or clue that they are there. This leads to getting stuck somewhere in the fortress, and having to backtrack through the entire base checking every wall hoping to find a hidden room. It wasn't fun in 1987, and it isn’t fun now. I'm all for a game letting you figure things out for yourself, but when there is literally no indication whatsoever of what you are supposed to do to proceed, frustration quickly supersedes any fun that may be had.

The Bottom Line:

Metal Gear simply has not aged well. Its fun core ideas of stealth gameplay and action are bogged down and buried under antiquated and frustrating mechanics. The first half of the game is excellent, but it quickly loses its luster and drops into irritation. All of the series staples are present that would later become famous, from the unusual plot twists to fourth wall breaking conversation directed directly at the player, yet it never truly becomes a game I can give a genuine recommendation for. For that, you have to wait for my review of Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. The sins of the father are not always passed on to the son. 

Grant Nielsen