Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls

THE BAD:
The random battles are endless.

SUMMARY:
RPGs are a different breed of games for a different breed of gamer and FF I&II are both the titles that kicked it all off. With both games included, Dawn Of Souls is the most turned-based, stat-boosting action you can get on a GBA cart.

It's classic prophecy stuff when the world is shrouded in darkness, four warriors will appear to shed light over the land and... blah, blah, whatever. That means you'll wander around towns and dungeons, busting up monsters with spells and watching numbers go up that makes your characters stronger. Thankfully these classic FF titles are from an era when insanely complex story lines weren't the thing to be done, so characters don't babble on about destiny long enough to have formed an A button print on your right thumb from text skipping, like in most recent RPGs. But FF I&II soon make up for that in annoying random battles, enemy counters are so frequent simply getting across a field to another town is a heroic task itself, and a pain in the rear. And just incase you've never played FF, I'm not talking about the action packed paper Mario style battles. This is the old school system. It's the system were you slice the air in front of them to do damage to the enemies on the other side of the screen. You have no direct control, you just choose the actions for all four of your characters then watch it happen. The stress of constant battling is softened by an improved save mechanic, that allows you to store your progress at any point in the game, and start exactly where you left off. Remembering to do it frequently is your own concern. As well as improved graphics and sound, Square-Enix have added some special treats in both games. Completing Final Fantasy I will unlock a new dungeon called Soul Of Chaos which is packed full of bosses from the later FF series. Final Fantasy II packs an all new side quest called Soul Of Rebirth. This adventure will give you an insight into the history of the characters and it's sure to blow the mind of hardcore fans.

Overall I rate this game about 92%

THE BAD:
The only failure that Square put into this game (and the NES version) is the storyline and graphics. Really, how many games do you get demanding you to "Get the Legendary Gems" or "Become the Heroes of All Life"? A hell of a lot, that's where it goes wrong. And seeing the amazing capabilities of Game Boy Advance graphics (such as Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories) it's really dissapointing.

SUMMARY:
Well, I've played a few Final Fantasy games, ranging from FF4 onwards-I've played everyone. But after this, I still wonder if this game is better than the Wonderswan Color version, and atleast better than the PSX version. Guess what? It is. It's stunning in every way. Well, ALMOST every way.

Graphics: 7/10

This is the game's killing medicine. It just can't stand up here, and it's a so...un-elite sort of way. Not even a SINGLE frame-by-frame animation.

Storyline: 8/10

It's just...old. So many games....Zelda: Get the gems...FFX: Get the Aeons (but it's a bit deeper)...Too many. But the storyline is fresh for the days it was out and not much is better!

Gameplay: 10/10 (Yay! Shiny star!)

Yay! The gameplay is simple, basic and just real nice! It's not as complicated or more complicated than it should be: Navigating dungeons, leveling up, turn-based battles, stat leveling. Theres a few side-quests, like Soul of Chaos (fight four fiends again) and Soul of Rebirth (play as dead characters). But theres some..and even meeting the mighty..the one..BAHAMUT..will help you on your quest.

Overall, not a bad game. In fact, awesome!

THE BAD:
The intro of FF1 has been shortened and the chase in the intro of FF2 has been removed and just started off with a battle this time, AKA NES FF2.
The bland American translation.

SUMMARY:
Final Fantasy:
Splendid. I liked the way how the gameplay was adapted to the GBA, and certainly how the music sounded so good. The harp in Boss Battle A was done very well for a handheld. I liked the fact that I could fight bosses from Final Fantasy III, especially because I've never seen or played the WSC version of Final Fantasy III. Thank God they're re-releasing it for the DS. Chaos still is the myth, the legend, and still that mad rock-'n-roll demon.
Final Fantasy II:
Loved this. The gameplay has been improved, enabling a bigger menu in the battle scenes for the items, unlike all the other versions. The face portraits look wonderful unlike the NES, WSC, and PSX versions of them, of which were limited and not as pretty most of the time. The music, in my humble opinion, is the best of all the series. I also liked Soul of Rebirth, though. It shows some new graphics that haven't been in the original Final Fantasy II, and otherwise it were recoloured graphics from the original. I liked the emperor at that point even more than the original.
Just wonderful.
Final Judgement:
I just love these two. That's all there's left to say.