Final Fantasy IV

THE BAD:
The graphics aren't what they could've been.
The renaming method is annoying.
The fact that Squaresoft took so long to release the full version of FFIV instead of the cut-down Easytype version that was released as FFII.

SUMMARY:
If you are new to the Final Fantasy empire... skip this game. It's definetly not a game to endear newcommers. Try VII instead, it's got the best story, and is a bit kinder to newcommers. Once you have mastered that, come and take a look at this.

That's not to say this game is harder. Just different. Handling three characters in one fight can get a bit frantic, so imagine handling five at a time, without time bars.

This game is my third favourite out of all final fantasy games, it's story is very well done and throws up several suprises, especially when you learn more about Golbeze.

With the release of the PS version, we can rejoice. When Final Fantasy IV was released in the USA on the SNES, it was cut down. The speech was reduced, the speech was 'cleaned up', some moves were removed, the number of items and spells were reduced, and enemies weren't as hard. This was called 'Easytype' and was renamed Final Fantasy II. The uncesored version in Japan was called Hardtype, that's what the playstation version is.

If you love the newer games in the series (VII, VIII, IX, and X) get this. It won't be as satisfying as completing VII, but it's a close second.

THE BAD:
Everything that wasn't on that list

SUMMARY:
This game is pretty cool, but it could have been even better, it had awesome graphics, neat storyline and plot, and cool characters, but everything other than that was pretty dull. The other Final Fantasy games were better though, so get Final Fantasy 7 or 10 instead of this one, unless you're a real Final Fantasy fanatic.

THE BAD:
Graphics, the graphics for this game are primitive for the Super Famicom/SNES platform as this was an early debut title for that system. These graphics remain unchanged in the Playstation ports of the game, however a graphical update was given to the WonderSwan Color version of the game. The PlayStation versions of this game are quick in play but very slow when saving progress to a memory card. The overall speed of the PSx versions is fractional compared to the smoothness of the cartridge versions.

SUMMARY:
Perhaps Square's greatest traditional fantasy RPG. My title sums it up, in my opinion. Final Fantasy IV is one of the more traditional fantasy games in all of the 10 FF games thus far. What distiguishes it is the story. It has a deep and complex storyline that keeps the player hooked to his controller. Perhaps due to the great writing or lack of cinematic graphics, whatever it is the characters in this game become very real to the player. It has a very tolkein-esque book-like property rare in console RPGs these days. When originally playing this game (as FF-II) in 1991 I found myself worrying about what would happen to the characters and what plot twist would come next...and to my delight there were many. If you can get past the fact that the game is now more than 10 years old and let the story absorb you, I think you'll be in for a treat. This is based on the classical fantasy paradigm however. The world of Final Fantasy IV is definately traditional, yet there are forms of technology that are mainly pre-industrial in nature...higher technology only exists in forms from a higher race of beings than the typical inhabitants of the world. This differs from Square's FF titles starting with VI through X, with perhaps the exception of IX. These later games all incorporate futuristic or modernistic fantasy themes. As far as gameplay is concerned, players of other Square FF titles should have no trouble adapting to the game's menu and battle system, it is the regular fare found in all Square FF's. The characters are unique and cannot be customized through equipping items like espers or materia, nor do they learn jobs. Magics are learned through leveling the characters up. The party of characters under the player's control is set by the game for the story sequence as it unfolds, the player must adapt and use his or her character party to achive optimum results. It can make each character have purpose and creates a challenge...the player cannot just rely on three or four of his or her "favorite" characters and ignore the rest of the cast as can happen in the FF's since released. This game is a must for any classic fantasy fan, and highly recommended. It remains at the top of my list of console RPGs, for more than 10 years now. I loved it in '91 and still do today in '03. The best official representation of the story in English is the Final Fantasy Chronicles PSx version, which I recommend.

If you like the story and setting of Final Fantasy IV you might try Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete and Lunar2: Eternal Blue Complete for the PSx as further gaming experiences. Those who appreciate this title and have a penchant for Japanese anime may be interested in the Record of Lodoss War series.

THE BAD:
is there maybe its the crystal world u dun get any xp for fighting the stupid 4 guardian thingys....you only get ap no fair they should give us xp too

SUMMARY:
ozma the big ball which is actually a bird..equip bird-killer...he is located in the chocobo air garden which is the big or should i say small circular disc or shadow near marked areas in the world map.......

THE BAD:
nothing

SUMMARY:
This game is definatly in my top 5 games.It has a lot of good game qualities, such as getting vehicles which many games do not have. Although the PSX version is the "hard" one i still like it. Another thing is having 5 charecters in your party at a time, which is cool, most games don't. The additions onto the PSX version such as the FMVs and special abilities seem to make it more appealing for those who just played the SNES version.