• In Final Fantasy I, gamers must pick a team of four heroes, then set off to battle the forces of Chaos and try to save the world
• Choose the right jobs, and use them to fight off the dangerous new enemies
• Pick up new weapons for use against your foes - and collect Phoenix Down to enhance your magical powers
• In Final Fantasy II, four orphans will unite and face a powerful threat - and undo an evil empire
• No leveling up through experience -- weapons and abilities increase in power the more they are used

• Electronic Gaming Monthly
• Play
• Tips & Tricks Magazine

Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls changes the classic gaming series' at its origins. Now you can feel how it was for those old-school role-players, when they discovered its intense, immersive gameplay! All-new dungeons and dialogue scenes to challenge and thrill gamers

Customer Rating:
Summary: Half a package; half the challenge.
Comment: Packing two old-school Final Fantasy titles -- one which only recently made it to North American shores -- into a single cart seems like a great value. For the most part, it is, if only for newer players to experience where their favorite Playstation Final Fantasies came from. The big obstacle here is that Final Fantasy has become a little too easy, and Final Fantasy II retains its design annoyances, to the point that only the completely curious or nostalgic will get a real kick out of this package.

The original Final Fantasy is a straightforward, no-nonsense trek with barely any character growth. It prides itself mainly on its killer dungeons and monsters, and for that it's a decent ride. It bears mentioning that, even as it's "easier" than the original, it's still entertaining enough to play in spurts, and the bonus content after the game's initial conclusion is a healthy challenge.

So, with its rigidly turn-based battles and tangible but thin storyline, and overall tepid difficulty, Final Fantasy is a nice romp down memory lane but lacks the intensity of other throwbacks like Etrian Odyssey.

Now, Final Fantasy II is all mixed up in a blender. The developers' propensity to keep in the rampant useless empty rooms in its dungeons, and willingness to throw you into a fatal battle if you venture one pixel too far in the wrong direction with underpowered characters, is just too irritating to excuse.

The leveling system is, at its core, a splendid idea, forcing you to use the item or magic types that you want your character to become adept at. The problem is that there's no formal overall character growth, meaning that there's no discernible point at which your characters grow in overall strength and ability because the traits get so specific as to demand that you level up sword-wielding and axe-wielding separately. Yes, this makes for a challenge, but it also becomes annoying to have to go back and spend time to level up your sword-wielding ability on peon enemies after becoming a master with an axe.

Were this a loot-drop game like Titan Quest, where different weapons are readily abundant and you would never be at a loss for said axes, this would be fine. As it stands, Final Fantasy II would have benefited more from more general stat increases, a system that the Gameboy SaGa games (known in the US as Final Fantasy Legend and Final Fantasy Legend II) used to a serviceable effect.

All told, this package is -- again -- a good value. Final Fantasy is still nostalgic, and Final Fantasy II isn't terrible -- but it easily contends for the most flawed entry in the series. You shouldn't be scared off from picking it up if you're a fan or just want to know your roots, but be prepared for its annoyances going in.

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: Exactly what I wanted
Comment: This game(s) is exactly what I wanted in a portable game. It has the fun you need to pass the time, yet isn't going to take all of your attention so that you miss your stop when on the bus.

The game play is simple and they did a great job at these remakes. True, many of the "true rpg'ers" as they now call themselves might thing the game is lacking, but it was made to be lacking. I'd recommend this to anybody who wants something to do to pass time while out and is sick of all those stupid cell phone games.

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: A Classic
Comment: A classic but not great... Probably the reason why the games are priced at $[...]

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: "Restore the Crystals to grace..."
Comment: This is a great game (or two if you wish to be technical). Okay, before I begin, I must apologize to vintage Final Fantasy players. I AM SO SORRY! I used to own and play the NES and SNES systems avidly. But, I NEVER PLAYED ANY FINAL FANTASY! And I could have. If you wish to find me and smack me, you can. I deserve it.

Alright, now. Onto Final Fantasy I.

This game is better only in the respect of the stats system and the customization of the characters. As the game starts, you can choose up to four out of six character classes: Warrior, Thief, Monk, White Mage, Red Mage, and Black Mage. However, each character will only have one class change, thus making the difficulty of this game already tough (though not that tough). You can also name your characters with absolutely no preset name(another customizable attribute). Yet again, the customization ends there.

The story is simple. Four Warriors of light must defeat the Four Fiends of Darkness and restore light to the Crystals. The first plot twist of the series, however, is rather interesting. The story, though, does not have to be very in depth as this is the first game, adapted from the NES. So, newcomers expecting an in-depth storyline, give this game a break, okay?

The battle system is part of what makes this game strategical. You give your characters their commands and let the battle unfold. Depending on your characters' stats, whoever hits fastest and strongest (you or enemies) will come out on top. This provides for great strategy time. After you win a battle, you gain experience which, when you gather enough, you level up.

Now, for Final Fantasy II.

This game provides you with actual written characters with a decent (and recurring) storyline. You can rename your characters if you wish, but the main characters' names are Firion, Maria, Guy, and Leon. They are the victims of a conquering empire bent on world domination, led by feminine-looking Emperor Palamecia. (Seriously, he looks like a chick.) After they are attacked and left for dead, Firion wakes up at the rebel base. All but Leon are there, and so they embark on an adventure to find Leon and destroy the empire.

The battle system is exactly the same as number I. However, the level up system is different. While number I had the experience points, number II has an odd system, the system which gives this game a four rather than a five. For example, if you are attacked, your health, stamina, and defense will increase at the end of the battle. Do the math and you can figure out how to raise the other stats.

Now, as a whole, this game is great. Coupled with music from the stupendous Nobuo Uematsu and the extra dungeons guaranteed for more hours of fun, this is one great start for the new and upcoming Final Fantasy fan. Definitely worth it.

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: Almost as Good as the Original
Comment: The remake of Final Fantasy is almost as enjoyabel as the original. It may even be more fun for some. With changes to the magic system as well as to the leveling system (you have MP instead of spells per rest and you can level up way more than the original ever made readily possible), your party can become far too powerful for the enemies in the game. That is, the enemies in the game other than those in the special dungeons that were added in. The special dungeons have some extremely difficult bosses, but they also have some extremely powerful items. I managed to beat all of them and get all of the special items. Once I did, there was no challenge to the game. Even the end boss was a joke when compared back to the uber bosses of the special caves. Overall the game was really fun, though. Most everything else was kept true to the original.

Final Fantasy 2 was a great game with a fun story. I don't have as much to say about it as I never played the original. I enjoyed it as much as any of the classic Final Fantasy games, though.

---