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It's been twenty years since Final Fantasy II was first released and time hasn't been all that kind to the game. The PSP edition features updated graphics, new dungeons and an enhanced version of Nobuo Uematsu's soundtrack. The game, however, doesn't hold up quite as well as the other Final Fantasy re-issues we've seen lately. Final Fantasy III benefited from dual-screen presentation and the new 3D engine to help better stage the story and create characters. Final Fantasy IV's frequently humorous script stood the test of time even when rehashed nearly verbatim on for the Gameboy Advance. In comparison Final Fantasy II just feels dull, even with a new coat of paint and a flashy CG opening.

Evil is Bad

The story is textbook Final Fantasy. A group of adventurers rally to resist evil forces plotting to destroy everything that is good. Many series staples are introduced in this edition, including chocobos and Cid, the airship pilot. The three characters you play are blank slates -- a group of orphans who survived an attack and decide to devote their lives to avenging the destruction that upended their homes. Guest party members, like the miner Josef, regularly join the adventurers. The moments when these new personalities with their own histories, character and goals tag along are the most interesting part of the game. Guests show up so frequently that they nearly make up for the game's paint-by-numbers dungeon crawls.

On-The-Job Training

Series veterans will find combat slightly simplified. Skills evolve when they're used and characters don't have numbered levels. There's still plenty of opportunity for customizing party members. Spells and weapons can be assigned to most characters. Still, the fights feel fairly rote. Most fights are against super-weak monsters that randomly jump the player's party as they're exploring. If Square Enix could harness the power ever time the “X” button was pressed during their games, they could power the Eastern seaboard until doomsday. There's a reason, though, why fans have embraced this nearly brain-dead form of fighting for decades. Final Fantasy games are really easy to veg out to. On a hand-held gaming machine, this approach makes even more sense. Who needs the distraction of intense, complicated battle when you're piloting a 747 or taking a break while performing heart bypass surgery?

The Anti-Penultimate Something-or-Other

There are tons of new Final Fantasy games due out on the PSP, so Final Fantasy II feels a bit like a stopgap for fans eager for to get their hands on Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions or the spin-off Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core. Players who haven't experienced the earlier entries should be warned: this reissue is old school in the extreme. Final Fantasy II is more a relic than a classic – a bit of history overshadowed by better, more effective executions of the Final Fantasy formula. Those looking to fill their PSP screen with gorgeous sprite-based could do worse. Like fast food lovers, Final Fantasy players know what to expect when they fire up their console. Final Fantasy II is the first to truly deliver that experience of being transported to a world filled with fluffy yellow birds and medieval flying machines.

Article by: Gus Mastrapa
Video produced by: Michael Leffler