Final Fantasy Chronicles
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Final Fantasy Chronicles | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Developer(s) | Square Co., Ltd. |
| Publisher(s) | Square Electronic Arts |
| Series | Final Fantasy series Chrono series |
| Release date(s) | June 29, 2001NA |
| Genre(s) | Role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: T (Teen) |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation |
| Media | 2x CD-ROM |
Final Fantasy Chronicles is a compilation of Square Co., Ltd. console role-playing games Final Fantasy IV and Chrono Trigger released for the Sony PlayStation on June 29, 2001.[1] TOSE Co. ported both titles from the Super Nintendo Entertainment System; each had been previously released as individual PlayStation ports in 1997 (Final Fantasy IV) and 1999 (Chrono Trigger).[2][3] Several bonus features were added to each game, such as art galleries, bestiaries, and cutscenes—including computer generated full motion video used at the beginning of Final Fantasy IV and anime scenes used throughout Chrono Trigger.[4]
Final Fantasy Chronicles was received well by players and critics, who praised the peripheral features and Square's offering RPG classics to a new generation of gamers.[4][5][6] Conversely, reviewers sharply criticized "long and frequent loading" between areas and battles due to poor emulation.[6][5] Enough copies of Chronicles were sold to warrant a second release as part of Sony's Greatest Hits in June 2003.[7]
Contents |
[edit] Development
The original Super Nintendo Final Fantasy IV had previously been released in North America in edited format as Final Fantasy II in 1991.[8] The Final Fantasy Chronicles version of the game is a complete re-localization, featuring several elements not present in the earlier North American release, and a retranslated English language script which is closer to the original Japanese version written by Takashi Tokita than the original version's script for the Super NES written by Ted Woolsey. [9] The Final Fantasy Chronicles version of Chrono Trigger, on the other hand, is essentially identical to the North American localization of the Super NES game, originally released in 1995, and uses the script produced for the original localization written by Ted Woolsey. Chronicles, developed by TOSE Co., Ltd. and published by Square Co., Ltd., was designed and directed by Kazuhiko Aoki, supervised by Fumiaki Fukaya, and produced by Akihiro Imai.[9]
Both PlayStation remakes were originally released separately in Japan; Final Fantasy IV had also been included in the Japanese Final Fantasy Collection.[2] The compilation was released in North America as a follow up to Final Fantasy Anthology, a collection of the PlayStation re-releases of Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy VI.
[edit] Reception
Final Fantasy Chronicles became the top selling Playstation title for the first two weeks of its release, a feat considering it was released on the 28th of June and did not reach most retailers until the 30th.[10]
Final Fantasy Chronicles was given a 9.4 by IGN, calling it a "must buy" for RPG fans.[11]
Like Final Fantasy Anthology before it, however, Final Fantasy Chronicles was met with mixed reviews from North American consumers, who tended to be especially critical of the load time inherent in the CD-ROM format utilized by the PlayStation, but not in the original cartridge format utilized by the Super Nintendo. Players could expect a 2-4 second load time when accessing the items menus, and the transition between fight scenes also suffered from lags. Coincidentally, while load times in the Final Fantasy Chronicles release of Final Fantasy IV had been substantially improved from the original Japanese PlayStation release, the load times in Chrono Trigger were incredibly more noticeable than the original Japanese PlayStation release. In 2004, Square Enix re-released Final Fantasy Chronicles as a "Greatest Hits" game.
[edit] References
- ^ Final Fantasy Chronicles. GameSpot. Retrieved on March 3, 2007.
- ^ a b Chrono Trigger for PS. GameSpot. Retrieved on March 3, 2007.
- ^ Final Fantasy IV for PS. GameSpot. Retrieved on March 3, 2007.
- ^ a b Dave Zdyrko (2001-07-18). IGN: Final Fantasy Chronicles Review. IGN PSX. Retrieved on March 3, 2007.
- ^ a b Brad Shoemaker (2001-07-06). Final Fantasy Chronicles for PlayStation Review. GameSpot. Retrieved on March 3, 2007.
- ^ a b (2001) in Kennedy, Sam: Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine August 2001; issue 47 (in English). Ziff Davis Media Inc., 107.
- ^ Final Fantasy Chronicles. Amazon.com. Retrieved on March 3, 2007.
- ^ Kelley, Ian. FF4j/FF4j Easytype Changes FAQ. FFCompendium. Retrieved on September 12, 2006.
- ^ a b (2001) in Square Enix staff: Final Fantasy Chronicles instruction manual (in English). Square Enix, 54. SLUS-01360.
- ^ Final Fantasy Chronicles Tops the Charts. IGN (July 13th, 2001). Retrieved on March 28, 2007.
- ^ Final Fantasy Chronicles. IGN (July 18th, 2001). Retrieved on March 4, 2007.
[edit] External links
|
Final Fantasy • II • III • IV • V • VI • VII • VIII • IX • X • XI • XII Compilation of VII • X-2 • Adventure • Crystal Chronicles • Mystic Quest • Tactics • Tactics Advance • Others Airships • Class system • Creatures • Crystals • Designers • Items • Limit Break • Magic • Minigames • Music • Races • Weapons and armor |
