• FINAL FANTASY 2
In December of 1990, Final Fantasy 4 was released for the Super Nintendo with the name Final Fantasy 2. Why did Square name it part 2 instead of part 4? Well, Square had only released Final Fantasy 1 for the NES, they skipped the original Final Fantasy 2 & 3. Final Fantasy 2 (US) blew RPG fans away! It was the first RPG for the SNES. If you're still confused with the whole mis-naming, here's a chart to make things easier for you:
Japanese name Final Fantasy (NES) |
US released (90's) Final Fantasy (NES) |
US released (2000's) Final Fantasy Origins, as Final Fantasy (PSX) |
• FINAL FANTASY ANTHOLOGY (Jap only)
The complete Final Fantasy Anthology was only released in Japan for PSX. This anthology included ports of Final Fantasy 4-6. The only changes made was CGI animated sequences added to the beginning and end of the games, except Final Fantasy 4 only has one in the ending. The Final Fantasy Anthology that was released in the US in September of 1999 only included Final Fantasy 5 & 6. Why? Well, Square thought the anthology wouldn't be a big hit over here, so they decided not the invest the funds to include Final Fantasy 4.
• FINAL FANTASY 4 WSC (Jap only)
The Wonderswan Color system (WSC for short) was Japan's petty competition to Gameboy Advance. Before Gameboy Advance's popularity crushed the WSC, Square was porting over several of their popular SNES games to it. One of them was Final Fantasy 4, released in March of 2002. The graphics have been slightly improved for this release.
• FINAL FANTASY CHRONICLES
The US Final Fantasy Anthology turned out to be a hit. Square finally decided to bring over the anthology's Final Fantasy 4 in June of 2001. They bundled it with Chrono Trigger and released them with the title Final Fantasy Chronicles. And Square actually did something new with it, exclusive only to the US! They retranslated the script, supposedly being true to the original Japanese script, revealing all the things they cut out from the heavily censored SNES US release.
• FINAL FANTASY 4 ADVANCE
Years later on December 12, 2005, Square-Enix released a further improved version of Final Fantasy 4 for the Gameboy Advance. Firstly, it's properly translated; although the famous "Spoony bard" line is still there, but that's something that should remain.
Click here for some screen shots.
The graphics don't look much different from the WSC version. New features include several new bosses, two new dungeons, mini-games, a bestiary, increased difficulty, and the ability to recruit additional
party members near the final moments. The image toward the right is the exclusive-to-Japan-FF4-themed Gameboy Advance. If you're interested in viewing the Japanese commercials, you can do so by hopping over to my Downloads section.
In this epic adventure, the kingdom of Baron seeks to rule, but wants the position of power a little too much for anyone's liking. Cecil, a Dark Knight in the Service of Baron see this and questions the King. His interference gets him and his best friend Kain kicked out of the castle and without employment. These two friends have many adventures together, involving many different characters and many twists of fate. The 8 crystals, in the dark and light worlds are in danger of being obtained by Golbez, the supreme evil power.
It's a masterpiece. The soundtrack is so good that I still occasionally listen to it in my spare time. The music blends well with the events that take place. The storyline was very well written and carries the qualities that Squaresoft is known for. The only drawback (that is, if you're the type who doesn't like difficult classic RPGs) is that the game gets hard! Of course, the beginning of the game is easy, but as you progress the challenge of the battles slowly rises. The final boss is so difficult that you can't just barge in when you reach his lair. You need to run around and level up like 50 levels before you even think about challenging him. ^^;;
Ah yes, Final Fantasy 4... what a great story this game has. I first played Final Fantasy 2 US a year or two after Final Fantasy 3 US came out. I bought it used from Funcoland. I remember enjoying it so much. The storyline blew me away. Final Fantasy 3 US was the main reason that convinced me to give Final Fantasy 2 US a try. Final Fantasy 3 US impressed me so much, I was so eager to play the Final Fantasy before it. Final Fantasy 2 US met my expectations and gave me much satisfaction. The only thing that let me down was the game's difficulty. Battles towards the end of the game were so tedious. That was then, now its easy for me. But I still consider this segment in the Final Fantasy series to be the most challenging. Nintendo Power also influenced me to play Final Fantasy 2 US. They made such a cool review about it, they put lots of pretty pictures and screen shots in it. No person influenced me to play it. RPGs weren't popular as I grew up, I was alone with my interests. A year or two after I played Final Fantasy 2 US, I learned the shocking truth that its real name was actually Final Fantasy 4 and that the true sequel of it is not Final Fantasy 3, but Final Fantasy 5. Well those are all my Final Fantasy 2 US memories. It is such a great masterpiece along side of its console brothers and portable sisters.
Final Fantasy 2 US was heavily censored and Americanized. Everything that Square felt was too violent or too sexual was removed. But thanks to a fan-based translation group known as J2e Translations, we can now enjoy a 100% uncensored, completely accurate translation of SNES Final Fantasy 4. It was released in July of 2001. I don't think you should bother playing Final Fantasy 2 US anymore, the retranslation is much better. You might be asking yourself, "Well, Squaresoft retranslated the script for Final Fantasy Chronicles and Gameboy Advance. How would I know which one is the most true to the Japanese original script?" Well, I for one trust the judgment and skills of the members of J2e Translations, so I consider theirs to be one that can be trusted. Ultimately, it all depends on your preferences with gaming, whether or not you should prefer the J23's retranslation or Squaresoft's retranslation. Anyway, you can grab J2e's retranslation from the Downloads section. All the shots in the Screen Shots section were captured from it (it uses a different font than FF2 US).
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