Final Fantasy 2 - 20th Anniversary Edition

Rating ESRB: Teen Genre role-playing Publisher Square/ENIX External Links Official Square/ENIX

Here we go again. Not even a month after the release of Final Fantasy - 20th Anniversary Edition and Final Fantasy 2 has come out. Has it really been that long? Well, actually no it hasn’t. Final Fantasy 2 was originally released in Japan in 1988, and wasn’t released in the United States until 2002 for the PlayStation. Still, far be it for me to deny Square Enix the use of a good marketing strategy to promote a game that took 14 years to release to the U.S. the first time around.

Much like its re-released predecessor, Final Fantasy 2 sports updated graphics, enhanced music, and some unique features to the PSP. A new dungeon has been added to the PSP version of Final Fantasy 2, a built in Art Gallery, Bestiary, and Music Player. Comparatively speaking, Final Fantasy 2 is a better overall gaming experience to the previously reviewed Final Fantasy. While the general plots of the games are identical, Final Fantasy 2 possesses a more detailed story line. The loading delay, while still present, is even shorter than previously mentioned, and in many cases has been removed all together.

The greatest difference, and the reason for the lengthy delay in its initial release to the U.S., is the combat/leveling system. Final Fantasy 2 uses a reactive proficiency system that levels up specific abilities and attributes of your characters as they use those abilities more. It was the belief at the time that Americans would be unable to grasp the concepts behind such a leveling system. Weapons and Magic skills are increased through constant use, Health is increased through surviving damage in combat, and much like in real life, the over use of one skill will result in a degradation in the abilities of other skills.

The inherit flaw in the combat becomes obvious when one realizes that the use of skills and damage taken will increase the character stats just as quickly if they attack each other rather than attacking an enemy. This becomes a very important tool as it’s very easy to find yourself out gunned rather quickly if you don’t take the extra time to level up your party. Quite simply, Final Fantasy 2 is the world’s first RPG made for the die hard grinder.

Thankfully, times change. American gamers have proved themselves as much the RPG enthusiasts as their Japanese counterparts, and Final Fantasy 2 not only made it to the U.S. but is now celebrating its third incarnation on American soil. While many will find the combat system to be cumbersome, Final Fantasy 2 still proves to be an entertaining distraction for any portable system.