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Two great games!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: August 30, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This gem is the re-issue of two old SNES games for the Playstation, Final Fantasy IV and Chrono Trigger. I remember my old FF II SNES cartridge very fondly, though I never had the chance to play Chrono Trigger until this reissue. I enjoyed these classic RPG's very much - now for more detailed reviews of the games:

Final Fantasy IV was originally released as Final Fantasy II here in the USA, since Square chose not to release the NES games of Final Fantasy II and III here at that time, and they changed the numbering of the game to avoid confusion here. The story follows the adventures of Cecil, commander of the famed Red Wings squadron of airships and a Dark Knight in the service of the King of Baron. The King, formerly a benevolent ruler, has recently begun to exhibit changed and disturbing behavior. When he sends Cecil and the Red Wings on a mission to assault the hapless mages of Mysidia and steal their Crystal, Cecil begins to seriously question his actions. When he brings his concerns to the King, he is rewarded by being stripped of his command and sent to deliver a package to the nearby Village of Mist along with his friend, Kain the Dragoon. And so the adventure begins...

Those who have mostly played the later Final Fantasies, especially VII, VIII, and X, will find the character creation system in this game to be different. As the game progresses, you will be joined by several different characters who rotate in and out of your party, and each has his or her own unique abilities. For example, Rosa, Cecil's lady love, is strictly a White Magic user, with a small offensive capability, whereas Cecil and Kain are strictly designed around being offensive powerhouses. So, there is not a lot of room for character customization.

Final Fantasy IV also introduced the Active Time Battle (ATB) system to the series. Basically, in this game, each character has a time bar that fills up according to the character's Speed stat. When the bar fills up, the character is able to take an action. The enemies have ATB bars also, but you can't see them. So you will need to plan your strategies carefully, but yet think fast, because while you are debating on what spell to have Rosa or Rydia cast, the enemies will continue to attack.

In addition, those who had previously played this game on the SNES will be pleasantly surprised to see that the game has been completely re-translated, resulting in a storyline that makes a little more sense and is a little easier to understand (and the infamous "Spoony Bard" line is still there). Also, there are many more items and abilities in the game that were left out of the original SNES version.

As to Chrono Trigger, this game is not part of the Final Fantasy series, though it is from the same company that produced those games. Many other reviewers have commented on the long loading times for this game. I found that the load times were on the order of 5 seconds or so for most battles and menu screens. Saving the game takes a little longer. It didin't bother me too much, but I can see how others, particularly those who played the SNES version, could be annoyed.

Chrono Trigger follows the story of Chrono, a young man who is good friends with Lucca, the local inventor. One day during the local town festival, they encounter a mysterious young girl named Marle. While looking at Lucca's latest invention, Marle suddenly disappears, leaving only her pendant behind. Chrono and Lucca follow her...

CT is different from most RPGs in that instead of traversing a large world to discover new places, this world is much smaller and the new discoveries come in the form of time travel. There are several different eras that you will visit in the course of playing this game, ranging from the mists of prehistory to the far future.

As in FFIV, each character in the game has his or her own unique abilities, with certain characters being more "Tank" types and others leaning more towards magic use. However, in this game, you have a little more control over who is in your party at one time. Also, each character has certain "Tech" abilities. Different characters can create powerful Double or Triple Tech attacks when working as a team, thus allowing for many different attacking strategies, depending on the party's composition.

Another cool thing about CT is the fact that, depending on your actions in the game, you will get one of a dozen or so different endings. The different endings enhance the replayability of this game quite a bit. The Chronicles version also contains several new anime cutscenes that were created by the same person who drew the Dragonball anime series. Anyone who has ever watched any episodes of Dragonball Z will see the resemblance immediately.

Overall, this is a truly excellent game, with a lot of nice surprises and features even for those who own the original SNES cartridges. Although the load times are noticeable, they really aren't that bad and shouldn't turn someone off this game. Highly, highly recommended.

Classic games...not so classic load times...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 5
Date: December 31, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Both of these games are some of the greatest RPGs ever released. But unfortunately Square/Enix released this game with the same horrendous loading times that killed the psx release of Final Fantasy 6. I know it sounds ridiculous that I'm complaining about petty loading times, but BELIEVE ME, once you play the ps1 version of Chrono Trigger you will be going nuts from impatience with these load times. If you're fast, you might be able to prepare dinner, or even take a shower while the menu loads up. And when you enter the next screen you might as well leave to use the bathroom. Okay maybe I am overemphasizing it a bit. I found myself looking for the SNES version after i got this just so I could take advantage of quick loading time. Which to me was a collosul waste of money since I paid for the Chronicles already. But now that the game is on Greatest Hits, it is worth it just for the ff4 disk alone. This version of FF4 is just as good (probably even better) than the SNES version. As far as I know it has more monsters and items too, since this version is the japanese one translated into American and not the watered down American version. And since it's only 20 bucks now, it's a great deal for these classic games. Final Fantasy 4 has very fast loading time on this and it really makes me wonder why Square couldn't have made Chrono Trigger faster. It seems as though every time Square releases a double-RPG set one of the games always has horrible loading. But truth be told, the loading times on Chrono Trigger are not as horrible as Final Fantasy 6's, which were by all means the worst loading times Ive ever experienced, and I'd rather pay for a Super Nintendo and the game itself so I could avoid them (and the SNES version is much better for that game anyway). I guess after all it is worth it to pay $20 for these two classic games despite the horrendous patience problems you will endure. Unless you can find it on Greatest Hits, I wouldn't buy it though.

overall....about 3.5...but 4 was too good so i rounded down to 3

2 great games with a few problems

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: July 03, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Before I begin, let me say I OWN this game (on the PSX), as opposed to the other reviews I have read so far, and I have a lot to say about it that they don't know because they never played it.

Don't get me wrong, I love both of these games, and I own the original SNES versions of them as well as my PSX version. But I have a few problems with the games that gamers might want to be aware of before buying the games (although you definitely still should buy it). First, I will tackle FFIV, because this will be a lot shorter.

I want to start by saying that I didn't really play the new version yet, I stopped after I fight so I could see how the fighting transitions work. But what I saw was perfect. There was no extra load time, battles start and stop seamlessly. This is identical to the SNES version, but there were a few differences that I saw. First, the (new) introduction was very short, and contained clips from what appeared to be 2 FMVs, which leads me to believe there is not much video added. The video added was the style of that added into the other FF games (VI-IX), as opposed to that used in Chrono Trigger. But in terms of actual storyline, it seemed so different. First, Cecil knew exactly what his mission to Mysidia was, and his "package" item was even re-named to the name of it's contents. Second, the King says nothing of banishing him, and that he can come back after it's success. And the dash option added into all their re-makes is a very nice addition. If you loved FFIV (or II, whatever you call it) for SNES or even never played it, this is a MUST HAVE for the PSX.

Chrono Trigger. That's a very different story. This was perhaps my favorite SNES game, rivaled only by FFVI. I bought this game primarily for this remake, although I would have gotten FFIV when it came. As I put in the game, I watched through the new anime-esque entrance, and I must say it was incredible. I do not know who was responsible for this video, but kudos to you - it's incredible. About 1 in 5 times of my turning on the power of my PSX, it will give me an error message saying, "Insert valid Playstation CD-ROM". I don't know what the cause of the problem is, but hitting reset "solves" it. I didn't ever have that problem before, nor did I see it with any other game, including FFIV. I just sent out a letter to Square and Sony, so I could not get a response yet.

1 - The most notable flaw is the horrendous load times in the game. There are 4 seconds before and after every battle, another 4 when you access the menu or change screens or change your party. Surprisingly, it only takes 2 seconds to record your saved game onto the memory pack. The newer, more demanding games managed to hide this before battles by swirling the screen and doing weird effects...I had never realized the purpose before playing this game. In battles with a lot of people (such as in Magus' castle, with 6 bats all moving about), there was noticeable slowdown, something that I was unsure of the casue due to the power of the PSX hardware.

2 - The FMVs - they're great, but not perfect. I enjoyed the first one I saw when you first recruit Robo (or R-66Y as I like to name him), but when you meet Ayla, or when Glenn opens up the Magic Mountains, or before you fight Magus, the FMV is followed by the same exact thing except in-game. If they were to show Ayla take out all the reptiles in FMV mode, there is no reason to show it again in the game, and I feel they should have done something about that "deja-vu". Although other ones had this same problem, it wasn't too bad with the first take-off of Epoch. A note on the FMVs - I noticed during the Glenn sequence, the music appeared to be orchestrated, and it sounded beautiful.

Square had originally set this game for a July 11th release, the same day of the movie, but has actually PUSHED IT FORWARD, something that I cannot recall another example of in game history. Yet I do not see the reason, because I would much rather wait another month to have a quicker game. I love how they added the "extras" menu into the game. It adds new things each time you get a different ending. I'm don't have any information, because I haven't beaten it yet on PSX, but I have a feeling that it will be free access to view that ending. I am only up to the underwater palace (although I did get it yesterday), and am far too weak to beat the game just yet.

I was slightly disappointed after I started playing this game with the excessive loading. I would have been much happier purchasing an FFIV with the music CD (why not the OST...it's only one CD) like they did in FF Anthologies, and waiting another few months for Chrono Trigger to reduce the loads (and maybe including the PSX remix soundtrack...by the way, both of those CDs do exist in Japan, and I'm sure they have master copies from which they could easily produce more.). Don't get me wrong, these are two very nice games, but I'd say they should wait until its closer to perfection.

The Bottom Line - BUY THIS GAME. It's worth the wait before battles in Chrono Trigger, and FFIV is perfect. The lost star in my rating was for this loading. Otherwise, this is perfect.

2 old classics in one great package

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: July 09, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Any RPG fan who owned a Super Nintendo in the early '90s will no doubt recongnize the two games included in this package. Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy 4 (formerly known as FF2 in the US) were two of the best role playing games released for any console system at the time. Chrono Trigger is an RPG which combines elements of the Final Fantasy series with the character designs of Akira Toriyama (best known for his work on the Dragon Ball animated series). Final Fantasy 4 was the very first Final Fantasy game to be released for the Super Nintendo, and introduced many features for the first time that would later become a staple of the series. Both games are strictly 2D, and while they look very outdated by today's standards, their storyline and depth are still superior to many of the newer RPGs. The only downfall with Final Fantasy Chronicles is the loading time, especially in Chrono Trigger. These games were originally designed to be displayed on the Super Nintendo, and the Playstation has a hard time keeping up with all of the sprite based graphics. It also would have been nice if FF Chronicles included a soundtrack CD like the one in Final Fantasy Anthology. In any case, if you are a RPG fan, you can't afford to pass up this great deal.

English version of Chrono Trigger for PSX finally!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: July 15, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Final Fastasy Chronicles comes with Final Fantasy 4 and Chrono Trigger. But The Chrono Trigger game alone is worth the purchase. I loved the snes version But this is even better with the new FMV sequences and lots of other new features Only downside to this is the slower loading times between scenes. But this is to be expected when a cartridge game is ported to cd. If you liked the snes version this a must buy! If you like RPGs try it!

Don't be scared off by the lag time...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: July 30, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I got this game primarily for Chrono Trigger, having missed playing it since I retired my SNES. I still have the original game, but as memory chips fail as years go by, I was excited to see it for PS One. I had some trepidation about buying this particular title, as I had read all the reviews about the terrible lag time while waiting for battles to commence. It's not all that distracting, though - for me, anyway. I'd say you have to wait about 3-4 seconds for each battle to get underway, and it's not as though the whole game just freezes while the disc spins, looking for the battle. Your characters stop, but the music is still going, so it doesn't come across as a glitch.

Like just about everyone else, that is the only real flaw I see with this game, and as I said, it's not that bad. You've still got a classic game, all the original music and excellent gameplay, PLUS there are some little animated moments that pop up unexpectedly during the game, which make for a nice surprise. I can't believe how much fun Chrono Trigger STILL is to play, after all this time.

I have not yet cranked up FFIV - still enjoying CT too much to put it down. All in all, this is a worthwhile purchase that you will not regret.

Classic, must-own title!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: July 30, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Many consider Final Fantasy IV (originally released as II in the US) is the best of the Final Fantasy series-- I have to agree. Both ports in this collection are excellent and the new FFIV translation is infinitely better than the original. Load times on Chrono Trigger are a little long-- but PlayStation RPGers are used to these. In short, if you like RPGs, you must own this.

Amazing

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: August 07, 2001
Author: Amazon User

What a deal, these two games are simply amazing! You cant go wrong by buying this!

Finally, we can Play These Legally...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: August 31, 2001
Author: Amazon User

These games are some of the best ever made. The added CG & anime cutscenes are a wonderful touch, plus Chrono Trigger's Extras Mode gets you to get all the endings. I won't rant about how great the games are, but I'll name the sole problem: CT's port is slow and the cutscenes are often choppy (especially the intro). It's nothing game-destroying, but if you're used to the SNES (or an emulator) prepare to be mildly annoyed.

Final Fantasy chronicles is da bomb! ...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: January 21, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Graphics
No 3d graphics? No problem! I can remember when I was 7 and the nintendo was a big thing! Back then, graphics were not a big deal!

Gameplay
Amazing. It keeps you coming back for more ALWAYS!

Value
2 games in 1 package (drools)! A great value for die-hard rpg gamers like myself.

Overall
Buy it. It's so great that you dont need to think twice.
5 stars all the way baby!

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