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There's a feeling that Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection is a waste of time. In part because Final Fantasy IV has already so many releases it's not even funny. The game has already been released on the Super Nintendo, original Playstation, Gameboy Advance and has a full blown remake on the Nintendo DS. This is also not including the reissue on the Wii's virtual console. By now, who hasn't experienced Final Fantasy IV that wants to? It's still a great game, but it's hard to recommend the game to those who've already experienced it before (particularly the Playstation or GBA copy). And the After Years isn't exactly going to add to the experience as it's fairly forgettable.Final Fantasy IV's story is simple. Cecil, the dark knight from the King of Baron, has just taken the crystal from Mysidia. But the means by which he was ordered to take it bothers him. Something is going on in the Kingdom and when he brings about question to the King, he is stripped of his ranks as the leader of the Red Wings and is sent to a nearby town with a bomb ring in tow... that manages to come to life and burn it to the ground. Finding his kingdom corrupt and realizing he has done wrong, Cecil decides to strip himself of the Dark Knight and become a Paladin and restore order. There is, however, so much more to the story. Final Fantasy IV has a good story in the RPG realm. Whether or not it's aged well is something gamers may have to consider. If you played it originally it might still shine. As it does for me. On the other hand, if you are just now playing the game for the first time you aren't likely to realize what the big deal is now. In 1991 Final Fantasy IV was a big step forward for video games in general. Presently there are still some gamers who don't particularly see the appeal.
Nevertheless, many of the things Final Fantasy IV does are things the series continued to do for the next decade following it's release. Giving characters personality and developing relationships between them started here. The ATB battle system started here. And the drama that the Final Fantasy series began started here. The world is put on a stage, providing some twists and turns. The series merely evolved on what Final Fantasy IV started. As a result it's gameplay is as simple as it gets. You get into battles and your characters wait their turn and attack. Since it's active time your enemies might attack while you are still selecting in the menu. You watch the actions play out. Most battles are done rather quickly. You do have characters that will learn more abilities as they level. There isn't really a complex skill system at work here and most of it is straight forward. There are no characters that you really have to switch out of your party. The story will dictate who will and be in and out of your party. But it will never leave you helpless. There is usually a character you'll have that is perfectly suitable for your situation.
In the past Final Fantasy IV was known as one of the most difficult RPGs out there. This collection doesn't really have that here. The difficulty feels toned down considerably. Especially from the recent DS release. Those looking for a challenge won't exactly find it here. On the other hand the presentation is quite good. The DS release may have crunched more pixels but it's hard to deny that some of it is downright ugly. The sprites are smooth and detailed giving the game a soft look and it's still easy on the eyes. It's reminiscent of the look you saw in earlier releases of Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II.
The after years, however, wasn't very memorable to begin with and here it's not quite so memorable either. In part because there just isn't much to it. The main game itself is the real deal here, but the After Years feels like an after thought. The same devotion that went into main game never felt like it was there to begin with. The good news is that the main game itself is worth the money alone, but The After Years is likely to be done in just a couple of hours.
The only other problem is whether or not the game is worth it if you've already invested in it previously. Especially because the previous two releases weren't that long ago. It includes all the extras of the GBA version... but for that you could easily get the GBA version. And depending on if you have a preference for sprites or not, the DS version is still available as well. If you already have Final Fantasy IV and you're content, there's not much need to pick this up. And if you have a previous version and are interested in The After Years, you can find it fairly cheap on WiiWare. There isn't much reason to invest in Final Fantasy IV again if you've already got a previous version. Otherwise it's still a good game.
Final Fantasy IV The Complete Collection Overview
Square Enix FINAL FANTASY IV: The Complete Collection 91045 PSP Games
Final Fantasy IV The Complete Collection Features
- Final Fantasy IV IS consistently rated as one of the Top 50 games ever
- Vibrant Visuals And Unforgettable Melodies: A complete graphical overhaul for both Final Fantasy IV and The After Years
- Original SNES soundtrack, an all-new intro movie and cinematic CGI sequences from previous release, and a monster encyclopedia
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