Here are a couple of reviews I wrote for
VGR.
When I write reviews I try to incorporate my feelings and experiences from the time period as well as today. Graphics and sound on the other hand are more rated for the time period of the game in question.
When this game came out my older brother bought it and we played it for hours and hours into the night. And in the middle of the night if I heard him playing I would peek under the door to see what he was doing with our party.
Graphics: (9/10):
Back in the days of the Nintendo/Famicom we were used to seeing Dragon Warrior/Quest or Zelda as an RPG's usual visual styles. But Final Fantasy changed all of this. For 8-bit it had some pretty detailed graphics, the areas/dungeons were very cleaverly drawn and designed. The monsters and characters were especially neat. All in all it was a pleasent update to the RPG graphical style.
Sound (10/10):
While the sound effects were typical Nintendo style, the music was what this game excels at. I mean I have two songs from this game as ring tones and 1 sound effect as an alert tone on my cell phone. 20 years later and I still listen to its music.
Gameplay: (9.5/10):
A canoe, a boat and an airship in the same game. And the game uses these things seamlessly. The controls were good and you soon forgot that the palm of your hands hurt from the box Nintendo controller while you played this game for hours. You almost forget you are using a controller. My only complaint is the cumbersome item buying, which is where the rating gets 0.5 taken off. The monsters were definately a huge step up in RPGs with their AI/skills. Some monsters even today scare the crap out of me when I run into them. Sorcerers anyone?
Replay Value (10/10):
20 years later and I can still sit down and play this game--and get killed by Sorcerers. The ability to make up a ton of different parties with different jobs makes it possible to experience the game in many different forms. Try a 4 Black Mage or White Mage party. Or make a 2 Thief 2 Red Mage party. The challenges are endless.
Overall Rating (9.8/10):
Put simply the best RPG released in the US on the Nintendo and one of the best RPGs (and games) of all time. I can't express how much fun it can be even today. You do need patience due to the technology gap, but it can be a whole bunch of fun and challenging. The only reason it doesn't get a 10 is the frustrating item shop buying system. But that can be solved with a turbo button controller.
Final Fantasy II (US) is one of the best games of all time rated by many players and THE best game of all time for me personally. I first played this game the day it came out. My older brother got it as a gift on release day and we played it for hours and hours. We both played (and loved) the original Final Fantasy so we already thought we knew what to expect. We were blown away at the depth and finished product. Still to this day the title screen brings chills up my spine--it has the most nostalgia of any game I've ever played. I've also played this game (and all its Japanese and US counterparts and releases) more than all other games COMBINED. I could almost play this game blindfolded.
Graphics: (10/10):
The graphics were extremely good back in these days, the areas and monsters were so brilliantly drawn as well as the character portraits. NOTHING looked like this, and it took a few years for an RPG on a console to look better. All of the areas were so colorful and vibrant, it was like looking at a PC game.
Sound (10/10):
Sound effects were a definate step up for the RPG genre (esp. Magic spells), but the real deal was the soundtrack. To this day it is hard to get a game where every track is just pure brilliance. I often listen to the music on my notebook and even have some ringtones. It just doesn't get better than this.
Gameplay: (10/10):
It took the RPG genre a step forward by offering the ability to have more than your starting characters AND developing a deep story for each one. Even some NPCs have stories attached to them. The game is VERY deep. Plus the controls and the way the player actually plays the game is silky smooth. You forget you are using a controller sometimes.
Replay Value (/10):
Its been almost 20 years and I still play this game almost on a monthly basis. You can play this game a ton of different ways. In a way this game reinvented replay value for me. I was constantly putting challenges on myself, like for example, beat the game in under 10 hours or try and beat the game without buying any weapons/armor. To this day I can challenge myself in some way to get me to play the game again.
Overall Rating (/10):
To put it in the simplest terms possible, the best game ever.
When Sword of Vermillion came out to the US it was largely ignored by the magazines and hardcore RPG players alike. I originally bought this game after I played (and beat) Final Fantasy. From the start the game sucked me in and never let go. I would pretend to be sick and skip school to play this game back in those days. Still to this day I can fire it up and play for hours.
Graphics (9/10):
The graphics for that time were unbelievably good. The sense of 3D on the overworld and in dungeons was a definate departure from the birds eye view we were all accustomed to.
Sound (8/10):
The sound effects were a mixture of the usual suspects--slashes, smacks and the like. But the music was the real gem to the audio. The music is captivating and really sets the mood.
Gameplay: (10/10):
The gameplay gets a 10 mainly because its your atypical RPG by being RPG and Action rolled into one sweet package. The battles are the action part and can be truely scary when you run into 8 of a fast deadly monster. I can't count the number of times the damned black slime 8x has killed me when I was trying to run away! You truely fear some of the monsters in this game...not many RPGs can say this.
Replay Value (9/10):
Simply put, I still play this game--almost 20 years later. That enough?
Overall Rating (10/10):
It is my favorite RPG for the Sega Megadrive/Genesis. It still has me wanting to play it after all these years...and there isn't a learning curve with this game. You can literally put it down and pick it up at any time--no matter how much time has passed. It is a true masterpiece for this console system. I would highly recommend this to anyone that wants a classic RPG with something different to offer.
Thoughts?
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A game review (sub)forum.
We have EVEN MORE themes now, but some old ones are gone...
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