StarlitMe

After reading a few very favorable reviews of this game online I went and bought this game off of Gamersgate (Enhanced Edition to be specific), and honestly, I thought it would be a decent game and nothing more. I truthfully did not expect this game to become one of my new all-time favorite RPGs. I seriously put this game right up there with such classics as Lunar: Silver Star Story and Final Fantasy 6. The graphics are retro in design, and done extremely well. Everything is vibrant, and the updated resolution of those retro graphics certainly gives the game more polish, however there's more to it than that. The entire game is just...polished. A lot of heart and soul went into this game to be sure, but what really struck me was the game's style. It felt like a JRPG, it played like a JRPG, but it wasn't really, it was something new, something innovative. The story itself is wonderfully written, and surprisingly deep. As for the music, that is where this game really shines. The soundtrack is rich with great tracks, such as the boss battle themes and several of the dungeon themes. The overworld mapping is very classic, very retro, and beautifully done in Mode 7 view although I did experience some lag for my part. Battles are presented in classic side-view ala Final Fantasy style, and even has a very solid Active-Time Battle System in place (something many other indie RPGs fail to utilize unfortunately). Overall, this game has become one of my new favorites, and I am very much looking forward to Episode 2.

I really did want to like this game, I bought it off of Gamersgate (one of three indie RPG purchases) and I was sorely dissapointed. The camera was atrocious at times, and while I can enjoy difficulty spikes in RPGs, I expect them to be balanced out and done in a way that seems natural to the game's storyline. This game, unfortunately, does not do this. Instead, you get a game that would all but frustrate the most hardcore RPG gamer out there with its difficulty curve, and the amount of polish that went into this game is laughable. There are some really excellent indie RPGs out there, but sadly, this is not one of them. Not recommended.

Now THIS is a proper remake of a classic game. While it does have its quirks, and a few glitches (I walked through a few walls and managed to walk on the ocean at one point in addition to some grammar mistakes), the game's timelessness is well-preserved and the classic feel of it is retained with a fresh coat of paint applied with the updated graphics. If anyone has not played the original FF IV on the SNES or the poor port on the GBA, then by all means, this is the definitive version to pick up. Highly recommended!

I've been a life-long Final Fantasy fan for as long as there have been Final Fantasies, ever since the original on the ol' NES. I've played and beaten every single one of them, and now after I have played and beaten this one, I can honestly say I was unimpressed. This game's storyline makes me want to vomit with how ludicrous and substandard it is. The character development is frankly poor, and while the gameplay itself does have some merit to it the overall sense of this being a real Final Fantasy game is just lost on me. I didn't mind this game's predecessor all that much, it was a decent game, not good or great but decent. This one though, I felt was rushed out the door in order to make a quick buck for Square-Enix. I'm not very fond of the battle system either, but it seems like Square is catering to a different crowd now than the ones that brought them their success to begin with. My recommendation? There are better games with great storylines out there, play those instead.

Definitely a good game, but it does have a few drawbacks to it. One of them was that the front-view battle system. I know some people really like it, but I prefer the more Final Fantasy-esque side-view battle system personally, so that was a bit of a turnoff. Also, while I know it's only a few dollars to purchase and I was NOT expecting a behemoth like FF 6, I was expecting at least an hour or two longer of gameplay. It just seemed as if it were a bit TOO short an experience for me. Otherwise, it is a great throwback to the NES era of RPGs and some good humor to it as well.