For the Diehard Final Fantasy Geek

Final Fantasy: Origins is a remake of the two first Final Fantasy releases for the NES, Final Fantasy I and Final Fantasy II. Both of these games are what will later become one of the biggest hits for future gaming systems like the PSX and PS2. However, you shouldn't expect a whole lot out of this game unless you were lucky enough to play these first two games on their original system. Unfortunately, I've only played Final Fantasy I since Final Fantasy II wasn't released in the United States at the time. However, before buying this game, I did use an emulator to play part two, so I know what it was all about before the remake.

Graphics and Sound:
The graphics definitely aren't the reason you would want to buy this game. They look similar to a NES with tweaks here and there, both to the sprites and backgrounds. Your characters and monsters do look better, though. Plus, there are added FMV's in the games that gives them an extra kick which were not in the original releases for the NES. The sound and music is also a bit redone from that of the NES releases. They are somewhat digitally enhanced, so this is a definite plus. There isn't any new music, however, but I don't believe there should be, as I really see this game as a blast into the past.

Story:
The story is exactly the same as that of Final Fantasy I and II. If you're unsure of what these titles are, then you are seriously missing out on one of the greatest RPG game series ever developed. You're basically a set of warriors set out to defeat a great evil force that is attempting to destroy the world. Keep in mind that they do have a lot of storyline, especially considering they were made on the NES. In Final Fantasy I, you get to create a group of four characters, which include a warrior, a thief, a monk, a black mage, a white mage, and a red mage. Each class has it's advantages and disadvantages, so it's just really how you like to play. In Final Fantasy II, your class is already predetermined. However, the leveling system on this game allows you to build each character how you like, so you could make them fighters, magic casters, defensive machines, or whatever.

Gameplay:
The gameplay is also mostly the same, except there are some options to tweak things like battle scenes. For example, in Final Fantasy I, if all characters attacked the same monster, once it was killed, the remaining characters would continue to attack something that wasn't there. This can be changed, along with a few other tweaks, like game difficulty. Final Fantasy Origins also has a feature to view original artwork inspired by the game as you play through it, and some of the artwork looks good enough to have tattooed on you! Finally, there is an option to choose difficulty for the games. For most players, it seems that the games are just too difficult because of the amount of time that you have to spend leveling up and such. With the new difficulty feature, you're allowed to level up faster and get a few more bonuses.

Other Notes:
This is a definite must own for any Final Fantasy Fan. You'll enjoy the additions to the game and reminisce on the nostalgia it brings. You can easily put 30 hours into each part of the game, so plan on putting some time into it. It also has a definite replay value where you can play again off of the save file that you used to beat the game. Well worth it!

Overall:
Buy this game, and buy it now, before it becomes harder to find. Don't even bother renting, since you'll just find yourself wanting to rent it again.