Final Fantasy Anthology
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| Final Fantasy Anthology {{#if:{{{image|}}}|<tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center;">{{{image|}}} | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Square Co., Ltd. {{#if:{{{publisher|}}}|<tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Publisher(s)<td>{{{publisher|}}} |
| Release date(s) | September 30, 1999 (NA) May 17, 2002 (EU) |
| Genre(s) | Role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer {{#if:{{{ratings|}}}|<tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Rating(s)<td>{{{ratings|}}} |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation {{#if:{{{media|}}}|<tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Media<td>{{{media|}}} |
Final Fantasy Anthology is a compilation of two Square Co., Ltd. computer role-playing games remade and re-released for the Sony PlayStation. The North American release includes the games Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy VI, while the European release includes Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy V. In Japan, all three games were released both individually and packaged together as part of a limited edition box set called Final Fantasy Collection. Although all three games differ little from the original Super Nintendo Entertainment System versions in terms of gameplay, graphics, and sound, a number of additional omake bonuses were added, including art galleries, bestiaries, and full motion video cutscenes not present in the original releases. The music does not differ significantly, but some instruments from the original SNES versions were unfortunately omitted from the PlayStation localization, making some of the in-game music seem to connoisseurs like something is missing.
The original Super NES version of Final Fantasy V had not previously been released outside of Japan (although an English language software localization was produced for an abortive Microsoft Windows port). The original Super Nintendo Final Fantasy VI had, however, previously been released in North America, under the title Final Fantasy III; the script from this localization was used, with minor changes (the item "Fenix Down" was renamed "Phoenix Down," for example, to give it the same meaning as in future games in the series), for the North American Final Fantasy Anthology release. Neither Final Fantasy IV nor Final Fantasy V had previously been released in Europe in any form. A fan translation project was made for Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy V by the J2e Translations and RPGe teams, respectively. They differ from the Final Fantasy Anthology release only in terms of the script.
Criticism and compatibility issues
Final Fantasy Anthology was met with mixed reviews, especially from North American audiences who tended to be especially critical of the load time inherent in the CD-ROM format utilized by the PlayStation, but not in the original cartridge format utilized by the SNES. Players could expect a 2-4 second load time when accessing the items menus, and the transition between fight scenes also suffered from lags.
As the North American release did not include the PlayStation remake of Final Fantasy IV, that title was subsequently packaged with Chrono Trigger and released as Final Fantasy Chronicles. The PlayStation remake of Final Fantasy VI was released separately in Europe. Early versions of the PlayStation 2 console were incompatible with both the North American and European versions of Final Fantasy Anthology, although these incompatibilities have since been addressed in later hardware revisions.
Rarity and Greatest Hits
Final Fantasy Anthology, unlike previous Final Fantasy titles, did not have a seemingly endless supply of copies on the market. The game quickly went out of print, especially when Final Fantasy Chronicles was released. At used gamestores, the game was usually priced from $30-$60 based on the foundation that it was rare; the game usually sold on Ebay for around $50.
In 2004, Square Enix re-released Final Fantasy Anthology as a PlayStation Greatest Hits game, for under $20.