There is a subset of people who will play and love Final Fantasy II, no matter what. That's pretty amazing, given how many times this series has been remade and ported to various consoles. With Final Fantasy II Anniversary Edition, this game is actually a remake of a remake. The upgrades that were made for the original re-release are still present, along with a slick graphical overhaul. More than anything, Final Fantasy II is a look into a time capsule, effectively showing how role playing games have advanced so much since their conception. In the end, it's about enjoying the overall experience. After so many releases, and with so many evolving issues, even die-hard fans might find this experience a bit too much to stomach.

Final Fantasy I and II were both re-released on the original Playstation in a two pack several years ago. Now, you're forced to pay the same price for just Final Fantasy II on its own, which is downright dirty. The reality is, there are very few people who have yet to play Final Fantasy II in some iteration that still want to play it. So, right off the bat, the value of this edition of this game takes a serious hit. That's not to say this version is entirely negative; fans of the series least venerable entry might want to play through II just one more time, just bear in mind that the GBA version generally packs in more for less.

The battle system is pretty archaic by today's standards.

There were numerous upgrades in the transition from Final Fantasy to Final Fantasy II, but one of the most important was the story. Slightly more organized than its predecessor, you now follow rebels on a series of inter-related quests. There is no quest log though, and it can grow frustrating as the occasionally lengthy discussions may have important triggers or information in them. Also added in the sequel was a system of key words which were learned from various NPC's. When used, they move the story along which, while not particularly incredible now, was once quite a large step forward in the genre. Inevitably, it ends up being yet another feature that just goes to prove how role-playing have significantly evolved since this game was first released.

However, the biggest reason not to go back to older titles lies in the arcane and rudimentary fighting system they tend to exhibit. Seemingly open and varied at first, the poor design of the system becomes clear early on. In the beginning, players have no particular discipline and must use spells or certain attacks to build their statistics up. In the original game, the problem that arose is that HP was only gained when being attacked, so players were forced to needlessly attack their own players. Even with the outcry that came with the past re-releases, the developers chose not to update this aspect at all.

As your players develop, there are naturally those who stay in the back and cast spells while others move forward and tank. It's a catch twenty-two because there is no general leveling system. A magic user's HP never increases and the only way to build points is to attack yourself, leading to a succession of back and forth healing and hitting of your own teammates. Unfortunately, if you do not build points early in the game, you will get demolished later on. Your enemies can become harsh and unforgiving. It's truly terrible because there is more time spent bashing yourself than bashing any enemies, and it's impossible to move forward in the game without doing so. It's easily one of the worst systems ever created in a role-playing game. The developers continually refuse to update it, and the game continues to suffer as a result.

Included in the PSP release is both the Soul of Rebirth add-on from the Game Boy Advance Final Fantasy compilation and a brand new advanced dungeon called the Arcane Sanctuary. The first was featured in a much better compilation and can be enjoyable, but still feels like far too little of an addition. The second item, Arcane Sanctuary, makes great use of that clever key word system mentioned previously. However, it is hard not to feel as though there could have been another dungeon or mini-game to help round out the package.

At least the game looks nice.

The game's graphics are still in 2D but they are definitely much sleeker and more streamlined, with a noticeable difference from the updated GBA version. All of the graphics are vibrant and jump off the screen, and the attacks look especially incredible. Almost always on the cutting edge graphically, the Final Fantasy games are known for their beauty and, even though this game fails in numerous areas, it gets this part right. The cutscenes in particular make the game at least tolerable. Rounding out the package is a sound that has been re-mastered and modernized, making it sound incredible. Again, with so many flaws, it's incredible to find anything positive, but the presentation is actually up to the series generally lofty standards.

At the end of the day, this is still Final Fantasy II. Die-hards will play it and claim the leveling system is the product of a genius mind. Casual gamers may pick it up, merely for the nostalgia or because they want to say they played through all of the games in the series. Intelligent people should stay away, because spending forty dollars for a retread of a retread, especially one that is not the best version that exists, is foolish. This edition of Final Fantasy II seems as though it was made to repeatedly gouge gaming enthusiast's wallets rather than let them enjoy a classic. At forty dollars, Final Fantasy II Anniversary Edition should be avoided by everyone except the most ardent Final Fantasy purists. Even then, it's best to err on the side of caution; if you still have a GBA go play that version instead.