Software:Final Fantasy Chronicles

From HandWiki
Short description: Video game compilation released in 2001
Not to be confused with Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles.
Final Fantasy Chronicles
Developer(s)Square
Tose
Publisher(s)Square Electronic Arts
Square Enix (Greatest Hits re-release)
SeriesFinal Fantasy
Chrono
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
  • NA: July 2, 2001
Genre(s)Role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer[1]

Final Fantasy Chronicles is a compilation of Square's role-playing video games Final Fantasy IV (1991) and Chrono Trigger (1995), released for the North American Sony PlayStation on July 2, 2001.[2] TOSE ported both titles from the Super Nintendo Entertainment System; each had been previously released as individual Japanese PlayStation ports in 1997 (Final Fantasy IV) and 1999 (Chrono Trigger).[3][4] Several bonus features were added to each game, such as art galleries, bestiaries, and cutscenes—including computer-generated imagery full motion video used at the beginning of Final Fantasy IV and anime scenes used throughout Chrono Trigger.[5]

Final Fantasy Chronicles was received well by players and critics, who praised the peripheral features and the fact that Square was offering RPG classics to a new generation of gamers.[5][6][7] Conversely, reviewers sharply criticized "long and frequent loading" between areas and battles due to poor emulation.[6][7] Enough copies of Chronicles were sold to warrant a second release as part of Sony's Greatest Hits in June 2003.[8]

Gameplay

In Final Fantasy IV and Chrono Trigger, the player controls a set of characters, closely following the role-playing video game genre. The methods of viewing and controlling the characters are separated by three different "screens": the overworld, where the characters traverse to different locations; the field map, where the characters explore locations such as towns and dungeons; and the battle screen, where the characters fight with monsters or other enemies.[9][10]

Final Fantasy IV

Final Fantasy IV introduced the Active Time Battle, a system designed by Hiroyuki Ito. It centers around the player inputting orders for the characters in "real time" during battles.[11] Each character is balanced through certain strengths and weaknesses; for instance, a strong magic user may have low defense, while a physical fighter may have low agility.[9]

Chrono Trigger

Chrono Trigger's gameplay deviates from traditional role-playing games in that, rather than random encounters, most enemies are openly visible on field maps or lie in wait to ambush the party. Contact with enemies on a field map initiates a battle that occurs directly on the field map itself rather than on a separate battle screen.[10] Chrono Trigger uses an updated form of the Active Time Battle introduced in Final Fantasy IV, with additions such as "Techs" that rely on enemy positioning and abilities of characters.[10][12] Other features are the employment of time travel and a "New Game Plus" option.[13][14]

Development

Final Fantasy Chronicles features two previously released ports by TOSE; Final Fantasy IV and Chrono Trigger were released separately, and IV was re-released as a part of Final Fantasy Collection, all published in Japan.[15] Chronicles was designed and directed by Kazuhiko Aoki, supervised by Fumiaki Fukaya, and produced by Akihiro Imai.[16] It was created as a follow-up to Final Fantasy Anthology, a compilation of Final Fantasy V and VI.[6][17]

The original Final Fantasy IV was released in North America as Final Fantasy II in 1991, with various "Easytype" modifications.[18] These were removed in the Final Fantasy Chronicles version, and the game was re-localized, achieving a script closer Takashi Tokita's original scenario.[16] Chrono Trigger, released in 1995, was already localized by Ted Woolsey, but the Final Fantasy Chronicles version has additional modifications.[6]

A primary addition to both games is full-motion video. Final Fantasy IV features computer animated cutscene sequences, while Chrono Trigger features anime-style sequences designed by Akira Toriyama and animated by Toei Animation that "help further tell the story of Chrono Trigger". Final Fantasy IV was given gameplay features such as a two-player mode, a "Sprint Feature" to "enhance and quicken gameplay", and the "Memo File" system to "reduce saving time". Chrono Trigger, instead of added gameplay features, has an "Extras Mode". This features databases such as a bestiary and a gallery of artwork created in development.[1]

Promotion and merchandising

A compilation of Final Fantasy IV and Chrono Trigger was in consideration in December 2000, with Final Fantasy Anthology's success a key decision factor.[17] Final Fantasy Chronicles was announced by Square Electronic Arts in April 2001. President Jun Iwasaki mentioned an "overwhelming number" of requests to re-release Chrono Trigger, and believed the compilation of it and Final Fantasy IV would "appeal to fans of the original games and introduce a new generation of gamers to some of our classic titles".[19] An event was held on July 10 in San Francisco, primarily to celebrate the film Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within and release of Final Fantasy Chronicles. It featured a cosplay contest, a memorabilia raffle, and booths to play Final Fantasy Chronicles and Final Fantasy X.[20]

Music from Final Fantasy Chronicles is a set of two separately released compact discs published by TokyoPop. Final Fantasy IV Official Soundtrack and Chrono Trigger Original Soundtrack were both released on August 21, 2001. Final Fantasy IV Official Soundtrack is nearly the same release as Final Fantasy IV: Original Sound Version, the soundtrack album for the original game, except that the songs were rerecorded by TOSE, resulting in minor differences, some song titles were slightly changed, and a 45th track was added, "Theme of Love (Arranged)", which had previously only been released as a piano version on the second track of Piano Collections Final Fantasy IV. This release has the catalog number TPCD 0210–2, and its 45 tracks had a length of 62 minutes.[21] Chrono Trigger Original Soundtrack was the corresponding album for Chrono Trigger. The album was heavily based on Chrono Trigger Original Soundtrack, the soundtrack album for the PlayStation release of Chrono Trigger; the first 21 tracks of the album out of 25 were identical to Chrono Trigger Original Soundtrack, while the next three tracks corresponded to tracks 22, 23, and 29 of the Original Soundtrack and the final track was the same as the first track of Brink of Time, an arranged album of Chrono Trigger music. The album is 1:13:03 long, and has a catalog number of TPCD 0209–2.[22] In addition to the albums, a strategy guide for Final Fantasy Chronicles written by Dan Birlew and was published by BradyGames on July 2, 2001.[23]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
GameRankings87%[24]
Metacritic89/100[25]
Review scores
PublicationScore
EGM8.33/10[24][26]
GamePro5/5[27]
GameSpot8.5/10[6]
IGN9.4/10[5]
OPM (US)4/5[7]
Awards
PublicationAward
IGNEditors' Choice[5]
GameProEditors' Choice[27]
Electronic Gaming MonthlySilver Award[26]

Final Fantasy Chronicles was commercially and critically successful, becoming the top selling PlayStation title for two weeks, and scoring an average of 89 out of 100 in Metacritic's aggregate, a review tallying website.[25][28] Gaming website IGN rated it 9.4/10 and awarded an "Editor's Choice Award", calling the game a "must buy" for RPG fans.[5] It was a runner-up for GameSpot's annual "Best PlayStation Game" award, which went to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3.[29]

GameSpot reviewer Brad Shoemaker gave the game an 8.5, but cited "muffled sound effects" in Final Fantasy IV, and was displeased with frequent loading in Chrono Trigger. He added that the visuals were "stupendous" when the games were originally released, but they now look dated and will "turn off those looking for a bigger thrill for their gaming dollar".[6] Marcus Lai of Gaming Age was disappointed with a lack of additions, calling the ports "barebone games" and claiming that the full motion videos are "nice touches to both games but don't add much".[30]

See also

  • List of Square Enix video game franchises

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "FINAL FANTASY CHRONICLES". Square Enix. http://na.square-enix.com/games/FFC/. 
  2. ↑ "PR#55". http://www.squaresoft.com/web/news/press/press55.html. 
  3. ↑ "Chrono Trigger for PS". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/ps/rpg/chronotrigger/index.html?q=Chrono%20Trigger. 
  4. ↑ "Final Fantasy IV for PS". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/ps/rpg/finalfantasy4/index.html?q=Final%20Fantasy%20IV. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 IGN Staff (2001-07-18). "IGN: Final Fantasy Chronicles Review". http://psx.ign.com/articles/166/166322p1.html. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Shoemaker, Brad (2001-07-06). "Final Fantasy Chronicles for PlayStation Review - PlayStation Final Fantasy Chronicles Review". pp. 1–2. http://www.gamespot.com/ps/rpg/finalfantasychronicles/review.html. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Kennedy, Sam, ed (2001). Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine August 2001; issue 47. Ziff Davis. p. 107. 
  8. ↑ "Final Fantasy Chronicles", ASIN B00005LOXE
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Square Co., Ltd., ed (1991). Final Fantasy II instruction manual. Square. p. 74. SFS-F4-USA-1. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 "Epic Center: Chrono Trigger". Nintendo Power 74: 53. July 1995. 
  11. ↑ Johnson, Robert (2003-04-28). "Final Fantasy IV Review". GamesAreFun. http://www.gamesarefun.com/gamesdb/review.php?reviewid=197. 
  12. ↑ Square Co., Ltd. (1995-08-22). Chrono Trigger. Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Square Soft, Inc.. "Menu screen: Active Time Battle 2.0" 
  13. ↑ "Chrono Trigger: A New Standard for RPGs". Nintendo Power 73: 37. June 1995. 
  14. ↑ Studio BentStuff, ed (2009) (in ja). Chrono Trigger Ultimania. Square Enix. p. 581. ISBN 978-4-7575-2469-9. http://www.chronocompendium.com/Term/Supporting_Material_Translation.html#Chrono_Trigger_Ultimania. 
  15. ↑ "Final Fantasy Collection". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/ps/rpg/finalfantasycollection/index.html. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Square Enix staff, ed (2001). Final Fantasy Chronicles instruction manual. Square Enix. p. 54. SLUS-01360. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Wanlin, Matthew. "Classic Square Titles to be Ported to the PlayStation?". RPGamer. http://www.rpgamer.com/news/Q4-2000/121900a.html. 
  18. ↑ Kelley, Ian. "FF4j/FF4j Easytype Changes FAQ". FFCompendium. http://www.ffcompendium.com/h/faqs/ff4versions.txt. 
  19. ↑ IGN staff (17 April 2001). "Chrono Trigger and FF IV Confirmed for US Release". IGN. http://psx.ign.com/articles/093/093510p1.html. 
  20. ↑ Ahmed, Shahed. "Final Fantasy fan day". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/ps/rpg/finalfantasychronicles/news.html?sid=2779055. 
  21. ↑ Square Enix Music Online. "Final Fantasy IV Official Soundtrack: Music from Final Fantasy Chronicles - Album Information". Square Enix Music Online. http://www.squareenixmusic.com/albums/f/ff4official.shtml. 
  22. ↑ Gann, Patrick (2006-10-05). "Chrono Trigger Official Soundtrack: Music From Final Fantasy Chronicles". RPGFan. http://www.rpgfan.com/soundtracks/ctchronicles/index.html. 
  23. ↑ Birlew, Dan (2001-07-02). Final Fantasy Chronicles Official Strategy Guide. BradyGames. ISBN 0-7440-0073-4. 
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 "Final Fantasy Chronicles for PlayStation". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamerankings.com/ps/477343-final-fantasy-chronicles/index.html. 
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 "Final Fantasy Chronicles for PlayStation Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/final-fantasy-chronicles/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation. 
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Hsu, Dan "Shoe", ed (2001). Electronic Gaming Monthly August 2001; issue 145. Ziff Davis. p. 112. 
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 UNCLEDUST (2001-06-26). "Review: Final Fantasy Chronicles for PlayStation on Gamepro.com.". GamePro. http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/14924/final-fantasy-chronicles-final-fantasy-iv/. Retrieved 2008-06-29. 
  28. ↑ "Final Fantasy Chronicles Tops the Charts". IGN. July 13, 2001. http://psx.ign.com/articles/096/096465p1.html. 
  29. ↑ GameSpot VG Staff (February 23, 2002). "GameSpot's Best and Worst Video Games of 2001". GameSpot. http://gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/bestof_2001/. 
  30. ↑ "Final Fantasy Chronicles Review for PlayStation". Gaming Age. http://www.gaming-age.com/cgi-bin/reviews/review.pl?sys=psx&game=ffc. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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