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V'lanna
 


Data
Release Date (Japan): 12.06.1992
Release Date (NA): 09.30.1999 (FF Anthology)
Preferred Platform: GBA
Other Platforms: SNES, GBA, PS1
Percentage Played: 65%
Percentage Completed: 91%
Scores (Out of 5)
Story & Cast: 2.9
Battle System: 3.9
Soundtrack: 3.4
Visual Style: 3.2
Originality: 3.1
Replayability: 3.5
Fun Factor: 3.6

Nathan Schlothan
I have named Final Fantasy V as my favorite entry in the series several times in the past, and I will stand by that statement. I was only aware of it during the SNES era thanks to the efforts of fans who put story summaries and Job lists online in those days, and encountering it in such a way made me incredibly curious about what the game itself was like. When the game was localized as part of Final Fantasy Anthology, I finally had a chance to create the right combinations of classes to build the characters I had dreamed up years earlier.

The story in Final Fantasy V isn't exactly the height of complexity and drama, but it is certainly enjoyable and does a good job of providing plenty of places to explore and enemies to fight. The game also has a fun and memorable cast, and Exdeath stands out as the first decent villain in the entire series.

Final Fantasy V, may not have a remarkable story, but it does embody many of the things I love about the Final Fantasy series. The Job system is one of my favorite mechanics in the series, and V's version is one of the best implementations of the idea. The game is filled with interesting side areas, optional battles, and complex dungeons, and the game never fails to reward the player with something nice for taking the time to explore. It also has a wide variety of remarkably complex and interesting battles, since it has lots of bosses and players need to be creative in order to survive their tricks. Thanks to many of these elements, Final Fantasy V has a lot of replay value, and it is always worth playing the game again in order to try out a different Job combination or to undertake a different challenge.



Michael A. Cunningham
Final Fantasy V gets lumped in with games I read about for years, but didn't get to play until much later. I read all about the massive Job system, but it wasn't until the PlayStation compilation that I really got to play it. Again, I wasn't thrilled. The characters were shallow, the story was dull, and the job system wasn't near as fun as I'd hoped. I think this was the game that made me realize that despite loving characters having classes, that too much choice just isn't for me. Thankfully, the GBA version helped me enjoy this a little more. The localization was quirky and fun, much more than the PS1 release. It still wasn't enough to make me a fan, but it served its purpose well enough.

Mike "JuMeSyn" Moehnke
The next Final Fantasy new to me after Dawn of Souls was again courtesy of the GBA, and it held my attention much more raptly. Final Fantasy V Advance served me well on several long bus rides and in a San Francisco hotel room in late 2007 when I had little else to do, and I spent far more time with it than necessary due to how addictive I found the Jobs. By the time I finally ended the game, each character had mastered all but one Job, and the seventy or so hours it took to do so was a consistent blast. I'd actually bought the game in its Super Famicom incarnation but never got around to playing it, and was rewarded by the delectable portable version that came out eventually.

Cassandra Ramos
Now here is a Final Fantasy I think doesn't get enough dues. The Jobs system is a lot of fun, and the GBA version gives you extra battles to enjoy those classes. However, what I actually like most about this game is the way the story doesn't take itself too seriously and its funny, decently-translated dialogue. Two of my favorite lines are Gilgamesh's "Now we fight like men! And ladies! And ladies who dress like men!" and the sage Ghido's deadpan "Yes, the twelve legendary weapons. They are weapons. They are legendary. There are even twelve of them." The characters aren't very deep, but I found their interaction rather amusing. It's this sense of humor along with the Jobs system that makes Final Fantasy V my second favorite in the numbered series. Admittedly though, my most favorite outdoes this game by leaps and bounds.

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