So no one is going to comment on this?

[DarkMyau]

Really??

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YU6hm50RsA

Phantasy Star 2 vs Final Fantasy 2 ! (Its actually FF4 but that's beside the point!)

They said FF2 was better!!!!! BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUULLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!

Firstly the music in FF is crappy and generic. The overworld theme is good, but that's about it. Every track in Phantasy Star 2 is great. I was blown away the first time I heard "Rise and Fall". I didnt bat an eyes at FF's battle theme. I still rate Rise and fall highly.

They also criticize the overworld and dungeons as looking the same! They were all made by MotherBrain. Ofcourse they would look the same! They are specially designed to work, not become tourist attractions.

Now dont get me wrong, FF4 is a good game and I enjoyed playing it. (bought and played it 3 months ago) But it just doesnt compare. Its just more of the same really. Yes its better than the previous FF's but it doesnt do anything new or special. Also it still has that crappy battle system thats looks like something from Atari 2600. Which they wouldnt fix until FF7.

So all in all I completely disagree. Nei's death was incredible as was the whole game. The boss battles are few, but each one was epic. FF are all full of boss for the sake of boss fights. Most which have nothing to do with the storyline. And I have yet to play a FF in which the story made sense or didnt go off in a weird direction.

[etony33]

Phantasy Star II is an acquired taste, I guess. It is FAR, FAR more difficult than Final Fantasy IV. A lot more grinding, a lot more very difficult dungeons, etc. It isn't for everyone. But those who truly appreciate it, love it.

[BenoitRen]

Final Fantasy IV did do its storytelling and characterisation better than most JRPGs at the time. It deserves credit for that. Phantasy Star II's story, though, was far ahead of its time in that it's a well executed tragedy.

[etony33]

Also, Phantasy Star II was released over two years prior to Final Fantasy IV. Is it even really a fair comparison? Final Fantasy II (not IV, the NES version) was released a few months prior to Phantasy Star II. Genesis/Megadrive had only been out for a few months before Phantasy Star II was released. They were still figuring out how to use it to its full potential at that point.

Like I said before, Phantasy Star II is incredibly difficult compared to most RPGs (just as its predecessor was). There is a LOT of grinding involved, and even the game's first dungeon, Shure, has four floors, locked chests, a ton of different elevators all over the place, a bunch of dead ends...it isn't for everyone. By the time you get to Uzo Island and maneuver your way to the top, only to find that the Maruera Plant is fake...so you try again, and the next one you try is fake...you're underleveled, you keep dying...it'd be easy to just say "f*** this" and never play the game again.

I, personally, LOVE a challenge. I also love RPGs that require a lot of grinding, as I feel a sense of accomplishment when I finish them. Some people don't. Final Fantasy IV doesn't require much grinding at all - you basically have all the money and experience points you need if you just progress through the game normally. Some people prefer that. I think both stories were good. Having Nei die was something that really hadn't been done up to that point. Sure, there were characters who died, but not characters to which you held an emotional attachment like Nei. That was tough for four year old me to deal with. Really tough. It hardened me to Aeris dying in Final Fantasy VII, since I had already dealt with it years earlier. It also inspired me to make a PS II hack where Nei doesn't die years later.

TL;DR I like both games. I'm partial to the Phantasy Star series in general because I was brought up playing it. I made my preschool teacher call me "Odin" when I was three. No bullshit. But I can certainly see why someone would like Final Fantasy IV better, and they aren't wrong for thinking that. It's a matter of opinion, anyway...there are no right or wrong answers.