Your dreams about having Square Enix’s popular role-playing game (RPG) on the PlayStation Portable have been turned into reality with the release of Final Fantasy. Yes, you now get down and dirty with the game whenever and wherever you like!

The very first incarnation of Final Fantasy that became a legend has been ported to almost every known game console, and now the PSP has finally received its turn. But how does a game that was famous more than 10 years ago fare on the newer console? Would it be able to captivate a generation of video game players who grew up when 3D was starting to become the rage?

The answer, as I look at it, is subject to the individual when it comes to graphics. Story-wise, it’s pretty simple and straightforward; there’s nothing to shout about as there isn’t much character background building going on, if any at all.

The good part is; the classic game’s soundtrack has been revamped to be more contemporary and suitable at this age and time. The better part of the revamp is the graphic – taking advantage of the PSP’s display capability and screen size. Final Fantasy on the PSP is a joy to behold; the gamemakers really took advantage of what the PSP has to offer.

As mentioned earlier, the story remains almost unaltered. Those of you who battled your way through the first versions would find it either a breeze to play through, or become just plain bored as there’s nothing new added in the gameplay to draw them to the PSP version.

But if your first Final Fantasy game had been the recent ones, then get this game and experience the REAL beginning to an epic game title that had spanned many years and spawned many titles to its namesake, though not necessarily always a sequel to its previous game.

Your ragtag band of characters never expresses any type of personality at all. Though your characters won’t captivate you in the typical story-within-a-story way that many games are adapting be assured your characters can be upgraded, e.g. to a more heroic status (changing from a Fighter class to a Knight class, or Thief to Ninja). This is in fact masking its simple level advancement form. In spite of the distinct lack of depth that modern gamers may have come to expect from this type of RPG, Final Fantasy still managed to be quite captivating for yours truly.

Basic as it may be, there’s still some fun to be had. Some of the more memorable ones in particular include fighting the beefed up bosses or viewing the detailed bestiary chart. Your first few combats may be easy to help you level up, but it does get pretty tough later on. If you’re not well-equipped with arms and potions, the sheer number of random enemies you’ll encounter (and obliterate) with your spell and sword attacks would definitely drain your party’s hit points faster than you can say “Tifa Lockhart”.

Even veterans would be awed by the aforementioned visual and audio upgrades as they are really quite pleasant. Oh and let’s not forget that there are some CGI cutscenes inserted as well. The new art style and 16 x 9 perspective takes real advantage of the PSP’s crystal-clear screen and the remixed music is pretty catchy.

Collectors, FF enthusiasts and those who like to reminiscent about past classics with a twist in updated presentation shouldn’t give this game a miss!