I don't totally agree with most people's views on this. I commented on this when I reviewed CF2, so I'll just paste what I said before:
"Some folks have made a big stink about the removal of status effects and enemy elemental powers. Personally, I'm just fine with those omissions. Status effects in console RPGs often do nothing but contribute to time-wasting busy work: pulling out an antidote or casting a cure spell here and there doesn't contribute much to "strategy" or "depth" if you ask me. Such effects are much more interesting in games like Might & Magic and Ultima where they can have a truly significant and long-lasting impact, and where the games are actually striving for immersive complexity. Elemental effects also don't matter much to me, as damage is damage, and again, the "strategy" elements in games that do implement these sorts of attack and defense types are usually minimal enough to be practically negligible. However, I do think Working Designs screwed up by leaving in all the items that relieve or defend against these now-non-existent hazards and even documenting them in the instruction manual. For years, I didn't know whether it was just my copy that failed to have the effects or what."
Anyone who thinks the US CF2 would've benefitted from these sorts of things can start up a game of PCE CF1 and see how much "fun" comes from their inclusion.