#23 - Final Fantasy VI

When I feel like trolling Final Fantasy fanboys, I'll state claims about this being the only good Final Fantasy game and that the later ones have wet dreams of even sucking this game's dick. When I feel like being more legit, I'll simply state that this is the best that the series has been and ever will be. This isn't to be an Edgy The Hedgehog or anything; I simply find that this game is far superior to the rest of the franchise. This has the most likeable cast of characters, the most developed cast of characters and world without ever feeling long winded and, above all else, an experience that never feels aimless or dragged out for the sake of dragging on unlike later Final Fantasy games, or grind heavy like most earlier Final Fantasy games (and earlier JRPGs in general).

A lot of what I said about Dragon Quest VIII applies with Final Fantasy VI - it's a steampunk world that's easy to get lost in and it doesn't feel like a mere game. It always feels like an experience, as if every minute of the 20-100 hour adventure (depends on whether you want to go through the main story or do sidequests) passed on by like seconds. Most later Final Fantasy games, especially XII, XIII and XIII-2, are more interested in showing off amazing graphics (for their respective systems, of course) and boring you to death with 5 hour long monologues and dialogue exchanges that don't add enough to their stories to justify such long cutscenes - hey, rag on Metal Gear Solid for having 30 minute long cutscenes for every 5-15 minutes of gameplay, but at least its themes, charactization and plot twists allow it to do so. This one? It's more interested in sucking you into the story and keeping you in.

Summary - A deep, whimsical journey full of wonder and excitement without pulling the breaks; it simply shifts gears whenever it needs to whilst Solid Snaking through traffic.
Rating - 9/10

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