Why Final Fantasy VI is the Best Game in the Final Fantasy Series

Associated Content: Final Fantasy games have been around since the original Nintendo Entertainment System, and they've been paving the way and setting the standard for story driven Role Playing Games (RPGs) right from the start. However developer Square Enix doesn't rest on their laurels. They try something new and different, changing things like the combat system, the magic system, the setting and how characters grow and change with almost every entry. While every fan has their favorite of the 13 games in the series most long time fans point to Final Fantasy VI (originally released in the US on the Super Nintendo in 1994 with the title Final Fantasy III) as being the entry where everything came together in a way that has yet to be repeated.

[Godmars290]

Always thought IV was best. Though I loved the idea of magic powered mechs. And Kefka is probably a better villain than Sephiroth.

[RedPawn]

Honestly me too man, I really enjoyed 1, 6, & 7, also.

FFiv had that last great mythical appeal to it without sacrificing story w/world element.

Oh man Mt Hobbs/Mt Ordeals music classic, hell I played it 2 times in a row when it 1st came out.

[George Sears]

IV and VI are both awesome but I personally prefer VI over IV more. Oh and Kefka, well he is the epitome of the word villain. Too overpowered as well. Although I would say one of the most pathetic of FF villains at first, you can truly see his evolution in strength From just a Blizzard using dude, to a complete magic Devil like badass.

[Godmars290]

But you have to love the fact that he starts off as joke, only to quickly become a threat.

[JoySticksFTW]

Kefka, a large cast of cool and unique characters all with their own story and abilities, amazing soundtrack, great story twist...

I'd love a new old-school SNES-esque FF (kind of like what Capcom is doing for Megaman).

I wouldn't have it be a main FF, but a full-fledged game with a great story that you could download off of PSN, Live, or WiiWare.

Aww yeah... :)

[specialguest]

FF6 at that time had top quality soundtracks, graphics, and the dark atmosphere was done effectively well.

FF6 has a special place in my memories. It was a time when the only thing I cared about was video games, and the whole urge to go female chasing wasn't quite there yet. It was the last year of my childhood before becoming a full fledged teenager. Maybe that's one reason why I love FF6 that much.

[Hellsvacancy]

Final Fantasy 8 is a masterpiece in my eyes, it was the 1st FF game i played (and 1st RPG) i was playin it (aswel as the GOW Collection) up until my PS3 got YLOD (again) last week (buyin a slim this week)

But yeah, its a brill game, really shows ya wots missin in 2-days FF games, never played 7 so i cant comment

[Sev]

@Godmars290

You have good taste! Favorite Final Fantasy of all time. Now that is a game I wish they'd remake on the PS3.

Kefka is the only villain to ACTUALLY end the world as its inhabitants knew it.

Characters were great too.

[thewhoopimen]

FFVI definitely carries that special weight out of all the Final Fantasies. As mentioned before, it is the only FF where the heroes fail to save the world and the villain destroys it. I think also one of the few where a father watches his wife and children die and where a major badass character dies if you don't wait for him (Shadow). But for me, it was the music driven from that MIDI engine. It was just superb and to me the best Nobuo Uematsu churned out before the games started getting to big for him to handle. Every piece was an actual melody and not some atmospheric repeat. I still play the battle music on piano to this day and its a challenging piece, but it sounds so rad.

[scruffy_bear]

For me IV was the best, it had the best story, hero's and villains. Just Awesome

[SaiyanFury]

@ Hellsvacancy

I'll agree. I LOVE FF8 to this very day. Just today I re-downloaded it from the PSN because I've been wanting to start a new game of it on my main home theatre's PS3. I can't say which is the best FF game. I've got FF6, FF7, and FF8. All are amazing in their own respects. FF7 was the one what moved the series into 3D, but that said. I ultimately enjoy FF8 the most. Personally, I think it has the single, best minigame in the series, in the guise Triple Triad, the card game. Beyond that, it was the first game in the series to include 5 digit damage with Quistis' Shockwave Pulsar, and Eden's summon. Since the original PS, I haven't liked a single FF game. FFX was OK, but I found it average. FF11 was online so I never played it. I loved FF12 (I know I'm a minority here), but FF13 completely turns me off.

FF6 was a truly magical experience. I still love it and I always will. :)

[k2d]

I agree that Kefka would be the biggest villain,
but Sephiroth has the deepest character of all the FF villains.

[Hitman0769]

This was my favorite by far!

[Hitman0769]

FF6 Rocked!

[SactoGamer]

Agreed.

[willie6289]

one of my top 2 favorite rpg's along with crono trigger.

[Cueil]

FF6 > FF# period...

[gamejediben]

Definitely the best in the series. Best Villain. Best story (the bad guys win. hows that for a ballsy twist?). Best Music and Best graphics (for its time). First lead female character. First voice acting in a FF game (Kefka's laugh and the opera).

FFVI is a masterpiece of its time and it is also a solemn reminder of how far Square has fallen, especially after the mediocrity of FFXIII. VI deserves every bit of the praise it gets.

[Timesplitter14]

FF13 is awesome. You probably haven't played it for more than 10 hours if you say it's mediocre.

I'd say it's up there with FF6,7 and 9. While I don't approve of SE's descision of going multiplatform, I highly suspect people are hating on the game just because of that, and they haven't actually played it

[Darkfocus]

it's defiantly not up there with the titles you mentioned but it dos really pick up after the city level with sazh and vanilla but it's so drab before that though that you actually feel like your forcing yourself to play it. it does get pretty good after that point but I would say it's still mediocre compared to most other ff's

[Cueil]

and it's not even in the same ballpark... not in the same effing country maybe not even in the same universe... FF6 was good from the first effing hour to the very end...

[LiquifiedArt]

The characters are actually INTERESTING. And you had a good balance of Exploration/Linearity. I was attached to each character.

Simple design descisions. Espers, Weapon/armor/accessory. No custom tailoringe each character to be the ultimate badass (ala FF 12) which completely ruins the Personalization of each character.

I could go on and on... I agree with this article.

[RedPawn]

I really did not like Strago, Setzer & Gau, but that is a personal opinion, and yes FFVI is a great game.

[Kisama]

Eh I dunno. I liked 6 but I think 9 is the best.

[-MD-]

I never played 6 but I agree on 9 being the best.

[Taco_Waffle]

murderdolls you owe it to yourself to play 6. It really is that good.

[schlanz]

VI and IX happen to be my 2 favorites. IV close behind those...best music of the whole series and for some reason its my favorite story of them all.

[-MD-]

I'll try and get it running on an emulator or something.

[mrb3ar]

definitely play 6, to this day it is still a great experience. 9 is fantastic, and you'll actually see a few elements FF9 got from the earlier FF (like 6).

[aaronisbla]

one of the main reasons i put 9 above the other ps1 titles is because it reminds me of the older FF games, definitely check it out if you have the time

My fav 3 FF games are in order FF tactics> FF6> FF9, although i generally enjoy most of them

[-MD-]

I've played 7,9,10,13 and tactics so I'm missing out on quite a few. I'll give 6 a shot after I finish up 13.

[TrailerParkSupervisr]

is a great game. Got a little over 15 hours clocked in on it. 7 is my alltime favorite but I think this is beacuse back then, there was a lot less to choose from. We had not entered into the "HD" era, fanboy wars and whatnot. It was back when 3 or 4 games a YEAR were considered AAA.

I remember my friends and I making copies of the game music and listening to it. Hell yeah, brings back memories.

And I am really screwed cause there is no way I can finish it before GameFly sends me God of War 3.

[Primetimebt]

FF13 is good but everytime I start playing it makes me wanna fall asleep.. I'm the only one?

[mrb3ar]

not at all, but that is only for the first 10-15 hours. When you make it to Nautilus, you'll find yourself getting that old FF feeling. I think FF 13 is actually a fantastic game, just a really slow and painful start.

[Primetimebt]

Iam in my gaming rocking chair and I serious can feel my eyes get heavy and I have to force myself to stay awake.

[Jerkstore81]

Final Fantasy VI (or Final Fantasy III in the U.S.) is by far the best RPG I've ever played. The music is certainly a gem to behold. I bought the import soundtrack for this game and love it.

[foxxy]

He doesnt even play it the moron.

[Midgard228]

i think its nice that people have opinions, and i think its nice i dont think 6 was the best, good? yes, but 7 is my fav and actually i luv ff13 so far and im only 8 hours in. 8 was awesome also

[ravenl0rd]

Like this needed explaining. FF6 is the greatest game of all time.

[NotSoSilentBob]

To me Final fantasy 2/4 on the SNES was the defining game of my childhood. So many summers I spent grinding my characters to Level 99. After that happened my brother moved out so I didn't get to play Final Fantasy 3/6 till about 2 years after it came out and I worked hard to get EVERY character to lvl 99 but I was never able to get Strago, Realm, and Umaro to 99 as they were to much of a hassle.

I play IV on my PS3/PSP threw remote play just about every night to help myself relax instead of reading a book. When I finally get IV done I am debating on trying Final Fantasy 5 because I have already done 6/3 but it is different then the Snes version.

[kraze07]

Everyone who's been gaming since the mid 90s or earlier already knew this, but thanks for explaining it to the youngin' gamers of this gen.

[aaronisbla]

This and chrono trigger is what got me started on rpgs, not including zelda since its more action.

IIRC, this is the FF game that started the whole limit break attacks, but it was MUCH rarer on this one.

Sadly, its also the last of the main FF games to feature a rather large cast of characters

[kevnb]

the games lost something starting with vii.

[Tex117]

Great article. It really did describe what makes FFVI, imo, the best Final Fantasy to date.

It and Chrono Trigger are tied as the best RPG's of all time.

If Square can figure out what made those games truely magical (and obviously they are...we still talk about them 15 years later), then maybe they can enter the realm of truely excellent games as opposed to just solid offerings. FFXIII is a solid offering, but it just lacks a bit in the whole...well...play FFVI then FFXIII and you tell me...

[e-p-ayeaH]

A low budget remake on the DS would be already very acceptable but this one deserves "better" (not impling that better is HD grafics but something already very much like Wii is already enought for me to capture that nostalgic feeling)

[Dac2u]

I usually play FFVI once or twice a year. It's such an epic game, there's so much to do and the story is actually worth paying attention to. lol, I actually racked up $60 in late fees the first time I rented it, totally worth it though. FFVI is the highlight of Square Soft as company. FFVII and VIII were great games, but VI will always be my favorite.