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Based on what I know of Final Fantasy, FF6 seems to be the first of the later games in the series. It is the first game where you do not have to save four crystals, the first one with really complex and realistic characters (arguably), and the one that signaled the point at which all the games became vastly different. Altogether, it was somewhat revolutionary. But we all love it for different reasons. So what, in your opinion, makes FF6 FF6? What aspect, if taken away, would make the game no longer the same game?

For me it is the combination. If any of the things listed in the poll were even dampened, so would be my enjoyment of the game. But obviously others will have different opinions, and I want to know what they are, so let me know!

I voted abundance of sidequests. I liked the story and characters but the best thing for me was how all that is used in the WoR. Up until then I was playing VI on the back of CT, CC and FFX (I think). Nothing really made it stand out in my eyes up until the WoR. All the optional plot and the open-ended exploration was amazing.

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Scepticism, that dry rot of the intellect, had not left one entire idea in his mind.

Me on the Starcraft.

I do love a lot of things about the game, but saying "combination" seems like a copout, so if I had to choose one thing, it's probably the characters. The story is good, but to me it's the character development that draws me in to said story. I am emotionally invested in the characters' lives and therefore I care about the world they live in.

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Wha? Thanks to me?

I think music deserves a spot on this poll.


Probably my favorite OST.


I say Music + Characters.

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stupid horoscope
wrong again

Quote (gogo @ 11th July 2013 06:57)

I think music deserves a spot on this poll.


Probably my favorite OST.


I say Music + Characters.

Good point, gogo. It must have slipped my mind. I am rather fond of the music, too.

In order

Characters

>

Music

>

Storyline


I don't think that I would maybe love Final Fantasy VI as much without characters such as Locke, Celes, Terra, Setzer and so forth. Final Fantasy VI would still be a excellent video game, but the characters really made it shine.




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Top Three fave Final Fantasies Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy IX, Final Fantasy V [ GBA ]

Is there any song more nostalgic than Final Fantasy VI's WoB world map theme song?

The other day I started playing FF6 and when I first heard the WoB theme song all the memories rushed back, it was Middle School all over again in my head. I remember talking with my friends about this game at school all day when it was first announced on magazines, we couldn't wait. We all got one copy of the game because we where kids back then, so we used to share the game for a few years after we got it, but it was all good. It wasn't until I was in High School that I was able to enjoy FF6 for what it was with out having to share the game every few weekends when I was able to play video games. Later I got FF CHRNONICLES for PS1, and that was one of the best things I ever did, came with Chrono Trigger, which became one of y all time favorites.

The reason I like FF6 is because first and foremost the Storyline, Music and the Characters.

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PS3 tag: TipoDLuffy

"...quite possibly the greatest game ever made"

Nice topic, RavenL!

I voted Story, but only because I'm half asleep and didn't read all the choices. What I *meant* (retrospectively anyhow) to click was Characters. I suppose it's a forgivable mistake given that the character development in FFVI is so closely tied to the general story - the 'story' for the entire WoR is of course a series of character developments. So yes, I vote that

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Currently Playing : Final Fantasy V
Most Recently Beat : Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
Favorite Game : Final Fantasy X

The newest CoNcast is up! Have a listen!

The story of Final Fantasy VI is often cited as a "turning point" for the series, a "change in style" of storytelling, or, and this is the one that really gets on my nerves, a "transitional" stylistic piece, that would achieve its full flower in later installments.

I don't think of it as any of those things. As a matter of fact, I feel that this game's story and aesthetics represent the high water mark of the series, the absolute pinnacle of the series. Now many will say that the next game was much more meaningful to them, and you have to grant them that, no matter what. Meaning is subjective, it's a very personal, very oblique thing. But to say that Final Fantasy VI is an inferior story to Final Fantasy VII is betraying the fact that you finished VII first, and probably did not finish VI.

I'll start with the music. Now, music is a gigantic part of storytelling.

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If you show a picture of a child running through a meadow full of lillies, and play Chopin's Funeral March as the background music, that child will, without fail, die of an incurable disease.

~ Nicholas Meyer

Final Fantasy VI's music is a bit simpler in scope, due to the limitations of cartridge-based sound processing, but I personally like the sound of the SNES synth a lot better than the PSX synth. Why in God's name they didn't want to do redbook audio is just flabbergasting to me. Symphony of the Night had it, Metal Gear Solid had it...

So while the tracks in VII are longer and more convoluted, VI just sounds more natural, and the effect it has is to draw your attention in a much more immediate way. Punk Rock did the same thing in '77.

Secondly, the plot took a big BIG risk. I've never, in all my days of playing games, ever seen a game make this move. VII basically stops at the halfway point of VI, despite being 3 discs long.

Finally, many will point to

Possible spoilers: highlight to view

the death of Aerith Gainsborrough

as the element that set VII above VI, but they too will be trumped by:

Possible spoilers: highlight to view

The death of CID.

The story of Final Fantasy VI involves more than one character being either there in the second half or not. I don't care how much Cloud wangsted over Aerith, the above mentioned occurrence and, for the panicky teenagers among the game's early adopters, another, VERY understated occurrence are just gut wrenching and haunting, respectively.

TL, DR:
VI's story is much more powerful than anything done before or since.

This post has been edited by Rangers51 on 30th July 2013 18:06

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X is blue.

Well, the optional death of

Possible spoilers: highlight to view

Cid is (1) a second major character death in FFVI where FF games usually have just one, and (2) is directly under your character's care (and not just some cutscene event).

Quote

Why in God's name they didn't want to do redbook audio is just flabbergasting to me.

Probably because size of the game. The used the PS1's soundsystem and the game STILL spanned 3 discs. Redbook audio takes up TONS of space.

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current games (2024-02-19):
Fairy Fencer F ADF
Pokémon Perfect Crystal

finished so far this year:
Gato Roboto
drowning, drowning
New Super Mario Bros.
TMNT 3: Radical Rescue

tabled: Lost Ruins

Spooniest... wow. That was some good analysis. I have not played the later games, so I cannot argue whether VI is the peak or just the beginning, but I am impressed by your post. I will request, though, that you edit it so that the thing about Aerith is hidden, as that is a major spoiler. Anyway thanks for posting!

This post has been edited by RavenLalonde on 28th July 2013 19:25

I don't agree. I really don't think it's possible to spoil that anymore. Everybody already knows.

If you insist, I'll cover it up, but I have to stress that I really don't think it's necessary.

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X is blue.

You may have a point. Never mind then.

It was the first RPG I played by myself. I used to watch my uncle or brother play and I'd help them with ideas when they were stuck. When my uncle was playing FF4, he got frustrated with bahamut and turned off the game. "Wait...," I thought. "What about using wall?"

When he had gotten FF6, I felt the confidence to play it. Being 10 at the time, the idea of having these characters lives in my hands felt overwhelming, but thanks to my previous exposures to the series and ATB I felt confident enough to give it a go. That first night, as a young fourth grader, I was able to get up to Imperial Base Camp.

Gaming, for me, has never been the same since.

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And have you found your joy, in this near dead world of ours?

Four CoN staff members (R51, Tiddles, Death Penalty, and myself) express some "why we love Final Fantasy VI" sentiments in the most recent episode of the CoNcast: boom.

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this is a blog mostly about comics and videogames
END SPOILER

Thanks, laszlow!

Spooniest, I agree with a lot of what you said, but I have one point of contention. You can't trump

Possible spoilers: highlight to view

Aerith's death

with

Possible spoilers: highlight to view

Cid's

if you

Possible spoilers: highlight to view

save Cid

as I always do.

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Wha? Thanks to me?

For me personally, it's the introduction of more technology than magic, and then the mixture of the two.

It's reminiscent of American history in a way. I'm talking the Revolution. Where like minded craftsmen and everyday people are tired of imperial occupation, and decide to band together to overthrow the crown.

The Industrialism concepts and Steam-punk elements scream at me, and are definitely note-worthy. I believe playing this game as a child could be one reason I'm so enamored by the steam-punk genre right now.

Another thing is the concept from the prior games to VI varied so much it couldn't have been anything but memorable. It took a leap from Knights, and Kings, to Genetic Modification, and Magitek armor, I mean woah.

It's characters are affable, the plot is admirable, wicked, and twisted. and the game in it's entirety is a completing and awesome experience!

That's just my two cents, it's why I voted combination, all the elements together are what make the game what it is, so there ya go.

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I prefer the term "treasure hunting"!

Quote (Spooniest @ 30th July 2013 11:03)

Everybody already knows.

I was thinking the same exact thing, but speaking in absolutes probably isn't the best thing for the human race, we're all wrong from time to time. I'd say at least everyone on CoN knows but not Everybody.

That's just my Jedi training talking

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I prefer the term "treasure hunting"!

Thanks for posting, ReverendXIII! You make a lot of really good points.

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That's just my Jedi training talking

Lols were made this day.

It took everything we had loved about Final Fantasy IV, which was all most of us had played at that point (beyond Final Fantasy I and Mystic Quest), and exploded it into a cornucopia of beauty and chaos and heartbreak and heroism.

It was like they dropped a bomb.

Final Fantasy VII would not have been nearly as hyped as it was if not for this game.

Edit: I might go even further to say that for everyone who had played Secret of Mana, Secret of Evermore, and Breath of Fire, Final Fantasy VI was them saying, "we haven't forgotten how we got started."

You might say it was Final Fantasy IX before Final Fantasy IX was a thing.

This post has been edited by Spooniest on 17th August 2013 02:22

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X is blue.

I voted for the combination, specifically the characters and story. This is, for me at least, the most emotionally involving Final Fantasy of all, even above FFVII.

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I'm never relaxed
Even when I say I am
I'm always on the alert
Looking for the problem

I voted for Special Abilities. Looks like I'm alone in that. I just really enjoyed some of the different skills. The Tools, Blitzes, Rages. It was very unique and made each character stand out on their own.

You know, that was the big draw for me, too, when I first sat down to play it. My buddy only knew Pummel, but being the nerd I was (my buddy was a football player), I read the manual and taught him how to do the other Blitzes.

And as much hell as SwdTech gets these days, we totally got it at the time; we'd played the shit outta some Secret of Mana.

"Those days are gone forever, over a long time ago."

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X is blue.

Its a combination of both story and characters in my opinion.

Kefka is probably the strongest villain in ff series, because everything he does has weight, and the story gravitates around him a lot of times, and his actions.Because of how strong he is, he makes the party we play as meaningful, because everything he does that causes harm, gives the player and the team we play as, a reason to kill him.

The characters and their fight to find meaning in their existence, and battle a war that is almost lost is a pretty strong message of don't lose hope, and they have a lot to lose.If they lose, all is lost, because kefka will destroy everything.

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We are stardust.Our bodies are made from the guts of exploding stars.

Neil Degrasse Tyson.

If they ever make a sequel, though, they pretty much have to bring Kefka back. It just wouldn't be the same without him.

In a way, his presence teaches by bad example, making him a necessary part of the game world.

Final Fantasy VI Zen Moment:

Kefka returns to take revenge, and in the climactic battle, Tina is fighting him alone. All seems lost, and Tina summons Madeen, her father.

Madeen grabs Kefka by the throat and forces the madness out of him. Kefka returns to normal, and his bloodlust is gone. Kefka lives on as the court Jester of Figaro.

Yea!

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X is blue.

That would be awesome. I would almost play such a game, if it did not cost money.

Music!

Characters!

Story!

Side quests!

Espers!

Son of a Submariner!

It's interesting that no one loved the battles, despite being like 1/3 of the game.

Quote (alasta @ 6th March 2014 21:55)

It's interesting that no one loved the battles, despite being like 1/3 of the game.

First of all, welcome to the forum!

Second, though the battles are probably a large portion of the game, in terms of sheer length, it may not be the case that they were the most significant part of the game, which I think would be a combination of the story (and the story's presentation), the atmosphere, the characters, and the music all flowing together.

The way I think about the battles now is that they were very good. I've discussed in other forum topics that they were perfectly suited for grinding, and they could be very enjoyable, but they weren't the star of the show. They were an excellent complement, but the battles aren't the portion of FFVI that people remember it for.

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Praise Be To Helix!