Harstalgia and a Belated Video Game Review: Final Fantasy 3

Finally a game that uses the full potential of the SNES

while telling a gripping narrative full of inspiring imagery and repetitious battles. Final Fantasy III (VI in Japan) is a steampunk dream that pits the destructive but necessary industrialization versus the historically-destructive forces of magic. This sets up an easy dichotomy for soul vs nature, progress vs the environment, spirituality vs technology, the issues of truth in history, and the repetitions thereof, and, at the final end, a battle between the wrath of God and the compassionate protagonists.

The whole story moves from the point of view of Tifa. A young woman struggling with the gift of magic within her, she is made a tool of the government looking to take their military technology to the next level by harnessing the power of Espers - spirits scattered across the world that are the source of all the magic and spells your characters will learn. As the game progresses, and a wide variety of characters are taken on, the world itself will be changed and players will find themselves fighting in dramatic moments of literally earth-changing events and finally fighting for the very Earth itself.

From another source: "Final Fantasy VI is pure refutation, an argument in 32-meg form against the vileness of this world. There are few artifacts of our generation that have withstood the test of time as well as Square's Super Famicom masterpiece. I can't imagine a single twelve-year-old of my generation with any soul at all smirking at it. It's way too serious a work for that to happen. It was something that millions of people would play and declare allegiance to. And it deserved all of it. One of the few videogames that did or does."

Anyways, enough hyperbole and pretending its 15 years ago, lets focus on the omg awesome characters and scenes we all almost forgot:

Ultros - yeah, you forgot this damn octopus that you had to fight an agonizing number of times:

Sabine - remember the Bumrush? It was like casting Ultima except you had to have perfect street fighter special-move hands (or, like me, it made you better at Street Fighter after that).

Kefka - fucking Kefka. Personally one of my favorite video game villains of all time. Sephiroth was too emo, Kefka was not only evil, but had one of the best end-fights of final fantasy. Remember how he turned into an angel and then this god-like creature, and I don't even remember, you had to fight him three times in a row (and don't forget that damn spell that left everyone with 1hp).

Airship - remember how awesome it was cruising around in this thing? God, steampunk dream? Try my dream.

Setzer - the Gambit of FFVI. Only thing more annoying than having to wait for his slot wheels to stop spinning is for it to land on 'attack everyone!'

Opera House - did you remember your cues and your dance moves? or the timed sequence right after it?



Anyways, those are just some of the amazing things that made FFVI possibly the best Final Fantasy (INB4 "oh but FFVII was the best, wah wah wah" - it was good, but lets face it, its become pretty overrated over the past ten years)

Any moments I forgot? any other FF moments you want people to remember? Post'em below, and feel free to tell me how wrong I am about FFVII - go ahead, really, show me its not the most overrated game of all time (even though it is pretty damn good).