Let me just start off by saying that this wasn't the first game I played, nor was it even the first RPG I played. That title belongs to Super Mario Bros. and the original Final Fantasy, respectively. No, this is the first game I fell completely and totally in love with, and is still one of my favorite games to this day.

I remember when this came out, the Super NES was relatively new. The 16-bit goodness was still mostly untapped, the Super Mario World packed in with the system was still getting much play, and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past was roxxoring my mom's soxxors. But in my mind, the only thing I was looking forward to was Final Fantasy II. I read updates religiously, as I was a Nintendo Power kid, and fawned at the chance to own this modern marvel of technology.

And then I got it.


Ahhhhh, memories...

I was blown away. For a nine year old kid, this was a crazy amount of awesome. The story was full of love, betrayal, and death, which for it's time was pretty phenomenal. The characters were all fully fleshed out, the graphics were gorgeous, and the exploring was all I could ask for. From saving your girlfriend in Kaipo, to exploring the Moon, to discovering the whole new world INSIDE of the world, everything about this game just blew my socks off. The shocking twists, the fact that characters would die, and the great storyline that gets deeper the further you get...it was just incredible. Then...tragedy struck.

One day after school, me and my sister walked home since it was a nice day. When we got home, we noticed the back door was ajar, and the dog was going nuts. Someone had broke in. They took jewelry, spare change in a big jar, and my copy of Final Fantasy II which I had left in the Super NES. It looked like they tried to take the SNES too, but thanks to the confusion that was "behind the tv", were unable to. I was heartbroken. We ended up getting a Genesis with the insurance money, but I never ended up getting a new copy of FF II.


I am excited for this.

This was the game that started my love of all things RPG. After this game I was at least willing to try any game that was RPGish. This game still holds a special place in my heart as one of my top 5 all time games, stories, and well, everything. I fell in love with the characters, was sad when they passed on, and was elated when they came back in the end. This game is the very definition of epic.

So now we've moved on, the game has come out on multiple platforms, and a remake for the DS is almost out. Am I excited for it after all these years and all these playthroughs? Yes. Yes I am. This will go nicely with my GBA version, my PSX version, and my brand new shiny copy of the original SNES version. Quite frankly, if I haven't already mentioned it several times above, I love this game, and still think it holds up today as an example of how story-telling can suck you into a world that's made up of pixels.