A pretty clear step up from the previous Final Fantasies in terms of gameplay pacing and storytelling (both in terms of a well-rounded cast of characters that almost all have arcs throughout the story and an emotional core that was, for the most part, absent in the other games.) Final Fantasy VI (III in the West) is a story that was no doubt a revelation in the days when game stories were essentially just getting from point A to point B, and yet it still carries a lot of weight in today's video game climate with some surprisingly mature and nuanced subject matter (suicide, the end of the world, guilt and grief, etc.) It's the first time in my marathon that I have truly loved a Final Fantasy game, and I hope it continues!

I was initially somewhat disinterested at first playing through this when I realized a large portion of the game was about trading (not usually my favorite part of playing strategy games like these). But, after digging into it, I really appreciate its narrower focus compared to the Civ games where it really hones in on your settlements, your individual colonists, your relationships with native tribes and especially with your European overlord. It makes you feel more attached to all these elements in-game when everything's going really well or really poorly, something that I think only Crusader Kings has successfully pulled off

Finally finished my first playthrough! Probably would have finished it sooner, but I've been juggling a bunch of games alongside this.

Anyways, this was amazing! I've now wrapped a 90 hour playthrough and still feel like I've just scratched the surface. I'm even feeling like maybe doing another playthrough (maybe an evil/Dark Urge one), which is pretty rare for me. It's more than just a sequel to classic D&D games or the game that may have finally popularized CRPGs or even a game that has some of the most well-acted, well-written characters I've seen in a video game. It is just an incredible experience of a game!

An interesting game that's definitely very Kojima-y, if not particularly interesting otherwise besides that characteristic. Underneath its mishmash of Blade Runner, Terminator, Akira, and many other 80s sci-fi movies is a decent enough adventure game with great sense of mood and style (showcasing Kojima's interest in a more cinematic flair to his games), mainly let down by some weird quirks (why do I have to look/investigate things so many times before the game acknowledges the effort and moves on?) and a rough third act that only consists of the crappy shooting gameplay and a half hour long exposition dump.

A fun and interesting enough game that's unfortunately a bit of a mess both story-wise and gameplay-wise. Story starts off with some intrigue with the academy setting of awkward teens having to commit war-crimes but just kind of goes off the deep end in the third act where a bunch of crap's kind of thrown at the wall to see what sticks. Combat's still fun, if a little more tedious than in prior Final Fantasies thanks to some needless overcomplications with the Junction and Draw mechanics. Still enjoyed my time with it, especially in no small part due to the excellent music and Squall being one of the most interesting main protagonists that Final Fantasy has come up with (even if the rest of the cast can be somewhat lacking). Triple Triad's pretty fun!