Tarpstone
BACKER
This review contains spoilers
Having played every mainline game in the series, I still find that FF1's story holds up quite well. It's neat to see the origin of the foundational ideas that now permeate the entire series (god complex, plot twists involving time/space traversal, four heroes of light etc.) I think every JRPG fan should take the time to play FF1.
One of my first exposures to Final Fantasy. As a kid I was totally hooked on the job system, and didn't put the game down until well after mission 300 was completed. Even though it's not a mainline FF, the music is right up there with the most memorable soundtracks in the series. Not the strongest story in the series either, but memorable characters like Montblanc make up for it.
2001
Childhood-defining turn based strategy with lovable characters, each with their own special abilities and catchy theme song. Great replayability thanks to branching campaign paths; figuring out S rank on all missions is no joke! Smart multiplayer for the era (we had link cables, but being able to pass around a single GBA was clutch). One of my all-time favorites.
1999
1999
1997
2000
2000
2003
My most played game. 2156 hours tracked via Xfire, with an estimated ~2000 more before/after the Xfire days. The only MMO that would run on my laptop in middle school completely won my heart and was an integral part of my life until I finished high school. Made some great friends and memories. Bera pride.
1997
Played through the entire game (with quarters!) Back in the late 90s as an 8 year old, myself, a fellow 3rd grade friend, and two of our summer camp junior counselors played through this game all the way at the arcade, rotating 2-and-2 when we died...one of those epic memories where I have to give 5 stars for the special place in my heart.