Hall of Fame

Welcome to the Hall of Fame. Here is a catalogue of my favorite games of all time and why. You can rest assured that if its here, I don’t just like it, I love it.

Breath of Fire (SNES)

One of the most unique games I have played, for its time, I would add. With a traditional mechanics system, with a few awesome tweaks, it has long stood out in my memory.

The cool thing about Breath of Fire was that you could turn into a dragon and fight, which made your attacks more powerful, and more notably, you were now a cool dragon. (I was easier to impress in 1996, we all were, admit it)

Also, you had eight team members, and you could swap them into battle at any time, even during battle. This is a feature I’ve only seen twice (the second being in BoF III), and makes so much more sense than the rest of my party waitng at some base or some airship. This also allows for more liberal use of special abilities, swapping out members as their abilities run dry.

Then there’s the plot. You play as the young Light Dragon, Ryu, who must set out to defeat Zog, the Dark Dragon Emperor. Through the journey, you encounter the winged people of Winlan, the wolf-people of Tuntar, the fish-people of Prima, the Ox-people of Gant, and the Mole people of Gramor. Lots of different races, and a member of each on your team. The world was filled with magic, it made full use of what the SNES could do.

Although it was not without its fault, with some poor translation at parts, and a system that basically had you guessing what items and spells did. Despite that, this is a game that truly shines through, and remains, in my mind, the most innovative of the Breath of Fire series.

Chrono Trigger (SNES)

Chrono Trigger… where do I even begin? From the time you hit that ‘New Game’ button until you see ‘The End’, you are fully engrossed in this truly unique game. With a cast of interesting and well-designed characters, and a soundtrack that is still one of the best I’ve heard, this game carries you from one event to the next seamlessly. It was way too easy to spend all day playing, and even with the dozen playthroughs I’ve done, it has never gotten any less entertaining.
Chrono Trigger made full use of what the SNES could do, stopping just short of being 3D. And more than nearly any other game I’ve played, it had that epic feel. You travel through time, putting right what once went wrong (why do I feel like I’m quoting Quantum Leap?), slowly making the world better. And in some cases, changing something for the better which actually created a problem further down the timeline. You don’t just save the world, you save the world time and time again, no pun intended. If you haven’t played this game, get off your butt and do it.

Final Fantasy IV (II US) (SNES)

This game is one of the first RPG’s I’ve ever played, and it remains one of the best. The mechanics of this game were some of the most basic you’ll find for an RPG, but that did not take anything away from this truly great game.

Why was it great?

The plot was a bit contrived, some characters made me wince every time I heard them speak, and the translation sometimes made me laugh with its absurdity. (You spoony bard!)

So, again, why?

Because it had a storyline that, however contrived, kept you into the game. You always wanted to know what was going to happen next, what character would do what. And in the end? You go to the freakin’ moon. How many games can you say that about? The answer is two.

Add the excellent soundtrack and fun battles to the list, and you have yourself a game that is fun to play over and again.

Final Fantasy VI (III US) (SNES)

I still hold this game as one of the best. The question is: Why is it one of the best? I will say that with an outstanding plot and memorable characters, the music stands out the most. Every character had a theme, and the music matched the characters perfectly. The music allowed you to hear the plot as it was taking place, engrossing you in a medly of sound and gameplay.

The system itself wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, an active time battle system with learnable magic and techniques. The cool thing, of course, was each character had a unique ability that corrosponded to who the character was (martial arts, swordsmanship, etc).

The story was very well done. But unlike many other games, it wasn’t really the game’s main plot that kept me engrossed, but rather the individual growth of the characters. In the end, you learn a lot about your party members, what drives them, et cetera. On top of that, it has one of the all time classic villains: Kefka.

Kefka was a madman. He was insane and evil, and while occasionally goofy, succeeds in commiting quite a lot of evil deeds. From the poisoning of a kingdom to the genocide of a magical race, Kefka has done it all. And in the end, he destroys the world. That’s right, he succeeds in taking over and destroying the world. It is only after this fact that you recuperate and defeat him.

The game has quite a bit of replay value, and many sidequests that develop your chars both in strength and personality. Is it any wonder this game makes my Hall of Fame?