Is it Final Fantasy VI, or Final Fantasy III?? What's that little white cat thing on the box!? WHAT'S GOING ON!?!?!?

It's Final Fantasy VI, although it was released as Final Fantasy III in North America because we didn't get a bunch of the previous Final Fantasy games over here. That little white cat thing is a Moogle, and this is a kick-ass retro gaming podcast.

Final Fantasy VI is an absolute masterpiece. Look up any article ranking the Final Fantasy games, and this title is probably number one. It's virtually a lock top be in the top three. RPG fans adore this game.

I didn't play this one growing up, regrettably. I was a diehard fan of Final Fantasy II (or IV, or whatever), but just missed out on this one. When you can't afford to buy your own games, you play whatever Santa brings you. I did finally sit down with it when it was released on the Wii Virtual Console, excited to see what all the fuss was about. Turns out, the fuss was about one of the greatest RPG's ever made.

I think a lot of JRPG fans feel that the 16-bit art style lends itself perfectly to the genre. The pixel art looks crisp, and with the limited facial expressions and animations available, developers need to rely on great writing to drive their story forward. Final Fantasy VI features a great story and an incredible cast of playable characters. Having the ability to switch out your party at will, and not have a main character locked into the team at all times is something that few JRPG's have done since this game. That so many of the playable heroes had strong enough backstories to carry the game at any given time is a real testament to the creativity and talent of the minds behind Final Fantasy VI.

My buddy Miklos is my guest this week, and we spent almost an hour remembering the iconic Final Fantasy VI. It's available everywhere these days, including on the spiffy SNES Classic, and if you're an RPG fan, you owe it to yourself to check it out. After you listen to the podcast, of course.