I’ve met some gamers who were literally unaware that there were any Final Fantasy games before VII. "Met" is a bit strong a word I suppose; standing next to a couple of twelve-year-olds browsing the DS section of my local GameStop doesn’t really count as meeting anyone, but nonetheless the event still resonates in my brain. It amazed me on a number of levels. First, the fact these kids, who I suspect weren’t even born yet when Final Fantasy VII was first released had played it, struck me as unusual. It isn’t like there are copies of the game growing on trees. The age issue however was nothing compared to what would follow. Holding a copy of Final Fantasy IV DS, one of them said aloud -- I swear I am not lying -- “Dude, I didn’t know there were games before VII.”

It’s an extreme case I suppose, but it has always irked me a little bit the way that many people seem to completely forget that there was a Final Fantasy series before it hit the sunny shores of the PlayStation. You can see it just about everywhere. When Final Fantasy XIII went multiplatform, Sony fanboys declared Square Enix traitors and backstabbers. I can’t count the number of internet posts I read stating things along the lines of, “Final Fantasy is a PlayStation series, I can’t believe Square would do this.” The irony of this statement has always been that while all the recent main series games have roosted on Sony consoles, the series was exclusive to Nintendo consoles before that.

Granted, I can understand some of the love that people give to the 3D Final Fantasies. For the most part, all of the Final Fantasy games from VII on have been superb. I consider FFVIII to be my favorite game of all time, despite it’s numerous flaws. Comparatively, the 2D entries into the franchise rest on shakier ground. Final Fantasy I-III can feel archaic when compared to their newer kin. Final Fantasy IV is considered a classic, and is hailed as the game that basically invented active time battles, but even it has its problems. Characters sacrificing themselves grows a bit tiresome after the sixth or seventh time you find out they aren’t really dead. Final Fantasy V is probably one of the most fun games in the series to play, but story-wise, it’s pretty lousy.

Then we come to VI.

Of all the games lost in the shadow of Cloud’s adventure, VI is probably the one that evokes the most sympathy in me, largely because it is such a great game. I am not exaggerating when I say that it is about as close to a flawless game as I have ever played. Everything about the game reeks of something that was built with the sort of love and care that every game should be.

The graphics, for instance, are still gorgeous. I cringe whenever I see people wishing for a 3D remake of FFVI, largely because I don’t think the game would benefit from a graphical update. Just try comparing some screenshots of Final Fantasy VI and let’s say the DS remake of Final Fantasy IV. Better yet, compare VI and VII . You can be the judge of what looks better, but honestly I don’t think there should be much of a debate as to what has aged and what will age better.