Gaming Memories: Final Fantasy II

When I was in the 10th grade I was an overweight Geek, for those of you counting at home that was 1993; I guess you could say nothing much has changed. I had just received my SNES the previous Christmas and it was heaven. A few years earlier a local department store was closing its doors and inside the store was a whole section of magazines and guides for a ton of video games. I found one for a game called Final Fantasy and convinced my dad to buy it for me; I believe it cost $1 at the time.

I had never seen a game like this before; Wizards, warriors, and thieves. The game seemed huge and I decided I was going to rent this game. I had just picked up my trusty guide and no dragon seemed too dangerous, no stone would be left unturned. I would stop the evil Chaos from destroying the world!

That was so 1991. I ended up playing through Final Fantasy on several occasions, but alas, I left the world of Final Fantasy behind. That was until fate would lead me back again. While visiting a friend's house I noticed they were playing a familiar looking game. It was Final Fantasy, of that I could be sure. It wasn’t Final Fantasy, but a game called Final Fantasy II (though it was actually the fourth game in the series). I was amazed at the graphics, but the game frightened me. How could I even think of conquering the game? I had no trusty guide; I would be going in blind.

It took me a few months until I mustered up the courage, slapped my trusty Bastard sword across my back and jumped in. My local video store had it and for that weekend I lived in the world of Final Fantasy II. The story was unlike any game I had ever played. It had everything: hatred, betrayal, airships, chocobos, redemption, love, friendship, and courage. Every one of these was a theme in the game’s heart-wrenching story. It was the first time a game had ever made me cry and it would not be the last.

It seems hard to believe that a story without 20 minute CGI cut-scenes could convey all these things, but those little 16-bit sprites told a story that has stuck with me for over 15 years. I still remember finishing the game at 6 AM on a Saturday morning, waking my friend Will, who had stayed over that night, to share in my excitement. I never understood why he was not as excited as I was, but it was probably because it was 6 AM.

It may have been the first time I completed the game, but it would not be the last. A friend of mine wanted to see the entire story, but he didn’t want to play the game. Being the friend that I was, I rented the game and recorded every single scene in the game. In the end, I had over 4 hours of sprite based story, all on two video tapes.

It was Final Fantasy that led me on some of the greatest times in my life. It got me interested in pen & paper role-playing games, which is where I met most of the friends I have in my life to this day. If you have never played this game then you owe it to yourself to find a copy right now. It shouldn’t be too hard to find, you can get a great version in 3D on the DS (entitled Final Fantasy IV) which captures all those great moments. There is even a sequel on Wii Ware called Final Fantasy IV: The After Years. Please just go out and play this game, I promise you won’t be disappointed.