This is also known as Final Fantasy II on the Super Nintendo, part of Final Fantasy Chronicles on the Sony Playstation, and Final Fantasy IV Advanced on the Game Boy Advanced. It was my gateway drug into role playing games. True, Final Fantasy was released on the original Nintendo Entertainment System, but I was a bit too young to appreciate it then.

This one I have owned on all three of the aforementioned platforms. While Square has since perfected graphics and music as the Final Fantasy series advances, this is still the one I return to when I need a good RPG fix. The storyline was well put together; the action liner without being completely driven and for the time of its release was one of the more stellar role-playing games released for a console system.

In this incarnation of Final Fantasy you play the primary character of Cecil is the Dark Knight Captain of Baron’s Red Wings. As you journey though life with Cecil you meet his best friend Kain, love interest Rosa and a multitude of other highly likeable characters. Cecil’s main duty is to capture the Light Crystals for Baron and when he questions it he finds himself given one last mission. Sickened with the action he performs Cecil finds himself seeking redemption for his crimes against the world, his friends and himself.

Despite being graphically weaker than today’s games, the game play and story hold up nicely in comparison. It’s a game I highly recommend if you have any of the platforms that can play it (Game Boy Advanced or Nintendo DS, any of the Sony Playstations).

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