This Week in Defunct Games - Dec. 9, 2011

What Is It? In a year filled with ports of some of Square's biggest 32-bit PlayStation games, it feels weird to end the year with three 16-bit Super NES games. Right or wrong, that's exactly what this famed Japanese developer decided to do. Over the last few weeks we've seen Final Fantasy V, Chrono Trigger and now, thanks to a 1999 compilation disc, Final Fantasy VI. Hope you like pixel-based RPGs, because that's what you're getting this holiday season.

Renamed Final Fantasy III when it came to the Super NES, part six is one of the most respected entries in the long-running franchise. This was the last time we saw Square make traditional overhead role-playing game, instead pushing the boundaries of graphics and interactive worlds. At its core this is nothing more than a traditional RPG, where a band of heroes goes on a journey to collect items, fight monsters and save the world. But don't let that fool you, because Final Fantasy VI offers an amazing story full of a variety of activities. It's also one of the only role-playing games I've played to make you get up on stage and act out an opera. Two decades later, Square's expert storytelling and well-honed combat will keep you engaged from start to finish.

Does It Still Hold Up? With huge bosses, impressive magic spells and a vibrant world to explore, Final Fantasy III is among the best looking 16-bit games of all time. The gameplay mechanics and progression also holds up, though some may find fault with the random battles. After spending so much time with this and Final Fantasy IV (which I recently reviewed on the PSP), I am more convinced than ever that Square needs to make a retro-style Final Fantasy sequel.

Is It Worth The Money? By now you already know my opinion of Square's 16-bit ports on the Sony PlayStation (if not, then check out my reviews of both Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy V). While both games were Super NES masterpieces, they lost something in the 32-bit translation. Final Fantasy VI suffers the same fate, but like the fifth installment I am still going to recommend you pick it up. Part six is easily one of the best Final Fantasy games of all time, and no amount of technical problems is going to change that. Sure it would have been nice to get a proper PSP remake complete with new writing and graphics (a la Final Fantasy IV: The Complete), but I'll take this PS1 version over no version at all. While you can buy the Virtual Console for slightly cheaper, this is still a viable way to check out Square's stunner. Now bring on a real remake!