The 'greatest game of all-time' contention is something that cannot be taken lightly, and a debate that we have often here at Gamer's Guide to Life.com.

Whilst the subject matter can spawn discussion on almost any game ever made, Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger always seem to come up toward the top; right where they should be. Now, I'm not here to tell you which is better than which, but I'm fairly certain that Final Fantasy didn't stop at its second game, right?

That's what I thought.

Back in the nineties - or, as it is better known, the golden age of the RPG - the sheer might that Squaresoft held could not be denied. They were the company which could turn an emaciated goat into a stalwart knight, a rotten pineapple into a succulent steak, a worse-for-wear trainer into a hand-cannon. They were the people who lived in a shining fortress of awesome, surrounded by their unfathomable numbers of die-hard fans. You probably get it, but Square could do no wrong and, thus, Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger were born.

Undoubtedly, both titles are known far and wide for their incredible gameplay and unrivaled soundtracks. The art, stories; everything about these games illuminates the darkest of corners, but I'm not here to tell you about how both of these games deserve the spotlight. Actually, I'm here to make a case against my fellow writer, Andrew Testerman, who claims that Chrono Trigger is Final Fantasy VI's superior in every way.

This view cannot pass.

Final Fantasy VI was a landmark for the critically-acclaimed series, as it's responsible for paving the way for the rest of the games - most notably Final Fantasy VII. While that game garners the majority of popular praise, rest assured that it would never have been the same without the cool-and-collected Final Fantasy VI at its heels. Final Fantasy VI also came out before Chrono Trigger, and still manages to contain depth that the games of today - including Chrono Trigger - struggle to implement.

Here's exactly ten reasons why the sixth installment of the Final Fantasy name is miles better than Chrono-whatever.

1: Espers

When there aren't any more Espers to find, Setzer and I have the same expression.

The Espers are the magical entities that make exploring the world of Final Fantasy VI such a blast. These creatures are living and breathing just like any character, but they boast unique magical powers that they bestow upon you by turning into an enchanted stone, called 'Magicite'. Some stones will simply be given to you, but there are plenty of others that must be found and/or earned before you can reap their benefits. It might all sound complicated, but once you get these little stones you can equip one to each character, which will teach you specific magical abilities, alongside providing special bonuses for levelling. With that said, you can also summon said Esper into battle. Depending on which you summon, the creature will perform either a devastating attack or a beneficial power upon your party.

What can you summon in Chrono Trigger? Not a goddamned thing.

2: The cast

Which other character is going to sing in an opera and then slay a God? Yeah, you tell them Celes!

Final Fantasy VI has a sprawling cast and is composed of exactly fourteen characters. These characters are all permanent, meaning you have many options at any juncture of the game. More importantly, though, these characters aren't faceless goons with the personality of a piece of sandpaper; every single person on the roster has a history, personality and emotional dialogue that will affect you throughout the course of the game. To this day, there has never been a cast this large in an RPG whilst simultaneously introducing characters you actually care and want to know more about (with perhaps the exception of Mass Effect 2).

What would you rather have; the measly seven characters that Chrono Trigger puts up? Sure, Frog is an interesting guy, with his heal requiring him to lick his friends and all. That's friggin' gross. Why not trade him for someone like Edgar Figaro, who uses some kind of steam chainsaw that has the ability to insta-kill enemies? Oh, and did I mention that when this chance comes up, he also throws on a Jason Vorhees mask? Final Fantasy VI is the clear winner here.

3: The music

Alright, alright: the music that both games boast is out of this world, but there's only one guy who can make a half-an-hour end theme sound this good. That man is Nobuo Uematsu, and he's responsible for these harmonious noises, and perhaps the best theme song of all-time. No kidding here. I mean, the man has his own rock band - The Black Mages - that recreates the music from the entire series. If you haven't had a chance to check out all three of their albums, I suggest doing so right after you're done reading this here article.

4: The world

Like most RPGs of its time, Final Fantasy VI has a sprawling world available for you to explore, with loads of hidden environments, characters and some unreal super-secret items. The game's steampunk style also adds some flavour that really captivates the essence of that fictional time-period. One should also note that the game opens up even more once you reach the halfway point. I really don't want to spoil what happens, but let's just say that the face of the world changes forever. Regardless, the best part is that there's always something for you to do, and when it's all over or nearing the end, you can go exploring and find hours upon hours of extra content that you never knew existed.

5: Limit Breaks - Desperation Attacks

One of the staples of Final Fantasy is the over-the-top and extremely flashy Limit Break manoeuvres made popular by Final Fantasy VII. Final Fantasy VI pioneered these Limit Breaks, by way of the Desperation Attack. Yeah, it isn't nearly as great as the stuff found in the other titles, but they are certainly satisfying to watch. Unlike the Limit Break systems you might know - getting hit to build a meter - Final Fantasy VI characters only perform these devastating attacks at very low health. There's no prompt or warning, a character will just jump up, perform his insane move, your jaw hits the floor, then you continue playing, wondering what the hell just happened.

So while you're putting ice on someone's sword or combining some weird shadow magic with rocks, just remember one thing; Final Fantasy VI created these lunatic attacks.

6: Evil enemies

The main antagonist of Final Fantasy VI is the psychotic, magic-addict clown called Kefka. Compared to the Magus and Lavos threat in Chrono Trigger, Kefka quite simply makes them look all sorts of stupid. Much like the Joker in the Batman series, this guy is evil simply because he wants to be; there's no other reason. Poisoning a stream to kill off an entire castle of people because you felt like it? He totally did. Consuming the essence of the Espers, killing them in the process for your own benefit? He's totally there. Once you play the game and see what this 'man' is capable of, you'll have no choice but to agree with me.

7: The opening scene

Watching mech-suit dudes walking toward a town has never been this enticing.

Words cannot describe the (unfortunately, I have to use this terribly trite word) epic nature of this cinematic. One must bear witness to such treasures so that the mind can understand it.

8: Choices

When you're making a difficult decision whilst playing your latest game on your new console, bear in mind that the sort of choices you're making actually came from a game like Final Fantasy VI in the beginning. With such a robust cast of characters, there are times in this game where you embark upon tactical gameplay which consists entirely of you forming up parties and fighting. Who you choose to bring with you, where you go and what you do can - and will - affect the outcome of the scenario and the game itself. If you're not careful, there are characters you'll never meet and people who you've grown close to who might just up and die. 1994 was certainly a good time for video games.

9: Battle Scenarios

Chrono Trigger has the advantage of real-time monster fighting goodness, but there's something about Final Fantasy VI's style that cannot be denied. The way the game sets itself up makes the random combat not quite as frustrating as it definitely could be. Sure, you could find it annoying at times, but the combat itself more than makes up for it. With the host of Relics, magical abilities and powerful weapons available, you can create battle scenarios that your friends might never have even tried. Yes, the monsters are static images, unlike Chrono Trigger's fully-animated monster things. But damn, those images sure do look good.

10: Ultros

One of the most unique 'villains' of all-time.

You know him, you love him, and he's totally an octopus. This guy follows you around for most of the game, causing headaches as well as humour when you least expect it. Man, I love this guy. Who does Chrono Trigger have? Maybe Robo? But I'm not dealing with that Rick Astley theme-song copying mess. Trust me on this one.

So, there you have it; ten perfectly legitimate reasons why Final Fantasy VI is the superior game. And, whilst I'm an avid defender of the greatness that is Final Fantasy VI, please don't miss out on Chrono Trigger either. The game is damn good.

Just not as good as Final Fantasy VI.

Labels: 2011, Andrew Whipple III, Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VI, PS1, SNES

Everyone has their religion. For some, it's found in a church. For others, it's located on a board, down the pipe of a twenty-foot wave. Performing Shakespeare might provide serenity for John, while Sarah finds her peace reading Tolkien. Everyone has at least one thing - one activity, setting, or scenario - that allows them to step off of the rails of life for a moment and take stock of the world. Human beings need these moments, these vacations of calm understanding in an otherwise confusing existence, to survive.

Closing my eyes and remembering playing Mega Man X at my cousin's house, excitedly using the secret I looked up in a friend's crumpled strategy guide three months earlier to take down Sigma with a single life left, as my older relatives laugh raucously down the hall thanks to eggnog and peppermint Schnapps, isn't my religion. But it's damn close.

I first discovered Mega Man X when I was seven years old. My family was taking a road trip from our home in San Jose, California, to my Aunt Judy's house, two hours to the north in Davis, near the state capital of Sacramento nestled just west of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. My brother and I looked forward to these visits for months, for two reasons: (a) Aunt Judy's pumpkin pie was delectable enough to be an Iron Chef's last meal, and (b) our cousins owned a Super Nintendo, the holiest device in the pantheon of toys available during the early Clinton era. Being older, and cooler by nature, our cousins spent dozens of hours not playing their games in favour of chasing girls, watching sports on television, or getting high and debating whether or not Kurt Cobain was a sellout during time designated towards writing new songs with their bands. While we disagreed with their life choices, we appreciated the fact that they often left their SNES lonely, unplayed, and in dire need of our attention.

These were moments we cherished. For reasons we never quite understood or accepted, my brother and I grew up with a strict no-video-games-in-the-house policy. We could play at friends' houses, or at demo stations in Walmarts or Fry's Electronics, but when our parents' shopping was over there was no chance of us bringing Mario or Sonic home. This made it easy for us to not be choosy when the opportunity to game arose. It could be Donkey Kong Country or Hello Kitty Superhearts and Ponytime Adventure - it didn't matter; we were all in. We played whatever was available. When in Davis, we could choose between Super Mario World, NBA Jam...

...and Mega Man X, the holy trinity of my SNES experience. Amen.

Though NBA Jam was hilarious, and Super Mario World will always be heralded as one of the legends of early gaming, Mega Man X was always my hands-down favourite of the three.

Why?

Because it's one of the greatest platformers in game history? Because it took the innocent boy Mega Man and made a man out of him? Because the first boss you meet is basically Boba Fett? Because it cures the lame and feeds the sick?

Yep. That's why.



For those of you who have never tried it, the gameplay in Mega Man X is similar to that of any other title in the Mega Man series leading up to it: there are platforms. You jump on these platforms in a mostly linear direction until you reach a boss room. Taking down a boss will allow you to select a new stage, where you will once again jump on platforms until you slay an evil robot. Lather, rinse, repeat.

In order to reach a boss, X must navigate through a sea of enemies bent on reducing his Cadillac-shiny exoskeleton to singed scrap metal. Sliding and jumping allows X to avoid some of these robot combatants, but the majority of them need to be dispatched with X's handy ole 'X Buster', the giant lump attached to his right arm which, I can only assume, uses nuclear fusion to shoot blasts of energy. Defeated bosses will drop microchips that, when attached to this tumorous appendage, give X a valuable and unique special attack to use on command. Vanquishing Storm Eagle, for example, will enhance X's gun with 'Storm Tornado', an air cannon that launches a funnelled gust of wind which continuously damages enemies for a period of three or four seconds. On top of these upgrades, X can discover secret upgrades throughout the various stages which improve his health, energy tanks, special gun ammo capability, and armour. These upgrades are a real necessity for anyone who wants to actually beat the game. With the exception of being able to jump-kick off walls, the gameplay in Mega Man X is standard fare for anyone who has played a Mega Man title before.


Bosses and their minions look unbelievably ridiculous. I'm not sure which future engineer would ever think that a giant robot penguin, whose deadly power is making penguin-shaped snowmen and sliding stomach-first into them with childlike glee, is a logical design model, but I assume he will hail from Japan. There are times, however, when you will still fear them, despite their sheer silliness. This is brilliant in itself. I shouldn't be frightened of a the cartoony lovechild of a red giant octopus and the unthreatening Cylons from the Battlestar Galactica of the 1970s, but if I don't have the 'Rolling Shield' gun, I am shivering with horror.

Perhaps the greatest gift from Mega Man X to the world is its soundtrack. Heavy metal bands the globe over rock out to it every day. I could spend the remainder of this article listing my favourite Mega Man X covers, but instead I'll bring you back to the source: the original tracks in all their 16-bit glory. These themes are essential to the pace, ambiance, and gameplay of Mega Man X. Without them, the game would likely have been good, but never great.

Be sure to spend a minute listening to every hyperlink in that paragraph.

Mega Man X is not an easy game. Like almost every platformer of the early 90s era, it takes an intense focus and a keen memory to know just when to jump, slide, and shoot your way out of a gauntlet of patterned danger. Put a controller in the hands of anyone you know who has successfully beaten Sigma, the final boss in X, and after a few lives to shake off the rust their muscle memory will kick in, guiding their fingers in an impressive show of retro gaming skill that will very likely wow you. Reaching and defeating Sigma for the first time is one of those feats that people should be able to put on their résumés. It's tough, and takes the kind of serious repetitive practice (different than grinding) that today's games simply don't require. You don't forget how to play Mega Man X. You just put those skills in hibernation when you're not playing it, until you need them again.


I know my love for this game is tied completely to my own nostalgia. I'm biased because my childhood experiences sway my judgment. But you know what? That's a good thing. When I contemplate Mega Man X, I don't just think of rapid-fire gameplay, challenging levels, and hilariously zany enemies. I think of Christmas when it was most magical. I think of family, all gathered together to celebrate the best parts of the season. I think of relatives no longer with us, and how I wished I could put off January somehow to be with them as long as I could. I think of those tacky winter sweaters my mom had us all make, and how proud she was when we handed them to cousins, who thanked us politely before burying them deep in an attic or closet.

When I smell pumpkin pie at Christmastime, I think of Mega Man X.

Labels: 2011, Capcom, Christmas, Greg Mengel, Mega Man, Megaman X, Retro review, Retrospective, Review, SNES, Super Nintendo

The music of Donkey Kong is something to be treasured, and we have David Wise to thank for that. While no longer working with Rare or the happy family of apes, Mr Wise’s harmony of sounds is his legacy, and that’s what we’re focusing on today. After all, Donkey Kong Country Returns is just days away, and what better way to celebrate than by taking a retrospective tour of some of the series' finest tunes?

There are plenty of amazing songs in the series, but for the sake of time we’re going to shift our gaze to the best game of the SNES trilogy: Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest. Containing inordinate levels of lascivious resonance, Diddy’s quest for glory was always entertaining and always had a killer beat. Hell, even the final credit roll rocked the house. Without further ado, let's count down the top seven songs of the game.

7: Jib Jig

The first time you hear this environmentally-themed song thrash about, the humming will commence. There’s no stopping it. Sure, it’s a bit short and rotates quickly, but this is an addictive piece that’s perfect background music for climbing the ropes high above your local pirate ship.

6: Mining Melancholy

Contrary to the title, this song is anything but gloomy and depressing. Kicking into high-gear, this song contains a very excellent chorus coupled with sounds that work wonders for the levels you hear it in.

5: Snakey Chantey

If you’re a Donkey Kong veteran like myself, you might say that this song sounds awfully familiar. You’d be right, of course, because this is a remix of Gang Plank Galleon from the final boss fight in the first Donkey Kong Country. Needless to say, it’s absolutely rockin’.

4: Bayou Boogie

It may surprise you that I enjoyed this song so much (since it starts off slower than a tortoise moonwalking), but just give it a few minutes to warm up and I promise it’ll jump down your throat. The song. Not the tortoise.

3: Hot-Head Bop

Goodness gracious. What could be better than this bubbling, magma-infused masterpiece? Well, the next two songs, obviously; it was really, really tough to place this one in third. The background noises throughout the duration really add to the mix and bounce of the song. It’s possible that this is the catchiest theme of the bunch. I dare you to listen.

2: Forest Interlude

A song that could either lull you to sleep or emblazon a steadfast love for Mr. Wise (or both), Forest Interlude is divine. Atmospheric as it is, this song is a pandemic of music that must be heard by all. If it isn't on repeat inside your head tomorrow at work, you’ve obviously haven't heard it more than once. That, or you hate apes.

1: Stickerbrush Symphony

How could a countdown be without this quintessential piece of work? The most famous of the bunch, Stickerbrush Symphony has been the foundation stone of several excellent remixes (including one in Super Smash Bros. Brawl), and continues to impress aurally even in 2010. Every part of the song breathes awesome and cures diseases. Trust me.

Bonus: Re-Skewed

Bonus barrels are a key part of the Donkey Kong experience, so this countdown quite simply couldn't be without one. Re-Skewed is David Wise’s own piece of remix work. It was released on the free album Serious Monkey Business via OCRemix, an album which plays host to quite a few excellent-sounding pieces including Beneath the Canopy (Forest Interlude). None, however, quite match the quality of the master himself.


Thanks for counting down some of the best songs in the Donkey Kong universe with Gamer's Guide to Life.com. Here’s hoping that Donkey Kong Country Returns... erm... returns, with some musical magnificence to rival those above, as tall an order as it seems.

Be sure to leave your thoughts or any musical treats we've missed out in the comments section, or let us know via our Twitter.

Labels: Andrew Whipple III, Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Feature, List, Retro, SNES, Top 7