Final Fantasy 6 (SNES) - Angry Video Game Nerd (AVGN)

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In Angry Video Game Nerd episode 212, The Nerd crosses another game off his bucket list with the Super Nintendo RPG classic, Final Fantasy III... or Final Fantasy VI as its known outside the States!
Directed and Written by James Rolfe
/ cinemassacre
Edited by James and Sean O'Rourke
/ moviedumpster
/ orourkejsean
Gameplay by James, Mike, and Sean
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#avgn #angryvideogamenerd #finalfantasy #finalfantasy6

[@JamesNintendoNerd]

Go to expressvpn.com/cinemassacre and find out how you can get 3 months of ExpressVPN free!

[@andrewrules231]

merry christmASSSSSSSSS

[@earthsuyom4966]

Please review Famicon and Advance wars series games as AVGN

[@1984Phalanx]

Dear AVGN, I love you! That is all. (been watching since 2006)

[@DeanClean42069]

James I wanted to say I've been a fan for years and I wanted to say man thank you for taking control back of your IP - you listened to your fans and completely redeemed yourself IMHO - Merry Christmas Nerd!

[@TheRealGuyWithTheGreenHat]

Merry Christmas, Nerd 🫂🫂

[@pringals420]

No matter what age, or how many responsibilities you have. A 60 hour save being corrupted would make anyone freak out.

[@DantonH.B]

Specially for cartridge battery...

[@lastofmygeneration]

Had it happen to me with FFVIII!

[@ariwl1]

Had that happened to me when I was playing an RPG on my GameBoy Advance. Batteries died and completely wiped everything. I still have the game but haven't touched it again over ten years later...

[@cubefreak123]

I think a lot of gamers, at least older ones, have had that happen at least once. It just destroys you as a kid.

[@Someinsanegenuis]

I dont feel so bad about my glitch now. I had just killed Kefka, and the game froze. So i completed the game, but never saw end credits.

[@zerofitz]

When I was 14, 1996, I spent the summer with my grandmother. One day when at Albertson's she allowed me to rent a video game. Not knowing what this game was about or even having ever played an rpg up to that point in life, we left the story with this in it's little rental case with the box art cut and fit into a vhs box. This is the game that I played nonstop that entire summer, renting it over and over again to try and finish it before I had to go home. I didn't beat it that summer and for a whole year and a half all I could think about was this game. So to my shock and awe for christmas that year I opened a present and inside was a vhs box with cut up artwork of Final Fantasy 3. She had bought the game from the rental store for me. I spent the next month or so just playing that and grinding every esper to completion for every character, finally beating it without much resistance from Kefka. Thank you nerd for bring back memories of my Nana, she passed in 2019. What I wouldn't give to go back and spend the summer with her instead of this game, but at least when I think back upon this game it gets me to think about my Nana.

[@giovannipiamonte170]

Magic times, beautiful memories...

[@Katiriaa84]

Sorry to hear about your loss... And I did the same, grinded every character with every spell/dance/enemy move/99 level

[@clockworkengine]

Don't regret what you did with that Summer. Your nana probably loved every second of watching you enjoy the game she rented for you.

[@eyeofefil]

oh man, now I miss my grandma too

[@justacrewchief4561]

That was a beautiful story. I’m not crying, I’m cutting up onions for my gumbo.

[@samuellilja1601]

I don't care if he's supposed to be the ANGRY video game nerd. The episodes where James talks about games he likes are always the best

[@jonnymmac]

Yes they are.

[@viczvapo]

I felt a lot of anger. I also felt a lot of healing lol.

[@opalyasu7159]

Even the angriest of nerds still have joy in them

[@julioagiri3354]

Angry nerds are humans after all, even them can love ❤

[@whatismyname5151]

I agree, the bad games are funny but we have seen them so much I like just hearing him do his old video game memories and stories

[@crashman1344]

For those wondering, the glitch happens in the SNES version randomly from using Realm's sketch ability.

[@Narrator007]

Thank goodness I rarely used Realm, then!

[@Nerdynate253]

@@Narrator007, same. I never used her or Gau.

[@ianswift3521]

...sketchy

[@MarioSanchez-os3fv]

It wasn't random. It happened if you tried to sketch someone that was invisible. On certain carts you could actually use the glitch to get more items. I once used it to get 99 Atma Weapon swords and other unique items. The glitch was later fixed in an updated version of the cart.

[@RaceBandit]

​@@MarioSanchez-os3fv| If I read correctly, Relm's Sketch could occaionally miss against regular foes, and the glitch was because the game did not know how to handle Sketch missing.

[@BoundaryBreak]

I cant wait till 2024 to hear about Chrono Trigger 😄

[@MaisDennis]

like he said... the other big one

[@gameshock2916]

​@@MaisDennis Let's not forget Chrono Cross, the sequel to Chrono Trigger.

[@cryssnail]

@@gameshock2916 No, please do forget. Chrono Cross should be erased from history considering how poorly it continues the series. Like the Matrix sequels.

[@_GeneralMechanics_]

Come back in 2045 for XENOGEARS.

[@bigbirdmusic8199]

Chrono cross pales in comparison to its predecessor

[@darkalman]

Uematsu composing the FFVI sountrack on a 16-bit chip is like finding out that Michelangelo did the Sistine Chapel with crayons

[@highrofellos6721]

100%. I still pull up the sound-track when playing Survival games and use it as my gaming musical score. Almost every song is a masterpiece.

[@jakebaggio4368]

Well said

[@yourgameisstupid]

No it's not. Great OST though.

[@Salomon_Andrade]

It’s fairly well known that the chemicals used to make the paints back then are well known now to cause brain damage. So part of the “inspiration” back then was from the brain damaging exposure to their paints.

[@JadeKerr-bd5tg]

Jeremy jahns 😊

[@PolkaCowboy]

Where I grew up it was accepted that anyone could take the week of thanksgiving off from school to go deer hunting. One year back then I did all the paper work to get out of school to go deer hunting, but instead just sat in my bedroom and binged this game for three days. No regerts

[@crispyjuice2110]

Man I'm jealous. If my parents would have let me take the week off school to do play games I would have 100%

[@user-vf3ey6ej4k]

You grew up in Wisconsin, didn't you.

[@PolkaCowboy]

@@user-vf3ey6ej4k Busted. :D

[@TheMadLiteralist]

If you read the 25th anniversary developer interview, it turns out the World of Ruin wasn't in the original plan. The devs were ahead of schedule when they got to the intended ending on the floating contiennt, and one of them was like 'haha but what if kefka wins'.

[@nbHawkeye]

The original ending actually sounds kinda...bland, especially after Final Fantasy V.

[@davideo7286]

That is so cool to know. When I played this as a kid, the floating continent felt like the ending. Then, to have the bad guy WIN was insane and I couldn't wait to get everyone back and get to Kefka's tower.

[@rogerfurlong1535]

90's Squaresoft games had such amazing soundtracks.

[@mattsnider2667]

Chrono Trigger is my favorite, but they're all fantastic.

[@EidoEndy]

Nobuo Uematsu, Yasunori Mitsuda, and Yoko Shimomura are all goated.

[@C0ttageChees]

Can I throw Terranigma in here since it's by Enix? Future Square =]

[@chrisrj9871]

@@C0ttageChees - nobody called Squaresoft "Square and Enix" back then. It was just "Squaresoft" and "Enix". Just like you can't tell the 60s generation that Spider-Man was a Disney character in the 60s back then or the 80s generation that Fox's "Predator" was a Disney movie back then, either. By that lkogic, anything could be a Disney property after it's been bougth out 250 years into the future.

[@Merknilash]

Ff6 was better than them all in sheer quantity of S tier tracks Chrono trigger had amazing music too but ff6 just had more of it We lived in a golden age

[@superiormusic]

I genuinely can't believe that AVGN is 20 years old next year😵‍💫

[@pepuletrz.9276]

i can..i am 40 now...

[@infjmale91]

It's crazy; he can nearly drink, legally!

[@jacob9538]

Should bring Mike back for a 20th anniversary special video. And keep him there.

[@althaf198]

Does avgn existed before KZbin??

[@guynamedstevo6581]

Yes, way before actually

[@lionneko]

The step counter is useful. Strago has a lore spell called "step mine" that does damage based on the number of steps you take in the game

[@thejessycho]

thank you for saying something. i was so triggered by that

[@littlebigcommentary]

@@thejessycho I figured it was a holdover from the ultima games which is what Final fantasy was based on. Did the Nes final fantasies also keep track of your steps? Ultima btw was this old westen rpg on pc that inspired hironobu sakuguchi to make final fantasy and also inspired the guy who made dragon quest yuji hori.

[@lionneko]

@@littlebigcommentary I can't say for 2 and 3 NES(ogs were Japan only)but 1 and 4(SNES,) didn't do that. I have played the pixel remaster versions of 2 and 3 and I don't remember a step counter in those

[@jvask33zie]

I can't believe 12 years later, I'm still rewatching this guy's videos. The best friend I've never met.

[@fuxan]

This game got me through my parent's divorce and major depression in 1994. I became this game. I poured my sorrow into the game. Even now the Terra theme makes me cry...but a little happier everytime. And the world of ruin...yeh that hit me. I knew i had to mend this world somehow even if..."forever changed"...

[@joejacobson7393]

My parents also divorced in 1994 and I also put my heart into it as a result.

[@thedavidalopez]

the opera song still gets me

[@cahlendavidson2921]

Sympathies.. mine for divorced in 96. Ahh, the 90s

[@TheEarthRealm]

So sorry to hear that, but glad you got through it. 🙏🏿 Brothers in FFVI.

[@Geospasmic]

Oof, I feel you. My parents split up in '93, and my drug of choice was Secret Of Mana.

[@TheRightNut]

When A Link to the Past was new I was playing it in my bedroom on the final boss battle with Gannon. My mother walked into the room with laundry, attempted to step over the SNES and kicked the cartridge. It shut off, when it came back on all of my saves were erased. Afterwards I couldn't even look at the game. To dedicate those hundreds of hours to get back there... it took me 25 years for the feeling to fade and finally go back and beat it. So I feel the story behind this.

[@sor3999]

Closest thing to the same thing for me was Final Fantasy Tactics when I got to Velius's room. The game asks you to save just before the fight with him and well, I couldn't beat him and my only save was right before the fight so I couldn't go back out to grind. I grit my teeth and just started over right away and speed ran to get back to where I was.

[@Talatharas]

This entire game. Kefka's theme. The opera scene... this game is, SO nostalgia. Thank you for doing it justice.

[@pedroanitelli]

It's hard to explain the feeling of awe from that game back then, how amazing and special it was, but you did it perfectly.

[@noahkrause2835]

bot

[@pedroanitelli]

Troll

[@Sirfinchyyy]

He's a master at breaking down the flood of emotion brought on by bad and great games.

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

AVGN needs to cover more RPG genres in video games. He did it with Earthbound, but now he covered Final Fantasy and I feels like Super Mario RPG or Chrono Trigger shall be next.

[@JunTheAnimeLoverEst]

And I'll say Paper Mario, Next

[@danielkeslerjr4407]

Actraiser and Soul Blazer! Especially Soul Blazer! That was one of my absolute favorite hidden gem. More so than actraiser, but that gets talked about more often..

[@clowkero]

Megami Tensei for the Famicom. I need his groin going through his jaw from the sheer assholery crammed in an RPG cartridge

[@NoobGamer64-gj4ic]

I HATE TOXIC FANDOM!!!!!!!😠😡😤

[@alexandertelson3713]

Chrono Trigger....

[@Dayman90]

An AVGN based on one of the greatest games ever. Thanks for the Christmas present, James

[@Healthy_Toki]

when based meets based we all win

[@soul-vatzu]

copiar y pegar comentario Thank you @Dayman90

[@Brandonweifu]

One of the greatest and I would say undercooked by casuals This game was faaaar superior to 7 in my opinion Because it's from the bit age,most "fans" overlook it

[@Sparrows1121]

I think FF6 is the least best game in the series. FF7-FF10 is the only one worth playing.

[@earlymorninstonedpimp]

@@Sparrows1121have you even played 6

[@POINTS2]

It was an extra rainy year when FFVI came out. I remember being at a friend's house and the rainy weather of the town Zozo matching the outside perfectly. It's 30 years too late, but one thing to do is to make multiple saves in the hope that 1 of your saves survives an erase. I starting saving before entering a big area, like Kefka's castle, in case I needed that backup.

[@statichamster75]

My favourite thing in this game is uncursing the Cursed Shield. You have to fight 255 battles with the Shield equipped. Before the internet this sounded like a troll. I was amazed when I found out it was true. It becomes the Paladin Shield, the best in the game and it teaches Ultima when equipped.

[@eddy5097]

I remember doing a lot of things in this games based on rumors and this one was indeed true

[@galmorzu]

What an incredible episode. Definitely felt the love in this one. I think James should do a couple more of these where the Nerd plays a game he loves, because the passion really came through. Best episode in a long while.

[@supermariofan03]

I agree, but I think it should be once in a while, to make that concept feel fresh.

[@Mephianse81]

Except Mike Matei played this not James. It's all Mikes passion.

[@xIcOnx89]

Possibly one of the greatest intros in gaming history with the mechs walking through the snow

[@law35penn]

Mode 7

[@krele14]

@@law35penn Mode 7 has little to do with the scene's atmosphere, it's the music that pushes it.

[@shadowlinkbds]

Can't forget the excellent music too.

[@robbyrobot3303]

As great as the music is, Mode 7 has a lot to do with it also

[@DeskoDev]

The credits themselves are an understated touch, too. The lack of them in the PC and mobile Pixel Remaster hurts the atmosphere a lot

[@josefu_velen]

That cracking sound that starts when you defeat a boss is such a relief

[@BrandonFoy]

“Nothing is over” Dude, this uplifted my spirits so much. So amazing how III/VI is still giving lessons today. Thank you!

[@zaodacrusher7498]

Interesting thing about "dancing mad" which is the title of Kefka's theme music, is the fact that it changes with the battle, as his health wears down, tell eventually sounding less triumphant and more mournful. The game is truly a masterpiece.

[@benjaminzipperlen7962]

Dancing mad Is one of the best songs ever made for a video game

[@user-uz2lh8wi5i]

@@benjaminzipperlen7962 Yes!Yes!Yes!

[@arthursnyder6935]

Some people even call it the Final Fantasy equivalent of Dance Of Illusions from Castlevania

[@bignass04]

Kefka's laugh is the epitome of villainy of the 16-bit era.

[@RPGtourguide]

An iconic SNES sound, for sure.

[@andrethegiant6969]

he called the opera scene tedious.

[@quag311]

It’s my buddy’s text notification chime.

[@SamtasticOnline]

Hearing his laugh still induces a trauma response.

[@pain3236]

I'm more scared of the Lavos scream

[@Bauglir100]

6:24-6:29 That part aged a little too well. RIP Yeti, James Rolfe's white cat (2008-2024)

[@flamemdq]

This game is so... perfect If a nihilistic can become a final boss, is this... the battle is SO EPIC even with the flaws, you feel like every moment jumps into a new whole level of clusterf**k Bravo!

[@TheFiftyQuid]

James I've been watching you for years. Back at the dawn of the PS3, back before I had kids. Now, at 50, with 2 children in their teens, I cannot thank you enough for all the laughs, and enjoyment you have brought me. Thank you from every piece of my heart. Merry Christmas to you and your family!

[@plasmaastronaut]

a bit ott but ok.

[@propheinx2250]

How many pieces of heart did you collect? lol

[@TheFiftyQuid]

@@plasmaastronaut I appreciate your positivity and poor spelling. ;)

[@TheFiftyQuid]

@@propheinx2250 Nicely played.

[@Evilriku13]

@@ess2478 Do you got proof that this is Mike's footage? I know there have been two seperate recordings done for this video, as seen in the graphics quality, but I don't think we know if he did truely replayed the game.

[@genebaker511]

What a way to cap off the end of the year by playing my favorite Final Fantasy games of all time. Thank you, Nerd

[@thenightmare9368]

Same here.

[@rebekahcalcote8308]

Final Fantasy VI has always been my favorite of the Final Fantasy series ever since I grabbed it by mistake from the video rental place. (I was meaning to grab a different Final Fantasy game and mistook VI for it.)

[@chadharger9323]

VI needs the full remake treatment.

[@Sean-fi3ks]

One of my favorites too. I got it on Christmas Eve back in the day, so this is perfect.

[@Julius413]

Best game

[@TobyWallace-zl7gy]

I love the way James broke down the plot of this game, Celes’ despair and Kefka’s madness. It brought back my fondest memories 🥰

[@sheldonbenedict4686]

Final Fantasy 3 was an epic game, and revisiting it every once and a while is just definitely worth it just for the nostalgia! Awesome to see the Nerd play it! And he totally needs to do Chrono trigger, oh and Super Mario RPG since they nailed the remake!

[@edgarramos1499]

Don't forget Secret of Mana!

[@joesnuffer]

FF3 imo is the best game ever made.❤

[@duncanskippers3130]

True

[@ThrowbackDrummer]

You know what I love about AVGN? After 20 years, James still finds ways to keep it fresh. A review of a great game in an awesome storytelling fashion. The nostalgia! I love it! Merry Christmas james!

[@ninjaturtle8444]

James didn't even play the game. All the footage is from when Miike streamed it about a month ago.

[@xellios]

@@ninjaturtle8444 Go touch some grass.

[@Valoelify]

@@ninjaturtle8444 How can you know that for sure? You can't.

[@ThrowbackDrummer]

@@ninjaturtle8444 I know Mike does a lot of the gameplay, he’s admitted that before and even credits him at the end. That’s not the point. The point is his commentary and storytelling making us nostalgic. We remember the fun times playing these games. When James makes videos of good games scattered in between the shitty ones is a great way to keep the series going after all these years

[@galmorzu]

@@ValoelifyJames has said in the past he usually has Mike do the gameplay videos because he’s either just not good enough at these games to use his own gameplay, or because he’s focusing on putting the video and editing together so they’re saving time by splitting duties.

[@MrNexor-cj8gs]

The game keeps track of the number of steps you've taken because some spells (blue magic or rages I believe) calculate damage based on it. If you have a high number of steps, those attacks will do considerably more damage.

[@mmoarchives2542]

incorrect, steps is how you regain magic power and limit breaks

[@betweenmyself4971]

Strago’s Step Mine Lore spell.

[@Hawkenwhacker]

@@mmoarchives2542 Stick with your MMO's. You're out of your depth in this conversation.

[@yozarian86]

After all these years, there’s still things I didn’t know about FFIII. Wow. I even recently watched a “10 things you didn’t know about FF6” video.

[@3ngag3]

@@mmoarchives2542 Limit Breaks game in this can only occur when a character is at critical HP and only when they use the attack command and even then, they are pretty rare. Step counter has nothing to do with it.

[@visiongamma4072]

"Passion always comes through in spite of limitations" is one of the best things I've heard

[@Nedemai]

I remember beating this game as a kid on a cold winter day and that end boss battle was so epic its been permanently etched into my core memory. FF7 couldn't even top it, even though it was close. FF4 was my bucket list game I beat last year finally that I remembered as a kid, and its ending was similarly epic. Would love to see you cover FF4 as well.

[@torloni13]

Nobuo Uematsu is the John Williams of video games!!! I still cry watching the end....just perfection.

[@GregoryAlanBaileygamereviews]

You hit the nail on the head. The amount of tracks he created is insane.

[@omegaweapon116]

The music in the pixel remaster makes it even better

[@Heinz-bx8sd]

Stoo crying you possy

[@Nekomancer1983]

Aerith's Theme is a real tearjerker as well. Never fails.

[@Chozo_Ghost]

Sure wasn't expecting a new AVGN this late at night, but I'll take it!

[@RabbitShirak]

It's morning here

[@jooei2810]

It’s early in the morning here! 🙂

[@abysmalvsmarcus]

IKR?

[@JimDuggan-tq2lv]

Welcome to the world of timezones!

[@crackinlackin9105]

Just take it and love it

[@joner6060]

Thank you nerd for still going. It means so much to so many. We love you

[@sabrevanson4412]

back in the SNES cartridge days. I equipped Celes with Force armour and White Cape and zephyr cape. Made her have 99 magic blk/eva (cant recall which it was back then) it was a broken stat. basically made your character immune to almost everything. By kefka, she was blocking everything he threw at her.

[@Sagacyte]

The Nerd deserves a win every now and then, and there's no better way than with this masterpiece of the 16-bit era. Awesome episode!

[@EverydaysinceMay]

I had a friend as a kid named Ransom. His Dad was a lawyer, and they lived in a mansion. I remember he had this game, and we, over the course of many months, played this game until the very end. I will never forget those hot summer days. This game is among my most wonderful childhood memories. I even played this one with more than one friend, but I never owned it. I should play it with my son. ❤

[@Se0ultrain]

DEFINITELY PLAY THIS WITH YOUR SON! What a great idea!!!

[@bryansansone3301]

Was this friend's middle name "River City?" 😂

[@EverydaysinceMay]

@@bryansansone3301 lol that's exactly what I used to think of when hearing his name..he had no idea about river city ransom.

[@joehayes9767]

Totes thought was going to keep rhyming! Lol

[@DanRPGMan]

Personally this is my favorite video game ever. It's why I've bought it many times including the pixel remaster. I also play it yearly and it always brings a smile to my face. Even Terra's theme is my ringtone. I can play it in so many ways as well even though I've played it a lot of times so it's always fun for me. I'm glad you finally finished it and hope you enjoyed your Christmas.

[@Satchmojones]

I felt the same way as the nerd when I owned, played, didnt understand, put it down, picked it back up and finally beat final fantasy one. Sadly in those times the naming of subsequent titles and the difficulty finding them (pre-internet) kept me from playing any others to this very day. I remember when 7-8 came out, I played 8 to completion and just never played 2-6 nor did i know where or what system to find them on... the closest I came to recapturing the feeling of Final Fantasy one during the 90s era was Earthbound and Mario RPG. Other subsequent notable mentions: Rogue Galaxy on PS2 and Lost Odyssey on XBOX 360.

[@Probably_JENOVA]

I’ll always love listening to older gamers talking about their experiences with various games such as Final Fantasy back in the day as well as the reactions to the uniqueness of said games, their stories, characters, and music that would later become iconic and helped create the world of gaming. It’s so fascinating and insightful. It gives you a good reason why retro games should always be respected and preserved no matter how much time passes by and how much society and the world at large changes.

[@dankuya]

well said

[@Boss_Fight_Wiki_muki_twitch]

hear hear

[@danpavelko8414]

I loved this game so much. I got my HS orchestra teacher to play Kefka's theme at one of their concerts.

[@burningtheworld]

Dancing Mad... classic

[@bigbirdmusic8199]

Dancing mad isn't kefkas theme, although kefkas theme is featured in it

[@ehouse33householder74]

wow! amazing

[@leob4403]

Who did you have to blow to make that happen?

[@ehouse33householder74]

@@leob4403 eeww

[@nigelo92]

A bumbling Santa tripping over the power cord was great lol

[@punking488]

3:00 Biggs and wedge?!? Where have a heard those names. Hmmmmm 🤔 my mind is up in the CLOUD with this one.

[@VoyagerGaming417]

They were also in FF8.

[@nbHawkeye]

​@@VoyagerGaming417They're practically a running gag like Cid.

[@nickt8114]

Every year for Christmas my old man would ask the guy at the video game store for the longest, most difficult game they had and on one got me this gem, greatest game ever!!

[@rokko_hates_japan]

That's great! My father said we had to beat whichever game we had, 3 times, before we could get a new one. Took us forever to beat Mario Bros. three times, but we finally did it! The next game we got was Tetris... still playing it to this day.

[@deepadeepa4279]

​@@rokko_hates_japanwhen you have a savage parent but growing things turn different

[@TheSuckoShow]

As usual, the best Cinemassacre content comes from James talking about the stuff that's really important to him.

[@symmetricalpattern3335]

Yes, I love hearing Mike's thoughts and seeing his gameplay

[@RonixEnclave]

Come on guys..Mike literally played this on Twitch last month lol

[@froglifes6829]

ofcourse he did...​@@RonixEnclave

[@The_Garage_Band]

That's an OOF

[@hardtymz2517]

He ain’t angry. It’s in the name!? Pass.

[@MajinWamu]

The last few episodes have been really entertaining. I guess it's as everyone said, the new producer really brought the show back to its roots. I get that same feeling I used to get when I watched the older episodes. There was certainly a period when the episodes just felt really different and just didn't have that same enjoyment factor as they did before.

[@ArtisticQuinn3095]

Umm... who is this new producer?

[@efai]

well this wasn't a regular AVGN episode, but I liked it.. btw: "kefka" in my language means "toothbrush" or very small "brush" : )

[@grantorino2325]

Slovak? 🇸🇰

[@cloudtheae]

AVGN is aging like fine wine after watching for almost 17 years. This episode in tandem with the Contra episode brought me back to my childhood in the best way possible. Thank you for this gift James.

[@theswedishviking2983]

So happy to see Mike back on an Avgn episode! 🤩

[@josejuanandrade4439]

This realy felt like one of the ogs. Beating Mike in a costume will never get old! Edit: Oh and the mandatory Zelda comparisons! FUCK YEAH!

[@benbob4038]

Was Mike Santa?

[@zeejay4458]

@@benbob4038for sure

[@Ainnem]

​@@benbob4038Really?

[@bradj9545]

Kefka’s theme song “dancing mad” so perfectly fits how psychotic he is and being the GOAT FF boss

[@TheOmar]

The "winter break type of game" hit me right in the childhood. I remember my winter breaks and summer vacations playing memorable games like this.

[@charles7164]

I will never forget this game for two reasons, my best friend introduce me to it back in de 90s. It made the RPG genre my favorite ever since. Sadly my friend passed away in 2018.

[@Spellbound_93]

Sorry for your loss.

[@tristanvleut5712]

Sorry for your loss

[@razorbackroar]

How did he pass

[@WeWillAlwaysHaveVALIS]

They will always live on in your memory, carry them with you always.

[@Heinz-bx8sd]

Corona

[@CompleteProducer84]

Terra’s Theme is the single greatest video game piece ever composed. No other melody has ever sounded so hauntingly nostalgic

[@huskerbusker]

I love this song so much.

[@Rakka5]

Theme of Love from Final Fantasy 4 is up there as well.

[@VidiverseExplorer]

So is Shadows and Celes's theme, but honestly every track in this game is amazin!

[@ChunkyPhattz]

What about dancing mad?

[@Creslin321]

The crazy thing is you could say that about SEVERAL pieces of music in this game. Uematsu truly is a genius.

[@Jaydankest]

If you think about it, it is absolutely crazy that The Nerd drops a video for Xmas that tells the story about how his game froze, saves lost and the ANGRY Video Game Nerd was essentially born this day in his early childhood. It’s almost biblical.

[@Offline219]

Losing a save file that you put 60, 70, 80+ hours out of nowhere is an experience I can unfortunately relate to all too well...

[@queenlinux1337]

I love when James says "I've never seen anything like it before, and I've never seen it since", it's like he's an old wizard telling us of his journeys that we barely comprehend, but he is my hero, so I continue to listen

[@matthewstewart5852]

I still remember watching my cousin beating this as a 4 year old and thinking this has to be the best game I have ever seen. I remember forcing myself to learn how to read when FF 7 came out just so I could play it.

[@KingC89]

🙄

[@hnorrstrom]

Well, I pretty much learned English to be able to understand everything FFVI as a teen back in the days and it was totally worth it.

[@ncapone87]

​@@KingC89 lame

[@sydus81599]

​@ncapone87 because FF7 was absolute dogshit compared to FF6, and yet people praise it all day long as the best FF, those whom never played 6

[@salt_factory7566]

15:40 considering how often you got blocked in the overworld, having your party snake around would probably be a nightmare.

[@brendanhighway1376]

"Passion always comes through, in spite of limitations." GREAT way of summing up why those early Final Fantasy games were revered as the most epic of adventures despite the limited animations and graphics. I love this game to this day, and FF IV before it (ie. II lol).

[@NoelG702]

What a great episode. Another freaking classic. It was cool to see Mike back in a skit. It makes it feel even more nostalgic.

[@ninjaturtle8444]

James didn't even play the game. All the footage is from when Miike streamed it about a month ago. The more you know!

[@NoelG702]

@ninjaturtle8444 Yes, and? Mike always recorded lots of the game footage in the past for certain episodes. That's nothing new and doesn't take away anything from the episode. Was that supposed to be some kind of gotcha moment or insult to James? lol

[@CodyLee94]

@@ninjaturtle8444OMG

[@ScarletDeath]

the step tracker thing is neat because Strago has an ability that is based on how many steps you have. I forget which one, but another has a sword whose atk is tethered to the amount of times you've escaped a battle. and ffvii has a guy that gives you a certain item based on the total sum of battles you've had that game. i love little features like that, you don't see it too often anymore tho

[@dowiet6929]

it's stepmine

[@kumbandit]

You mean the chicken knife, and it's FF5 not 3/6

[@frozenaorta]

Step Mine!!!

[@teecakes]

"and ffvii has a guy that gives you a certain item based on the total sum of battles you've had that game. i love little features like that, you don't see it too often anymore tho" This is the only way you can get the Level 4 Limit Break item for Aerith on Disc 1, and it's probably the hardest thing to accomplish in the game (the limit break is pretty OverPowered too)

[@Evilriku13]

@@teecakes she was too strong to be left alive xD

[@bruxasuka]

My older brothers rented the game (that was a thing in Brazilian 90s), but didn’t finish it, when I was like 8 years old. I remember looking at the manual and be mesmerized by the amazing artwork. Didn’t know a word of English or Japanese, but just by watching it I got hooked. As a teenager, I was able to finally play (and finish, mind you) on my own and it has been, since then, my favorite game ever. You watch ceres scene on the island and you understand that pixels can make you emote just as hard as any 3d realistic image, if not more.

[@VRnamek]

FF6 was truly groundbreaking. True magitek. And one of the best game OSTs ever.

[@mastermoye3915]

I’ve finished this game (pixel remaster) and let me tell ya, it was one HELL of an emotional rollercoaster!! Nobuo Uematsu is peak when it comes to connecting music with characters and scenarios. Dialogue: A+ Music: A+ Challenges: SSS Art: SSS Conclusion: SSS Emotional impact: SS Thank you, Square for making my day a whole worth while.

[@ScruffsX]

Music only A+? 😂😂😂

[@Healthy_Toki]

@@ScruffsX yes this soundtrack is GOAT material

[@Neimonster]

Thank you for making my square hole worth bile

[@mastermoye3915]

@@Neimonster 🤣🤣🤣

[@georgiots1409]

I didn't play this game until after FF7. As much as I enjoyed 7 I enjoyed this game even more. It's a work of art.

[@user2125]

FFVI always better than ff7, but u not rdy for this conversation...

[@gamersinger5118]

@georgiots1409 Final Fantasy 6 was the true pinnacle of the series in my opinion. The only old school JRPG that is still going very strong is Dragon Quest which I consider the #1 JRPG franchise at this point.

[@yuutokun]

If you liked that, I highly recommend Wild Arms. It often gets overlooked, but besides Chrono Trigger it's the only 2D RPG that's up there with the music and story.

[@michaelshade1702]

28:01 Mike...is that you?

[@kvarinsunermidst2629]

I remember crying legit tears after the opera scene back in the day. It's still a top 5 gaming moment of mine.

[@Evilriku13]

I still get emotional hearing Forever Rachel and Celes' Theme, alongside the part at the end where Relm's theme goes into Shadow's and him choosing to stay because he thinks he has "gone too far to become her dad again".

[@cpt_bill366]

I cried legit tears watching this video. The music hits as hard as the character development.

[@MarceloDep]

The "christmas episode" of AVGN is now a tradition every year for me. Thank you for that

[@B3Band]

"Now?" He's been doing them for almost 20 years lol

[@maxxjapan619]

I actually broke the Esper system so bad when I played this on Game Boy Advance. I found two Ultima weapons, which increases in attack power the higher your HP, then gave the character who was using them a Espers that increased HP and STR with every level up. I one-shot Kefka.

[@hikarinopower8090]

Nerd I think "Dragon Warrior 7" for the PS1 would legitimately be a perfect game for the AVGN series. It's the definition of a criminally underrated game.

[@joshuapatrick682]

so many firsts.... this game. It was an inflection point in gaming where we got a glimpse into the future of the art-form and it looked amazingly bright. cinematic cutscenes, character growth expressed through dialogue, adult themes of loss and even mature themes like suicide and nihilism were explored and all for the better. One of the few SNES games I go back and replay on occasion.

[@jmalonemyth]

This game blew me away. So much better than any game I had played to date. Beautiful and with an amazing score.

[@lldjslim]

Final fantasy II, better

[@Jmjmhmjmh]

This game is trash that’s why it’s on SNES and not ps5

[@Fartylipjuice]

THIS GAME JUST BLEW ME TOO 👅 😛 😝 😜 😋 🤑 👅

[@hitkid2456]

Eh there were a few 16-bitters I preferred. But this one was still pretty up there.

[@violetninja]

I know Uematsu says his favorite soundtrack is FFIX, which I totally agree with, but the audacity to make a song like Dancing Mad using a 16 bit system is totally bananas.

[@wyliecapp]

My absolute favorite final fantasy game, 7 being a close second.

[@ThePureSynergist]

These are, by far, my favorite videos of James. Where he goes back and relives these memories and shares them with us. These reviews always make me smile.

[@lian2rozen]

I just noticed that not only did Mike stream this (in six parts), but James directly ripped off the story about how he saved up and bought the game for 80 bucks from part one of Mike’s stream of this game. The only difference is that Mike said he bought it at Toys R Us and James claims he bought it at Kaybee Toys. This is unbelievable.

[@Absquatula]

Would be nice if these were James's memories and not Mikes

[@siavashsohrabi4221]

⁠@@Absquatulayou mean these are Mike's memories??

[@ThePureSynergist]

@@Absquatula actually? Podcast info? Still, it’s a nice story.

[@josuearbizu7406]

james is a movie fan not a games fan, all of the gaming anecdotes and stories are from mike you can tell that none of this happen to him because he tell the stories without details or very minimun details these are just generic gaming tales

[@scabu3]

I'll never forget begging my mom to go to my friends place to see what happens next in the story. Best memories ever.

[@Mephianse81]

Except Mike Matei is the one who played this. James isn't a gamer.

[@alex75000]

@@Mephianse81cool

[@MugiwaraTed]

@@Mephianse81who cares?

[@robertduncan8801]

Hands down this is my top favorite game in the history of ever. Even now in my forties I still play this through once every couple of years. And I know it's six, but it'll always be three to me.

[@user-su3qc3km7m]

Some of my greatest memories with my childhood best friend are this game. The music, the story, the characters, EVERYTHING was just unlike any game I'd ever played. The whole SNES era of my early teens was something I'll always remember, and this game was THE one to rule them all. Thanks for this great nostalgia refresh

[@cable7152]

So basically, that was the catalyst to years of being the Angry Video Game Nerd, thank you Final Fantasy "III", thank you.

[@bitwize]

It's still probably the best in the series. No graphics can make up for that emotional connection and throughline as you played through the story, that was alchemically "just right" in VI.

[@BeanMonsterr]

So great to have a positive episode around Christmas. On one of my absolute favorites, too! Merry Christmas James!

[@kitnoCC]

30:31 this gave me goosebumps, I totally get that reaction. Infinitely memorable 😮

[@PannikAttack]

You absolutely nailed this game. I live in Denmark and imported these games from the US because they weren't available in Europe. I spent the best days of my life with my older brother shedding tears to the soundtracks. He and I shared all the ups an downs and epic adventures of a ton of games - But the best ones were Zelda, Chrono Trigger and the masterpiece; FF6(3). I learned English on a level that was waaay beyond the norm for a 9-year-old just to play and understand the games. I covered most of the soundtrack as guitar-arrangements, simply because the music was something so special. My brother committed suicide recently - but I still persevere, with a heavy core memory and lesson that this game taught. Thank you for this Christmas present James - If you would ever let me, maaan I would love to be a guest on the couch and chew the fat on retro games :)

[@caradenino289]

My condolences 🙏

[@kagemusha77]

Glad to hear you found strength despite such a loss. 😢

[@robertcollins7034]

Sorry for your loss 😢

[@jon_deluxe]

Sorry for you loss 😢

[@BrianBoruish]

Sorry man

[@Creslin321]

It’s been decades since I played this game, yet hearing the music again still instantly brings me to the verge of tears.

[@Nuisance_Bear]

Terra’s Theme 😭

[@Blernster]

Wimp

[@Blernster]

Ok nevermind now I'm crying too

[@Creslin321]

@@Blernster 😂

[@psfanboy79]

Hits you right in the feels, when times were so much simpler

[@Therian13]

32:35 Nothing will ever beat that final sound...

[@sureberferber9101]

Bandcamp - Retro VGM 2023 Volume 1, Retro VGM 2023 Volume 2, and Castlevania 2023 If you're looking for a retro video game music fix, you might find something you like. 😉

[@mjames3467]

Easily the best episode in years, if not ever. Thanks for everything, James.

[@stalhandske9649]

Seconded! This was truly something else, and not having played FF6 (or any other of the series, for that matter) I'm feeling the magic through the screen.

[@laszlozsurka8991]

Why because he went soft and did casual game review?

[@syok4929]

what? i mean its fine but what makes this the best? ..you seriously think this tops it all?

[@hgyuuuuhj098]

​@@syok4929he had too much coffee that day.

[@isol8id]

Agreed! I liked the wholesomeness and what felt like true nostalgia from James. And it's been a while since I actually laughed at any nerd stuff, "I finally beat final fantasy 3... or 6!"

[@andrewkapaldo5131]

For the step counter. Traveler (also called Step Mine) is a Lore spell for Strago that deals damage to a target equal to the number of steps the party has taken divided by 32.

[@bcizzo]

That opening walking 3 meks was super atmospheric... cheers man

[@toromei]

Thanks for sharing this video, and especially that horror story! Whatever happened to your Final Fantasy III SNES cartridge and save games sounds a lot like what happened to me with Secret of Mana…except my save games weren’t erased completely; rather, to this day, the characters’ info is unviewable, and their names are scrambled (e.g. the boy became “is”, with lowercase letters, which you can’t even choose when naming, only uppercase). I’ve always assumed it was some sort of a power surge that caused this, but I guess we will never know for sure…

[@NatiPerPerdereNPP]

Ultros deserved a mention, he's such a funny villain. FF6 is incredible, its soundtrack is timeless

[@chemicals8582]

The one thing I remember about him is if the artist girl (Relm? Rand? Can't remember her name) draws him, he surrenders instantly because he finally realizes he's a hideous monster.

[@1k_Synth]

Name a better duo than Ultros and Chupon, I'll wait

[@TerminalFrost79]

Ultros is my favorite FF villain. He has so much personality

[@jamesthepatriot6213]

​@@chemicals8582then he becomes a receptionist!

[@anonamatron]

One of my strongest Christmas memories was getting FFIII, and going upstairs to my bedroom to play it. I was called to dinner during that epic epic opening and man was it hard to put that down to go get something to eat.

[@callmezeldaonemoartime]

You got FF6, not 3

[@anonamatron]

@@callmezeldaonemoartime It was III

[@robertcatheyjr6938]

One of the best RPG's out there. I was able to bork the game with Lock using genji glove and offering for my relics and the weapons used were Illumina and valent knife.