It was the end of a 12-year personal quest for me today as I finally, finally, played through and beat Final Fantasy II for the Super Nintendo. It all started back in '93 when I rented the game from the old Box Office Video that used to be off of Highway 29. After being in a Dragon Warrior phase for many years, I played FFII and it absolutely blew me away. The graphics, music, story, and game design were all completely unlike anything I'd ever seen before. I think I played it so much my mom threatened bodily harm, because I remember sneaking in play sessions while she was outside conversing with the neighbors. Anyways, remember, back then you couldn't just buy whatever game you wanted whenever- cartridges were really expensive, and by '93 the game was pretty much out of print anyway. There were certainly no $20 greatest hits sections available back in 1993. So I played it and rented it whenever I could, but never really got too far in the game.
Then, around 97-98 I finally had a chance to purchase the game from the University Media Play (RIP) used for $30, back when they briefly got into the used games business. It was more than I usually put down for a used game, but I considered it money well spent. Then through high school and college, I had the game, but never went to the trouble of beating it. Why did it take me so long to beat the game once I had it? I guess because there is a lot of inertia with RPGs. Once you get started with one, it's tough to stop, but if you stop in the middle of a game, it can be tricky to pick up right where you left off. Another factor could be that I didn't play RPGs for several years after being burned out on the genre. Those factors, combined with my desire to play both newer titles meant FFII got pushed to the side.
Finally, sometime this summer I took stock of the situation and decided to go for it. The battery backups in these old games often don't last more than 10 years- if I wanted to beat the game in its original condition, it was now or never. And tonight, after a couple of tough fights, I did it. And after all these years, the game still impresses me with its clever design and excellent presentation. Now I'm proud to say that I conquered the beast- FFII is done. But it sure took long enough to beat a 25-hour game.