FFV was origionally turned down for release in America because Americans didn't come to appreciate good RPGs until now. It improved the battle system showcased in FFIV, it added an innovative job class system so successful it was used again in another underappreciated Square game called Final Fantasy Tactics. The graphics, which are now more or less archaic, were top of the line at it's release. The story gets a bit melodramatic at times, and the music isn't as memorabvle as other FF soundtracks, but all in all it's most attractive quality is it's difficulty. In an era of RPG where you can level up in every battle, replay the game with boosted stats, and find items to make the game ridicously easy; a game where you actually have to think and work at levelling up gets frowned upon by lazy and young gamers. Maybe I'm just too old-school, but I missed that part of Final Fantasy.

Ah, FFVI... the ground breaking RPG. This single game added so many gamers to the RPG bandwagon taht it's not funny. A game this deep and rich certainly lives up to the fanfare I'm blowing at it. Over a dozen playable characters (one hidden), each having special traits and qualities, each with an individual story and development, are just unforgettable. Terra's confused memory and circumstance, Relm's goofy antics, and Shadow's dark and shrouded past add to a deep storyline. And what as story it is! War, peace, a world torn by greed and mistrust... An aging empire and a power-hungry madman who literally tears the world apart... So much depth it'll blow your mind.
The battle system is also innovative. Magicite crystals teach spells and offer the creature within for summoning offer endless combination, or even an obsession to make sure every character learns every spell. Enemies are challenging, but not overly impossible. Music changes so as to not be repetitive. And yet again, the FF music wizard Nobuo Uematsu gives us a rich soundtrack; most notably an opera that the player actually takes part in (in the FFII vs. FFIII debates, FFIII won because of the opera). And lest we forget, graphics that can put some PS games to shame. They still kick ass, but that diminishes in a world of glitz and three dimesions.
But, a few flaws. FFV is hard. Sometimes frustratingly so. But stick with it, and you'll appreciate those long hours. The loading of the CD and memory cards are longer than they should be, and sometimes they can slow down gameplay for a few seconds; not really affecting the game, but annoying. And while Square did add a few bonus features, they don't really offer more than a few minutes diversion looking at the pretty pictures and reviewing your stats. I expected more.

But, despite that, the classics were, and still are, golden. And rightly so. But it for FFVI, even if you can't appreciate FFV.