I was just thinking back to Christmas ‘94. I had just turned 14 a few months earlier, but wasn’t feeling much older. Under the christmas tree was presents and more presents. One of them looked suspiciously like a Super Nintendo game. With much joy I unwrapped Final Fantasy III.

Maybe I was (am) a nerd like that. But there was nothing better in life than getting the game you wanted so bad that you just couldn’t wait. Especially when that game is as good as you hope it would be.

I wasn’t fortunate as most people growing through their teens in the 90’s to have more than one TV in the house. My family shared one 19 inch TV that received 2 American and 3 Canadian channels. (ABC, CBS – MCTV2, MCTV5, and Global) So instead of getting gaming time all the time, I could only veg out in front of the TV in the early morning when everyone was asleep. So, beginning back to school just after New Years 1995, I’d wake up as early as 2AM to play Final Fantasy III until I had to go to school at 7:30. Yes, I was going to sleep as early as 6PM in the afternoon just to make sure I got adequate gaming time.

I never used a game guide (none were sold way up in no-mans-land Michigan), couldn’t search FAQ’s on the internet (internet was so new, people still had e-mails that read like the serial number on the back of your computer.) It took me nearly 6 months of early hours playing to final beat that game.

Final Fantasy III was the first Super Nintendo game to actually use 256 colors (SNES max) at one time, and it showed. Back then, that was beautiful eye-candy. The music was fantastic and to this day I have most of those tunes on my iPod. Every time I hear one of those songs it brings me back to those so very cold mornings of me glued to the TV, my blanket over the floor vent when the heater would come on (my dome of warmth), and just enjoy the game.

Only one other game has captivated me in such a way. Chrono Trigger. Maybe it’s age, maybe it’s a statement on gaming now days. Nothing has kept me up (or made me sleep early) much like Final Fantasy III. Simpler times, I’d sure like to go back.