On one disc is junk, and on the second disc greatness
~Final Fantasy V~
I started with Final Fantasy V first (just to go in order) and found myself in one hell of a mess. It wasn't the most enjoyable game I've played, that's for sure.
The story starts with a young man, named Bartz, and his chocobo, Boko, in a forest. Suddenly a meteor hits nearby, and Bartz investigates. He discovers a young woman, and then an amnesiac old man. Later on, the group recruits a female pirate captain, and together, the party searches for the meaning to the meteors, the old man's memory, other planets, and the main villain, Ex-Death.
Gameplay:
Nothing out of the ordinary with this one. Although I noticed the lag was terrible in combat, and you'll find battles are very common and inconvenient. You will have inadequate healing magic much of the time, and every Job you try to master will take excruciatingly long periods of time, and there are MANY Jobs to master.
Story:
The story was decent, with interesting plot twists, memorable back-stories that all connect to make a web of destiny among the characters, and their evil counterpart, the mage Ex-Death.
You meet only 5 characters throughout the game. Bartz, the young woman, and the female pirate are all there to stay. I won't say anything more to spoil it for you.
Graphics:
Poor graphics (but then again it was from pre-PS1 days), a bit laggy too. I let this slide because it's an older game, and has an excuse.
Overall: 7.5/10
~Final Fantasy VI~
My second choice was Final Fantasy VI. What I got myself into was an exciting, fun, and complex piece of art from the SNES days. I will admit it was a great game, still not my favorite, but close.
Final Fantasy VI starts out with a trio of Empire soldiers (Biggs, Wedge, and a woman named Terra) inspecting the mountain town of Narsche. They are looking for an Esper, in which they hope in test, and hopefully obtain magic from it. In the game, Terra is a prisoner of the Empire, but gets free. She is then aided by local rebel member Locke, in an escape to a nearby ally kingdom. As the story continues, you meet up to 14 characters, make decisions that will affect the future of the game, and try to take down a maniacal clown.
Gameplay:
It was a traditional turn-based RPG, but the game was a lot easier to manage and handle than FFV. Battles weren't too frequent, but enough to strengthen your party.
I also enjoyed the Esper system (though it had a flaw in my opinion). You could customize level-up bonuses and learn all sorts of skills and magic from them.
I also liked having them make it so each character is used. It gets you more familiar with each character, and it helps to prepare them for the final fight.
Story:
A terrific story, combining magic, a war, Goddesses, and Espers, and how they all react together and create both chaos and peace. You find that the root of all evil is magic, and that is seen as true as the game gets into the 2nd half.
Kefka, the main enemy bent on ruling the world as a sort of God, is behind every trick, every plot, and all destruction caused. He's insane, strong, and deceiving, even of his own Emperor.
Graphics:
I was pretty surprised at how well the graphics were done on FFVI. It wasn't 3D, but the 2D was highly upgraded compared to FFV, as seen in every enemy, character, and scene.
They did a good job of fitting the description of each character, with what little they had to give.
Overall: 9/10