Oh this is easy--

Final Fantasy VI

I still remember playing this game for the first time and I remember how much it moved me and even later influenced my life, but first, some history!

Back during the NES and SNES days I was a giant Nintendo fanboy. The only thing I was more a fanboy of was Marvel Comics. Every month I would look forward to Nintendo Power like it was Christmas. I remember one month I got a guide for some game called Final Fantasy and it took up the entire issue.

I remember thinking what the fuck is this shit!?

They wasted an entire issue on a game I didn't care about and I was pissed. Flash forward a few years and Final Fantasy II (IV) comes out on the SNES and my sister gets it. I begrudgingly play it and it rocks! I still remember the thrill of getting to Zemorus and finally beating him.

Needless to say when I heard about Final Fantasy III (VI) I was absolutely stoked. In anticipation for that game I scoured my Nintendo Power and coveted my posters. I even ordered some special watch with Mog on it and later ordered the soundtrack (which I still have!). So Final Fantasy III releases and I'm just blown away by the beginning.

Within the first hour of the game I knew I was in for the ride of my life. I still remember sitting in class thinking about the game and watching the clock at school for the final bell to finally ring. I played it so much my parents even got worried. Every experience in that game was phenomenal and lets just leave it at that instead of recounting every experience.

The floating island fooled me, the opera scene moved me, Kefka floored me, and it was just the single most fantastic thing in my life.

Months later I remember reading about Digipen in Nintendo Power and thinking wow, this is my chance! I can go there and make my own Final Fantasy!

I tell my parents about and I'm crushed because they just won't let me go there. It's not a four year college and there's just no chance they'll let me go there. I was in tears because my dream was crushed. So what did I turn to? Writing.

I started writing a book heavily influenced by Final Fantasy VI. I completely drafted out the story and wrote more than 150 pages of the book (which is good for someone in middle school). I kept going and going and eventually started editing that first 150 pages (the first half of the first of three books) and realized I just wasn't a writer.

Crushed again, I just had to accept I was never going to make games and I was never going to be a writer. Making games would be awesome, but I would never get to make my Final Fantasy VI.

I eventually get to college and I pick Computer Science and Math as my degrees because I liked both but didn't really know what I wanted to do. During this time I start playing Dungeons and Dragons and I loved it. Better yet, I can finally tell my story inspired by Final Fantasy III all those years ago!

I start running my own campaign in my own world I made from scratch and finally fleshed out my characters I loved. Things had to change since it wasn't a book or a game but a DnD game, but I still got to make my story. I realized I was a bad writer, but I was actually a pretty good story teller. Life was fun.

I eventually graduate but my last year was tough because my papa whom I was very close to died. It was a slow and painful death for him (stomach cancer) and it was just a really bad time for me. I graduated but my grades suffered greatly and I didn't look for a job during my final year.

I graduated with a bad GPA and no job prospects. Like sucked.

I completely failed at a few interviews and eventually managed to at least get a job working for Best Buy in the Geek Squad. Sweet, five years at SMU and I work a part time job. Did I mention life sucked?

I talk to one of my friends and find out he was going to the Guildhall at SMU. I had heard of this place and even day dreamed of going there, but I figured people better than me were going there and there was no chance of me going there. He encouraged me to apply so I did since I had nothing better to do.

I liked programming but it wasn't something I wanted to do for a living so I decided to go into level design. I had one huge problem though-- I had never worked in a 3D editor in my life. The closest thing I had worked in was Neverwinter Nights and I had never even completed anything in it.

So I decided when I had to submit previous work I would submit my DnD work and make a few maps in Neverwinter Nights based off the campaign. I turned in my applicated and waited with huge anticipation. Would I finally get to live my dream?

Yes! I got in!

I spent the next two years in a near constant crunch mode and eventually graduated...and then couldn't find a job. Well, I could find a job but not in Texas. One of my favorite interviews was in California where I actually got to explain in great detail my Dungeons and Dragons campaign and how the story first came to be and evolved over the next 12 or 13 years. They loved it and I got an offer on the spot! Sadly, The Wife needed to stay in Texas so I had to decline along with several other offers. Life sucked again.

Gamestop application in hand I finally get a call from a studio near me, get an interview, and get a job in the gaming industry!

All of this because of Final Fantasy VI. My drive to one day be a part of something as fantastic as that is what drove me to be where I am today and I know I wouldn't be living my dream if it weren't for that game.

starcraft

This thread just reminds me that I need to play more RPGs lol

I may have thought about this a few times already. 

You've gained my respect after I've already presumed you had no taste in RPGs whatsoever . You obviously understand what makes a great RPG. Lufia II is awesome.

On the contrary, I still think you're RPG taste is skewed  

j/k, just because we don't see eye to eye in FFXIII that doesn't mean a thing for the rest

I love Lufia II and probably have played it over 10 times already. It never gets old  

Though I realize that the game is far from perfect (believe me, I've ranted about all the faults at great length), my personal favorite game is Final Fantasy X. I really love the Conditional-Turn based combat, which combines the time aspect of modern JRPGs with the strategic aspect of traditional turn based RPGs. I think that the game has a great and original art style, some killer music, and a distinct personality. The bosses are plentiful and varied, just like the regular enemies. The characters, though sometimes a bit thin or annoying, or genuinley likeable, and the story contains some great moments. The most emotion I ever had in a game was the walk between Mt Gagazet and Zanarkand. The fusion of story, linear design, gameplay, art, and music was near perfect.

It is not be the most revolutionary or influential or flawless game. The characters can be better balanced, Kihmari is useless, replay value is minimal, the minigames are too hard, and the voice acting is occasionally awkward, but that's alright. I only notice those faults because I love the game so much.

I wanted to say Final Fantasy VII but honestly I think 6 is my favorite game ever.

Chrono trigger I guess. That storyline is the most well crafted and genius thing ever made by mankind.( besides cheese burgers)