The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

This third incarnation of Zelda is arguably the best. In 1991 (1992 for North America), A Link to the Past took the original formula, added several new elements, shook them up, and presented the world with a dazzling snowglobe of adventure. The inclusion of a more detailed story, the invention of such staples as the Master Sword and the hookshot (quite possibly the coolest item in the history of gaming), and the establishment of a dual-world that has been included in nearly every Zelda game since all go into making this game exciting, memorable, and, most importantly, fun.

Young Link is at home one rainy night when he hears the telepathic voice of Princess Zelda calling for help. His uncle heads out to rescue her, but Link, following behind, soon finds his injured uncle and takes over his mission. The wizard Agahnim is trying to break the seal on the Dark World, where Ganon is imprisoned, using the descendants of the sages who created the seal in the first place. The Master Sword is the only weapon capable of stopping him, and so Link sets out on his multi-part adventure to find the sword, stop Agahnim, save Hyrule, and, as always, save Zelda.

Images:

Smuggling the pricess to safety
A full inventory is a happy inventory
The Light World
The Dark World
Opening movie

Final Fantasy VI

1994 saw the release of the last Final Fantasy game for the SNES, although, as with IV, it was misnumbered in the North American release as III. Featuring an intricate story, fully-fleshed characters, the largest playable cast of any numbered FF game to date, the introduction of steampunk to the series, and one of the most memorably evil villains, it's another contender for the best Final Fantasy game.

Terra Branford has grown up as a slave under the control of Emperor Gestahl. Locke Cole is a "treasure hunter" with strong anti-Empire leanings. When Terra breaks free of imperial control and is found by Locke, a chain of events is set in motion that will break apart the world as it is known. Joined by Celes, a general of the Empire who realizes what's going on; Edgar, king of the neighboring country of Figaro; his brother Sabin, an ascetic; Shadow, an assassin with a secret; Cyan, a man who has lost everything to the predations of the Empire; and a small host of others, they try to stop Gestahl and his insane right-hand Kefka from exploiting the Espers—a race of magical people—and conquering the world.

Images:

Icons of the entire playable cast, in order:
Terra, Locke, Edgar, Sabin, Celes, Shadow, Cyan, Mog, Gau, Setzer, Relm, Strago, Umaro, and Gogo
Concept art of Kefka
The self-proclaimed Angel of Death
Intro sequence for the PSX
Opening scenes on the GBA

Final Fantasy IV

Although fourth in the series, this 1991 offering for the SNES was only the second to be released in North America, and is often still referred to as Final Fantasy II for that reason. It has, like the original game, been remade several times for a number of systems. As the innovator of any number of conventions that would later be used in the series and notable for having the first playable Cid—a character that has appeared in some form in every FF since II—this game is among the top contenders for the highly contested rank of Best Final Fantasy Game Ever.

The story focuses on Cecil, Dark Knight and captain of the Red Wings, the fleet of airships belonging to the country of Baron. After being sent to a peaceful town to steal a Crystal in what amounted to a massacre, Cecil questions his king's motives. Given a vague reassurance, he is sent on a mission to deliver a package to another town. Accompanied by his best friend, Kain—who can't quite disguise his love for Cecil's girlfriend, Rosa—Cecil journeys to Mist, home of the Summoners, only to discover that the package he is carrying is actually a bomb. The entire town is obliterated, leaving a young girl as the sole survivor. The girl, Rydia, summons Titan with the last of her strength, causing an earthquake that changes the landscape and separates Cecil and Kain. Angered by the betrayal and grieved by the destruction he inadvertently caused, Cecil undertakes a quest to redeem himself and stop his former king. Betrayal, redemption, and sacrifice abound as Cecil gathers companions only to lose them again, culminating in an otherworldly showdown with a force of primal hatred and destruction.

Images:

Concept art of Cecil
Concept art of Kain
Concept art of Rosa
Concept art of Cecil, post-redemption
Screenshot of Cecil confronting Baron's king
Cecil and Kain fighting the Mist dragon
Game introduction video for the GBA vs. the SNES
Trailer for the DS remake

Final Fantasy

The beginning of an era. This 1987 game, originally for the Nintendo Entertainment System, has generated a large amount of numbered sequels an un-numbered spinoffs. It's been remade and ported onto at least six different platforms (MSX 2, WonderSwan Color, PlayStation, Game Boy Advance, PSP, and a downloadable verson for some mobile phones), and even has a popular webcomic based on it. A game given a tongue-in-cheek name (it was the Final game they'd make, and a Fantasy RPG) by a dying company, it revitalized Square when it became one of the highest-selling games of all time.

The outline of the game is amazingly simple. You create a party of four characters from six available classes. They are the fabled Light Warriors (or Warriors of Light, depending on the translation), and need to quest for Orbs of the four classic elements (earth, fire, water, and air) to reenergize the corresponding crystal, which will in turn allow them to defeat the power of Chaos which has the world trapped in an eternal time loop. Being as close to a true role playing game as a video game can come there's absolutely no character development beyond your imagination, but in a time dominated by arcade-style games FF was a rarity of complex storytelling.

Images:

A random battle from the original NES
A random battle from Final Fantasy Origins for the PSX
Concept art by Yoshitaka Amano
Intro FMV for the PSX