FF6 is an opera, the characters are all archetype operatic heroes, villians, etc.
The fact that they did an opera house scene in the game reflects on it, an opera within an opera. Kefka is a dynamic villian, and is perfect for the story and game, easily the best villian of the series. Sephiroth is too fanboyish and cliche by comparison, I really don't understand why he is so popular.
The greatest RPG ever is the extremely rare Suikoden 2 for PS1. It is an amazing game, in any context of time; the entire series is great (save perhaps 4 which is the worst of the series). You have to start with the first game to understand everything and the series (it's different in a lot of ways), but it is certainly the best, and I have beaten a stupidly high number of RPG's for comparison.
The only issue is getting a copy. I know of a guy who paid $300 for a factory sealed copy of Suikoden 2.
Luckily I bought it when it came out, so I have a mint copy stashed away. Everything about the series is great. It has 108 unique characters (some are carried over to subsequent games, depending on the time the game takes place and the circumstances of the character, characters who are young in the first game are older in the 2nd because it takes place years afterwards).
Save games carry over so if you do play it, be sure to get all 108 characters by the end of the first game to have the special event occur (i won't spoil it
) and save your game at the last save point in Gregminster. If you load that save game into Suikoden 2, the recurring characters levels and some gear will carry over (though lessened by a %), the names in historical context will carry over, and you will be able to recruit the main character from the first game if you do the quest for him.
As for the series, I rank it as follows.. (Best to Worst, with other games for comparison)
Suikoden 2
Suikoden 1 / 5
FF6
Tales of Phantasia
Suikoden 3
FF7 / Chrono Trigger
Star Ocean 2 (PS1)
Saga Frontier
Breath of Fire 3 / FF4 Hardtype Version (Japanese)
FF8 / FF5
I'm sure i'm forgetting a bunch of great games, but that's a rough list.. and the bottom of the list doesn't mean bad, this is a list of some of the best RPG's out there
they are just at the bottom
Have you ever played an old genesis game called Warsong (usa)/Langrisser(I think Japan?)? It's an RPG/Strategy, very fun game, i've played it several times.
Seeing as we both like the same games in pretty much the same order (I miss Suikoden 2
) you'd probably enjoy that game quite a bit too if you haven't already played it. I don't know how much a copy of it would be going for now, it's an ooooold game, readily available for emulators though.