Final Fantasy VI (SNES, 1994)

Just like Final Fantasy IV, this game was re-titled for its North American release.  Fans of the series grew up knowing this game as Final Fantasy III, blissfully unaware that it was actually Final Fantasy VI.  Regardless, it is a some kind of blessing that we DID get this game, because this is the most fully realized, ambitious, and enjoyable RPG of the 16-bit era.  Long time fans of the series argue that either this game or Final Fantasy VII is the best of them all, and those who pick this game have some fairly strong points.  It is the last title to be 16-bit, the last to be on a cartridge, and also the best of them.
This game starts by gracing us with one of the most iconic cinematics of the era, showing Terra, a brainwashed girl, and two empire soldiers riding their mechs (bipedal tanks) across the desolate snowy wastelands to a small mining town, with the intention to steal the crystals.  Terra somehow manages to break free, and is saved by a thief named Locke.  He encourages her to join the resistance group he is a part of, led by the flirtatious king of Figaro, Edgar, and also includes his estranged brother, Sabin.  They discover that the Emperor is collecting these crystals, called Magicite, to try and harness their magical powers.  It is revealed that long ago, humans could use magic, but lost this power due to their recklessness and technology.  The Magicite is actually the incarnation of a dead Esper (formerly known as summons) who come from another realm.  The Emperor is being influenced by the maniacal general Kefka, who wishes to harness all of the Esper's power for himself, to become the new god of magic.
Final Fantasy VI is epic in all regards.  The interpersonal relationships the playable characters have adds much emotional depth and weight to them (and there are a lot of them).  This is the first time a Final Fantasy game used a steam-punk aesthetic instead of the typical European renaissance style.  This allows many creative visuals of a post-apocalyptic world where European architecture and futuristic machines conglomerate together.  The visuals are always clashing, and always eye-pleasing.  The Super Nintendo was already known to have the best graphical prowess at the time, but this game pushes all of its power to the limit.
Terra is the very first female lead in a final Fantasy game, and she is still the best one.  She (and every other character) is written very well, with human traits and great dialogue.  She is a target of the empire because she is one of the few living people who can naturally use magic.  This is because she is actually a hybrid of human and Esper.  To stop Kefka from destroying all of existence, they must seal the portal to the Esper's world, which runs the risk of killing Terra in the process.  Speaking of Kefka, he is arguably the series' best villain.  He is a twisted, sick, demented, and vile human being.  He ruthlessly kills and destroys with fetishistic delight, understanding nothing but hate.
To compliment the incredible story and characters, Final Fantasy VI has one of the series' best systems for customizing party members.  Each character you add to your roster has their own person-specific abilities, such as Sabin's blitz moves or Edgar's arsenal of tools.  When you collect pieces of Magicite, however, you can equip them to any party member, and as they gain experience from battles, that Magicite levels up and imparts some magic and summoning abilities to them.  Just like Final Fantasy II, with some patience and resolution, any character can learn any skill.
Final Fantasy VI is most likely the RPG that Square had dreamed of when they made the original game.  It is the most realized and epic of all of the 2D Final Fantasy games.  The story reaches heights which video game storytelling had previously never imagined, with its emotionally charged characters and plot.  Consider the opera scene where Celes, an ex-general for the empire, is made to stand in for the ill-fallen singer, and the lyrics of her song actually reflect her concealed love for Locke.  The music adds so much dimension to this game, perfectly matching every mood and scenario of the story.  This would be the last time a Final Fantasy game would be released on a Nintendo console, but oh, what a way to go.