I think FF7 was the stepping on point for millennial gamers so there’s that part. Then it was the first real 3D RPG of the FF series. The story was great as well. So it all came together to be more than the sum of it’s parts.
I vastly preferred FF8 and it’s still one of my top games, Killer story. Gameplay was fun. You finished the game with a feeling of having accomplished something.
Xwnoblade I have only read about but it was most of the same crew that did Gears and Saga. I hear nothing but good about it but it’s story connections to the others are minimal at best so it wasn’t enough for me to buy a Wi to play.
Xenogears is a head trip. One of the few games to ever score 10s from multiple legit sources. That one is all about the story and buddy is it loaded with story. Bring your mythology, bible and historical chops to the table because 20 years later I am STILL making connections I missed the first time. It is a love or hate game but if you love it, there is no better. It is worth tracking down a $100 Ebay copy and buying a PS1 to play for any RPG fanatic that somehow missed it.
Search an online translation for “Xenogears Perfect Works” to get an idea of what true depth looks like in a video game.
I guess it’s on Playstation network now though so thats a far easier and cheaper for PS3/4 guys path to bliss. FF8 too.
Xenosaga is high space opera with the above thrown in. There is a long story about how and why Gears and Saga are two same but different tellings of the same core tale. All of it financial and it is fascinating reading in and of itself. But ultimately there is KOSMOS, the hot android Japanibabe with some obscene horsepower that far predated the idea of... (wait for it)...
“Would you give your life for a synth?”
Thank you for the suggestion about the Xenogears Perfect Works, I will definitely have to look in to that. I read a small amount of a translated version, and the world appears interesting to me (I love the notion of a “Great Collapse”, and also love stories which cover technology but which aren’t explicitly pro or anti technology ). It will probably be a PSN purchase for me if I ever get around to it.
This seems somewhat similar to Skyrim in that you have to work at understanding the world. Anything which can be viewed with new perspectives 20 years late rhas to be interesting.