Grandia Playstation 1

A titan of the third generation in US-release RPGs, Grandia suffered only from its competition with the vaunted Final Fantasy VII. The storyline is original and engrossing, with multiple nuances and twists. The characters are absolutely lovable, with good depth and strong development throughout the game. Further, the battle system is innovative (even by today's standards) and very user-friendly, while still retaining depth.

The game won't disappoint on play-hours, either. A normal 1st run will take about 80 hours of solid play if one cares to invest time in more than just the bare-bones of the main plot. During play, expect the level grind to be moderate. As you can avoid most encounters (NO RANDOM BATTLES!), your leveling speed is ultimately in your own control.

Last, the graphics are standard for the period, and the music is nothing short of phenomenal. Grandia was one of the first RPGs to incorporate the 3rd dimension into its interface, but remains 2D during combat. The score, arranged and mostly composed by Noriyuki Iwadare, brings the world to life and easily trumps its competition of the time (including FFVII).

Long story short, BUY THIS GAME. You will not be disappointed.