3. Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy X is heralded as one of the best in its long running franchise, even with that hideously disturbing laughing scene taken into consideration. With its picturesque landscapes and imaginative roster of characters, the game is a joy to play. In brief, you assemble a group of heroes to travel across the world and beat all the baddies. For a majority of the game, you are led on a direct path, journeying from one destination to another so you can strengthen your cohorts and unravel the numerous plot-twists. The longevity in the game is incredible, as you're offered numerous respites from the strenuous activity of the main storyline the more you play it. Whether it be Blitzball (essentially contact-handball underwater), the dark aeons or collecting the celestial weapons, there are many different things on offer. This is where the game ups the ante though. It's not going to simply hand you 100%. You have to put in a lot of hours in order to reap the rewards. Never mind how long these tasks actually take to fulfil, the difficulty also skyrockets. You may be able to complete the main game with a relatively unrefined army (I know you're ignoring Rikku and Kimahri), but if you're to venture into the numerous asides, your characters are taken out with a single blow (the dark aeons are notoriously difficult). It's all fun in the long run, but the pilgrimage there is painful and off-putting for the casual gamer.