4. Final Fantasy IX
For me, every RPG should strive to be, at minimum, like FFIX. FFIX is a good game in all departments: story, gameplay, graphics, exploration, sound and so on. In that regard, every RPG should look to FFIX and try to match its qualities. If it can surpass FFIX's qualities, you'll have a superb game. The best way I can describe my feelings towards FFIX, is by comparing it to the movie Shrek. In essence, no one really hates Shrek, and you'd recommend it to anyone who can enjoy the animated style it presents, but at the same time, you'd never call Shrek the best movie ever. Of course that's still subjective and there are different spectra for different people, but that's how I see FFIX. FFIX has the hallmark 2D sprite characteristic of earlier FF titles but presented in 3D. For the most part, it works well, but again, unless you totally embrace situations like characters over-exaggerating body movements to show emotion, you might not totally get it. The characters themselves are animated to a degree that might put some people off anyway. The lead character, Zidane, even has a monkey tail for instance. Behind all that though, there is a solid game, with good gameplay mechanics and story-telling. For me personally, it never reaches above that to spectacular levels, but it still delivers. The gameplay is typical ATB turn-based with 4 active characters, where the only drawback is that it can be a bit slow-paced. There's a good amount of exploration and you even get to see things from other characters' perspectives when the party is split up, a welcome addition. FFIX probably has some of the best RPG dungeons to boot too. The plot has its ups and downs, with a number of dramatic and emotional moments too. Unfortunately, the main party aside from Zidane and Dagger aren't very convincing, where the fact that Quina ended up being my third favourite character should speak volumes about the rest. Vivi is a memorable character too, however his issues grew to annoy me personally over time. Whilst Zidane is a great character, being one of the few happy-go-lucky FF protagonists, his backstory is developed rather late and a bit over-the-top at that. While the overall tale and conflicts with Dagger's mother and then Kuja are interesting, they never rise to spectacular levels.