Star Ocean: The Second Story

A decent game, even if it's mired by absurd difficulty spikes, awkward writing/translation, and a lot of bullshit that the player couldn't possibly figure out on their own. The game has a slow start, but I found myself enjoying the combat more as I started to evolve my skills and got a larger party. The side quest thing was pretty neat and I liked the interactions between party members, even if the main plot was pretty uninteresting and anti-climatic. Certainly a classic, but not among the best.

Unlike the sequels, this one doesn't take itself too seriously. Whimsical cast, marred by some hard to figure out ways for unlocking specific characters.