Final Fantasy VII raised the bar and pretty much single-handedly brought the genre kicking and screaming towards not only fans of the series, but a new generation who became hooked by all the fresh style of storytelling on offer, but (and I know this may well shock a few people), I don’t think it was the best of its kind at the time. The PSX had some truly memorable games based within this gaming framework and they were simply classed as second best when Squaresoft unleashed its baby on us all, but I think technically, Suikoden I and II and Grandia were better for what they offered beyond the norm.

The Suikoden games gave the player the chance to find over 100 people and have them join him in his base, allowing for numerous party changes and essential things like shops, inns and an armory. It wasn’t the biggest stray off course though. This accolade was won by Grandia and it’s now legendary battle system, which allowed you to see the enemies onscreen without the sharp axe of randomness falling upon your hero. The second in the series for the Dreamcast perfected what was already a great system, but it proved that things could be done slightly differently and it turned out very well indeed.

Indeed, the battle system has been the bane of many gaming companies for a long while. There’s always another effort attempted to try and make things a bit more involving, rather than two steps forward until your next fight. Star Ocean’s done it; Lost Odyssey added an interactive button press system, as did Shadow Hearts. It’s just one of those things which people will never fully agree on. Some don’t like them because they’re boring and cumbersome and take away from the story, while others will swear blind they need to be there so as to improve the abilities of a character, so never the two shall meet and, more importantly, agree.