Chrono Cross
The first game I played and beaten. Loved how colorful the prerendered backgrounds got despite not liking most of the characters designs. Battle system on the other hand is fantastic and different. It's understandable divisive but I loved it due to how unique it is. Plot and the main cast (Not the recruitable cast) are really memorable. Love reading through Kids interactions with Serge. Also the plot had lot of good twist and actually had some interesting connections to Chrono Trigger. Music wise is as great as Triggers Soundtrack. Chrono Cross is still an all time favorite despite the game issues. But Chrono Trigger is my GOAT still
Xenogears
Has a memorable cast of characters with an actual deep philosophical story. Great battle system that involves combos and being able to use mechs, is a fun twist. OST is phenomenal. Graphically, when it comes to Playstation 1 games I prefer Prerendered Backgrounds so the full 3D is usually not really my thing. Also there a couple of faults within the game since they included platforming and having random battle into the mix can be a throw your controller at the wall experience. Not to mention the camera during the platforming section can get frustrating. Despite those issues, don't miss out on this game since it's one of the best stories told in a videogame
Final Fantasy IX
Along with Chrono Cross, this is the second game I played and beat. Graphically, the prerendered backgrounds and characters looked great and they did a lot to the prerendered backgrounds to make sure they pushed the Playstation to it's limits. I loved that battle system and I maxed out every skill I got from all the weapons, armors and accessories. I grinded to Level 99 for all my characters. Most of all I did all the minigames and Chocobo Hot And Cold is my favorite Minigame in a Final Fantasy game. It has my favorite OST in the franchise. The story especially is one of my favorites. The cast I consider to be the best in the series. Overall a fantastic package all around
Final Fantasy Tactics
This was my first SRPG. I didn't get the story at times but I did enjoy it. The cast was pretty good too. Soundtrack is fantastic. But gameplay is where it's at for me. I loved maxing out all the available job classes. Also this game had some tough bosses
Breath of Fire IV
What really attracted me to this game was the graphics. The game is one of the best looking Playstation games out there. Really reminded me of celshading, with the characters having a painted on quality to them that it's hard to explain. The 3D backgrounds are really good and detailed too. The battle system had a fun mechanic with the Dragon Transformation System. Looking for all the Dragon forms you can find in the world was fun to do. Also the battle system was way ahead of it's time since it's the first one I think where you can swap in your party members you're not using during battle. Music is great. Story is very emotional and the cast are three dimensional with some interesting backstory. The villain had a really interesting story and I loved playing through his sections since knowing about his motivations made me understand him better. I can understand where he's coming from. I love Breath of Fire III but the constant minigames and them being a requirement to get through the main game put a damper on that game. But with Breath of Fire IV, there are minigames you encounter in the main story that if they are too tough, you can skip. So that was a massive improvement to me. Out of all the games in this franchise, the fourth game I consider the best. Wish Capcom would make a new one
Runner Ups
Legend of Mana
Gameplay is Action RPG. Had a lot of fun dodging enemies attacks and learning their patterns. Love the 2D backgrounds and the sprite work. I consider it one of the best 2D Graphics I seen. Music is really good too. I love the nonlinear storytelling going on. Putting these items on the map and placing them in certain areas can unlock different storylines. I loved just not using a guide and just experiencing the story itself. If I ever do a replay of the game, I'll be going for 100 Completion of the story
Suikoden II
I haven't played the first two Suikoden games until a couple years ago. Now that I played through both I can understand why people love Suikoden II. It's not my favorite in the franchise but it's up there. It has a story filled with politics and war. With a massive cast of characters that are memorable. And a villain who is pretty great. Graphics wise, not the greatest to me since it felt like I was playing a SNES game at times. Music was really good. I loved the minigames and recruiting every Star of Destiny. The battle system was fast and did it's job pretty well. Suikoden III is still my favorite
Star Ocean The Second Story
One of the hardest games I played and finished in this franchise. The battle system is extremely deep and using Item Creation is key to beating the game. Item Creation is lot of fun, especially when you start to get the hang of it and start making game breaking equipment. It's an action rpg. Graphics wise, the game uses sprites for their characters and prerendered backgrounds. Love the OST. All the minigames are fun and I especially loved stealing from NPCs to get powerful equipment. There's so much to do in this game that you have to play it multiple times due to their being party members that can't be recruited if you recruited someone else. Also there are two protagonists you can choose that do have differences in the storyline. There's so much stuff you can do in this game that it's insane. There's even 99 endings and I think the max level is 250. Sorry I'm gushing
