Omicron: While Xenogears may have a great storyline, the storyline isn't everything, either. If you have a game that's nothing -but- storyline, then you don't have game...you have a movie.
Final Fantasy 6 is considered the best RPG ever created, by more people than any other RPG. Of course, you'll all prolly tire of me saying that.
But it's true, more people think FF6 is the best than any other RPG out there.
As for the Zelda games...those were action/adventure, not roleplaying. They do, however, still rank as some of the best games ever, as well. Mwahahah.
And ironically enough, anyone here want to know what the single best game -ever- created (ever) of -any- genre, or any console is?
That honor goes to Tetris. This was actual an official vote cast a few years ago by game critics, and they all agreed that Tetris is the best game ever. Think about it. There isn't a gamer -alive- that hasn't played Tetris. And the sweet thing about it is...no matter how much you hate Tetris, if you start playing, you're hooked for hours.
Now, about FF8...while a great game, and had a REALLY innovative system (I loved being able to fully customize my characters with the Junction system!), it very quickly got too easy, once you learned the loopholes. The game was absolutely no challenge. I mean come -on-, my characters were level 20 or so with well over 3000 HP, because I found out that one Tent can be turned into 10 Curagas with Siren's heal refinement ability. Buy 30 tents, get 3 GFs with HP-J, and junction 100 Curagas to each member's HP. It's bloody ridiculous.
Even without those loopholes, battles are always the same. You abuse the snot out of your GFs. Without summoning GFs, you're basically toast. Battles end up very repetitive, and have very little strategy to them. It ends up going from, 'if I can win this fight..' to 'how fast can I win this fight?'. When your whole battle strategy revolves around how fast you can tap the button while your GF's being summoned...it loses from its RPG element.
Enough said. Square made a great game, but they could have done a LOT better.
Oh...and you haven't -played- an RPG until you've played Nethack. If any of you do not know what Nethack is....I will pray for your souls.