The Alpha & The Omega
Xenogears was a 1998 role-playing game for the Playstation console, developed by Squaresoft. It because a timeless cult classic among RPG fans, though commercially overshadowed by the 3D graphics and promotion in Final Fantasy VII. The story is set in a fantasy, sci-fi world where two nations have been at war on land, a third nation floats ominously above the clouds, and battles are waged with ancient mecha that are questionably more advance than the current times. You play as Fei, an amnesiac, as he gathers a team of unexpected allies and uncovers the convoluted history of mankind itself.
Reasons to Play
5. Long Gameplay, High Value
No gamer can say that they didn't get their money's worth from Xenogears. The game has the longest storyline I've ever played. Best of all, you don't notice how long it is. It's excellently written to keep you engaged in the moment.
4. A Cast of Diversity and Chemistry
The characters are different enough for everyone to have a favorite, but undeniably well-connected. They're all uniquely multi-faceted, but you won't find yourself wondering how they'd get along. This cast is a clear family.
3. GIANT ROBOTS! / Good mech designs.
Like giant robots? Like RPGs? With Xenogears, you get the best of both both worlds. Mecha action gameplay with the depth of RPG stroytelling. I have yet to find an RPG with mecha that does it better.
2. Dark Storyline Themes
Break out your wikipedia for this one. The captivating story of Xenogeras uses the works of numerous philosophers and psychologists (Freud, Jung, Lacan, and Nietzshe), Judo-Christian mythology elements, and more existentialism than you can handle. The storyline was originally written for a Final Fantasy game, but was rejected for being too dark. That's how you know it's good.
1. Golden Era for jRPGs
Gamasutra claims that the golden era for RPGs in general was 1985-1993. Of course, this varies depending on each individual's upbringing. I agree though with their reasoning - 1980s provided the technical building blocks, and after that, developers were able to experiment more with story and features. I believe that the entire SNES/PS1 era was the golden age for Japanese RPGs, with Xenogears coming out near the end. If you miss the glory days of eastern RPGs, check out Xenogears. It's a good representative of the pinnacle of eastern RPGs' reign.