What makes a game great? For me, it's not all about getting a high score or beating someone else in a couple of bouts. No, for me, it's mainly about a compelling storyline. Nothing beats the feeling of being awed and emotionally invested in a truly wonderful game.

Before I began writing this article, I was looking through my game collection and seeing which ones I've played through multiple times and what these games have in common. Each game that I picked out was an RPG with an interesting story and an excellent cast of characters that I found myself becoming emotionally invested with. Some of the games I've enjoyed most are many of the entries in the Final Fantasy series, Lunar, Chrono Trigger, and numerous others. However, one game that embodies what I enjoy most in a gaming experience is Final Fantasy X. The characters are interesting and the story is deep making it a game I find myself going back to time and time again.



My best friend at the time picked up FFX about 2 weeks before I got my hands on a copy of my own. That first night, we played from 8 o'clock that night until about 6 the following morning. I can still see us both just watching the intro cinematic with all of the characters sitting around the campfire outside of Zanarkand. I was immediately hooked after hearing Tidus's opening monologue which felt like an invitation to the player to join him in the telling of his story. This really gave me the feeling of joining in on an epic adventure. While it's true, the story is never as mind-blowing after you've seen it once, I still find it immensely enjoyable to relive the experience again and again. When I hit a major plot point in the story, I can remember how I felt that first time I experienced it and regain those feelings. For me, it's just like reading a great book multiple times, only in this case, it's playing a video game.



Another thing I really enjoy from games like this is when the ability to customize your party's stats and abilities is included in the game. Using FFX as the example, there was certainly quite a bit of customization that you could use for each character. The sphere grid, while not a perfect system, was still able to provide the player with the ability to build a character's stats in a variety of different ways. If you wanted a character with plenty of physical strength, you'd simply take them through Auron's or Wakka's section of the grid. If you wanted White or Black magic, you'd take a character through Yuna's or Lulu's sections respectively. This allows the player to play the same game over and over and never have the exactly the same setup each time. This system could even be used to make the game more challenging for the player by eventually getting Auron around to Yuna's section, and making him more of a White Mage or taking Lulu through Wakka's section and making her a bit more potent with her dolls. While a player typically wouldn't set up their party in this way, it's nice to know that the option is there, should the player be so inclined to try to make the gaming experience as unique as possible.

In this 3D graphical era, the graphics will age and become antiquated, but an engaging tale will be forever. Being able to experience a great story will keep me coming back to excellent games over and over again.