Going Out With a Bang
Phantasy Star IV was released as the last of the highly acclaimed "Phantasy Star" series, which is a science fiction and fantasy blend of "roleplaying". The story in this game is the main selling point of this game, and works fine as a stand alone game. While there aren't any branching storylines and player input is low outside of combat, the world is well crafted and I have fond memories of playing it when I was much younger. The biggest feature of combat is ability system that let you combine your abilities for bigger spells. Phantasy Star IV was one of the best games of its day, and remains a solid story telling experience. If there is a chink in the armor of this game, it is that we've had many years to build on the way games are made since then.
