Videos will not help you I'm afraid. The games will continue to look bland and archaic. I can't really put my finger on why I like them but I do attribute part of it to the fact that I don't mind grinding...
Really it has more to do with the games structures and the fact the stories really have some serious twists but because of the formulaic structure you never expect them so they always catch you off guard... My personal favorite twist being the one in DQIII.
My views of ROMs are the same as fansubs in anime (which is where I get my code of conduct), which is that I usually try to be supportive to the industries I love, if I really needed the desire to try it first I can always borrow or rent it so ROMs never had much use for me outside of playing titles that will never get here.
My only exception to the rule is if the game/video in question is incredibly rare or discontiuned, or some other issue that makes acquiring a legit copy a serious hit to the bank account. I would own a ROM of Suikoden II for instance but I wouldn't for Suikoden I or V cause I could acquire them easily either through a game store or DLC.