Well, in angle of modern things many classics should be omitted then. But they shouldn't. I would suggest this franshise for those who like deep development of main protagonist(s) also romance line in the game. It perfectly takes into consideration all elements of a nice rpg. Also has a considerable amount (not too much) of side quests. Of course, I highly recommend this game after First Chapter.

P.S. Cold steel is more up-to-date but it is a little bit emptier to me.