Games such as Crystal chronicals and, of course, the MMORPG FFXI focus on having your character's race, appearance, and on a lesser note job class become changeable at the beginning of the games. This pretty much negates the chance for a game to form a suitably in depth back story to why a character is as s/he is. Such as Cloud, who wanted to be like Sephiroth so used a sword and wears SOLDIER gear, or Kimarhi the Ronso rejected from the tribe of Blue mage warriors.

What do you prefer. The ability to create a character who suits your near-exact expectations of a hero, or to have one created for you who has a storyline you can discover and enjoy deeply on a level a made-up character simply cannot?