Star Ocean 2 was probably the hardest RPG I've ever played all the way through. Some old-school games were hard because the insane level-grinding required would bore me into submission. Star Ocean actually required skill, though. Random encounters would sometimes wipe me out in a matter of seconds. I leveled up for hours to be able to take on those two guys before the final boss, and then for hours more to kill him. I can't even fathom how long it would've taken to be able to beat him without the limiter.