3 was a let down for me, but I love 1, 2, and 4. The games are like Dragon Quest in space.

1 is hands down the best RPG of it's generation if you ask me. Easily beating the first batch of Dragon Quest and first Final Fantasy games. I'm not speaking from nostalgia either, since I first played this one only a few months ago.

2 is great a great game, but the battle system is a bit hard to get into. The story is also kind of told a bit too much by the main character, rather than shown. The best overall series soundtrack too, but 1 comes very close.

4 is one of the best RPGs of the SNES/Genesis era. Great story that wraps up the entire series, and the battle system is a huge upgrade from 2.



2 is a good example of what happens when you tell instead of show.
True, but there's an awesome plot twist at the end.

Try Phantasy Star Generation 2 if you can find an English version. It's a remake of 2, and is basically better in every way(except music). The story shows instead of telling, there's far more dialogue and character interaction, and the battle system is more like 4.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=koFgFZVYfqM