The best RPG, and the best game, I have ever played.
I've put countless hours into this game, with it's unique and compelling story, amazing graphical style, and the sheer volume of things to do, it's a classic pure and simple.
You can play through the game from the prospective of two characters, one a young solider who ends up stranded on another world, and another a young girl who's native to the world that the solider finds himself stranded on. The solider has technology never seen on this other world, so he's hailed as a hero of destiny, and ends up on a journey with the young girl. The story is grand, and you're introduced to a charming and varied cast of characters, all of which have ample development and a robust back story.
The game has replay value because of the two prospective from which you can play through the game, and the fact that a lot of characters will join your party at the expensive of another.
The battle system is enjoyable and unique, there's still nothing quite like it. As the player, you can change it from a Tales-esque real time battle system to a basic turn based battle system.
The cooking/alchemy system is a worthwhile addition, allowing you to combine items to make new ones, and it's fairly interesting.
The graphics, for it's time, are outstanding. Even now they hold up to the test of time, looking fairly good. The soundtrack is equally good, and extremely underrated. It's got lots of little tunes that will have you humming hours after you've turned the game off.
It's a classic, an RPG that should be hailed with the likes of Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VI, and any other classic you can think of. If you like RPGs, and you haven't played this game, that's got to change.