Finally played this iconic game for the first time, and boy does it not age well, especially with the reputation and legacy it has garnered. I first tried to play this without any mods and found the experience pretty miserable. Ugly graphics, tedious random encounters, a poor localization, and mediocre writing - a far cry from the best JRPG of all time. With the right combination of mods, however, it becomes an enjoyable experience. I could see myself loving this game as it is if I had first approached it in the 1990s. Today though, I can't really recommend it without mods. I think nostalgia colors a lot of people's memories about this game.