LogFAQs > #894073368

In before someone says FF7 is better than CT.

Anyway, the thing about CT is how... "focused" the game is. Aside maybe from the 12,000 BC segment and the Black Omen, there's zero "fluff. Everything is part of the core game, almost all of the side quests (aside exceptions you can count on one hand's fingers) have relevant plot elements and significant rewards. Every area you walk into matter. Everything you see or hear is important.

The story and main game are "short" (by Skyrim and Tales of...' standards), but it's all meat. All the characters have development, none are stupid/annoying or make you wish they shouldn't be there.

Many modern RPGs do some stuff better, but they all also do a lot of things worse. CT is what you get if you take all of the good stuff, get rid of all the bad and present what's left.

One thing CT does NOT do well however, is hold out in the face of FAQs and guides. It's only good if you discover everything it has to offer on your own. Back then, while dead tree guides were a thing, games were not designed to be good while following a guide. Few things will beat the magic of discovering some of the major side quests on your own or realizing a weapon you thought was useless can be made one of the best in the game through a side arc. That feeling of "OMG!" was something I rarely got again since the end of the SNES era.