And here's the thing: It's only 97MB. I mean sure, it was probably 97MB back in May 2000, too, but a game like Vagrant Story...who knew?

Vagrant Story was a PlayStation game I never finished, and I say that with regret, because I loved everything about its torchlit wine cellar, sepulchral catacombs, and eldritch sanctum (and now you also know where I paused). Life intruded. The PlayStation 2 was nearly out (a silly distraction, to be sure). I was a full-time computer engineer trying to finishing a graduate degree in English nights. And I'd just landed a gig writing computer game reviews for a well-known magazine.

So I'll relish the chance to go back and see what I missed. According to Wikipedia, Vagrant Story was the only game to score a perfect 40 in Japanese games magazine Famitsu (for those of you who care what Famitsu thinks, anyway).

I can't really recommend any of the English reviews, if you're looking for ammunition to sway a purchase. They're all pretty amateurish, clearly dashed off by a bunch of touchingly enthusiastic kids who loved the game but couldn't write worth a darn (if, on the other hand, you prefer your game reviews dry and served to template, by all means, have at 'em).

Someone who can write, is Alexander O. Smith, the guy responsible for Vagrant Story's English localization. Part of the reason this one's so well-remembered by its fans is his work. Which includes recently released for the PSP. His name still not ringing any bells? What if I said Final Fantasy XII localization. Yeah, that guy.