Here's a potential solution for your "missable stuff" issue:  

Don't miss it in the first place?  I mean, come on people, how many YEARS have we been playing RPGs for?  Is it really that hard to do a thorough exploration of a given area? :P

I agree.  Best Final Fantasy since the 16-bit installments.  If you disagree, you are wrong. :P

Top 5 Favorite RPGs of All Time

1.  Xenogears (PSX)
2.  Valkyrie Profile (PSX)
3.  Ys ~Eternal~ and Ys II ~Eternal~ (J-PC)
4.  Ys ~The Oath in Felghana~ (J-PC)
5.  Lunar 2: Eternal Blue (PSX/J-SAT)

Honorable Mentions:  Crystalis (NES), Final Fantasy IV (SNES), Langrisser V: The End of Legend (J-SAT), Lunar: Silver Star Story (PSX/J-SAT), and many more.

Top 5 Fondest Gaming Memories

1.  Waking up early (5:00 AM) on Saturday mornings, sneaking out to the living room (where the NES was located), quietly putting on headphones and playing Dragon Warrior until my parents woke up.  They were always like "Holy crap, what are you doing up so early?"  My parents were generally strict when it came to bedtimes; to circumvent that, I simply got up at obscenely early hours in the morning in order to get my extra dose of gaming goodness. :P

2.  Final Fantasy IV.  It was the first RPG that made me think, "This game has an incredible storyline, incredible characters, and one hell of a soundtrack."  It was the game that made me start thinking of RPGs as an art form and a real medium for self-expression, not just a "silly video game."

3.  Brave Fencer Musashiden.  A pretty "meh" title overall, but it was my very first imported game...!  I bought it (for the hefty price of $79.99... which was a LOT as a kid) to get my hands on the Final Fantasy VIII demo which was included with the game.  I liked Musashiden, though, and it was one of the first games which kick-started my interest in studying Japanese for the purpose of understanding Japanese RPGs.

4.  Dance Dance Revolution.  And the community, tournaments, and all the good times that went along with it.

5.  Final Fantasy XI.  No MMORPG fosters a greater sense of teamwork, accomplishment, triumph, and reward than Final Fantasy XI.  Quite naturally, the members of your linkshell become good friends rather quickly, people that you can count on.  Staying up until 2-3 AM hunting Genkai 1 items and coffer keys, doing missions, and overcoming obstacles are all among my favorite Final Fantasy XI memories.

Purchased Final Fantasy XII.

This game is fucking incredible.  That is all.

Sup.

Xenosaga > Shadow Hearts