Jeep.... Summoner was your first Rpg?!?
Oooooo. Summoner was good in it\'s own right....but..
There are console Rpg\'s and Computer Rpg\'s. Summoner was a computer rpg by it\'s very nature. Most computer rpg\'s are set up in the Summoner format (fighting style, character orginization, town layout, dialog, etc).
That\'s not a bad thing, but a poor standard to hold (console) rpg\'s to. MOST, not all, console Rpg\'s where multiple characters are in your party, are nothing like Summoner. Battles are turn-based and more strategic than action based. Towns are more compact with a heavier tilt on function over massiveness... Hell, there are lot\'s of differences.
Point: I love rpg\'s and have been playing them since the days of the Commodore 64 and earlier. Personally I prefer the console rpg in bothe design and excecution, some prefer the computer rpg layout--- it\'s a personal preference.
While Summoner was a decent rpg, it wasn\'t for everyone. Try other PSX, PS2 rpgs, to decide where you fit:)