Getting story right in role-playing games is crucial. Even if narrative is not your primary motivator, it's a key element to the RPG genre. But not all role-playing games have discovered the right formula.
"and the elevator conversations in the first Mass Effect are one of the best parts of that game."
I think they really improved upon this in the 3rd game, where the team would move throughout the ship depending on how far you were in the story, and you could find them swapping war stories, jokes, asking questions over the intercom, looking at the list of those that have been lost, etc. That interaction was great.
While I did enjoy the ME3's conversations, I honestly prefer to hear the same gags and interplay in the elevator, which seemed more natural, than to go up to the same person in the same office or workspace or what have you again and again and get some variation on "Sorry, come back later."
I was talking more about walking into a room and finding the usual team member that occupied that space missing, and then go wandering around the ship and find them somewhere else, talking to another crew member.
I liked the random banter on missions or in elevators, but having the characters move throughout the ship or talk over the intercom added some more realism (rather than them being isolated from each other during the one time they can freely communicate, like the previous two games).
"and the elevator conversations in the first Mass Effect are one of the best parts of that game."
I think they really improved upon this in the 3rd game, where the team would move throughout the ship depending on how far you were in the story, and you could find them swapping war stories, jokes, asking questions over the intercom, looking at the list of those that have been lost, etc. That interaction was great.
FF7 best role playing game story?
FF6, FF9 and FF10 i found have better stories.
Persona 4 also has better story than FF7