Perhaps they're picking the best game, not the best tech. demo. I'll take fun over fancy any day, though it's great if it has both.
LoT HAS both. Both LoT and Ys I & II are fun, equally so I'd say. But since this isn't just about what game is the most fun but about what game is the BEST, you have to consider ALL facets of the games in question. That being said, LoT is clearly superior to Ys I & II. They're both mad fun, but LoT features superior visuals, sounds, and overall presentation. As I said before...although Ys I & II is a fun game, underneath it's very primitive and therefore isn't "best game" material.
I could never understand why everyone holds Ys I& II in such high regard.Could be that everyone just tries to agree with everyone else.
Maybe, I've wondered about that myself.... But I think the real reason is that in 1989 when Ys first came out, it was revolutionary-- both technically and experience-wise. There wasn't anything like it on a home console. Many of the folks here first played the game "back then" and there is a lot of nostalgia and fond memories at work.
I didn't play through the game myself until 2007 because when I was younger I wasn't into RPGs, on any level. I only started playing RPGs at all within the last 5 years. Needless to say, I was somewhat underwhelmed when I finally *did* play through it last year. The cinemas look nice, but the in-game graphics are dated and glitchy (especially in part 2). Gameplay wise it's OK, although there are many far better RPGs on the system. The music ranged from good to really good. I have yet to play through part 4, but out of the first couple games, part 3 seems to be far and away the best (despite it's short length, non-existent difficulty and technical flaws).