WHICH VERSION?

The best 2d rpg i played was made in rpg 2k3 and the system worked mostly with overpowered bosses and status effects. But that system was glitchy if you were fast enoght you could get a 4 turn power up in 1 turn cos the system couldnt handle your buttom mashing.

Even if you did make it that well the limitations of the maker will still get in the way.
Look at AAG, it has potential but the annoying I attack but the turn is skipped instead always gets in the way. Since Neok uses Battle Animations for battlers that is unavoidable unless we take some pause which sometimes (or most of the time) we don't. XP/VX allows you to use code snippets that makes all the stuff easier to set up like:

$game_variables = $game_actors.maxhp

or $game_switches = true

you can call common event and stuff which makes custom systems much easier even without editing the default scripts. It's not that hard to move on at all and it made my Evented stuff much easier =w=

Imagine how long it takes to make a CBS with 2k3, a month or two? In VX I just made it in 3 days.