Ikaruga

I knew of this game for a long while but it was so hard to get until recent years. I got it on Switch digitally and loved it. I recently got the physical for Switch from Nicalis. This really is one of the best in the genre and one of the best games I ever played. If you have not yet and are remotely interested in Shmups, try it.

Chrono Trigger

Was not able to play this until DS. The hype did not lie. I bought the CD ost after playing it. If this is not the best game Square ever made. It's in the top 3. Uniqe story telling. Innovative combat for the time. Stellar OST. Not very long at 10 hours. Hey, what do you know some of the talents from this game went to work on Xenoblade.

MUSHA

Yeah, I did not play this until just a few years ago. It's easily my fave in the Aleste series. Maybe the best soundtrack in the series. It's pre bullet hell. I'm a sucker for shmups you play as a mech. Just needs a re-release in an Aleste collection. Where my avatar is from.

Zone of the Enders 2

I did not have a PS2 during that gen. I had (and still do) a Dreamcast/Xbox and Gamecube. I got a PS2 many years later. I knew of ZOE. I even knew Zone of the Enders 1 started off in development as a Dreamcast game called Enders Zone. I will also admit I am not the biggest Kojima fan. I love Policenauts/Snatcher but not big on MGS aside from Rising. So I was a little weary of trying it as I wanted more gameplay than cutscenes. Picked up the HD collection on PS3 for $20 a few years ago. First game,eh it's ok I guess. Then I played 2. Holy shit! The music the action the animated cutscenes all stellar. The mech designs. The presentation. It was like playing if DMC was a mech game in some regards. It was everything I could have hoped for. Even now the game looks amazing visually.  I am also a sucker when anime music does a specific vocal singing in their themes. ZOE2. Ghost in the Shell 1995. 13 Sentinels and Nier. I bought the game again on PS4 even tho I had no need to. Now my signature is the ZOE logo.

I have more but this is just to get started.  Again these are games you played years after release that lived up to the hype the garnered when new.

Xenoblade Chronicles for me. I never played this till it came out on Switch, and I was not disappointed.

Mario Galaxy is another one. Once again, I never played it till 3D Allstars came out. Now it is my favorite 3D Mario game.

Metal Gear Solid also fits the bill. I never played that one till after MGS2 came out. Still blew me away all the same.

On another note to the OP, how is Chrono Trigger a 10 hour game? I play it almosy every year and I always get about 20-25 hours out of a single playthrough. Did you skip all the side arcs and Black Omen at the end?  I just find it hard to believe 10 hours is possible without intentionally just blasting through the main story.

Half Life, I played it like 15 years after it came out. Was still amazing.

I am hoping Metroid Prime is the same when I eventually play the Switch collection, and God of War 2018 whenever I eventually finish it.

I played Halo 4 eight years after release and it's probably my favorite Halo.

I played Banjo Kazooie Nuts and Bolts about 4 years after its release... but that's kind of the opposite situation. I was one of those people who was very upset it wasn't a platformer, but wound up loving it.

I played Metroid Prime at least a few years after its release, and was blown away. I feel like it's probably the best example of transitioning from 2D to 3D and keeping the game's spirt in tact.

I'm a Marvel fanboy, so I was biased against Arkham Asylum by default. But I played it, and had to admit it was the best superhero game released to that point. 

Metroid Prime is a timeless masterpiece. Resident Evil 4 doesn’t get old no matter how many consoles I play it on. Dead Space 2 holds up beautifully to this day. And to me Halo 4s story is still the best in the series (coming from a lore fan).

Over the past couple of years there are a few games that I played for the first time and thought were great.

Super Punch Out
Shining Force 2
Castlevania: Bloodlines
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Suikoden

Metroid Prime

Metroid Prime might be niche shit nobody cares about. But it's the niche shit nobody cares about that I care about. Oh yea, and thanks to the internet for making me play it. In conclusion: Am I the only one who likes this game? Wow. 

Xenoblade Chronicles

Like many people, I did not get to play Xenoblade until the Switch remake. And by I did not get to play, I mean I did not have the strength to get up off my couch and try to find my original copy on the floor in my garage and repurchase a Wii U to play it. Or worse: turn on my 3DS. But that's all besides the point. What isn't besides the point, is how fucking awesome this game is. From the memorable characters, to the intricate and detailed infinity system, to the subtle foreshadowing, to the moments I forgot that the game reminds me of through flashbacks to make them memorable. And to that ending, all I can say is: WOW. Revolutionary game for a revolutionary console, thank you Monolith. 

Super Mario Odyssey 

For years I asked the same question, Nintendo, why don't you satisfy my need to win every 5 minutes? Why can't I have a portable 3D Mario game where, between going to the bathroom and back from the bathroom, I can collect as many stars as possible? Then we got 3D Land, but it was a spin-off title because it had "Land" in the name, so it didn't really count. Thankfully, Odyssey came along, and my craving was satisfied. Unfortunately, I could never find a copy anywhere for the first 2 years of it's release, maybe because it wasn't talked about much after release, Nintendo stopped shipping many copies? Regardless, I didn't really try it out till lasts year, and now it's the best game I've played since Super Mario World. Just wow. Wow! 

Okami

Capcom made it, and Kamiya published it. Frankly, I don't know why I waited so long, but I'm glad that the internet consistently reminded me of how much better it was than Zelda over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over again. Really guys, I didn't get it the first time, and I didn't get it until I beat the game! Thank you for reinforcing my love of prayer Capcom! WOW! 

Bioshock 

I have to admit, I had my fair share of reservations with this one going into it. I'm a hardcore conservative and libertarian (as you can probably tell from the end of the Okami section, am religious sorry guys) and dealing with a game that is based around both science AND how a society with no regulations can go too far simultaneously was very scary. I made it through though with the help of some mods to take out the parts I don't like, and wow. The artistic integrity on display here is incredible. I'm glad I finally got to play it! 

Uncharted 2

This game still look better than most games to this day, and I wish more games looked this good. It was worth the wait just to see how well this aged. Thanks Bluepoint for remastering the original games so I could play them, and thank you Naughty Dog for being such artisans in both story and visual design. Wow! 

Very few games actually lived up to the hype when I played them. That's especially true for Final Fantasy games where the general population seems to love the ones I dislike the most and vice versa. I usually don't check out games that are years old, no matter how hyped they are.

I recently tried Yakuza 0 as my first Yakuza game and it is the biggest positive surprise I've had with a game. It completely sold me on the whole franchise. There is a thread coming about this soon.

Yes. Nier has some songs as that. 13 Sentinel does.

But of course they all got inspired by Ghost in the Shell.

Ocarina of Time.