Final Fantasy VIII and Fallout 3

Story Wise - Parasite Eve.

The best story i ever read/played in my life.
And in terms of both special effects and general cinematic direction, Parasite Eve provides the best material that any gaming company has ever produced to date


Gameplay Wise - Legend of Legaia.

This is what an RPG game should be

Grandia has a combat system that doesnt get boring. Has great characters, music, and story. I'm also a big fan of 2D sprites on 3D backgrounds.

Fable 2...I enjoyed the real time battles, setting, and character interaction.

Morrowind: The Elder Scrolls III, Neverwinter Nights, Fallout 2 & 3, all fantastic rpg's and serious time wasters.

fighting system from xenogears
blitzball from ff10
card game from ff8
everything else from ff7
equals the perfect RPG for me.

Plain RPG?

Probably final fantasy 6.

Tells one of the best stories in RPGs but isn't overpowering... IE no scenes really go on for more then a few minutes without giving back control.

Gives you a huge cast to play around with who are all different... but allows for customization.

Really if FFVI gave you more control of stat alignment it'd be perfect... outside of not being a SRPG.

Just started playing it but Demon's Souls!
True hardcore real time action RPG.
No hand holding, action focused with crazy bosses and extreme challenge :)

Mass Effect..... freedom of choice.... different endings for replay value.... a lot of different addons to the weapons you can mix and match.... variety of classes with different traits....great story that make you feel that you are making a difference......beautifull graphics.... not much more i can ask for.... fix all the bugs and you got a perfect game!

Oblivion, just edging out Knights of the Old Republic.