Baldur's Gate II
- Don't think I really have to justify this.
Golden Sun
- Good simple fun. Also had prossibly the best soundtrack of a GBA game. Yes, it's not what you'd call exceptional but given the amount of times I've played through it I can't justify leaving it off this list.
Shadow Hearts
- Quirky yet dark JRPG that got completely buried by the wave of hype surrounding FFX. Managed to create good characters (incuding a somewhat more complex vilain) and a fairly involving story while still not taking itself too seriously. Music was exceptional, but was rather let down by a truly abyssmal english voice cast.
Golden Sun: The Lost Age
- like the original but moreso.
Shadow Hearts 2: Covenant
- Wow, where to begin really. Mechinically: had an exceptional combat system and an entertaining and felxible magic system which allowed for character customisation while still left each character with enough unique skills to keep them distinct and interesting. Pretty much perfected the judgement ring system introduced in the first game as well as the fusion system. The game itself had a very self-aware sense of humour - once again not taking itself too seriously - and a humerous touch of campness. Despite this, the central characters were well-rounded and engaging - including a fair number of the antagonists - and the story built upon a number of themes in the original to create an involving narrative which held moments of genuine emotional pull. Voice acting was actually adaquate this time and there was quite a lot more of if and again the music deserves special mention.
Unsurprisingly, this is probably my favourite JRPG I've played.
Jade Empire
- A surprisingly underrated game, especially considering it was developed by Bioware. Its highly stremlined interface (it essentially lacked an inventory) made it probably one of the best examples of a well-made action-RPG until Mass Effect 2 came along.
Mass Effect
- A deeply, deeply, imersive game with a strong plot and very competent character design. Probably one of the best approaches to a 'moral choice' system that's been implemented (short of leaving it out altogether). Gameplay was a little marred by terrible vehicle sections and a somewhate clunky interface, but didn't make it any less of a true gem.
Dragon Age: Origins
- The sheer level of character depth in this is, well, little short of astounding. As in 'within the same league as Planescape: Torment' astounding. Gameplay is relatively tight, there's a strong degree of character freedom and customisation. Tha game is also really long. If anything though, this length is its achilles heel - pacing problems are inevitable and after a while it starts to become repetative, especially considering that there are a surprisingly small amount of locations. This may be why I have trouble replaying it, as I can't seem to quite get imersed in it again. Still, very good game.
Mass Effect 2
- Before the game was released I had heard that Bioware were cutting back on the RPG elements from the first game and was so I was a little apprehensive since I'm not exactly a fan of shooters. Then I played it and I can say with certainty that it is superiour to the original in almost. The clunky inventory system is gone and, while I know some people out there have thrown a complete fit over the reduction in character customisation, I do not feel such complaints are justified. There may be less options, but the ones there are all equally viable. The 'interruption' options may actually be one of the only times when QTEs improved the overall quality of the game itself. The characters rival those of Dragon Age in terms of development (may even exceed them in places) and the game's focus on character development over a lengthy plot capitalises on this. Honestly, with the exception of the horribly tedious mining game, I'm struggling to name downsides for this one.