Well, my favorite game of all time is Chrono Trigger. It's less class-based than other than other J-rpgs. The really neat thing about the game is how the party members work together...some will have attacks that only work if both characters are in the party. Later in the game, you'll unlock attacks that use all three party members. Despite having a small cast of characters, this encourages players to test out many different combinations.
Other than that...well, have you played Knights of the Old Republic II? It's a bit glitchy (LucasArts gave the developers a ridiculous deadline and refused to push it back), but it's got a great story to it (a few loose ends due to content getting cut, sadly...)
They pull an interesting twist with the class mechanics--you'll have a choice between three different jedi classes for your main character, and once you reach a certain level you'll be able to advance to a stronger class (even in a different direction...you can start off as a Jedi Guardian--a warrior, then become a Jedi Master/Sith Lord--a spellcaster). Also, there will be certain party members that, if you get them to like you (I suggest looking up a guide for it), they can learn a second class to replace their original. Add in different skills that are learned when you level (such as demonlitions, computer skills, ect. These have nothing to do with your class) and "feats" (skills that are more class based. Characters start off leaning towards melee or ranged, but you can level them in a different direction if you want...most of these are open to all classes, if I remember correctly) and you've got quite a few options on building your characters.
And of course, there's a morality meter, but that really works better in the Star Wars universe than other games. There's also a character that will be messing with you no matter which side you choose, so it gets pretty interesting at times.
The combat is a variant of turn-based. It's basically the ATB combat system (turn based with a timer), sped up to the point that turns can last about a second.
