April 13, 2013 10:33 PM EDT
Shadowrun, Final Fantasy series (early) , Shining Force series (nod to the Sega age), also, Earthbound. Gotta get my classics in there. Modern: Legend of Dragoon, ES series, Lost Odyssey, Mass Effect series, Red Dead Redemption (it has a skill system, so it's an RPG, not to mention the protagonist is superb). Greatest of all time in my mind, though: the Suikoden series. Not only did these games throw you into a world basically unprepared, but the plot revealed reasons your character changed. That's important in story-telling.