i really dont know because there are alot of rpg games that could be better than these; fire emblem, mario games are good too i dont know if its rpg i dont wanna sound stupid
Chrono Trigger... there are extremely few if any games since then that have implemented character interaction beyond healing/buffs. And I don't know of any premises better than saving the world over a span of 6,002,300 years.
I'd go with Dragon Quest VIII. It seems pretty cartoon-y at first, but it's very easy to get into. If you haven't played it, I recommend it, but only if you've got a lot of time on your hands.
um, I don't know any really good ones, I like Mass Effect and I've never really pplayed any other RPGs cause everybody tells me to get something else, I think I might try some of these though cause I've heard they're really good :P