4. Lost Odyssey
Does the name Hironobu Sakaguchi mean anything? It should, hes the creator of Final Fantasy, and one of the most influential figures of our industry. Although few people remember the original Xbox RPG Blue Dragon, even fewer recall Lost Odyssey, a whimsically beautiful tale penned by Sakaguchi, telling the story of a thousand year-old wanderer named Kaim who has seemingly forgotten the many lives he has interacted with along the way, yet his adventures were really only beginning across this four-disc magnum opus. Taking a page out of Final Fantasy VIIIs combat book by way of incorporating Squalls Gunblade attack that did extra damage should you nail the timing on the strike, Lost Odysseys battle system had a similar feature, forcing you to pay extra attention during the many battles the game threw at you. Whilst true JRPGs are rare these days, with many (even Final Fantasy) resorting to active-battle systems where character movement is controlled directly, Lost Odyssey was a return to the mechanics of old, letting you take as much time as needed to plan out attacks and strategies, the way it should be.