I like the idea of this thread!
Anyways, by default (and because it's been my #1, favorite game) for a looooonng time - I'm going to have to go with recommending that anyone here who hasn't yet played
Shadow-Hearts: Covenant...
...should remedy that situation & play it A.S.A.P.!!!
It's a
PS2 game.
It's the 3rd game in a series of 4.
The 1st game/prequel to the whole
Shadow-Heart's universe & series is
Koudelka (on the
PS1),
The next (2nd) game is just called plain, old
Shadow-Hearts - on the
PS2,
The third (my above recommendation) is, again,
Shadow-Hearts: Covenant, and
The 4th (and last) game is called
Shadow-Hearts: From the New World.
The (prequel),
Koudelka is actually more of a "Survival-Horror-RPG" than it is a 'traditional' one (still an old-skool/turn-based RPG, though). It is also the only 1 of the 4 games that's on the PS1.
All three of the other games are all on the PS2.
While there *are* 'connections' from one story to the next, the game that I'm recommending is also just fine as a stand-alone & 1st-timer's/entry-point game.
It was the 1st one that I personally played...and as soon as I finished...I was out tracking-down the rest of them