Baldur's Gate, Planescape Torment, Neverwinter Nights, Deus Ex series(just forget about the second one, it wasn't bad as a game but not DX) and of course Daggerfall and Morrowind. I love all of these but they are hard to compare as on one hand we have open world games and on teh other games that fllow a set in stone path to follow(despite some side-quests). Not to say I'm not madly in love with Dragon Age Origins or Mass Effect but those are games I play thorugh only twice because after the good-evil path you've basically seen it all. Just like with KOTOR; great games but very low replay value.
TES-games I play endlessly, even Oblivion which I still find the least appealing of them all I've put over 300+ hours into. I've recently reinstalled Morrowind with some mods I haven't used before. Still loving it but I also enjoy Skyrim on my 360. I also play Fallout and though I love the games TES holds more appeal for me as I'm drawn more towards fantasy.
edit - uh! forgot the Vampire Masquerade games. Love those!

Absolutely loved that game. Someone made a mod of it for Neverwinter Nights that was great. I think Knights of the Old Republic might be my #1 though.

It's hard to say any one game, but if I had to choose, it would be Planescape: Torment, but, in somewhat this order, I also really loved:

-Baldur's Gate
-Dragon Age: Origins
-KoTOR
-Fallout 1 and 2
-Daggerfall
-Baldur's Gate 2 and its expansions.
-Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines
-Icewind Dale
-Neverwinter Nights
-Ultima I-VI (IV being the absolute best of the 6 I played)
-The Temple of Elemental Evil
-Wasteland
-Mass Effect

I consider these games much better quality RPGs than anything Beth has done (never played Arena though, so I cannot say anything on that) other than Daggerfall. Beth really wasn't ever that great at writing and storytelling, but I love their open world games and the ability to manipulate them. Having said that though, all of the games above, with the exception of Mass Effect could be just as easily modded. They weren't sand box open world games though. I can name a lot more, but these games gave me the most memories and joy to play and I played them over and over again.

As the OP asked for "RPG"s, I'll go with 3rd Ed. D&D, and 4th Ed. Shadowrun.
I'm not the kind of girl who argues online, but video games? - I mean, either ALL video games are RPGs, or all ARE NOT... if you follow my morning logic =)

So I don't get bashed, I'll say modded Morrowind/Oblivion provided the best RPvG rerolls/replays, but BGII is the best RPvG overall.
Love most of the games mentioned, by the way.

Exile 3/Avernum 3 fromhttp://www.spidweb.com. I'm kind of an old dude @ 30 and remeber playing the Exile series on my 25mhz LCIII mac.

The world was truly gigantic with a list of spells and items far longer than one could ever learn to use. Endless sidequests and a main quest that took me weeks of almost constant play to follow all the way thru.

The story line and lore were well developed and intriguing, and kept me enganged. Made me care about the world and the NPCs in it.

When http://www.spidweb.com redid the series as the Avernum games I got to replay my favorite game all over again with better graphics and news side quests. Love it.

Near the top would be Planetscape: Torment, Neverwinter nights and FFX (I know, not FF7, I just enjoyed X more dunno). Top would be FO 1-NV with 3 coming in last but still great. I've always loved the FO world and the branching questlines that actually effect the world and how it interacts with you. FO3 was the worst at that but NV, despite the bugs, recaptured that feeling.

Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn or The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. I doubt it that Bioware or Bethesda will ever make games of such a high quality again.

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. I have played the game since 2002 when I was seven years old, I don't think I will ever forget all the memories I have playing that game

I found Dragon Age: Origins was a great game in the same style of Baldur's Gate. Personally, the first BG was better, IMO, than BG2. It was the expansions that made BG2 a bit better, but after playing Origins more times than any game i have ever played, ti has become my favorite Bioware game. I was so adamant about BG1 being the best one and I still think the first one is, but Origins simply is right there with it. After that, I think KoTOR is better than BG2.

Have quite a few that spring to mind, and there's nothing like some of the early titles, even today they are still really good fun to play.

- Dungeon Master & Chaos Strikes Back (Amiga 500)
- Eye of the Beholder 1 & 2 (Amiga 500)
- Lands of Lore (Amiga 500)
- Star Control 2 (3DO) This one is down as an Action Adventure game i know but it plays like an RPG imo.
- Final Fantasy VII (PS1)
- Final Fantasy X (PS2)
- Baldurs Gate Series (PC)
- Deus Ex (PC)
- Kotor 1 (PC)
- Mass Effect Series (PC)

I agree that Dragon Age: Origins was Bioware's return to form but the way Dragon Age II turned out I don't know what to expect from the franchise anymore.

RPGs are games that have more RPG elements than they do elements from any other genre (in the case of a tie, or a very close second or third, the game is a hybrid).

RPG elements are elements where the Character's Power, Abilities, Knowledge, and Skills (known as PAKS) determine the outcome of the Player's decisions.

Some things are incorrectly called RPG features, when in reality they have nothing to do with whether a game is an RPG or not (granted, they almost always make a game better, but they do not define the game as an RPG). These things include:

Customization
Setting
Storyline
Levels
Gear
Open World
Magic
Exploration

Not sure why everyone liked DAO so much, i thought the game was average at best. The loot within the game was some of the worst ever in any rpg to date, and there were so many pointless unimportant generic mmo style quests it spoiled the whole thing for me. Still, compared to the sequel it was a masterpiece.

Morrowind.

Always has been always will be.

This^ and I couldn't agree more. I have more than made enough comments in the Bioware forums over that. Many of the devs there acknowledged that they need to go back and rethink the series as sales for DA2 was even close to what they thought it would be. They wanted to get the action crowd from the console base. It was funny, because Origins was a smash hit on consoles and most of the complaints regarding DA2 came from that base. Mass Effect 2 really went away from what is an awesome game in Mass Effect. Keep in mind, Origins was already well into its development and Mass effect already completed when EA took over, note the differences. Having said that and having pre-ordered DA2 on high hopes to being a great sequel to Origins, I will never again pre-order from Bioware. Mass Effect 3 is a hold for me until I get solid opinions from my friends.

One thing I will give Bioware though, their dev team regularly posts in their forums and replies to many questions there; it is something Beth here could do to answer questions.

I forgot about the first Deus Ex, that was a great game, also, though not an RPG but a great stealth game was "Thief" on PC. DE:IW was horrible and DE:HR was just OK.

WTF.

And probably oblivion or FFX

Final Fantasy IX

I love everything about it; the characters, story, world, art direction, music, etc. are all brilliant. The world and music especially though. It has many of my favorite locations and tunes in gaming.

Places
http://images.wikia.com/finalfantasy/images/9/9e/FFIX-Alexendria-Town.jpg
http://images.wikia.com/finalfantasy/images/d/dc/MemoriaCastle.JPG
http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080216064946/finalfantasy/images/b/b0/Cleyra.JPG, http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111201171641/finalfantasy/images/thumb/9/99/Cleyra_Artwork.jpg/504px-Cleyra_Artwork.jpg
http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111201224310/finalfantasy/images/thumb/7/79/Lindblum.jpg/830px-Lindblum.jpg

OST
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKc-U80G9l0
http://youtu.be/1_ThCuNfA_M
http://youtu.be/Ng8thNOlDvI
http://youtu.be/FFUoQGcXLbI
http://youtu.be/YI5fD7Jbnuw
http://youtu.be/BRpGoFISvok

Yessir, love it. ^_^

I second that :thumbsup:

Gothic. The setting of the prison camp was awesome. The atmosphere in the camps, with people pissing in alleys, guards extorting you for protection, the fact that you could get beat down and robbed but not killed. Then you venture out of the camp and realize why the diggers stay there even with the horrible conditions. Outside is scary, monsters can and will kill you and these are just the ones on the road. Venture into the woods and you'll be running for your life.

I wouldn't bash anyone (it is totally mindless to get on people who have their favorite games or why they dislike or like certain games), because people like what they like and I respect that. It doesn't mean that I cannot point out why I do not like the game you may or may not like, as long as it is about the game's mechanics, stats and style, etc and not being personal. Anyway, to your comment I highlighted, I don't know if that was tongue-in-cheek or you being serious. If serious, that is just a sweeping remark with no validity to it. *All video games are RPGs*, not even. Would you call Call Of Duty an RPG? I have my own thoughts on what makes and RPG, but many games that have the RPG genre applied to them, IMO, are not RPGs for me. But if those games role play for throe who feel that applies, that is fine. But if one told me that COD is an RPG to them, I wouldn't take them seriously.

Was tongue-in-cheek, but your last point - COD lets those guys RP soldiers in battle, choose kits, progressively upgrade, and dynamically fight other RPing soldiers, with their upgrades helping to decide outcomes. Let's just say it's not too far a stretch in this hybrid world. And good for us, I say - more customers, more money, better games, we win.

COD has RPG elements (as do most games), but not enough for anyone to seriously call the game an RPG.

Planescape: Torment

Why? You have to ask?
Ermmm. Insane in depth characterization, powerful storyline that explores philosphical region of human brain with zero cheesy dialogues like Bioware did. No obvious black and white moral code, only layers of gray decisions covering consequences and tragedies in multiple levels.

BG 2 came second
Looooooooonnnnng story, vast massive story with implications of every decision you made. It is still quite linear tho, but you get to see new stuff with different NPC companions and or classes when you replayed. Very challenging and unforgiving combat.

then V:TM: Bloodline
Goth+punk. nuff say.

and Fallout 2
Sandbox with various degrees of humors and tragedies of the wasteland. Pathetic main storyline, but the side quests are the real fun of it.

I haven't played Morrowind long enough to give it justified comment.

Anyone calling CoD RPG never knew what RPG is all about.

Minesweeper, RPG of all time. You rp a.... minesweeper!