In case anyone missed it, here's this week's obligatory Metal Gear Solid reference. It's a bit less obvious than usual this time.

Rob: "If what’s her face Naomi Hunter voices one more character..."

The first Arc the Lad is kinda mediocre, but you'll still want to play it anyway. It leads directly into Arc the Lad II, which remains one of my favorite strategy RPGs ever.

Looks like I'll have to settle with naming my character "Ryu" and giving him blue hair.

"Kenji Ito is working on the sound"

...

*massive drool*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZVrfXJGdnc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpmFXlJtOyk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcRPgmQpv6o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4EaWi_KmE8

I still think Shoji Meguro is the better all-around composer... but when it comes to battle music Kenji Ito blows everyone out of the water. One of the biggest complaints I had with Devil Survivor was that nearly all of the battle tracks got grueling after a while.

You will love every minute of Lufia 2 and Alundra. Wild ARMs 1-5, Valkyrie Profile 1-2, and Brave Fencer Musashi are also worth looking into.

If you can tolerate an average RPG experience, Brave Lord for the SNES has a ton of great puzzles.

I think he was referring to the claim that FF itself (not including other RPG series) has been disturbing over the years. Aside from the suicide leap and the ones mentioned in FF6, I mostly disagree.

I'd add Breath of Fire II and Illusion of Gaia (slave trade, Russian "roulette" glass) to the list of slightly disturbing pre-FF7 RPGs. I think I remember Shadowrun having a graphic scene or two, but I can't be for certain.

No random battles
Save anywhere
Party AI
puzzles
Zelda "tools"
jumping (!)

People forget how much Mystic Quest brought to RPGs.

My favorites:

Terranigma
Vagrant Story
Breath of Fire V: Dragon Quarter
SMT: Nocturne
Ys: The Oath in Felghana
Lunar 2
SaGa Frontier 2

Least favorite:

Deadly Towers
Hydlide
Secret of the Stars
Deep Labyrinth
Orphen

We have gameplay, folks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kM52afrGGBU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKpJTdLAn6g

Langrisser, one of the oldest tactical RPG franchises, is making its revival as an MMORPG. The series debuted in 1991, which was only a year after the first Fire Emblem. While the U.S has only received the first title in the series (known as Warsong for the Genesis) Langrisser remains one of the most renowned SRPG franchises to date.

http://www.siliconera.com/2010/09/20/langrisser-lives-on-with-langrisser-schwarz/

Do want.

I had originally heard this wasn't going to be an RPG... but the "EXP + 100" when defeating enemies suggests some sort of leveling.

Or Square could just be fooling us with another weapon upgrade system.

If you haven't planned it already, it would be nice to see categories for best WRPG, best JRPG, best battle system, most unique, etc. You also might want to do a best portable RPG since a lot of the great handheld RPGs probably won't be recognized. Examples include the Castlevania games (particularly Aria of Sorrow), Jeanne d'Arc, SMT Strange Journey, etc.
 
Overall I think the best will come down to these, though.

Nocturne
Vagrant Story
Skies of Arcadia
Dragon Quest VIII
Persona 3
Deus Ex
Mass Effect 2
Chrono Cross
Knights of the Old Republic

I'd give it to Nocturne as as personal favorite. It's a shame Planescape would miss the cut by a couple months...

Story: Vagrant Story, Terranigma, Digital Devil Saga

Characters: Lunar 2, Final Fantasy VI, Threads of Fate

Plot twists: Suikoden

Atmosphere: Wild ARMs 3, Skies of Arcadia, Nocturne, Breath of Fire V

I thought one of the coolest features in any RPG was listening to NPCs talk "without talking to them" -- ie having text bubbles appear over them as you run by. This made towns in Xenosaga III much more lively and realistic.

left-handed playing -- YES. 7th Saga, Paladin's Quest... old Enix RPGs were awesome for this reason.
multiple battle themes -- SaGa Frontier II.
epilogue -- Lunar 2
automatically win battles w/ weak enemies -- ex: EarthBound, Breath of Fire V

save anywhere -- I like this feature for portable RPGs, but for console ones it doesn't bother me too much. I think limited save points actually gives the game a unique sort of challenge, ex: Breath of Fire V.

pausing/skipping cutscenes -- Pausing should be required. But I can't see skipping cutscenes being an option in all RPGs, since today there seems to be more and more Bioware-esque RPGs where the game actually logs your responses -- SMT Devil Survivor for one.

I hate to mention Breath of Fire V again, but Scenario Overlay (SOL) was such a great feature. Retaining all of your skills and stats is one thing (ala New Game +), but being awarded with new cutscenes and content each time you play is much cooler.

It's something from Square:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KJ26iQ73Hk

???

I find it sad that no one has mentioned the true worst ending of all -- Blue's ending in SaGa Frontier. That is, if one would even consider it an ending.