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...Might I suggest Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure?

It sounds pretty corny, but I think the plot's more goofy and cute, if anything - It's all about Cornet saving her Prince Ferdinand Marl E, who got turned into stone...
...It's rather femininist for a game. XD;
Cornet is pretty normal for a girl, despite the fact that she can talk with puppets. (And has a magic horn that can grant wishes.) She's not a warrior type (You mainly have the puppets do the fighting for you) but she really does have some strange, strange attacks (Like the pancake attack...).

And as it's a musical, there is singing that might grate on your nerves, (10 songs, but a few of them are really short) but you can opt to mute them or have them in Japanese.
Good for a really quick play. Easily beaten in 5-10 hours, flat. XD;

I'm surprised that you haven't tried the Disgaea series yet, Ess. It is quite an enjoyable RPG with some off-the-wall humor, and nearly endless gameplay. No doubt that you'd dive right in, and love the isometric view battle system resembling that of Final Fantasy Tactics.

The plot of the game is wonderfully written but is constantly overshadowed with so much more gameplay than reading what is going on. I'd recommend it. The first Disgaea may be out of print (from what I've heard), but the second one is available to buy for the PS2.

If you've never tried it, Riviera for the GBA is a solid RPG. It might be pretty hard to find, depending on where you're searching. *hinthint*

Damn Americans and their earlier release dates... *grumble*

I'll put in another vote for the Shin Megami Tensei series. From what I've seen of it (SMT1, 2 and Saga 1), the plots are fairly minimalistic (being advanced in quite short scenes interspersed with complex dungeons, in general), but always interesting. However, I would actually recommend the SNES Shin Megami Tensei (also released on PSX/GBA, apparently), since Saga lacks:

1) Negotiating with randomly encountered devils to get them to join your party/give you money;
2) The ability to choose a side;
3) Bosses which aren't immune to status attacks; and
4) Stephen Hawking.

Unfortunately, it was never released in English, but Aeon Genesis has made a translation patch (they also made the Rudra patch, apparently; I'll have to check that one out). Oh, and you'd probably want a FAQ so you can figure out what Marin-Karin et al do. Many of the weird names remain in Saga, but at least in that they tell you what the skills do when you select them.

Apart from that... you don't explicitly mention the PC as a system, but you've got some games played on it in your list. If you're amenable to another, I can't recommend Planescape: Torment highly enough. It's probably the most intellectual RPG I've ever seen, with a great plot, plenty of unique and interesting characters, and a powerful setting that the designers take full advantage of. Given your opinions on the Fallout series, I would be surprised if you didn't like it. The only catch is that it may be hard to find these days, since it didn't sell very well.

I find this very difficult to resist. You know the way to a box's heart, Reiyu.

See, Sieg, that's the sort of recommendation I'm going for. Give me a little idea of the setting. Give me a little idea of the tone. Tell me what kind of plot I can expect--big and save-the-world anime bullshit, sci-fi fun, western-themed stuff, etc.

Okay, I've determined that I want to get 1 Nippon Ichi game--or 2, depending on whether it has sequels (like Disgaea). For you who mentioned things like La Pucelle and Disgaea, tell me which ones are the best. Do any of them match up to Phantom Brave's light yet heavy emotional impact? Do any of them feature main characters who even hold a candle to Marona, Castille, Walnut, Sienna, and Ash?

Alternatively, you could just vote on the poll.

Currently Rhapsody, Dark Cloud 2, and Golden Sun are all looking reasonably appealing, but continue to recommend, folks. Keep in mind, I'm limited to what 2 local Gamestops have, so I may not get my first pick of what you all recommend anyways--gimme a few to choose from.

Just one thing:



If the music is already annoying, why the HELL would I want to increase its irritating nature 30x by having it played in Japanese?

Hmm, setting and tone, eh?

Well, Shin Megami Tensei is set in near-future Japan to begin with, just as devils (actually more like "spirits"; the term covers all sorts of supernatural things) have been let into the world. Luckily someone's cobbled a devil translation program together and sent it to as many people as possible, so you can wheedle your way out of fighting them.

The early part of the game focusses on the conflict between the local Japanese and invading American forces over how best to deal with the devils, but you soon get blown into a post-apocalyptic future where they're already ruling. Thus the theme is not so much saving the world - it's already been changed irrevocably - but choosing who is going to determine humanity's future: God, the Devil, or humanity itself.

There are slight sci-fi elements, such as your wrist computer, but it's mostly swords and guns mixed with magic and controlled devils. The characters are generally not deeply explored (they don't have the time to be; even the PCs tend to leave at the drop of a hat), but they're certainly not boring. Very few of them are clearly good or evil, either; they just have differing views on what the future should be, and they're willing to kill to make it that way.

As for Planescape: Torment... er... well. Imagine a fairly standard fantasy world. In fact, imagine a lot of them, some not as standard. Then imagine that beyond these worlds there are further planes of existence, on which live the gods, angels and demons of all of the worlds, and to which the souls of the dead go. These planes, for convenience's sake, can be imagined to exist on an infinite (mathematical) plane, divided into nine parts by whether they are lawful, neutral or chaotic; and good, neutral or evil. The boundaries between these planes are constantly shifting with the beliefs of mortals, and plans and battles are carried out on divine scales.

This, essentially, is Planescape. It's a campaign setting for D&D, and the requisite open-endedness probably contributed to the diversity of characters and situations in the game.

At the centre of this infinite plane (yes, I know), at the top of an infinitely tall spire (yes, I know), there is a city on the inside of a torus. Its name is Sigil, City of Doors, because it contains portals to pretty much every plane and every world. Any opening could be a portal if you have the right key, which could be a forked stick or a memory of a springtime tryst. Sigil is essentially neutral ground for all the denizens of the planes to meet without killing each other.

You wake up in its Mortuary, with no idea who you are or how you got there. You soon discover that you're there because you died. Then you came back from the dead. It seems to be somewhat of a habit, and like most habits it also seems impossible to break. So now, with the help of some instructions someone has kindly tattooed on your back, you just have to find out who you are and why you can't die. Easy, no?

Torment is primarily a journey of discovery, as you uncover who you have been and decide who you want to be now. It's mostly conversation- and quest-based; there are occasional dungeons and fights, but since you can't die most of the time, combat isn't that much of an issue. Talking tends to get you more XP anyway.

Though it's technically possible to ditch all your supporting characters and go through the game solo, they're pretty heavily interwoven with your quest, and they have some great dialogue. Some standouts include a flying, talking skull (who's almost immune to physical damage and can taunt people to attack him), a warrior-priest with a blade that changes shape (and effectiveness) with his state of mind, and a living machine formed from the essence of order and infected by chaos (giving it a sort of twisted individuality).

Sorry if this is pointless because you can't get it, but I can rarely resist raising awareness of Torment. It is available to buy online, in any case (check Home of the Underdogs for a provider).