I've really wanted to get into the Disgaea series, but never seem to find the time considering I've typically got too many "projects" as it is.

Might and Magic VI still tops my list. Neverwinter Nights 2 is also solid, fully patched of course.

RPG-7 without doubt.

I wonder why no one mentioned some AD&D Gold Box series games like Pools of Radiance, Pools of Darkness, Champions of Krynn or Buck Rogers. They are still favourites together with KotOR series, BG series, Ultima 4 6 7 ...
somehow don't really like the modern ones tooo much ;)

RPG-2 is a classic, though.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/RPG2_and_PG2_TBiU_37.jpg

Not to derail but I saw you were a Might and Magic fan - what is the number of the newest (recently released) one? Is it X? Or XI? And any news on whether it will make its way here? I saw it in a print mag not too long ago and it really caught my attention but I almoooooost forgot about it until I saw your post.

As for the question... I hate it! ;) It's like asking me my favorite beer - varies depending on my mood, what I feel like playing at the moment, the arc of the moon in the sky... but I love the thread as it reminds me of ones I need to check out, may have missed or have to revisit again soon.

You can play through the main story of one of those in twenty-something hours. The mass grinding/leveling isn't necessary in order to enjoy the games. A lot of it is intended for post game stuff. I remember playing through Disgaea 3 without replaying a single level or spending much time at all in Item World.

(Not like I needed another long game series to not complete) Sounds good, I'll try to pick up one sometime. Which platform should I play on if I do get one?

I am just going to save time and say The Witcher 3. Yes, it hasn't been released, and I haven't played it. But have you seen all the stuff about it? No doubt for me.

Other games which I think people will think are quite stellar are Divinity Original Sin, Wasteland 2, and the Torment successor. Knocking wood after I type this to prevent jinxes ^^

Baldur's Gate and Tales of the Sword Coast. This game doesn't get the credit it deserves anymore in my opinion. It offers great characters, character development, world to explore, fun and challenging tactical combat, graphics that have held up well over the years, wonderful music to set the mood wherever you go and many, many hours of fun. It also has a good story. I think one would probably do better to play the enhanced version now out with the important mods already done for you plus some additional characters with their own quest lines and the series of arena battles module for added fun. For Mac users like myself, a huge plus is the enhanced edition is available on the Mac App Store as a native Mac app.

I'd agree with others about Morrowind and its expansion content too. I had so much fun with this game and really enjoyed the freedom to play and explore how I wanted to.

Those are two classics I cannot say enough good things about personally.

I don't think the platform should matter. I own Disgaea on PS2, PS3, and DS, and it plays the same way. I don't imagine the later games would be much different (though I've only played them on their original platforms, PS2, and PS3 respectively).

More likely I'll pick it up for PS2 if I can't find a deal on the DS version, thanks.

For me, there are a few:

Phantasy Star IV
Mass Effect Series with ME 2 being my favorite
Fallout 3
Saga Frontier ( the game is a bitt odd but, I like it)

On here:
Ultima IV

Wild arms 1 ps1
Shadow hearts ps2
Plenty of final fantasies but everybody knows about those.

Also on PC Dragon age origins.