Chrono Trigger

The Good
I usually stay away from anything resembling manga or anime in an RPG, because every such game I've played has been a dumbed down, linear affair with lots of badly translated, boring dialogue and a really screwed up and unintelligible story. But Chrono Trigger changed my opinion on these kind of games. It is fairly open ended, has a great "intro level" (the amusement park right at the beginning) and features lots and lots of clever problems and fantastic milieus. The battles are turn based, a la Final Fantasy, but for once I didn't hate that system and it was actually possible to use a little battle tactics. The story and game world are among the best I've ever seen and the characters are believable enough for you to start liking them.

The Bad
The graphics are way too cute and the battle system resembles Final Fantasy too much, but other than that this is a great game.

The Bottom Line
A japanese style RPG that's actually not overly japanese when it comes to the gameplay. It features a story and a world strong enough for you to believe in and fall in love with. Probably the best RPG you'll find for the SNES.