10. Valkyria Chronicles (Sega - Playstation3)
Back in 2000, when Sega were at their creative peak, they released an RPG known as Skies of Arcadia – which is regarded as one of the best console JRPG's of all time. It was released on two of the most underappreciated systems of all time – the Dreamcast and the Gamecube, and yet everyone who played it fell in love with it.
Fast forward eight years. Sega haven't made a great RPG in a LONG time. Their attempts at a new Phantasy Star Online failed miserably, the Shining Force games sucked (except the GBA remake of the original game). They finally decide to get back the Skies team and get them to work on a new game. The result? One of the most original and fun Strategy RPG's in recent times.
The game takes place in an alternate history WW2 – where the Axis-like Empire invades the country of Gallia to take control of their stock of ragnite ore, which can be used as a powerful fuel. You take control of a series of Gallian nationalists – dedicated to fighting off the invasion of the Empire. Yes, it's silly, but hey, at least you're not shooting Nazi's in Normandy.
What makes the game extremely unique, aside from its stunning graphics (no really – THIS is how a RPG should look in this day and age) is the gameplay engine. As mentioned before, the game's a strategy RPG, but not in the traditional sense. You have a number of moves per round, but you can pick ANY unit to use. So essentially, for one entire round, you could use just one unit.
It gets better. Once you pick a unit, you're not consigned to a grid and a limited amount of spaces to move in. You have complete control over a character, the only limitation is a time bar that decreases as you move your character. From there, you can move them about, take a shot and more. It feels fresh, especially if you're used to something like Final Fantasy Tactics or Fire Emblem or Disgaea.
Anyone with an interest in something a little different should check out Valkyria. It's not for everyone, but if you're the kind of person who digs anime, digs SRPG's or wants to try out something fresh that's not space marine or plastic guitar related, you could certainly do worse than Valkyria.