1. The Legend of Dragoon (PSX) - First major RPG I ever played, well before I got into FF games. 12 years later, I'm still playing it. Points for lastability, even if a lot of elements are cliche.

2. Final Fantasy VII (PSX) - Hands-down my favorite Final Fantasy game. I love the story, the characters, the Materia system, the music, etc. Fantastic game all-around. My only real gripe is the way they released it on 3 discs, when Disc 3 doesn't serve much purpose beyond the final battle and sidequests. It's like they put too much in for 2 discs, but not enough for 3.

3. Final Fantasy I (GBA version) - Easy to pick up and play, relatively short as RPGs go, and lots of good replay value.

4. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (PC) - One of the most immersive RPGs I've ever played. It really feels like living a life inside a game. It was also a massive improvement over its predecessor, Morrowind, and I loved just running around and seeing what I could find, without feeling tied down to a set storyline.

I can't think of a fifth one at the moment. I'm also not suggesting that these 4 are the greatest RPGs ever, but since you were asking what games we would as inspiration -- as if we were going to make the greatest RPG ever -- then I would try to incorporate these elements that made these 4 games so lovable.