Pretty much anything by BioWare is a worthy mention. Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic, Dragon Age series, Mass Effect series. Bethesda's Fallout 3/New Vegas, Elder Scrolls series. These are all Western RPGs that are not only open-ended usually right from the get-go, but they also have elements that change based on what decisions you make (although not hugely different), which is something that JRPGs haven't done. But really, comparing Western RPGs to Japanese ones is apples to oranges.
what's wrong with a character being 4 foot tall? I'm only slightly taller than that, should that preclude me from a career in TV or film?
Well...Final Fantasy XIII is a game that is divided in three games. The Original FFXIII, FFXIII-2 and Lightning Returns FFXIII. So that makes it the longest FF ever in my book. And is not that bad though.
