[Ray]

Nier. It is hands down my favorite JRPG. Outstanding soundtrack; easily the best I have ever heard. Fantastic characters, and an amazing story which requires 2-3 playthroughs to fully understand. The graphics are somewhat dated, but it's very easy to overlook that.

Demon's Souls and Dark Souls are definitely worth checking out if difficult and action orientated games are your cup of tea. Those two games are actually not as hard as most people make them out to be; it's all about getting used to the idea that you must take your time and approach every corner with your shield up. Both games are rather lacking in plot; what they lack in that aspect they make up for up in lore and atmosphere.

I'll also second Ar Tonelico Qoga. Now, what most people are put off by in this game is the fanservice. As the main heroines remove more and more layers of clothing, they grow stronger. If you can look past that, you'll be in for a treat with glorious Hymns and the heart-warming story. Qoga is the final game in the trilogy; you don't need to have played the first two games in order to understand it, but some characters return as cameos and some events are made reference to.

There's the Atelier Series (Atelier Rorona, Totori, and Meruru). It’s an alchemy heavy JRPG with time management elements.

I feel like I should mention Hyperdimension Neptunia even though it isn't all that great of a game. It is essentially a parody of the game industry, and the main character is the personification of the failed Sega Neptune. It falls flat in a lot of aspects, but the characters and the interactions they have with each other are great. It's a love it or hate it kind of a game. Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2 is being released on the 24th of next month, and I'd recommend getting that instead as the second game is not only set in a different universe but is also a complete overhaul.

If you want to know more about any of the above games, let me know.