http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MZJaNO9SSo
Final Fantasy VII. The 2 dudes reviewing it are mildly funny, but it gives a good view of the game action. I think this is the only game that I played non-stop for a year or more outside of Skyrim. I still hate Sephiroth.
Not sure I would call it better than Skyrim per se, but one of my favorite RPGs of all time is Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance II
Earthbound is one of my favorite RPG games, along with games like Zelda, Final fantasy, and more. If you mean modern games, Demon/Dark souls is one of my favorite games played, I am usually a fan of the older rpgs though, I need strategy, not just hack and slash. Dragon age origins was very fun, the second one was kinda bad, Fable was alright, but kinda easy, I would say Fire emblem, but that is a strategy game with rpg elements. There are so many of them I can't remember.
EDIT: Fire Emblem actually is considered an RPG, so I vote this all the way.
I agree that story is important but for role playing to really work I think it requires a number of key ingredients within that
Immmersion
More developed Interaction with NPCs and not one or two liners as in Skyrim and Oblivion
Player character personal development at a multitude of levels
For me, the last 2 Elder Scrolls games (haven't played Morrowind fully) have certainly been an open world style but restricted on Role playing as chances are you never actually get an opportunity to really do an in depth development for your character along the path you have chosen as a thief, knight or wizard. You get to waste a lot of time doing stuff that is outside your specific job such as a knight (in Skyrim more obviously), becoming a member of the thieves guild, or joining the college of Winterhold and becoming the Archmage
Bioware's games however are much better at the RPG element. Baldur's Gate series, Neverwinter Nights, DAO - even DA2 has some real immersive (but not so effective) role play - the game is just limited in scope. The way your character develops relationships with his companions/henchmen is for me much more fulfilling and continues in the triumphant Mass Effect trilogy (except for the cr*p ending).
Skyrim and Oblivion have one thing in common - limited opportunities for you to develop your character and the relationships he/she has with those he comes into contact with. For me a series of bog standard questions to Jarls in Skyrim for example doesn't really hack it. Another good example of not spending enough time in developing the world and it's inhabitants is having guards all saying the same thing to you as Dragonborn. Odd inconsistencies like they know there has been a Dragon attack but no description of the soul snatcher has passed down - ok maybe the guards may not have a description of who to look out for, but the Jarl's should definitely know who you are especially the one in Solitude or Windhelm You won't find that in Red Projekt's Witcher series - a truly immersive medieval saga for a single player with warts and all
I just have above. As an RPG I think it is unmatched. It's much grittier than Baldur's Gate, more realistic than Dragon Age Origins and more immersive than anything I have ever played over the last 20 years
Your character does what he can in a world where you get swept along by decisions and policies which you play no part in, generally get treated with suspicion by most of those you work for, Used for your abilities and skills, then cast out of the town or village. In the middle of all the strife of war, prejudice, greed and international politics, you get to try and find some quality of life for yourself through the choices you make. There is no good or bad, just consequences