The first ones that come to mind for me:
- KotoR 1 - Loved that you could choose. Was the first game I had played with a good/bad system that affected how the game went.
- MGS 2 - Very long cutscenes but I loved the story. Pretty sure there were several hours of cutscenes alone in that game. Never beat any of the other MGS games so I can't comment on them.
- Fable - Short game unfortunately, but again with the being able to choose. The ending was different depending if you went good or evil.
Those are the first ones I remembered, though I know I could think of more.
As far as games I have high hopes for:
- Mass Effect - Another Bioware game (the makers of KotoR 1) This game isn't due out for a while but I have hopes that it is going to be one of the greatest RPGs ever created. It is free roaming with a main story and side quests, as well as dozens if not hundreds of planets to explore. The whole game is done in a very cinematic way, revolutionizing the way character speech is done, and how simple conversations can be made to look like cutscenes. VERY HIGH HOPES! It will also be a trilogy game they have already announced. So they have high hopes for their product too