@Fireduck Yakuza Kiwami 1&2 are sitting on my shelf (and backlog) too.
man I haven’t thought about Legend of Dragoon in ages! I played (and loved) all of the games you listed. As far as Final Fantasy, FF X is when I started to fall out of love with the series. I still enjoy them to an extent, but I don’t consider them the epitome of the genre like I used to. 4, 6, and 8 are my favorites (I know I’m in the minority with 8).
I know what you mean as far as the similarities between JRpgs and anime. Titles like the Tales series, Dragon Quest, and Trails of Cold Steel even more so.