Ever play Breath of Fire 2? I didn't think it was possible to become emotionally involved in little 2d sprites, but that was the most vivid and playful (even though the second half was extremely sad =( ) 2d rpg I've ever played. And zomg, if this were just a fanart thread and not a wow fanart thread, I'd have a hundred pics or more just from that game...
Edit: actually thats not true, the most playful 2d rpg I've ever played was FF3