You could always download an emulator and some roms, and test the games before you buy them, but I guess that would be illegal.

You should try out the Fire Emblem series, though.
It´s completely different to the usual RPG´s, highly addicting, but you have to swallow some bad anime drawings. If a character dies, for example, he´s dead for the rest of the game, and the story develops in another direction. Some characters have a backstory with another, some develop a story if you pair them up with others.