Pinnacle of the ARPG is a shitty RE clone?
At least Parasite Eve 1 actually feels like a good mixture of a rpg and an action game, but with really more emphasis on the rpg part. I don't think it's an amazing game, but it makes good use of "action" mechanics. Dodging and actual positioning makes the combat feel more involved. Yet it dosen't shed it's turn based jrpg roots and it has some cool leveling mechanics. It also doesn't feel like shit with it's controls.
Really good game.