The Golden Age of RPGs began, in my opinion, with the release of the Super Famicom by Nintendo (the Super NES in North America), and it's first run of RPGs, like Final Fantasy IV. The PlayStation brought the depth of storyline and breathtaking graphics that would solidify RPGs as an almost mainstream game (where before they were always a niche market in North America).
SquareSoft is largely responsible for this, although Enix played a definite role in the rapid growth of RPG popularity. But I couldn't say what RPG is the best. They're all different, and they have all different merits. If I was to judge based on storyline, plot complexity, symbolism, and literary value, though, I'd have to go with Final Fantasy Tactics.