Fallout: New Vegas. You don't need to have played any of the other ones. Obsidian did an amazing job missing some of the stumbling blocks Bethesda usually hits. Its a game you can tear through in a few hours, or spend years getting lost in.
Yeah, definitely depends on who I'm recommending to. If it's someone who's pretty familiar with games, I think it would be Elden Ring. Love the sense of exploration and discovery in that game.
I still find the odd person that never played it here and there, and yet everyone that tries it after says "Oh my god, how did I never play this game before?" and goes on to play the rest
Good variety in enemies and levels, hidden secrets, an evolving world as you progress, simple controls that are easy to understand, but also require a degree of skill to master. It's also a game that's enjoyable for ages 3-100, in my eyes it's one of the most 'perfect' games.
Dragon Age: Origins. BioWare has the talent to fill your heart with lovely characters and their stories until it overflows with joy and care, only to stab a knife into it to make you bleed. Beautifully painful. :)
That's a surprisingly difficult question. Everyone has different interests, so it's hard to make a catch-all recommendation.
With that being said, I'll go with Chrono Trigger. It's a true classic with interesting characters, a solid enough story (that doesn't outstay its welcome), easily approachable gameplay, and an amazing soundtrack. It easily ranks among my favorite games of all time.