I'm not surprised by its lesser popularity given that it's a remake of an old game that had a lot of 'odd' mechanics compared to modern Fire Emblem. I'm very much looking forward to playing it, though!

Only took nearly four years for me to get around to playing it! I love many aspects of the game but the gameplay isn't my cup of tea, sadly. The mix of turn-based/real-time doesn't feel quite right to me and I have yet to play an RPG with a pets system that didn't annoy me. That might just be because I've been into Pokémon for so many years, though.

With The Legend of Zelda being your favorite franchise, you're pretty much guaranteed to enjoy Okami, as it's essentially a Zelda game with a very unique style. One reason I have it as my favorite game of all time is that I simply couldn't pick a Zelda game for that spot, so I gave that honor to Okami while Zelda is my overall favorite franchise.

I definitely agree with your pick of Xenoblade Chronicles, it's a masterpiece and most likely in my Top 3 or Top 5 RPGs. I say most likely because I've played so many fantastic RPGs that I'd have problems coming up with a definite ranking for them. My favorite RPG of all time - Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean - was partially made by the same developer and while it is a very different game, it's just as brilliant. It's a rare game nowadays, but I would also recommend that one if you can find a copy.