I'll second Angel. The Cinematic Unisystem is just an all around fun game. They even make combat modifiers fun to read about. The highly cinematic approach is very interesting and has greatly influenced my gaming. It makes no appeals to reality OR balance, as it is not trying to emulate anything other than a TV show. It also handles characters of different power levels better than any system I've seen - in Con games I've ran its more common for people to want to play Xander or Cordelia than Buffy or Angel! The wise cracking sidekicks are really fun to play. 
Another is Exalted 2e. I don't know if you got the first one, but the second is (IMO) a great improvement. This isn't a game if you want something simpler than D&D - Exalted is every bit as complicated, just in different ways. A lot of people think 'anime and Final Fantasy' when they think of Exalted, but there's just as much Beowulf and Achilles in Creation. The characters are heroes of a lost age, reborn into a world on the brink of destruction and only they can save it. Its interesting mechanically because where D&D has its roots in wargaming, Exalted has its from CCG play. There's lots of playing this move to counter that move, taking advantage of openings, and wild combinations. And on top of all that, the artwork is beautiful. The typical WW fiction at the start of each chapter is replaced by a full color comic, depicting the world in vivid color.
Finally, I'll recommend All Flesh Must Be Eaten. Another Unisystem game, this one is the classic, so its more detailed and not as fast as the version in Angel. This is basically the Dawn of the Dead RPG. It has a great zombie creation guide and comes with (IIRC) six 'Deadworlds' - minisettings involving the rise of the living dead. It isn't exactly revolutionary, but remains remarkable in that its the perfect pickup game RPG. You can hand everyone an archetype, pick a deadworld, and literally be gaming within 5 minutes. The game tends to be so immediate that its easy to run - there's zombies everywhere, and they want to eat your face!
Another is Exalted 2e. I don't know if you got the first one, but the second is (IMO) a great improvement. This isn't a game if you want something simpler than D&D - Exalted is every bit as complicated, just in different ways. A lot of people think 'anime and Final Fantasy' when they think of Exalted, but there's just as much Beowulf and Achilles in Creation. The characters are heroes of a lost age, reborn into a world on the brink of destruction and only they can save it. Its interesting mechanically because where D&D has its roots in wargaming, Exalted has its from CCG play. There's lots of playing this move to counter that move, taking advantage of openings, and wild combinations. And on top of all that, the artwork is beautiful. The typical WW fiction at the start of each chapter is replaced by a full color comic, depicting the world in vivid color.
Finally, I'll recommend All Flesh Must Be Eaten. Another Unisystem game, this one is the classic, so its more detailed and not as fast as the version in Angel. This is basically the Dawn of the Dead RPG. It has a great zombie creation guide and comes with (IIRC) six 'Deadworlds' - minisettings involving the rise of the living dead. It isn't exactly revolutionary, but remains remarkable in that its the perfect pickup game RPG. You can hand everyone an archetype, pick a deadworld, and literally be gaming within 5 minutes. The game tends to be so immediate that its easy to run - there's zombies everywhere, and they want to eat your face!
