Why Final Fantasy VII Is The Best JRPG Ever

A poll was conducted on Limit Break to determine which is the best JRPG of all time. Final Fantasy VII took a clear first place spot as Limit Break's choice for the title. In a close second was the SNES classic Final Fantasy VI, a game famous for it's ambitiously large cast and one action packed trip to the opera. Ultimately though, Cloud, Tifa, and Sephiroth came out on top.

So what makes Square's magnum opus, a game that arguably brought JRPG gaming to the mainstream, so unforgettable?

[shocky16]

.

[StillGray]

Easily. I just picked it up from PSN to play on the PS3 again. Good times.

[N4Sony]

but people need to take FFVI's influence on the game more seriously when considering the greatest RPG of all time. Yes, VII blew up the genre, but alot of what VII did in terms of presentation, story and atmosphere was created in FFVI, a game alot of other people consider the greatest RPG of all time.

I honestly believe, despite all of it's greatness, VII is a bit overrated. Still, I've played and beat it a good 10-15 times haha.

[StillGray]

Personally I find VI to be a better game but VII is easily creditable for being the game that brought RPGs to the mainstream. It was a very niche genre before the popularity of FFVII skyrocketted it into the clouds. Pardon the pun. ;)

[iamtehpwn]

But after Final Fantasy XIII is finished.
There's no point of making XV (15) immediately.

I think it'll happen. Kitase seemed very excited about the idea when questioned.

[meepmoopmeep]

i'm almost finished a replay of it on psp

and i can see why it's one of the best JRPG's ever made.

it just has so much packed into it for its time

[leila01]

Still my number one game uptill this day.

[Bnet343]

FFVII was good, but my favorite RPG is Pokemon GSC. I also liked Legend of Dragon better than any other RPG on PS1.

[JsonHenry]

I think the original Xeno Gears was hella better than FFVII..

[ThanatosDMC]

Meh... i like FF8 better. But then again i played FF8 first.

[Poopface the 2nd]

as its the only JRPG that ive ever finished. Only tried a few other like mario-RPG, FF8 and 10, but they bored me. I also hated the voices in 10. for someone who HATES with a capital HATES JRPGs, this is my 3rd favorite game ever(only behind HL1 and DEUS EX as im a FPS kinda guy, ever since killing barney in wolfinstine 3d at my buddies house).

It has the story, characters, weapons, materia system, Beautiful pre rendered backgrounds taht Id call art, and some of the most memorable music ive ever heard in a game. Not to mention a talking dog-lion thing taht made me want to cry.

[Prototype]

FF7 was the first PlayStation game I've played and was by far the best until I discovered Metal Gear Solid, Einhander, and Rival Schools.

However I was able to play Final Fantasy 3/6 and there were a few things 7 could have taken from 6 that would have made it even better; however I do like how 7 went into a new direction instead of trying to copy a previous version.

[JoySticksFTW]

FFVI is my favorite rpg, with Kefka probably my favorite video game character of all time (though Solid Snake may have something to say about that)

[RememberThe357]

So I never play FF7 when I was a kid. I started at FF8 and never went back and played FF7.

I saw this on the PSN and I was thinking of picking it up. I know most of you guys love FF7 but is FF7 really that good or is a lot of it nostalgia?

[JoySticksFTW]

And you can't beat getting it for $10.

But yeah, it's a gaming milestone

[Natsu X FairyTail]

this was my piff back in primary school!!!!

I used to come @ school with my FF7 & Crash Bandicoot Booklets and Start Braging off to the other kids who only had N64( I had both)

like ; Yeah I beat this boss have you? Did you meet him or him?have you done this summon or not?

One of the biggest Rpg I've played as a kid.

[StillGray]

FFVII was like the game that defined the childhood of many RP gamers, and I can totally relate. When Advent Children was released I was ecstatic but also anxious because I didn't know if Square would be able to create something that lived up to the expectations of everyone. Thankfully... it was awesome!

[Prototype]

In high school I was the only kid to have Master summon, Omni Slash, and a Gold Chocobo; oh and I was also the first to beat it without using Knights of the Round on final Sephiroth. Also the first to beat Emerald Weapon WITHOUT underwater materia, but had to use an exploit (not an action replay, but a known trick) to beat Ruby with all 3 characters.

I usually don't brag but this was one game that did test my limits as a gamer back then

[qface64]

yeah its really just opinion its a good game but i wouldn't call it the best jrpg ever

my personal opinion goes to hmm well honestly i haven't a clue maybe id choose dragon quest 8 it was a real good time

[Jager]

FF7 is one of my favorite JRPGs... i still have the CDs, in great condition, and play it every now and then with my PS3... but i'd have to say i liked FF10 more, barely.

[Sexius Maximus]

I played and beat FF10, and think it probably is a hair better then FF7. However, the encounter rate was atrocious on 10, and completely ruined the game for me. You couldn't take 3 steps without fighting. It may have taken 80 hours to beat, but 65 of it was fighting. Thats why FF6 is still king in my book.

[double_heist]

FFVII is a good game, not the best but nonetheless good.

It's actually the only JRPG (or RPG and not including Pokemon) that broke 10m. It's probably the most marketable JRPG out there and same with the series.

FFVII somehow introduced RPG to the world actually. :P

[StillGray]

FFVII introduced so many of us to JRPGs, and even RPGs in general. Square really managed to pull off a great game.

[n4f]

well ff7 was good . i agree it was introduce to many new gamer
those who finish it are satisfied

[bmw69]

My favourite ever is Ocarina of Time but this would be in my top 5...

[Bnet343]

That's not an RPG.

[UNCyrus]

arguably could be called an RPG... be definitely NOT a JRPG

[Baba1906]

i agree i love ff7. my favorite game of all time. its the only rpg i have beaten more than 1 time.

[StillGray]

It's right up there with Baldur's Gate 1 & 2 for me.

[JsonHenry]

Balders Gate were the best, weren't they?!

[Darkfiber]

It's simple nostalgia. People remember it being the best game when they played it 12 years ago. Much has changed and much has improved. But if a game like that came out today, it would be mocked for its horrible graphics, linear story and boring gameplay mechanics. Yes, it was great back in the day, but no one would ever buy this game if it came out today, even if it did have today's standards of graphics. Everything else is obsolete. The story is a mess and the translation is awful.

[gamingisnotacrime]

I did not have a PS1, so i missed this gem. Bought it from PSN and have been hooked to my PSP playing this golden game. Mechanics are just right, Story is better than most, simply a title that can stand on its own and survive the past of time

[ps92117]

What do you mean by linear story, and as far as I can remember you are the only person that thought the story was a "mess" and I don't speak Japanese but if it was that much better, the dialog must have been writen in poems. The gameplay is your opinion as is mine, IMO it was pretty damn addicting, infact IMO is the second best gameplay in a game ever right after OoT.

[MetalGearBear]

FF7>all RPG game. FACT!!!!

Edit: LOL at disagrees, it must mad xbots.

[Godmars290]

Its the most recognized, the most recognized and successful of the transitional 16 bit to CD/3D JRPG, but because of that it has flaws which keep it from being the best.

[JonnyBigBoss]

Not everyone is going to love the same game, but FF7 is definitely my favorite game ever, and all of my gaming friends agree. It is just so lovable and engaging.

[TheTruth89]

Bullsh!t!!

Final Fantasy VII isn't the best (J)RPG ever.... is the best RPG ever! FACT!

[reivann]

i'm going to guess you have only ever played one rpg, when you make statements like that.

Personally from the psone era i believe that xenogears was the best rpg and out of the final fantasy series that FFIX takes the win.

i will give ffvii credit for being the most sold rpg, that however does not make it the greatest rpg ever.

[PirateThom]

Meh, I still prefer FFVI.

[Sexius Maximus]

FF6 is my RPG of choice too, but only us really old school gamers will probably agree. So many of the people who say FF7 is best, started their gaming experiences on the PS1. If they had been born five years earlier, and been a part of the SNES days, they would love FF6 better too I believe. Although, if we are talking favorites here, I still may have to keep Phantasy Star 1 (master system) on top. What can I say, I'm REALLY old school.

[Sangria]

Talking about Final Fantasy VII, i'm currently (re)doing the game on PSone and there's something i don't get.

IIRC, Cloud's memories are fabricated, all his memories are actually Zack's ones, he never became 1st class SOLDIER, he never killed Sephiroth... But if those are Zack's memories, it means Cloud had to be there to experience what Zack is experiencing.

However at Nibelheim, there are several parts where he is alone (when he goes in the cave to search for Sephiroth in Nibelheim manor, when Sephiroth kills Tifa and when he fights against Sephiroth...), so how could he remember things he never lived?

Another point, in Crisis Core, Zack meets several times Cloud at Shinra building, but in FF7 when you enter Shinra building, Cloud says to Barret he never came to Shinra building and never met Hojo (which is seemingly wrong).

So can someone explain me those Cloud's past enigmas, and how Tifa survived to Sephiroth's strike at Nibel mountain mako reactor?

(and to stay in topic, i'd say FFVII is one of the greatest jRPG because of its scenario and its memorable music. FFVII is long and has a deep scenario with debatable parts and whoever played FFVII can randomly mumble or whistle any music of the game).

[meepmoopmeep]

it explains it when tifa & cloud fall into the lifestream in Mideel

it's his memories mixed with an illusion he built for himself
but he was there.

i don't remember zack meeting cloud in shinra building.
they met when going to nibelhiem. maybe i gotta replay crisis core again.

[CryWolf]

The best JRPG I ever played.

[Ninji]

It's not.

[solar]

nope, FF6 was much better.

[Arsenal4Ever]

I was only 6 when FFVII was released so I never managed to play it properly. Seems a bit late to pick it up don't you think?

[ptotoy]

graphics were top-notch

a lot of extra stuff you can do (mini-games, optional bosses)

character/ materia growth was so-so

the battle system isn't the best

story was weird

but then there's aeris' death

[Noct]

Having played all the big games this gen.

MGS4
Halo 3
Uncharted
Gears of war

and so on.... FFVII still tops them all by a mile, not just my favourite JRPG but my favourite game ever period.

[borntodie007]

FFVII Truly is an great game, bought it on PSN the first day, but FF6 has to be the best jrpg ever made. Just my opinion

[adsaidler]

it certainly is the most influential jrpg of all time, but saying that it's the better JRPG of all time is a whole other story

[bankai]

FFVII is only CONSIDERED the best JRPG ever because its one of the most OVERRATED games in history.

Kefka > Sephroth
almost any JRPG protagonist > Cloud (the lying, identity thief)
Chrono Trigger battle system > FFVII battle system
almost any JRPG skill/magic system (especially Chrono Triggers) > materia (made the game way too easy)

ffvii great graphics for its time BS, there were games before that time with better graphics
ffvii great story, also complete BS
ffvii a great cast of characters, that too is BS

the only thing that game did was introduce the heavy use of CG to the RPG genre, that is it

[niccisnail]

I wrote the post and my favorite will always be FFVI. This is how the readers voted though and I respect that :)

[bankai]

you wrote an excellent and well thought out article, you get an A+
its obvious that you didnt write that out of being some sort of FFVII groupie, thats personally my reason for my intense dislike of that game.

but anyway great job, your one of the only people i see on here take disagreements and not get all pissy. i respect that

[niccisnail]

Thanks very much. You made me smile!

[villiers]

Poll and fanbase say different :D

Like FFIV-VI-VII-VII-IX-X all as much as each other and dont try to compare them.

XIII and Versus are both shaping up to be exceptional.

[bankai]

regardless to what the vote was, what i said was simply state my opinion. that is the whole point of forums. im not being fanboy like, and trying to push my opinions on others. forums should not be used for that, that that would just be being a douchbag. so its not like i have anything against actual fans of the game (groupies excluded), everyone is entitle to their opinions and personal tastes :)

[BlackIceJoe]

Every one has a different opinion as much as FFVII is a great game I would not say it is the best JRPG. Well because to me I liked Vagrant Story so much more. I even like FFVIII for different reasons more then FFVII. Not to say FFVII is not the best JRPG just it is not mine. I can see why so many people say it is the best though. I would love to see a remake of that game though.

[pippoppow]

Still very playable like alot of old classics. People need to be more open minded and play more classics. Some of those games have a great story and gameplay mechanics which are unmatched by many games today. Lets not forget about the genres that are no longer in the spotlight which are still very playable today.

[Homicide]

Yuck, no. Final Fantasy VII is the most overrated JRPG to ever emerge. The reason many people like is because they lost their RPG virginity to this game. FFVII is just an average game: average cast, average music, average combat, average everything. FFVII was my first FF game, but I enjoyed IV, VI and IX more. There's something about that medieval theme that gets to me. The story and characters were great in those games, maybe no that much in FFIX.

[bigjclassic]

so it has personal ties with that age of gamer. Great game just
finished it again recently, but there were others that I think are better JRPGs (Chrono Trigger/Cross, Xenogears, Skies of Arcadia, FFVI, FFIV etc.)

[Cyb3r]

I wish they would remake FFVII

[RyuShinji]

Why are people Disagreeing with you!! 0_0 I hear that the top guy would like to make it but only if all of the orinal ff7 team could work on it and at that time they were working on FFXIII...

So there is a good chance ^_^

We got some final fantasy 7 haters hiding away in this topic. (look at the disagrees) somethings fishy here ¬_¬

[FF7numbaone]

top dog. My name says it all!

[I_LOVE_MYSELF]

Quite possibly this is single handedly the greatest game of all time and it really is games like this that define the reason I game... No achievements or trophies here... no sucky gimmick controls... Just an amazing game with a bucketload of content... They sure dont make them as special as this anymore... The last RPG I enjoyed was probably FFX (and sometimes I think FFX is better but then I have to slap myself)

[Gue1]

>_>

[Guy169]

The title is misleading, lulz.

anyway, Xenogears was clearly the winner of PS1 era, Suikoden 2 and SO2 are up there as well. not to mention Chrono Trigger and FFVI.

[RyuShinji]

FFVII is NOT the best "JRPG" ever!! ... it IS the BEST "RPG" EVER!!!! XD ^w^!!

[HarukoHex]

FF7 is the best RPG to me for many reasons, still the best story out them all, the best magic system and equipment system. along with a nice little add after the game game out of all the explanation of the other characters side storys. I still loved dirge or cerburus even though most hated.

[Ps_alm3k]

Xenogears first!!!!

[xGrunty]

I enjoyed X a lot more then VII imo. But VI is still king in my book

Legend of Dragoon was a good one too.

[RockmanII7]

pokémon R/B/Y was better

[Gun_Senshi]

Xenogears > Chronotrigger > FFVI > FFIV > FFVII

Sepiroth is not a great villan. Hes just an emo crying about mommy and fails to achive anything. Check Kefka, he actually destroys the world while laughing at you