Final Fantasy 7

Final Fantasy VII is regarded as one of the greatest games of all time. Released in 1997 by Square, this game was the first to step outside of a Nintendo system, and, spanning three discs was heavily attributed to Sony's early success with disc based gaming, pushing a development and marketing budget of over $100 million. Today, Final Fantasy VII remains the most popular among series fans, selling over 9.5 million copies. Director Kiatse would return along Nobuo Uematso, and a new character designer that would heavily influence Square for years to come – Tetsuya Nomura.

Final Fantasy VII was the first title in the Final Fantasy series to step into the 3D world. Everything from the characters to the world were rendered in beautiful graphics, bringing the world to life. Alongside standard text scenes, FFVII also introduced CGI animation scenes that were pre-rendered, creating the most stunning visuals gaming had seen. Nobuo Uematso had also thrown his heart into the soundtrack, creating some of the most memorable gaming music known today, such as One Winged Angel, the Opening, Aeris, and Battle themes.

The story surpassed that of any in gaming. Shinra, the world's largest corporation and energy supplier has been draining The Planet, Gaia, of all its life (through the lifestream). Shinra ensured its dominance in the world through its military organization, SOLDIER and an organization called the Turks. AVALANCHE, a supposed terrorist organization lead by the wild Barret, sought to stop Shinra from its actions. Cloud, an Ex-SOLDIER, along with his childhood friend Tifa, team up with the rest of AVALANCHE to end Shinra's tyranny. Along the way, they’d meet up with multiple characters, including the knowledgeable Red XIII, the ninja Yuffie, the flower girl Aeris, and the mysterious Vincent Valentine, a series favorite, as well as any RPG's most renowed villain, Sephiroth. Sephiroth, bent on revenge against the world for supposed acts against his "mother", summons a dark power known as "Meteor" to destroy the planet. As a response, the planet summons huge beasts known as "Weapons", who end up being the most powerful enemies you'll meet in the game. As the game progresses, Cloud will learn his connection to Sephiroth by piecing the past together, and ultimately defeat him. The broad cast of characters in the world of Final Fantasy VII would prove to be unyielding in narrative power, establishing a grand tale spanning over countless hours.

Final Fantasy VII featured a unique material system in which players could equip stones containing special powers and abilities, allowing the player to create and customize each character however they chose, making preparation for battle just as strategic as the battles themselves. The game also had Limit Breaks, special abilities that would deal devastating blows after incessant attacks on the characters. Each character, monster, and boss was crafted with excellence.

Final Fantasy VII is not just the most influential Final Fantasy Game, but among the most significant games in history, setting the bar for visuals, narrative, and entertainment.