So I am going to clear this up for myself because in light of the Playstation E3 conference, the next big wave of which Final Fantasy game is really the best is going to make an appearance. I have been a big fan of the series up to Final Fantasy XII and the MMORPG FFXIV:ARR. I have my reasons why I stopped playing Final Fantasy at XII but that is a whole other boat I have that someone could relentlessly argue with me about. For myself, and many others, Final Fantasy VII is one of the best games that is part of the series. And why wouldn’t it be? Why can’t it be one of the best?
Final Fantasy VII was the first FF game that I had played I was 7 years old when it came out in 1997. I remember walking into my grandmother’s house and watching my aunts and uncle playing and I was just entranced. Having Super Nintendo be the primary console, seeing this game was just mind blowing. We had a Playstation at the time as well but I was still pretty dedicated to playing the SNES, but when I saw this game, I went home and turned it on. Magic happened in my tiny child mind. The visuals were just amazing, the characters moved in a way that I haven’t seen before, the environments were fun to explore, and the music just sucked me into every moment the game had. The story was deep on a few levels, the complication fed my desire to move forward with the game.
So lets get to my point, in my opinion Final Fantasy VII is one of the best FF games, not the only best one in the history of ever, but one of them. Why? My reasoning range from what I feel is obvious to a personal rooting that I have done with this game. It was a big transition in consoles for the franchise, moving from the Nintendo consoles to Playstation and PC so it was a part of a major transition in the gaming industry. The shift in graphics was pretty amazing at the time just because there was a movement to a more 3D type game look. The story was very well developed and the characters were so full of life, everyone had their stories that were quirky, serious, or strange. The soundtrack…don’t even get me started on the eargasm gaming soundtracks give me and FFVII is one of them. My personal reasons behind why I feel this is one of the best games, I wasn’t a popular kid, I stayed at home and gamed my tiny heart out and FFVII became a part of who I am. It is a story that I can tell from memory and feel it in my heart without even playing it. This game is one of the foundations of my being. It is cheesy (or creepy, haha), but gaming is my passion and this was the game that changed the way I approach console gaming, it was my gateway game to other Final Fantasies. Oh, and you can’t forget the epic opportunity to make Cloud cross-dress AND maybe kissing Don Corneo, that should be just the auto-in (haha, just kidding).
For many, FFVII showed gamers (in its time) where technology was going and how much the Final Fantasy experience has evolved. To see where we are today is just flat out jaw dropping. For many, the story was what captured their hearts. For myself, it was the entire package and then-some. It is one of the best games for many reasons, it is up for the players to decide ultimately, but if you stop and look at more than just the story as the key component, there is much more to factor in when making this judgment. Meghonia rules in favor of Final Fantasy VII, my kingdom has spoken.
-Opinion Article by Meghan Rodriguez (Twitter: @collins_m81)
