Where would the jrpg genre be if FF7 was never made?

[Darc Requiem]

blazinhead89 said:

Darc Requiem said:

blazinhead89 said:

Darc Requiem said:
More niche with higher quality titles. FFVII started the flash over substance JRPG. The FF series never really recovered from it.

More niche, equals less sales , equals less motivation to make as good a game. Sure there are niche games that are of very high quality, but they are few and far between. I'm Not implying that sales = quality. Quality does drive sales though. And as for flash over substance that's entirely subjective. But of course you notice the Nintendo fans saying FFVI is better, and Sony fans saying FFVII is better. Such is life.

Ignorance is bliss. There were great RPGs coming out before FFVII. Phantasy Star 1 is a prime example. It was released in 1988 on a 5 megabit cartridge on an 8bit console. I'd take it over FFVII anyday.

Well I can't assume everyone would make the same choice. How ever when it comes to facts, what cannot be disputed is Phantasy Star 1 was ahead of its time. It had female lead character, cinematics, 3D dungeons, and multiple worlds. Keep in mind that PS1 was a third generation 8 bit RPG.

I'll ask you this. From a innovation standpoint what did FFVII do first? Polygonal characters over rendered backdrops had already been done by Resident Evil. FMV Cinematics? RPGs have had those since the PC-Engine/Turbo CD rpgs began releasing in the late 80s, early 90s. Those games, along with the few Sega CD Rpgs that released also featured voice acting. As Onyx mentioned already, the only thing FF showed is that with heavy ad campaign, JRPGs can sell in the West. Too bad Namco still hasn't gotten that memo...