8. Final Fantasy VII (PS, PC, PSN)
Yes I'm part of the Final Fantasy VII "crew". The first 3D final fantasy, my first RPG and my favourite in the series. I had avoided most RPGs prior to this as I wasn't much into fantasy (oh how times change!) and they all seemed to revolve around fantasy settings. FF7 completely changed all that. A fresh new cyber punk world, an eclectic mix of characters, a combo of bizarre science & magic and ridiculously gigantic swords! The first 3-4 hours spent in Midgar & Kalm drew me into the story (and is probably the best intro to a JRPG I can think of). The dreary slums of Midgar, the deep-rooted anger of the main characters towards Shinra and early conversations all hint at something much bigger to come. The following freedom after this brief intro completely astounded me at the time.
Looking back, this had nearly everything I wanted in a JRPG at the time. The story was intense, emotional rollercoaster in a cyber-punk world that managed to maintain a great degree of freedom and player choice in the game world. I'll admit, the materia system isn't the best system in a JRPG as it didn't give a huge amount of customisation, and many characters seemed to be very similar no matter what materia you added (I actually know people that got to Junon without knowing how to use the materia system properly). However, the plot, the world, the locations and hidden extras all made up for it.
I've now played it on PS, PC and PSP/PS3. Like a lot of games of that gen it hasn't aged well (PC mods or a smaller PSP sized screen help) yet I still find myself playing through it when a new release is available. I can understand the hype/demand for a sequel, but to be honest, I'm not sure I'd trust SE with a modern remake. Part of FFVII and all earlier FF games was their ability to ignite your imagination. With voice acting and modern day visuals, much of that charm would be lost.
Anyway, back to my description, I think the optional quests were some of the best in a Final Fantasy game: Chocobo breeding and racing, two optional characters with fully fleshed back stories, the Weapon bosses, the mini-games (Submarine, snowboarding, motorbike), the range of vehicles, the hidden locations and the little tit-bits of back story. All added to an utterly amazing game.
