Partly inspired by the "which final fantasy is the best?" thread and also because I'm watching the FF retrospective on GT again.
Basically, we all have a favourite Final Fantasy game, but which one is the most important in series? which one got it to the JRPG giant we see it as today?
Not just talking about which FF game put the FF series on the map or which one has the most graphical polish, but which one was so crucial that the entire Final Fantasy series could have been vastly different had it not existed?
On top of that, which one was the most important to the gaming industry? in terms of what other games have copied from it and the standards it may have set for the industry.
You can take the question anyway you like, and nearly all FF's have a legitimate claim to the title of most important:
E.g
FF1 - The game that started it all, it's most obvious claim to the title is that it started the series, but starting a series may not necessarily mean it is the most important because SMB on the NES started the franchise, but Super Mario 64 is arguable the most important.
FF4 - Introduced the active time battle system
FF6 - The culmination of everything Square had learnt over 6 games into one masterpiece, advanced the series story telling and character importance substantially. Also had the first voiced character (Kefka's cackle)
FF7 - The game that put the FF series on the map.
FFX - Introduced full voice-acting to the series. Brought it to the then next generation and introduced a new battle system.
I could list a reason for all FF's, but that'd be too long.
So basically, list which game you think is the most important Final Fantasy and the reason why. Also let's try and keep the "it's because I like it the best" reasoning out of this thread.
If this thread is a success, I'll open up more "most important" threads for other franchises in the industry. If this thread is a failure, I'll just go back to being a poster and not a creator.
Reluctantly, I'm going to pick FF7. It's far from the best game in the franchise, but without it, alot of people would not have taken the time to go back and play the previous 6 games (or taken notice to future installments) and we would not have the Final Fantasy we see it as today.
