VII hands down. Personally I would prefer the choice between VI and VII.

Looks like FF8 wins.

It was the richest experience offered in the series after all:

* Multithreaded plotline
* Steampunk/Victorian setting with orchestrated style music
* Multiple layers to advancing characters
* The ability to turn off random battles (there isn't even a need for them except for gaining AP and items to refine and construct weapons).
* A world with a lot of depth, interesting cultures and history
* Much cleaner graphics than previous games (FF7 was blocky, FULL of pop-up, and had scenes where characters shrank to a pinpoint).
* Best secondary cast in an RPG (Xenogears/Saga is the only rival I can think of).
* The first FF game with a great translation job (not the first Square game, Xenogears was probably the first where they really did well).

Haven't played much of FF7 yet, but FF8 was awesome.

8 is the best game of all the times!

Hahah, played both, enjoyed both, but I voted for FF8 in the end 'cuz I liked the main party more and of course, Triple Triad!!!

Wow i cant believe this many people like 8 over 7

I'm finding it hard to compare them....

Wow tough choice... I'll have to go with FF7 on this one. But FF8 is one of the best too!

FF8 is one of the worst games FF games ever.

8 for me.

FF7 was groundbreaking, but if you take a look at ff8 and that it only took 2 years for them to completely destroy ff7 graphics wise, ff7 is less impressive (visually). Gameplay (like all ff's in my opinion) is subjected, but I liked 8's junction and MP-less magic system better.
Also I liked the characters in 8 more as well.