This.

I don't think many people have played that game.

For myself.  The original Final Fantasy made me a fan of the series.  Someday I will actually finish the game

FFVII made me the fan I am today, however much I hate to admit it. That said, VII is great, and any attempts to claim it wasn't, will always seem to me much more like attempts to be hip and leet, rather then real opinions, but that's just my opinion.

To clarify, imo, nobody could think VII wasn't great, if they played it.

FFVII

8 for me. but I've played them all. I'm now playing the SaGa series. Finished Final Fantasy legend 1-3. Now I'm working on Unlimited SaGa and loving it too.

It is interesting to find out how many people started playing Final Fantasy games at FFVII. I think it has a bearing when we argue FFIII (FFVI jap) vs. FFVII. I bet many people who argue FFVII is better started playing FF games @ FFVII.

I'm not saying FFVII is not a great game. It obviously appealed to a large crowd.

FF1, although I didn't play it when it first came out I did play it before the SNES came out. I then played FF4 which i was delighted with, and 6 was the climax for me. I remember eagerly waiting for final fantasy mystic quest only to have my heart crushed. Nah it was ok for the time.

FFX

Hmm, I remember getting the Nintendo Power strategy guide for Final Fantasy and being bummed that an entire issue was wasted on that so Final Fantasy wasn't the one that made me get into the series.

I remember playing and liking FFII on the SNES (FFIV) but I liked my awesome platformers better, it was mainly my sister that was into that game.

But FFIII (FFVI), that's the one that got me.

I still remember popping that game in for the first time and seeing that awesome mode 7 walk to Narshe. I remember sitting in school and thinking how awesome the phantom trench. I remember the incredible opera house and just how awesome zozo was. I remember being ready to end the game only to be completely shocked that I had just hit a major halfway point and then ready to cry at the solitary island. I remember getting my party back to together (oh man all that awesome character development!) and then making the long climb up Kefka's tower to finally beat him.

FFVI was the game that got me into the series, made me want to write a book, made me get into Dungeons and Dragons, and made me want to get into the game industry (I still remember arguing with my parents about me wanting to go to Digipen after playing FFIII and then reading about Digipen in Nintendo Power).

Final Fantasy VI is easily the most influential game on my life so it's pretty easy to say that's the game that got me into Final Fantasy. It's a shame they don't make them like that anymore and now just concentrate on graphics and how they can work Cloud into the game.

Mine was FF tactics on the PS1. If it hadn't for that game I wouldn't have bought FF VII.

FF VII made me a fan of JRPG and still think one of the best regardless of the so called "FFelitist" says about FF VII that FF VII destroyed the franchise.