9. Final Fantasy VII (1997)
Prior to the release of Final Fantasy VII, Japanese RPGs were a niche genre, with sporadic release patterns (if they got released at all) and confusing title conventions. Final Fantasy VII might be criticised by hardliners for abandoning many series conventions, but the game did something that earlier installments (and earlier JRPGs in general) could not, becoming a blockbuster hit that might even, depending on the day of the week, be The Greatest Game of All Time. While that is most certainly up for debate debate of the sort that has torn many forums asunder it's hard to deny, though easy to miss beneath all the 'cultural impact' bluster, that Final Fantasy VII is simply a great game, with many strong points going for it. Far from being part of a grand conspiracy to bury more obscure titles, Final Fantasy VII's persistent status as the definitive RPG can be attributed to its well-balanced gameplay and characters that struck a cord with a lot of people.