10 Big Leaps Between Video Game Sequels
2. Final Fantasy VI (1994) to Final Fantasy VII (1997)
It would've been easy to fill this list with franchises that made the most obvious graphical jump in game history - from 2D to 3D - but few reach the heights of Final Fantasy's transformation.
Final Fantasy VI had pushed the Super Nintendo as far as it could go. The game's map (or two, technically, which in itself was a shocking feat) was full of secrets and optional bosses. The story and characters were brilliantly animated in a way that felt epic for the time.
It was nothing compared to what would come in three years.
Final Fantasy VII wasn't just jumping to the CD-ROM-fed PlayStation but had a whopping $45m budget, making it one of the most expensive video games ever made at that point. This made it an unavoidable must-play, taking the franchise to the worldwide stage in a big way. After the West had only gotten the sporadic FF game - usually numbered incorrectly - Final Fantasy VII was the launching point for the series globally.
The huge game - split across four discs - boasted an entire suite of 3D work from overworld models, dozens of battle character models and animations, and more CGI than any game to that point. Pairing this with fully orchestrated music made for a game that - whilst perhaps quaint now - had to be experiecned to be believed at the time.
Pretty good for a series seven entries in.