10 Most Essential Japanese Video Games

3. Final Fantasy VII

For millions of gamers, FF VII was their first taste of Eastern mass media entertainment in various forms. The anime art direction for characters and world design, the mythological aspect of ancient forces doing battle once again, the idea of characters powering up to unleash special attacks, the sense of humour and everything in between.

It of course helped that Final Fantasy VII is a remarkably deep RPG, pioneering the "Materia" system that let you customise every character to find party makeups that differ from player to player. This game's opening "Bombing Run" section went down in history too, alongside a stellar soundtrack throughout, propelling you into discovering just what's happening with the mysterious warrior-gone-mad Sephiroth, and a planet beset by the evil Shinra Corporation.

It may have been remade with many key scenes changed, but the original Final Fantasy VII is gaming royalty for a reason.