20 Incredibly Important Video Games That Shaped The Industry

17. Final Fantasy VII

Why It IsImportant: Final Fantasy VII started the golden age of JRPGs that would turn the genre into a global phenomenon. While Final Fantasy VII clearly wasn't the first in the long-running JRPG series, it was the first to see a release in Europe (apart from Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, which doesn't really count). Released in 1997, Final Fantasy VII turned the JRPG into a global phenomenon. Despite having a long history of developing Final Fantasy games for cartridge-based Nintendo platforms, Squaresoft could not resist the extra storage capacity and value of the CD format and jumped ship to Sony. It was a smart decision, as it allowed them to create over 90 minutes of cutting-edge (for their time, anyway) FMV sequences and beautiful pre-rendered backgrounds for Final Fantasy VII. The cut-scenes were more than just a gimmick, though and enhanced moments of the story in a way that the in-game graphics simply couldn't. Watching Sephiroth disappear through the fire in Nibelheim was spine-chilling to see up close. The humble CD enhanced the gameplay, too. Developers used the extra space to cram in dozens of mini-games including a real-time strategy game, chocobo races and the iconic motorcycle chase sequence. There's even an entire theme park full of little distractions when level grinding begins to get tiresome. The sheer variety of activities and the size of the world was a huge leap forwards for JRPGs and games in general. Final Fantasy VII smartly used new technology to give the JRPG genre a new lease of life and proved that the CD was a perfect medium for telling stories so epic that they could not be contained on a single disc. It's responsible for bringing the JRPG to the attention of a generation of gamers and was the start of a beautiful trilogy of Final Fantasy games on the PlayStation.