It's an oldie, but a goodie. Final Fantasy 7 is arguably the pinnacle of the final fantasy series, so much so that it is the only game that spawned a movie and a remake. No Final Fantasy game has ever been the same or had the same characters and yet we still see Cloud Strife, Sephiroth, Tifa and Aeris referenced in a few other games, especially in pop culture. Not bad for a game that was released in 1997. This game was hailed as the video game that launched the success of the original Sony PlayStation as a serious console. It was your standard RPG (role playing game) in the way that it was a quite diversified cast of characters (a few who spawned their own series) that come together to battle a common enemy for their own personal reasons. Its battles were turn, strategy and hit point based. As for what made this game different is what is really special. A non-linear, open world story backed up by some of the best animation and character development that no one had seen at the time. Never have I cared so much about each individual character's story. Each one tugged at my heart and nerves and kept me on edge, even as I was battling hardcore monsters I felt the need to survive for the good of the planet. For those of you who don't remember, the world of Gaia is run by this Super Corporation named Shinra that aims for world domination and these eco-terrorists named Avalanche try to stop Shinra from literally destroying the planet. In their conquest to stop Shinra, Avalanche finds out that a cloned super soldier named Sephiroth attached himself to the planet's life stream and used his power to call upon the power of "Meteor" to destroy all life from existence. I know it sounds a little out there, but believe me when I say that the story is seriously intriguing. It was definitely one of my best memories as a kid. Although this game is dated, I still rate it at a 9 out of 10 and that has only to do with the little annoyances in the story cut scenes that cannot be skipped. This game is available for the PS1, PC and iOS as well as a long awaited remake that will be released for the PS4.
