Well starting this series off with an absolute banger. In fact, I am going back and playing catch up and writing blurbs/starting my ranking series with a handful of games that I have kind of already ranked and played over the past 2 years. 2 years!? Don't worry the list is very small about 10 or so games to get us started with a ranking list. I'm not sure these write-ups/videos will come out quite as in depth as a review, but it will focus on my thoughts and overall feelings I have toward the game while touching on some traditional review aspects.
Back to Final Fantasy VII and the absolute banger it is. FFVII can be referred to as a GOAT without hesitation, at least for myself. I do realize that alot of the reason why myself and others hold this game in high regards is because of nostalgia, but this game came out at the perfect time to be very revolutionary in terms of showcasing the capabilities of the hardware of the time, making the RPG genre (J-RPG) more popular in the states, as well as creating a emotion provoking story that we haven't had seen much of up to this point in gaming history. For FFVII it was a perfect storm of success. Im even having trouble coming up with words to express how this game changed things for modern gaming. I didn't own a PS1 when this was out, but I watched my cousin play a ton and it wasn't until many years later while I was in college that I played through the game for the first time so nostalgia is a factor for me but not a tremendously huge factor. FFVII is now a game that I will and plan on playing through again every couple years at least.
It is possible we are starting this series of ranking games with my #1 ranked game of all time. I just love everything about it from the gameplay, to the story, to the characters, to the music, FF VII is just full of gaming glory. Sure, the materia system could be better and is a little bit of chore to rank up, and it can be tricky sometimes to figure out where to go in the open world (especially when not familiar with the game), but I cannot find much fault with the game. For me it is the pinnacle of turn based RPG gaming, and it will be very tough for another game to unseat FFVII as the greatest game of all time.
Review: 5 Stars (S-Tier)
1. Final Fantasy VII