50 Reasons why Final Fantasy VII is the Greatest Game Ever Made (taking ideas)

[clowd]

Ive had this idea for a while, but I thought it would be better if it the results were the product of a community, and not my own.


The idea is to compile the 50 best reasons why we think Final Fantasy VII is the greatest game ever made


Anything can be a reason, from a single character to a single piece of music, a location, a moment or scene, or even a weapon.


The idea is once we have a large list of reasons together, in a separate thread they will be listed for members to vote on in order. If you list Cloud Strife as your #1 reason why Final Fantasy VII is the greatest game ever, that reason will receive 50 points. If your 50th best reason is the Buster Sword, that reason will receive 1 point. The ballot of every member will be counted and the 50 reasons why Final Fantasy VII is the greatest game ever will be released.


Reasons must only come from the orginal 1997 game. Anything from sequels, spinoffs, animes, books, mangas, or movies are not allowed.


To Start things off, here are some basic reasons. Remember the idea in this thread is to get a comprehensive list of things that make Final Fantasy VII so great. There are a few things, like how the game took you through everyone's background, that are hard to categorize. If you have any suggestions how to do so, then please do tell.


To make looking for something that is already listed easier, I will list the reasons in categories. Everything will be in alphabetical order.


Request away, I will keep it updated. Any suggestions for new categories etc I will add.


Battle


Enemy Skills
Limit Breaks
Materia System
Omnislash
Simple, but engaging
Summon Sequences
Top-level materia (i.e. Bahamut ZERO, KotR)
Total class customisation


Characters


Aeris Gainsborough
Barret Wallace
Biggs
Bugenhagen
Cait Sith
Cetra
Choco Bill
Choco Billy
Chole
Cloud Strife
Cid Highwind
Don Corneo
Dyne
Elena
Elmyra
Heidegger
Hojo
Jenova
Jessie
Johnny
Kotch
Lucrecia Crescent
Marlene Wallace
Mayor Domino
Mr. Holzoff
Mukki
NPCs (SPOILER)I could write a book about them, but just take for example the philosophical, dedicated station guard at Sector 7, and contrastr him with all those surfer dudes and beach bunnies in Costa wo just don't give a tit about anything but their own good time. There are the ones who have been broken by Shinra and have sunk into apathy and despair, and the ones who still believe that Shinra will save them from everything. Comparisons are odious, but in none of the other games have the NPCs captured my imagination like the ones in FFVII. - LicoriceAllsorts
Palmer
President Shinra
Red XIII
Reeve Tuesti
Reno
Rude
Rufus
Scarlett
Scotch
Sephiroth
Seto
SOLDIER (1st, 2nd, 3rd Class)
Tifa Lockhart
Tseng
Turks
Vincent Valentine
Wedge
Yuffie Kisargi
Zangan
Zack Fair


Enemies


Diamond WEAPON
Emerald WEAPON
Ruby WEAPON
Sapphire WEAPON
Ultima WEAPON


Gameplay


The ability to change how a character reacts to you.
The ability to have a character you showed generosity towards and hit on like you enough to date you.


Graphics


3D World Map
FMVs
Graphics that show, but do not choke imagination
Prerendered backgrounds


Legacy


Helped bring JRPGs to the mainstream
Original copies being sold for as high as $500
Still learning new things about the game even today


Mini Games


Basketball
Boxing
Chocobo Betting
Chocobo Breeding
Chocobo Racing
Fort Condor Battles
Hardy Daytona Bike Battle
Mog
Scoring 300 on "Super Dunk" so you can buy a life-time Gold Saucer pass on your first visit.
Snow boarding
Submarine


Moments


Aeris' Death
Arriving at '7th Heaven' in Sector 7. Your first "safe" environment of the game
Barret mourns Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie
Beating Joe and Teioh with your Chocobo
Cait Sith giving the key to the ancients to Tseng
Cait Sith's Death in the Temple of Ancients
Cid Highwind's Rocket Story about how it ended up tilted over
Cloud's date with Aerith/Tifa, messing up your lines on the Gold Saucer date
Cloud meets Aeris for the first time
Cloud cross-dressing
Cloud remembers the truth about the Nibelheim Incident , how he threw Sephiroth into the reactor
Diamond WEAPON's attack on Midgar
Dyne's suicide/encounter with Barret
Ending FMV
Escaping Shinra Tower FMV
Finding Yuffie (again!) in Wutai
Flushing toilets
Having Vincent in your party when you fight Hojo
Jenova escapes Shinra building
Junon Parade
Nanaki's introduction - Going from bad guy to party member.
Opening FMV
Parachuting into Midgar
Prelude credits
Red XIII/Nanaki FMV at the very end
Red XIII/Nanaki Learns the Truth about Seto
Sapphire WEAPON's attack on Junon
Seeing Jenova for the first time in the Nibelheim reactor
Seeing Jenova for the first time in the Shinra Building
Sector 7 Pillar collapse
Sephiroth frees Jenova from Nibelheim reactor
Sephiroth walks through the fire
Stopping or letting the train hit Corel
Tifa helps Cloud find himself in the lifestream
WEAPON's Escape from North Crater
Zack's death/flashback in Nibelheim basement


Music


Anxious Heart
Aeris' Theme
Birth of a God
Cid's Theme
Crazy Motorcycle Chase
Electric de Chocobo
Highwind Takes to the Skies
J-E-N-O-V-A
Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII
One Winged Angel
Reunion
Still More Fighting
The Great Warrior
Those Chosen by the Planet
Tifa's Theme
Trail of Blood
Turk's Theme
Underneath the Rotting Pizza
You Can Hear the Cry of the Planet


Places


Aeris' church in Sector 5
Battle Arena
Bone Village
City of the Ancients
Chocobo Ranch
Corel
Corel Prison
Cosmo Canyon
Costa Del Sol
Fort Condor
Golden Saucer
Gongaga
Icicle Inn
Junon
Kalm
Mideel
Midgar
Mt. Nibel
Nibelheim
Northern Crater
Rocket Town
Sector 7 Slums
Shinra Tower
Temple of the Ancients
Wall Market
Wutai


Story


Campy
Elements of Horror
Elements of Science Fiction
Epic
Exposition
Lifestream mythology
Love Triangle
Mako mythology
Pace
Significance of its themes to contemporary life
Transition from fighting a tyrant megacorporation to saving the world to going after one man to settle personal issues


Vehicles


Chocobo (Blue, Green, Black, Gold)
Hardy Daytona
Highwind
Submarine
Tiny Bronco


Weapons


Apocalypse
Buster Sword
Gatling Gun
Junon Cannon
Masamune
Meteor
Sister Ray
Ultimate Weapon (Cloud's)