Definetly the two best RPG's ever.

I agree. (though the former is clearly superior)

Not even close. Here's why.

Final Fantasy VII was an amazing RPG at the time. In fact the year Final Fantasy VII released (and a few years after) I considered it as perfect as an RPG, or any game in general can be. But the thing is, as time passes, the bar will always be raised. Not just in video games but nearly anything you can think of. Sports, music, movies. Everything. Final Fantasy VII set the bar with great new things (Materia system, story, cutscenes), but the bar was raised right away when the next generation of consoles came around, and more importantly, when Final Fantasy X came around. Final Fantasy VII has the gameplay, the story, the music, all of that. But the one thing that lacks (and the least important factor, but a factor none the less) from being the absolute best is the visual quality of the game. Even Final Fantasy IX which was released only a few years after VII had graphics that are passable today. But VII has very dodgy, blocky, pointy, practically queasy visuals and even the cutscenes show they're age. Another thing Final Fantasy VII lacks (the only other thing) is that the lack of voice overs leaves something to be desired as far as story telling goes. Games like Final Fantasy X, XII, and Xenosaga combine high end visuals and great voice acting which engages players to become more engrossed in the story of the game. Final Fantasy VII can't do this, which takes away from it.

Now, Final Fantasy VIII is a little easier to explain because Final Fantasy VIII is one of the weakest entries in the series and in general as an RPG, it's still not that good. The in-game graphics are decent. Still not really something you can look at especially with the visual bar being raised in this new generation of consoles, let alone the way it was raised with games after Final Fantasy VIII came out. The story itself is weak compared to other FF games. The coincidencial moments in some areas are too much, and the story telling still relies solely on text. The Junction system is okay, but could've used some fine tuning. With the junction system being so off, this makes the battles incredibly boring and the time that is usually fun in RPGs (leveling time) is made to feel tedious. The soundtrack is good, but nothing too outstanding especially in Final Fantasy standards. One of the few areas that Final Fantasy VIII excels in with flying colors is the longevity. Tons of great, challenging side quests. Like Final Fantasy VII, it's still an amazing game. But like Final Fantasy VII, it's also still very dated and nowhere near the best of the genre.

I'd say the best RPG of all time would be between Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy IX, Final Fantasy X, and Chrono Cross.

Final Fantasy owns i own:
FF VII
FF VIII (BEST + HARDEST)
FF IX
FF X
FF X Pt.2
AWESOME GAMES i reccommend to anyone who has never played!!

My brethren, learn and understand the true path of enlightenment.

Where's the love of the first truely classic Final Fantasy game? I'm talking about Final Fantasy VI. I'm a fan of VII by all means, but VI was where the series really found its stride. It could be argued that it was the turning point for the entire RPG genre. It established the RPG as not only a fantasy genre, but also one of thoughtful commentary and complex story arcs. If you haven't played it, go back and do it. It's just as good as any FF game released after it despite the SNES graphics.

quote:

Originally posted by Max-Core:

FF VIII (BEST + HARDEST)

Maybe the hardest out of that list, but by no means the hardest of the Final Fantasy series.

quote:

Originally posted by D.A.N.:

Chrono Trigger

An absolute classic to be sure.