#103: Final Fantasy VII

With thousands upon thousands (upon thousands!) of video games released since the 1970s, it's easy for some (well... many) to fall through the cracks. Very few are seminal titles that helped to define their era, genre, or hardware. Yet, 1997's Final Fantasy VII is undoubtedly one of the most important games ever released. It brought JRPGs from niche to mainstream, put Squaresoft on the map for millions of new customers around the world, helped solidify the original PlayStation's place in a competitive and changing market, and spawned a globally-viable franchise that only saw limited western releases in the years prior. Beyond that, though, Final Fantasy VII is deep. Like, really deep. It's a story about eco-terrorism, environmentalism, capitalism-run-amok, power, fear, and more. It also has a wonderful cast of characters -- from the evolving Cloud to the dangerous Sephiroth -- buttressed by what was at the time world-class 3D graphics and a still-amazing soundtrack. There's so much to say, really, and while we can't say it all, we can certainly say something. And that's what this episode of KnockBack is all about.

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