There are few series I consider to even be on the same level as the twelve official games in the Final Fantasy legacy, and of those I consider chapter eight to be the undeniable pinnacle. Which, considering its predecessor, the nearly omnipotent fanboy wet dream that was FFVII, says one hell of a lot. This title had every reason to underwhelm, from the groundbreaking success that preceded it (and the enormous shadow of expectations it had cast) to the wildly different path it chose to tread in terms of storyline themes and visual direction... yet it succeeds all the same.