Final Fantasy VII has the better story and had more of an emotional impact on me (not because of Aerith though). It also features some of my favourite moments from any RPG I've played and I enjoyed the Materia system a lot. On the other hand IX has a very cohesive creative vision with its beautiful pre-rendered backgrounds and perfect music. I really like that it is more "tradiitonal" compared to other Final Fantasy's since the PS1 era and it has a cast of very likeable and memorable characters. I've often said that I think IX is the better game overall, but because VII has those special moments and a more powerful story I would have to go with VII.
So my choice is Final Fantasy VII - just.
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