How to decide the best JRPG ever made?

This is a question that will gain a wide variety of responses from JRPG fans and gamers.  But how do we truly determine which is really the best one ever made?  Over the years, there have been quite a number of polls conducted, with some games featuring in just about everyone - while some truly wonderful games either don't get a mention, or poll rather poorly.  One way to determine how popular a game is, is through sales - and on that basis, Final Fantasy VII would probably win (amassing over 10 million sales - incl. PSN downloads).  But just because it sold a lot of copies, does that make it the most popular JRPG of all time?  It's good indication, but certainly not a guarantee. 

Another indication could be demands from a game's fans for the developer to make a sequel, or a remake if it's an older game.  It's no secret that fans of Final Fantasy VII have been crying out (virtually screaming) to Square-Enix for both, for well over a decade now.  While Square-Enix have yet to respond with either (despite confirming a remake has been green-lit), they have made a prequel game as well as a sequel in the form of a CGI movie.  The recent annoncement of a HD remake of Final Fantasy X will please some fans, but undoubtably frustrate and baffle others.  It certainly would make more sense to develop a HD remake of their most popular and most successful game ever.  Could this be an indication that Final Fantasy VII is the greatest JRPG of all time?  It's definitely a strong indicator.

It's no secret that Final Fantasy VII practically sold the Playstion 1 console and RPGs to the world, not to mention making the RPG a certifiable genre.  Imagine what would have happened if Nintendo had made the Nintendo64 console with discs rather than cartridges - Nintendo would not have lost the Final Fantasy series to Sony for one thing.

There's no doubt that Final Fantasy VII is popular and well-known, and topped (or rated very highly) in nearly ever poll - so it would be a fair comment to declare it the greatest JRPG of all-time.  But ... there have been other JRPGs that have sold well, rated well in polls and have fans wanting sequels.  Games from other popular series such as Dragon Quest, Star Ocean, Megami Tensei, Ys, Xenosaga, Grandia and Shadow Hearts - to name but a few - all have done well and become popular.

Whatever the sales figures, or the results of polls, or the legions of fans - deciding the most popular JRPG of all time is certainly always going to be a source of conjecture amongst gamers and fans of JRPGs.