Final Fantasy VIII

The game mechanics are standard fare for an RPG: acquisition of items and spells, turn-based combat, experience points earned in combat allowing advances in levels. From exploration to battles to dialogue, Final Fantasy VIII has it all. However, Final Fantasy VIII falls to that great weakness of RPGs: random battles. While necessary for advancing in levels, the battles occur with such frequency that they can grow annoying, making for a tedious game experience.

The epic storyline spans four discs--over 40 hours of gameplay--and is based around a mercenary cadet who finds himself caught up with an underground rebel faction. He winds up in a plot to assassinate the sorceress who has just seized power from the president.

You could complain of limited replay value, but this gripe is of no consequence: the game is such a satisfying experience, it doesn't require replay. Final Fantasy VIII is easily worth both the hype and the wait. You can't buy a much better game. --John Cocking

Pros:

• A story to beat all stories
• Characters worth caring about
• Hey--it's from SquareSoft
• Stunning animations

• Too many random battles
• Combat is, as always, turn-based and offers minimal excitement
• Weak souls might give up after two or three discs of play

The 'thing' about FFVIII is, it strays away from what "RPG" has meant to most videogame RPG players over the last 15 or so years. It breaks many RPG traditions, even more than FFVII did. Meanwhile, many companies are still recycling the innovations made many years ago in previous FF games. If you're new to the RPG genre and have no pre-existing bias, you would be a fool not to give this game a try. It's a must. However, if you are a long-time FF fan, you will fall into one of two catagories:

A) Conservative- these are generally the people who hate FFVIII. They discovered the FF series with FFI or IV or VI, and to them, THAT is what an FF game has to be... when an FF game moves away from the earlier style and sensibility of the series (2D 8 or 16 bit graphics, ultra-lighthearted script, a story even a five year old with down syndrome could grasp), they scream bloody murder and "WORST FF GAME EVER! A DISGRACE TO THE FF NAME!" They would rather play half-baked cookie cutter RPGs like Suikoden. They know what they like and that's all they want. They would be happy to play the same games over and over and over for eternity, just change the names of the characters and slap a new title on it and they'll think they're playing something new.

B) Progressive- we also started playing FF on the NES or SNES, but these fans are in love with not only the FF games themselves, but they also value the actual EVOLUTION, DEVELOPMENT, and GROWTH of the series. Sometimes accused of being "masochistic" or "mindless" Squaresoft fans, the truth of the matter is that over the course of many years and many games, we have seen Squaresoft time and time again show that they simply tower above the competing videogame developers. Square and their games are not perfect, but they certainly come closer to perfection than anyone else. FFVIII is no exception.

One of the best features of the game is the cast of characters, and their characterization. These are perhaps the most-fleshed out and realistic characters ever seen in an RPG. Each one has a very distinct and well-defined personality. (And when anyone says that Squall, the lead character, has no personality, please ignore them. He does have a clear personality... which just so happens to be extremely low-key, calm, and cool.) The story itself is unlike any other RPG you've ever played. Rather than the the complex and grandiose epic that was FFVII or the operatic and sweeping FFVI, FFVIII is a bit more along the lines of a mystery intertwined with a romance. Gameplay is also radically shifted from the norm. Magic spells are taken from enemies rather than learned by leveling or unlocked from items. These spells can then be attatched to a character's various stats in order to boost them. For those who love micro-management, it's heaven.

I believe FFVIII to be a true masterpiece, and I recommend it to all gamers, with the exception of bitter and closed-minded "old skool ff fans".


Longest Running Non-Series   October 3, 2003
Marc Ruby™ (Warren, MI USA)
43 out of 51 found this review helpful

It's eye opening to turn back the clock and play the old Final Fantasy games in the light of the remarkable production values of FF X. Each game in the series set a standard for console and computer games that has changed the way today's player sees the RPG genre.

I originally played FF8 in the PC version, so I was interested in how the PS2 version would compare. Even with a my leaky memory, my impression is that the PS2 version is a bit solider graphically. And, of course, the use of a game controller makes everything seem smoother, even if it really isn't.

FF8 follows in the classic Final Fantasy mode - a team of characters headed by a serious minded leader, with a bunch of slightly wacky, but dedicated companions, take on an evil that seems to keep getting stronger and more capable with each advance of the plot. No villain ever really seems to die, the keep coming back in new and deadlier forms. And then there are the Guardian Forces, who provide all kinds of spectacle for the battles.

This time it is Squall, his fellow SeeDs, and the beautiful Rinoa. The story starts as a revolution, and then the characters discover that events are really being manipulated by a series of sorceresses who want to destroy the world so that they can rule it unchecked (I know that doesn't make any sense). All of this on a giant world make full of monsters convenient for leveling up.

And leveling up is certainly what a Final Fantasy game is about. Various side quests and challenges are provided so that reaching the levels needed to kill the final bosses doesn't become tedious, and an incredibly complex character building system makes sure that everyone's playing experience is different.

FF8 set a standard that is still higher than some games being written for the PS2 today, and managed to accomplish that on a more primitive platform. Graphics and character design are amazing, the plot complex, and the action satisfying. Proving that the best isn't always the newest and the loudest.


Interesting changes for the latest of long-running series   November 18, 1999
34 out of 42 found this review helpful

Out with the old, in with the new. This is what Square decided to do with their equip, money and magic systems, above other things. Money is given out as a salary based upon your SeeD rank. Magic is drawn from enemies, and you can't buy weapons or armor. In fact, money plays a very small role in this game. To use your summons (Guardian Forces in FFVIII), you must junction them. The plot takes several intersting twists (which I will not mention).

The game features many interesting and incredible side quests and sub games. Triple-Triad, the card game which can be played throughout the game, is better than a lot of full featured games for the playstation. You can become a card shark and beat little kids. No need to mention the graphics, you probably have already heard about that from eight million people.

Basically, Final Fantasy VIII is well worth the price, even for those who do not regularly play role playing games.


Gorgeous graphics, fun strategy/RP combination   September 5, 2000
Lisa Shea
31 out of 37 found this review helpful

I hate to admit it, but I used to think Final Fantasy was just a hack-and-slash series. I finally did some research into the series, and was amazed by what I read about FF8. I went out and bought a copy right away to see what it had to offer.

I was extremely impressed. Usually games offer something to adults, or to kids, but rarely do they get a combination that intrigues both. This has a training system that makes you figure out which kind of fighter you wish to be, what you want to earn points towards, how you want to talk to people, and which of your friends make the best allies against a certain situation.

In addition, an embedded card game series is quite complex, almost chess like. Often we were hard pressed to beat some of their masters, but winning the games brought great advantages going forward.

The combat and movement wasn't arcade like, where you had to hit the joystick just right in Spot A to hit the enemy in Spot B. It mostly was figuring out the right combination of healing, attacking, and defensive spells to cast to keep your party alive while taking out the enemy. There was little if any blood and gore. The aim of the fights was to outsmart your enemy, not to hack ribbons of flesh off of it.

And did I mention the cinematics? The dance scene in particular stands out in my mind as completely amazing. I would restart there on purpose to see the detail they put into the movements. If you love good animation, you could buy the game just to go from scene to scene.

If you enjoy role playing and graphic adventure games at all, I'd highly recommend this one. It does truly have something for everyone.


Sickeningly underrated   April 11, 2004
Jessie (USA)
19 out of 20 found this review helpful

As a girl obsessed with the likes of Zelda: The Ocarina Of Time, I was completely unfamiliar with turn based RPGs. When I recieved Final Fantasy 7 and 8 for Christmas, I naturally tried 7 first. I was horrified when I saw that you were unable to run around in a free roaming enviornment hacking and slashing at your leisure. Waiting my turn to deliver one blow was not my idea of a good time. Disgusted, I removed the game and inserted FF8. I was floored by the opening cinema. When the game started, I was confused by all the new terms. SeeD? Balamb Gatrden? Junction system? What the hell? But something compelled me to push onward. I was instantly hooked on the characters, which to me are much more appealing than the lego characters of the previous Final Fantasy games.

You play as the quiet lone wolf, 17 year old Squall Leonheart, a member of a group of mercenaries for hire known as SeeD. SeeDs reside in academys known as Gardens. When an evil sorceress gains the trust of President Deling and the people of Galbadia, Squall along with fellow SeeDs the perky Selphie Tilmitt, the loudmouthed Zell Dincht, the ladies' man Irvine, and the recently fired 18 year old instructer Quistis Trepe set out to assasinate her. Along the way, the lively and beautiful Rinoa Heartilly, a member of a resistance faction known as The Forest Owls teams up with them. Along the way, she struggles to bring down Squall's icy exterior and help him voice his feelings. The plot soon throws many curveballs, eventually bringing forth issues such as romance, possesion, time compression, prison abuse and escape, and traveling into the future.

I will admit that this game is extremely ambitious and has its flaws. The very different reviews serve to prove one thing: it depends wholly on the person whether or not you'll enjoy this game. Some people enjoy the game enough to get by its flaws and appreciate its differences, while others simply don't have the time or patience for it. It depends on your personality. Before buying, you must understand that:

-This is a love story

-The junction system (attatching magic to stats such as strength and HP to raise or lower the stat depending on magic type and quantity) takes a long time to understand and get fully confortable with. No other FF has had a system like this, and you may not like it

-You need to play through FOUR discs and have the time to put in upwards of 70 hours in order to get through everything the game has to offer. Patience is important.

While I am an impatient person who gets put to sleep by other RPGs, I enjoyed Final Fantasy 8 a lot. The characters meant something to me because they were realistic looking and typical teens rather than lego people with absent mouths. This is the black sheep of the series, and not everyone will appreciate it. In my case, it will always remain a favorite. For its time, no game was more gorgeous looking and emotional, and no final battle was as long and intense. The stunning ending clocks in at around a half hour. But some people aren't bothered by the long frequent GF summons, and some are extremely bothered by them. I can understand it. As I said, it all depends what kind of person you are.