Yes, I'm the kind of guy who played FFVII when it came out and now, on the future, tried this sequel to the saga.
I hated almost every minute of it. Despite cool graphics, good music, ... what the actual fck is this gameplay? You have to study a lot to learn how to fight properly and boost your characters and at the end... the game adapts its difficulty to your level! So, why fighting? What's the point? On VII, you didn't need to know all the secrets of Materia to have fun! I've actually beaten it two times and there are still things that I don't really understand.
Combats are slow, the animation of the characters and their reactions seem heavy, not dynamic at all.
Then suddenly you're playing with other characters and here you are again learning the backstory of a completely new set of characters when you were on the middle of something, and yes, it's impossible to know how to properly boost their abilities too, but who cares, it's pointless.
And then there's a stupid card minigame with a lot of rules that at the end is also pointless, but I can care a lot more about betting cards than the actual fck I can give about the characters backstories.
So you could be playing that on a Gameboy.
Don't think I'm going to know whats on the CDs beyond the first one ever.
I hated almost every minute of it. Despite cool graphics, good music, ... what the actual fck is this gameplay? You have to study a lot to learn how to fight properly and boost your characters and at the end... the game adapts its difficulty to your level! So, why fighting? What's the point? On VII, you didn't need to know all the secrets of Materia to have fun! I've actually beaten it two times and there are still things that I don't really understand.
Combats are slow, the animation of the characters and their reactions seem heavy, not dynamic at all.
Then suddenly you're playing with other characters and here you are again learning the backstory of a completely new set of characters when you were on the middle of something, and yes, it's impossible to know how to properly boost their abilities too, but who cares, it's pointless.
And then there's a stupid card minigame with a lot of rules that at the end is also pointless, but I can care a lot more about betting cards than the actual fck I can give about the characters backstories.
So you could be playing that on a Gameboy.
Don't think I'm going to know whats on the CDs beyond the first one ever.
this game is bad but i have no hatred in my heart for it. im convinced this game was created in a laboratory to be a bizarro world parody of final fantasy 7 instead of a genuine follow up. why else would the junction system or anything after disc 1 exist. i love it
GOAT
bomb ass music but how the hell did i sit through this shit
One of the many cases where both the haters and the fans exaggerate it.
I like this alot more than it deserves to be liked honestly
triple triad is my favorite card game though and the junction system is perfect for someone who likes to fuck around with stats a lot. There a few plot twists that are really dumb, not a great ff storywise.
triple triad is my favorite card game though and the junction system is perfect for someone who likes to fuck around with stats a lot. There a few plot twists that are really dumb, not a great ff storywise.
I really enjoyed the Junction system.
I did not enjoy Rinoa.
This really spoke to me when I was younger; playing it again recently and the story and characters are a little more insufferable than I remember.
I did not enjoy Rinoa.
This really spoke to me when I was younger; playing it again recently and the story and characters are a little more insufferable than I remember.
Mit die besten Dialoge, der beste Soundtrack und die schönste Optik aller Zeiten. Die Story und die Spielwelt sind nicht perfekt, aber Gott die Cutscenes sind so genial eingesetzt. Nie wieder erreichte Klasse.
whatever
One of my favorite games ever! It's definitely very different from most FF games, but honestly that's exactly what makes it so charming. Squall and Rinoa's story and the way this game presents it is exactly what makes it great, but i can totally understand how that's not for everyone. I think Squall and Rinoa are some of the best fictional characters out there, but the game does focus on them for 95% of the time, so if you're having a hard time connecting with them, chances are you won't like it. If you do enjoy them though, you're in for a treat. Incredibly cathartic experience for me through how much i was able to understand Squall's perspective, and the way he grows through the game is phenomenal. Loved it.
what if we...
ate hot dogs in balamb garden?
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just kidding...
ate hot dogs in balamb garden?
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just kidding...
"it's bad" wrong. fuck you
this is the worst final fantasy game
I remember really enjoying this as a kid.
Someone actually wrote this story. That alone is pretty mind-blowing in itself even if it's far from the most coherent story.
Amazing music, some good characters and decent combat which is very easy to exploit and break. Nowhere close to the best FF, but not the worst either, pretty mid at the end of the day.
Amazing music, some good characters and decent combat which is very easy to exploit and break. Nowhere close to the best FF, but not the worst either, pretty mid at the end of the day.
how is this a videogame that was written by a human being what the fuck is happening
this is my new favorite ff game. the battle system gets a lot of hate but its all about mastering it. once i finally got it down this game is deeply satisfying and addicting. i dont normally even do sidequests or ultimate weapons etc in jrpgs because i dont typically find them fun, but this game has some of the most fun sidequests/content ive ever done. doesnt deserve the hate it gets. while the plot is not the best a ff game has done, it is engaging and the characters are all likable and the romance between squall and rinoa makes me want to fall in love. indisputably one of the most amazing video game soundtracks. all around an amazing video game, i dont think ill ever experience this much fun with a video game ever again
We all know that the combat system is something else. A lot of people hate it, and I kinda really like it and also hate it. It has some fresh ideas that I would have love to see refined. It has some of my favorite ff music, I also love the setting. I also never got far in the game, but that does not really matter, it still had a lot of influence on me.
This review contains spoilers
how was this game was thought out, written, and made by people because i will say this: time compression and enemy sync lvl: the best game design
Final Fantssy VIII is a pretentious, uninspired, confusing and poorly cobbled together piece of congealed failure.
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also Squall is propably the worst Main Protagonist ever.
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also Squall is propably the worst Main Protagonist ever.
My second FF game, and the first FF I actually beat as a kid. Deserves all the praise it gets and none of the criticism. Truly iconic.
Despite some recent cultural re-evaluation, FF8 still lives in the shadow of FF7, its cooler, and, quite frankly, better older sibling and it's easy to see why—the party characters are on average a little less endearing (despite being in the minority in terms of liking Squall and RInoa I still hate Irvine), the story is a little less interesting, and the anarchism has gone from blowing up power stations to writing zines.
That said, the game excels around the edges story-wise—I'd argue that the NPC chatter is some of the most well-done in the genre and creates a lot of interesting texture and the background artwork for the game looks fantastic (games should do more fixed-camera-angle stuff imo). This sounds like it's damning with faint praise but I promise it isn't—it's these sort of things that help the game excel in specific moments.
FF8's mechanics are notoriously easy to exploit and misinterpret—shoutout to my friend who hates this game because he never got Card Mod—but I appreciate the swings that the Junction System tries to take, which are annoying to start with and a joy once you've got your head around the terminology.
All in all, it's a bit of a mess, but an endearing one.
(if you look like seifer dm me on twitter thx)
That said, the game excels around the edges story-wise—I'd argue that the NPC chatter is some of the most well-done in the genre and creates a lot of interesting texture and the background artwork for the game looks fantastic (games should do more fixed-camera-angle stuff imo). This sounds like it's damning with faint praise but I promise it isn't—it's these sort of things that help the game excel in specific moments.
FF8's mechanics are notoriously easy to exploit and misinterpret—shoutout to my friend who hates this game because he never got Card Mod—but I appreciate the swings that the Junction System tries to take, which are annoying to start with and a joy once you've got your head around the terminology.
All in all, it's a bit of a mess, but an endearing one.
(if you look like seifer dm me on twitter thx)
I played Final Fantasy VIII for the first time fifteen years ago. Despite loving the music and the visuals, I never progressed beyond disc 1 because I found the story and characters (Squall aside) to be bland. And then there was the junction system, which...well, everybody has already talked about that a million times. It's really neat in concept, but tedious in practice. (I would love to see it attempted again with some things adjusted.)
Anyway!
2020 happened, and I figured it was finally time to knuckle down and finish the game that splits opinions like Squall splits skulls.
And…
I still think the first disc and a half of FFVIII is a total tranquiliser of a game. I'm sorry. I nearly quit like ten million times. The jailbreak sequence at the start of disc 2 was especially dull. That said, something changed when I reached Fisherman's Horizon. The writing there, when you talk to some of the NPC's... It's hot shit, am I right? Like, suddenly it's firing on all cylinders. The dialogue is charged. The skits are funny. This energy bleeds out into the subsequent scenes, too. It's the strangest thing. Your characters start meshing more, and the jokes start zipping.
One of my favourite moments was right after FH, when you put together a band with your characters and set their instruments and perform a song with them for two of your party members to dance to. It's whimsical. It's cute. It's a little stupid. Like, that's the kind of thing I play Final Fantasy for. Everything is going to hell, but then your oddball characters take five and do something that totally eases the tension. It's like smiling at someone you love, moments before the moon crashes into the Earth. It's beautiful. Another example of a scene like this is the date in FF7, when you can get Cloud to kiss the wrong person in the play, and then they twirl off stage.
From FH onward, I really did enjoy Final Fantasy VIII.
Now, a sudden improvement in the writing didn't fix all the problems. The characters didn't actually get any richer, they were just used better. The gameplay didn't improve, but it felt like less of a problem because, well, at least the dialogue was hitting cleaner. And the plot... well, I quite liked the plot from then on! I know most people complain about how wacky it gets, but I think it became a lot more entertaining when it stopped making 100% sense.
(By the way, my favourite thing about the game, soundtrack aside, is the way Squall thinks to himself the whole way through the story, because he's afraid to voice his feelings. Sometimes he answers other people's questions in his head, but forgets to answer out loud, and they're like, yo, you there? and I just find that really great.)
Well, I've talked long enough about this one. Am I going to play it again? Probably not... Would I recommend it? ... ... ... Tentative yes! I'm as surprised as anyone.
Anyway!
2020 happened, and I figured it was finally time to knuckle down and finish the game that splits opinions like Squall splits skulls.
And…
I still think the first disc and a half of FFVIII is a total tranquiliser of a game. I'm sorry. I nearly quit like ten million times. The jailbreak sequence at the start of disc 2 was especially dull. That said, something changed when I reached Fisherman's Horizon. The writing there, when you talk to some of the NPC's... It's hot shit, am I right? Like, suddenly it's firing on all cylinders. The dialogue is charged. The skits are funny. This energy bleeds out into the subsequent scenes, too. It's the strangest thing. Your characters start meshing more, and the jokes start zipping.
One of my favourite moments was right after FH, when you put together a band with your characters and set their instruments and perform a song with them for two of your party members to dance to. It's whimsical. It's cute. It's a little stupid. Like, that's the kind of thing I play Final Fantasy for. Everything is going to hell, but then your oddball characters take five and do something that totally eases the tension. It's like smiling at someone you love, moments before the moon crashes into the Earth. It's beautiful. Another example of a scene like this is the date in FF7, when you can get Cloud to kiss the wrong person in the play, and then they twirl off stage.
From FH onward, I really did enjoy Final Fantasy VIII.
Now, a sudden improvement in the writing didn't fix all the problems. The characters didn't actually get any richer, they were just used better. The gameplay didn't improve, but it felt like less of a problem because, well, at least the dialogue was hitting cleaner. And the plot... well, I quite liked the plot from then on! I know most people complain about how wacky it gets, but I think it became a lot more entertaining when it stopped making 100% sense.
(By the way, my favourite thing about the game, soundtrack aside, is the way Squall thinks to himself the whole way through the story, because he's afraid to voice his feelings. Sometimes he answers other people's questions in his head, but forgets to answer out loud, and they're like, yo, you there? and I just find that really great.)
Well, I've talked long enough about this one. Am I going to play it again? Probably not... Would I recommend it? ... ... ... Tentative yes! I'm as surprised as anyone.
final fantasy 8 is a special game to me cuz it was my first video game ever and loved it the first second i played it.
it is just my fav ff game
it is just my fav ff game
Your enjoyment will be entirely determined on whether you like the relationship between Squall and Rinoa. If you don't, like me, then the game has little else going for it. This game has my least favorite plot twist in any story. The junction system isn't poorly designed and leads to the same problem as FF7 where using magic is sub-optimal so fights just consist of regular attacking. The graphics are a huge step up from FF7 and of course the music is always great.
This review contains spoilers
Final Fantasy VIII, aka, FF8, is potentially the most divisive game in the Final Fantasy franchise. Released after the huge success of FF7, it had a lot to live up to. For many fans, it hit the spot, but for others, not so much. With it being the latest FF game in my quest to complete them all, I'm hoping I can shed some light on why this is one of the most controversial entries to grace the series.
As is the case with many FF titles, the first thing that comes to mind with FF8 is its cast of characters, and as is usually the case with these games, they live up to expectations. Not only are the protagonists likeable, but many of the side characters are as well, many of them having direct involvement with the plot of the game. The characters only become more likeable as the game goes on, with a heavy focus on character development being ever present, particularly for the leading man, Squall Leonhart.
We also have an interesting main antagonist, who, despite not being actually revealed until nearer the end of the game, is in fact an ever present threat from near the start, with a reveal that ties in nicely with one of the plot's biggest twists. Sadly, the secondary antagonists fail to live up to the hype of their previous counterparts, such as Shinra and the Turks.
As far as the music goes, as per usual with Square games in general, we once again get treated to a glorious soundtrack. Whilst not as iconic as the OSTs of other FF entries, especially those of FF6, FF7 and FF10, tunes like Force Your Way, Liberi Fatali and The Extreme really tie this game together.
As far as the plot is concerned, FF8 is by far the most sci-fi influenced entry to the series thus far, and in a series full of time travel, airships, and futuristic cities, that's quite the accomplishment. Naturally, being so heavily influenced by sci-fi, particularly the themes of time travel and paradoxes, it is also one of Final Fantasy's most convoluted plots, which often leads to it being one of the biggest points of contention within the FF fandom. The only way I can think to describe the plot is wibbly wobbly timey wimey, which is apt, as it will appeal most to fans of shows like Doctor Who.
Unfortunately, the most controversial aspects of FF8 are mostly related to its gameplay. The main progression system of the game is the Junctioning system, which is pretty much mandatory. Players have to junction summons (or Guardian Forces, as they are known in this world) to access magic, items and other available options in battle, with only Attack being available otherwise. Junctioning also allows players to boost their stats by junction magic to them, which is far more important for getting stronger than levelling up is. It also leads to a rather interesting gameplay dilemma.
Magic doesn't work the same way in FF8. Rather than learn spells and use MP, you 'draw' spells from specific places and from enemies, and then stock them. You can also refine magic from items, provided you have earned enough AP to learn refining abilities from your GFs. This leads to a lot of farming on a near constant basis, especially if you want to optimize your stats via junctioning. Also, using junctioned magic decreases your stats as you will have less of that spell attached to your stats, so unless you have a lot of different spells and are able to switch them based on your current situation, it can make having a dedicated mage incredibly difficult, especially earlier in the game and before unlocking the ability to refine magic from items. You can also cast directly from drawing in battle, rather than stocking the spells first, but you will do less damage.
The other big gameplay issue many players have is the level scaling. Every enemy scales as the player levels up, and this can actually make the game more difficult at times. An enemy at the start of the game will always be as comparatively strong, no matter your level. This is particularly frustrating if you get stuck on a boss, as it doesn't really leave any options to better prepare for the fight, unless you are able to leave and stock up more magic.
On top of this, FF8 is particularly infamous within the fandom for the number of tutorials it throws at you, and the not so friendly menu UI. Sorting your items does not rearrange their battle order, which you have to do manually, and exchanging magic between characters can be just as annoying.
There are, however, a couple of gameplay elements that are widely received quite well.
Limit Breaks are surprisingly in depth in comparison to FF7's and the Overdrives of FF10. They start to appear with a low chance at around 25% health, being more likely to appear if HP is lower. They also have a hidden stat called Crisis Level, which makes them far more common and potent based on how low HP is, if any party members have been KOed, and how many status effects are negatively affecting the party. A player with good knowledge of FF8's limit system can abuse it almost infinitely.
FF8 is also home to one of the most popular FF minigames of all time, Triple Triad. It's a simple enough card game (for the most part) which you can win more cards through, and even has a few side quests attached to it, as well as a card collection for you to complete. Some of the rules that can come into play do complicate things though, with random card selection being one of the most frustrating.
With multiple ports and versions now available, Remastered is the best FF8 experience, having fixed numerous issues, as well as finally making Squall the actual most handsome guy in the room. However, despite the improved models, the pre-rendered backgrounds don't upscale very well and are quite blurry at times. Chocobo World and a few achievements have also been removed. However, Boko's upgraded abilities and the exclusive items can be obtained natively instead, and the missing achievements are mostly Chocobo World related or super grindy, like killing 10k enemies.
Overall, Final Fantasy VIII is not a bad game. It certainly gets a lot more negative reception than it deserves. If you are able to learn its intricacies, it is quite enjoyable. However, more casual JRPG fans will likely find the game to be more frustrating than anything else, and it is easy to see why this game causes so much controversy within the overall FF fan base. Regardless of this, I still recommend it for the story alone, even if you have to resort to the built in cheats later ports included.
As is the case with many FF titles, the first thing that comes to mind with FF8 is its cast of characters, and as is usually the case with these games, they live up to expectations. Not only are the protagonists likeable, but many of the side characters are as well, many of them having direct involvement with the plot of the game. The characters only become more likeable as the game goes on, with a heavy focus on character development being ever present, particularly for the leading man, Squall Leonhart.
We also have an interesting main antagonist, who, despite not being actually revealed until nearer the end of the game, is in fact an ever present threat from near the start, with a reveal that ties in nicely with one of the plot's biggest twists. Sadly, the secondary antagonists fail to live up to the hype of their previous counterparts, such as Shinra and the Turks.
As far as the music goes, as per usual with Square games in general, we once again get treated to a glorious soundtrack. Whilst not as iconic as the OSTs of other FF entries, especially those of FF6, FF7 and FF10, tunes like Force Your Way, Liberi Fatali and The Extreme really tie this game together.
As far as the plot is concerned, FF8 is by far the most sci-fi influenced entry to the series thus far, and in a series full of time travel, airships, and futuristic cities, that's quite the accomplishment. Naturally, being so heavily influenced by sci-fi, particularly the themes of time travel and paradoxes, it is also one of Final Fantasy's most convoluted plots, which often leads to it being one of the biggest points of contention within the FF fandom. The only way I can think to describe the plot is wibbly wobbly timey wimey, which is apt, as it will appeal most to fans of shows like Doctor Who.
Unfortunately, the most controversial aspects of FF8 are mostly related to its gameplay. The main progression system of the game is the Junctioning system, which is pretty much mandatory. Players have to junction summons (or Guardian Forces, as they are known in this world) to access magic, items and other available options in battle, with only Attack being available otherwise. Junctioning also allows players to boost their stats by junction magic to them, which is far more important for getting stronger than levelling up is. It also leads to a rather interesting gameplay dilemma.
Magic doesn't work the same way in FF8. Rather than learn spells and use MP, you 'draw' spells from specific places and from enemies, and then stock them. You can also refine magic from items, provided you have earned enough AP to learn refining abilities from your GFs. This leads to a lot of farming on a near constant basis, especially if you want to optimize your stats via junctioning. Also, using junctioned magic decreases your stats as you will have less of that spell attached to your stats, so unless you have a lot of different spells and are able to switch them based on your current situation, it can make having a dedicated mage incredibly difficult, especially earlier in the game and before unlocking the ability to refine magic from items. You can also cast directly from drawing in battle, rather than stocking the spells first, but you will do less damage.
The other big gameplay issue many players have is the level scaling. Every enemy scales as the player levels up, and this can actually make the game more difficult at times. An enemy at the start of the game will always be as comparatively strong, no matter your level. This is particularly frustrating if you get stuck on a boss, as it doesn't really leave any options to better prepare for the fight, unless you are able to leave and stock up more magic.
On top of this, FF8 is particularly infamous within the fandom for the number of tutorials it throws at you, and the not so friendly menu UI. Sorting your items does not rearrange their battle order, which you have to do manually, and exchanging magic between characters can be just as annoying.
There are, however, a couple of gameplay elements that are widely received quite well.
Limit Breaks are surprisingly in depth in comparison to FF7's and the Overdrives of FF10. They start to appear with a low chance at around 25% health, being more likely to appear if HP is lower. They also have a hidden stat called Crisis Level, which makes them far more common and potent based on how low HP is, if any party members have been KOed, and how many status effects are negatively affecting the party. A player with good knowledge of FF8's limit system can abuse it almost infinitely.
FF8 is also home to one of the most popular FF minigames of all time, Triple Triad. It's a simple enough card game (for the most part) which you can win more cards through, and even has a few side quests attached to it, as well as a card collection for you to complete. Some of the rules that can come into play do complicate things though, with random card selection being one of the most frustrating.
With multiple ports and versions now available, Remastered is the best FF8 experience, having fixed numerous issues, as well as finally making Squall the actual most handsome guy in the room. However, despite the improved models, the pre-rendered backgrounds don't upscale very well and are quite blurry at times. Chocobo World and a few achievements have also been removed. However, Boko's upgraded abilities and the exclusive items can be obtained natively instead, and the missing achievements are mostly Chocobo World related or super grindy, like killing 10k enemies.
Overall, Final Fantasy VIII is not a bad game. It certainly gets a lot more negative reception than it deserves. If you are able to learn its intricacies, it is quite enjoyable. However, more casual JRPG fans will likely find the game to be more frustrating than anything else, and it is easy to see why this game causes so much controversy within the overall FF fan base. Regardless of this, I still recommend it for the story alone, even if you have to resort to the built in cheats later ports included.
Great music, good characters, decent story, fun combat.
I think FF8 is very underrated as it has an amazing story and very memorable characters and a interesting world.
terrible gameplay with an alright story. the soundtrack carries most of the game while it's simply a classic love story with a good twist at the end. most enjoyable part of the game is the end.
peepee shit fart