Nostalgia review!
A tragically underrated game that was forced to follow-up the meteoric arrival of a once-in-a-generation megahit.
As one of those rare gamers that missed the aforementioned predecessor, entering into the Final Fantasy universe through FFVIII was nothing less than transformative. Prior to this game, I had no concept of what the scope of video games could promise and deliver. The characters were angsty, funny, gritty, silly, and ultimately felt more real than any other game I'd played before this. My impressionable pre-teen brain was left reeling at the seemingly impossible depths into which the game plunged. I'll never forget the feelings of that first time I was prompted to "PLEASE INSERT DISC 2."
I won't say it's the perfect game, and after nearly 25 years of gaming experience since, it certainly has its flaws. That said, I simply cannot understate the impact this game had on my life. It's not hyperbolic to say that this game is largely the reason I became a game designer and continue to see this medium as the ultimate way to experience media.
A tragically underrated game that was forced to follow-up the meteoric arrival of a once-in-a-generation megahit.
As one of those rare gamers that missed the aforementioned predecessor, entering into the Final Fantasy universe through FFVIII was nothing less than transformative. Prior to this game, I had no concept of what the scope of video games could promise and deliver. The characters were angsty, funny, gritty, silly, and ultimately felt more real than any other game I'd played before this. My impressionable pre-teen brain was left reeling at the seemingly impossible depths into which the game plunged. I'll never forget the feelings of that first time I was prompted to "PLEASE INSERT DISC 2."
I won't say it's the perfect game, and after nearly 25 years of gaming experience since, it certainly has its flaws. That said, I simply cannot understate the impact this game had on my life. It's not hyperbolic to say that this game is largely the reason I became a game designer and continue to see this medium as the ultimate way to experience media.