Final Fantasy VIII

THE BAD:
-Repetitive Draw system, which makes stocking magic difficult.
-Characters seem to not be entirely fleshed out in back plot, and have been randomly thrown together.
-A few plot holes that leave the player wondering what really happened.

SUMMARY:
I must start off this review by stating that this Final Fantasy title, whilst may not arguably be the best in the series, was one that really stole my heart in my younger gaming days when I would stay up for hours on end playing.

The graphics of this game, for it's time, are simply amazing and were a dramatic step from the blocky characters that the public were presented with in Final Fantasy VII. To compliment the more fleshed out characters, simple things such as picking up a glass of wine from a tray, or two characters hugging can be more accurately portrayed. The addition of resounding footsteps with each foot fall, adds a depth to the characters that could never have previously been imagined. With the full 3D rendered environments, the game comes to life in vivid colour that will leave players with nostalgic memories when they look upon an image of a location they may have visited within the duration of the game, in the future. The full 3D cinematic sequences compliment those climatic parts of the game that just can't accurately capture the emotional moments in normal graphics. Events like Rinoa falling from Balamb Garden, and XATM-092 chasing the party through the deserted streets of Dollet are even more heart stopping as they are brought to life in full motion video.

What would a Final Fantasy title be without the expertise of Nobou Uematsu and his magical genius in creating the right mood for each scene of the game. Moments of urgency are accurately captured in such tracks as A Plank Between One and Perdition, and Dead End. Where romance is given a whole new level with tracks such as Roses and Wine and My Mind. I can't write a review on Final Fantasy VIII without making mention of my all time favorite Final Fantasy track, The Extreme, which creates such an atmosphere for the final battle, that your blood will be racing and sweat will literally pour from your pores.

Battle wise, the system utilized is different to what has previously been seen within a Final Fantasy title (which is typical of Square-Enix -- Squaresoft, at the time). Whilst they remain in an active time battle environment, magic is pivotal to the survival of the characters participating in battle. Not only for it's offensive, defensive or curative uses within battle but also for the junctioning function outside of battle which boosts a characters stats and elemental strengths and weaknesses accordingly. By junctioning Fire to a character's weapon, for example, they will effectively be able to attack with a fire based element to their assault. Junctioning is conducted through the use of Guardian Forces, unique and powerful beings that can also be summoned into battle to assist a party up dire straits. Magic can be junctioned to statuses such as Strength, HP, MP and others of the like, to effectively raise the prowess of the character and make them more battle savvy.

Limit Breaks make a return in the title, and once again are character specific. From the sword/gun slinging Renzokuken, to the Blue Magic of Quistis and the random magic slots of Selphie, each character has their battle strength in relation to their special move which will make selecting your ideal party quite difficult.

One of the strengths of Final Fantasy VIII would have to be its storyline. A military organisation established to assassinate a Sorceress in dire times is the starting point of the game for young Squall Leonheart who is soon to become a SeeD (Elite military unit of the establishment Garden). SeeD are like mercenaries, and are entirely neutral to the political activities of provinces and governments, however for the right fee can be hired out to whoever requests them for military and tactical assistance. Rinoa Heartilly, the lead female of the tale leads a small resistance group in the town of Timber, who are valiantly trying to fight off the grasp that the mighty military nation of Galbadia has over them. A chance meeting at an inauguration ceremony sets the plot heading in the right direction where Squall and company will find themselves facing a dead end at every turn with no chance of survival without a fight.

Now I must say, Squall would have to be one of the first Final Fantasy males to truly develop throughout the course of a game of the franchise. It may be true that the other lead males do change somewhat, but for Squall to go from a reclusive, like talking to a brick wall kind of guy, to having an outward leadership style really makes the game worth the while just to watch how he grows and changes through the course of the storyline.

If you have not yet played Final Fantasy VIII then I would really recommend that you do, for it is a tale that will remain ingrained into your soul for the rest of your life.

THE BAD:
-The character development isn't always there.
- Potential was lost for some characters.
- Takes a while to get used to the Junctioning system.
- Needed a bit more back story.

SUMMARY:

Graphics: 4.5
Final Fantasy VIII had beautiful graphics for its time. The FMV scenes were stunning and really showed off what the Playstation could do. In-game, the characters looked pretty good as well. The backgrounds and the surrounding areas where ever your characters traveled looked great. Things didn't look too grainy like in past FF games.


Squall and Rinoa = #1 Couple

Plot: 4.5
The plot was pretty solid in my opinion. The growth of Squall and Rinoa was amazing though. You really do see them grow into better characters. The love story is one of the best for sure! Though, towards the end of the game, things were left unfinished and seemed rushed at times. The other "main characters" were left out in the character development department. Some of the main characters lost the potential to be great. The good thing though is you get a pretty good idea of their personalities and they are much more realistic as characters than those found in FFVII or FFIX. The overall main story with the missions to defeat the sorceress Edea was great and very enjoyable, but sometimes the back story wasn't always there.

Battle System: 4.4
I found the Junctioning system to be fun. Though some find drawing magic boring, I think the shift from MP to be a nice change which worked in the end. It was a great, new way to raise your characters stats. The GFs were also a great part of the system. I loved the idea of them learning the abilities which would help make your characters as great as they can be. FF8 mixed in the new system with the old nicely.

Music: 4.8
The music in the game is absolutely amazing. "Eyes on Me" is a beautiful song, which fits perfectly with the "Squinoa" love story. The other tracks like "The Oath", The Legendary Beast", "Premonition", and "The Extreme" are all nicely composed. No wonder the music has won awards in the past.

Replay Value: 4.6
There are many things that would make you want to replay Final Fantasy VIII again. There are challenges you can take up, like the "No Junction Chellege". As well as exploring the storyline at a deeper level. There are also the fun side quests, like the always helpful Triple Triad game. This game has a lot more to offer than you will think in your first play through. The game will be as enjoyable or even more so than the first time you play it.

Overall: 4.6
Final Fantasy VIII is a must have RPG, especially if you are a FF fan. The story is easy to get into and makes you want more. It has a classic romance between two great characters. The battle system is fun once you get the hang of it. Of course there are the negatives, but the positives shine more so than the negatives. You will not be disappointed with the game.

I promise.

THE BAD:
The Loading Intervals between battles and areas seem to lag quite bit, especially when the game has gripped you and you just wnat to get going with it. Some inexplicable occurances can make for decent discussion, but there are a set few that can eat at your mind. Character histories seem to be rather lacking in terms of storyline.

SUMMARY:
Final Fantasy VIII is one of the most popular games in its series, and quite rightly so. A fully three dimensional World Map has many locations, all of which inhabit their own set of 'Monsters' (mystical creatures that make up the Random Encounters). Explore enough and you will eventually come across hidden locations, Draw Points (points at which characters may stock up on magic), and a surprise or two along the way (reference to Cactuar Island). There are 100+ monsters in the game, each forged with it's own characteristics, skills, and habitat. These monsters can range from feeble bugs, through the undead and dinosaurs, all the way to might Dragons and other creatures of mythical proportion, consisting of the traditional 'Behemoth', 'Chimera', 'Cactuar', 'Ochu', etc. A lot of the credibility from this game comes from its plot, the storyline that starts with one man. Noticable changes in peronality and viewpoints are apparent in this game, a kind of fixed 'Character Advancement System' in itself. Certainly one of the 'jewels' of the Final Fantasy series, Final Fantasy VIII offers next to everything; Action, Romance, an in-depth plot, Fully customisable characters and equipment, an arsenal of various different abilities, magic, and a unique array of 'Limit Breaks', fun mini-games and replayability, a massive selection of multi-purpose items, a full menu of various tutorials at the ready at any time, longevity, and fantastic FMV sequences. I would recommend this game to any RPG fan willing to try it out, as it is certainly worth the experience. NM

THE BAD:
- Backstory, history didn't feel complete
- Junction system isn't for everyone

SUMMARY:
The story of FFVIII is arguably the best love story in an RPG to date. This game is the fastest selling Final Fantasy game for many reasons:

To quote Jim Carrey: "B-E-A-Utiful."

Battle system's looking pretty solid.

The music must have stopped them dead in their tracks.

Squall probably regreted dancing with her then. Truth be told, though, she was right!

FFVIII - A classic love story.

THE BAD:
The occasional unclear plot point found within the story occasionally hampers the development

Not as challenging in many respects as previous ff installments. Battles are easier in most cases, even boss battles.

SUMMARY:
Plot summary:
17 year old Squall Leonhart is a cold and independent young man, an Elite fighter in the Millitary Academy of SeeD. His first mission is the beginning of an Epic journey of a new evil revealing itself to the world. Throughout the quest he meets a collection of trustworthy friends and fellow warriors ; a lively,emotion-fuelled fist Fighter Zell, a spunky young messenger Selphie, his fiercely intelligent instructor Qusitis, a smooth talking Sniper Irvine, and a beautiful spirited resistance leader Rinoa.

The typical seed mission these characters embark on soon turns into something much more, with the emergence of a mysterious sorceress bent on world domination. a journey that leads them to discover things about the world they never knew and things about themselves, their past and their future. Will this group come together to save the world? And will the reluctant hero find a way to let love into his cold heart?

Summary:

The game is excellent. The story is engrossing and engaging and although slightly fantastical it maintains an element of realism throughout by focusing on the humanity of the characters.
The setting of the game is excellent, a whole new world with cities and villages to explore, each with its own significance to the games story.

As well as the story there are many entertaining side quests such as the traditional FF Chocobos!
The optional Gfs are a nice touch, they require some exploration and often puzzles to get them, but again this adds a nice touch to the game and allows the player flexibility.
These extend the game play and make sure there is always something for the player to do.
The features, specifically the music and graphics are excellent even compared to its more technologically advanced succsessors. The occasional glitch in graphics is inevitable, but in no way spoils the game.

Although the new junction/draw system can be difficult to grasp in the early stages, it allows the player to take complete control of their characters performance in battle and the range of junction abilities really make things interesting. The element of drawing also adds a new dynamic to the battle, using enimies magic to your advantage or 'draw and cast' to get out of a tricky situation!

Overall, its combination of story, the interesting new system, the life like characters and the traditional elements of final fantasy make it one of the best in the series, if not the best. As my favourite game of all time,I would recommend it to everyone.

THE BAD:
Everything! Drawing magic? What the hell is that? Where's my materia? GFs? Gunblades? Don't even get me started on the story.

SUMMARY:
After being completely and utterly floored by this game's predecessor, FFVII, I had high hopes for VIII especially considering the huge graphical leap.

Boy was I ever disappointed.

(Spoilers ahead)

Like I said before, the only good thing about this game was its graphics, which now are terribly dated and mediocre. I can look past FFVIIs poor graphics because of its completely immersive story, its music, and its characters. VIII, though...

Squall seems like they tried to re-make Cloud, but instead of making a likeable (if mixed up and slightly awkward) character, they gave us a whiny emo kid who liked to think in books (and apparantly people can infer from his trademark '...' just what he's feeling! magnificent!). Don't even get me started on the gunblade. It would have been OK if it was just a sword with a weird handle, but there's no way that shooting bullets into the blade would do -anything- but weaken it or make it break. Christ..

Zell and Selphie need some ritalin or tranquilizers. Zell could be moderately cool at times but most of the time I wanted to shoot both of them. Hyperactive and annoying, that's how to best put it. And Selphie's limit? Bah, useless.

Rinoa, Rinoa.. Tifa pt. 2? Only she's not even close to the awesomeness of Tifa. The love story between her and Squall was so.. urgh.. stomach-churning.

They could have had the love story work if they didn't freaking shove it down our throats and make it the main story. Again I point to FF7, where they managed to insert the love triangle of Cloud, Aeris and Tifa without forcing it down our throats for three discs. I play a Final Fantasy game for an adventure to save the world, not to watch some sappy emo kid learn to dance.

The Edea/Adel/Ultimecia thing was bizarre and a bad move, in my opinion. You shouldn't learn who you're -really- fighting at the end of the freaking game. There's hardly enough time to build up that hatred that motivates you to finish the boss. There was a wonderful opportunity to hate Kefka in FFVI, a wonderful opportunity to hate Sephiroth in FFVII, hell even Lavos in Chrono Trigger!

All in all, FF8 did not draw me in. There was no motivation, story wise, to make me want to finish the game. I found the gameplay to be tedious (I actually would have chosen 7's endless random battles over this) and the side quests were boring (understatement).

I do not recommend FF8 to anyone. Play 7 where you'll actually be immersed in an enthralling story.

1 / 5 (the 1 is for graphics, and only because neo won't let me give it a lower rating. It's actually worh zero. Total zero. Even negatives.)

THE BAD:
Well i would of said 'there is nothing bad about this game!' but speaking for people who have not played it yet it would be good to point out differences.
(After all every game has the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!)

1) Different System: like the junction system can be annoying to those that are not fussed to keep working on it. And i myself had to admit it was confusing at first -_- it gets easier though!

2) Long Game: Well it is 4 disks long! so slightley longer than ff7 that was only 3. (i really think FF8 was not long enough!)

2) Easier work: well for those who like a good challenege and are used to FF's old hard game play, ff8 might be a bit of a breeze. It is not the most easiest game, but it is alot easyier than FF7! so you have been warned there.

3) Characters are TOO good looking!: lol hey its not a crime!, but hell they are just tooo good looking lol! but thats FF's games for ya!

the rest you would have to play it and judge for your self, but really i do not have many bad things to say about it.

SUMMARY:
You start off as Squall Lionheart (always a boy main hero) he is 17, acts mature for his age, not to mention handsome. From the start you notice his attitude that is a very 'Lone wolf' position, where he does not care much for the other characters.

That is how it starts, but you would be amazed when it fineshes! and you see his atitude change over time after viewing the relationships between characters.

He comes from a school working towards becomming Seed D's, Military cadets sort of speak.
On his first real mission he meets his first fellow team mates, Zell Dinct a boy with a charm to make you laugh, and selphie the hippy girl who never loses her happy light heartedness.

They set off on a mission that will change their lives for good, squall who is supposed to be the cool headed team leader. He ends up letting his guard down when he meets free spirted beauty Rinoa Heartilly.

From then on he finds him self challeneged by love, support from his friends, and his main rival Seifer who has his heart set on making squalls life hell.

Not to mention the fate of the world in his hands, as we go through a modern day world ruled by Sorceresses and dishonest presidents.

Yep its just another day in Squalls world, where he tests him self to see that 'he is really not alone'.

That he has more repsonsability than he thought.
Not to mention side quests by the other hero of the game, Laguna Loire! who is the oppisite of squall but still faced with the same challenges.

Join the hereos, and see in there eyes a world beyond gaming belief.

THE BAD:
i dont have any bad things to say... i enjoyed it a lot and its the ONLY ff title i liked to play over and over again.. hehehe...

SUMMARY:
This game is very ( for me anyway ) user friendly. i played this game before i played FF9 and FF7 and it got me into the hang of stuff in the FF series (like the turn-based combat, the elemental stuff, the summoning). if you would look at it in our present technology this game would suck (yes, because PS2 has better looking graphics)but this game played on a PSone so lets be fair and consider the consoles the games play on.. i would suggest novices on RPG's to play this game.. it would really learn a lot from this game.. and to experts, try completing this game with EVERYTHING UNLOCKED and finish it in under 30 HOURS.. i've had hell trying to do that...
its a good game.. great graphics (among all PSone games for me anyway), great story, huge cast (i guessed you'd have 30+ characters including the minor ones), and to top it off unique junctioning system (anybody know a game that has a junctioning system?).. its a GREAT game for newbies and experts alike..

THE BAD:
there some boring and tedious points in the game, random battles, card game, can b finished extremely quickly and the main baddy isn't even in the game until the end.

SUMMARY:
this was my first ff and like many ppl's first, this is my favourite. i was hooked from when i started playing. if it wasn't for skool, i would've played this for 6 hours everyday. the storyline moved me and some of the challenges of this game takes some time to think about b4 they can b done. all in all, i think this is a great game and i recommend this game to neone who can stand romance.