Final Fantasy VIII

[FFking]

It's definelty a game that lives up to it's name but i dislike it for many reasons.
1.Draw system
2.Level System
3. Weapon system
4.Graphics

BUT the game is still fantastic due to it's amazing storyline. I get chills when i hear the ending theme. All the in-game memories just flush right up.

[Nocturnal~Fantasy]

Originally Posted by Kionae

You pretty much summed up my entire opinion of FF8. XD

It did have good music, though.

Yeah, I agree with Kionae. S/he summed it up for me with her comment from the Doctor. I just didn't really like the game. It wasn't so much fun as FFVII and FFIX were.

[Exodus]

Originally Posted by FFking

It's definelty a game that lives up to it's name but i dislike it for many reasons.
1.Draw system
2.Level System
3. Weapon system
4.Graphics

BUT the game is still fantastic due to it's amazing storyline. I get chills when i hear the ending theme. All the in-game memories just flush right up.

Graphics are better than FFVII's, and with it being sort of old, you can't expect it to look like PS2 graphics. I also liked the draw system, though it can get tedious at times. Weapons and levels I didn't care for very much. It did have a nice storyline, though the love thing with Squall and Rinoa could have been toned down a bit. There are others in the game to.

liek wut about zell and da girl wit pig-tails and selphie & irvine? will we ever kno??

[Hayate]

I actually liked this better than VII. I connected with the characters more and the story line was really well done.

Also, the character customization was done very nicely. I felt as if I could do so much with just one GF. It was cool.

[FFking]

Originally Posted by Exodus

Graphics are better than FFVII's, and with it being sort of old, you can't expect it to look like PS2 graphics

It's more evolved than FFVII but this graphic in FFVIII is just a fuzzy and sticky mess and not at all as pleasant to the eye as FFVII.

[Exodus]

I found FFVIII's graphics more pleasing. It seemed they made it more detailed, and the people actually looked like people. Plus the FMV's are pretty awesome and match even some of today's games.

[Selphie]

This game is simply a masterpiece.

Since I started playing FFs, I had yet to experience a Battle System I truly enjoyed. FFVIII finally delivered, as I felt I could finally put my intelligence to the test. Previous FFs had you do nothing but buy/find the strongest weapon/armour/accessories, battle an insanely large amount of monsters to level up, and do the same to obtain 'money'.

FFVIII was revolutionary. It did away with the idea of 'continuous' levels and instead had a fixed rate. You level up every 1000p, simple as that. GFs finally were used as something more than a snazzy summoning sequence, and there finally was a valid reason to acquire the strongest magics besides power.

Where FFVIII truly shines is the characters. Finally a cast deeper than the frozen puddle I had started to disdain from previous FFs. Every character had something I could relate to, whether it was yearning to be free in a atmosphere full of expectations and responsibilities, or the struggle with understanding yourself.

Although I must admit the plot got a bit stale in certain areas, this game is still worthy of all the praise it has received. FFVIII is definitely the best of the Golden Era, easily defeating FFVII in gameplay, plot, graphics and characters.

[The Dark Messenger]

Originally Posted by Exodus

I found FFVIII's graphics more pleasing. It seemed they made it more detailed, and the people actually looked like people. Plus the FMV's are pretty awesome and match even some of today's games.

I agree I was very impressed with the jump from even though it was state of art at time FFVII's square and block like characters to characters that look very realistic, the same feature was applied to FFIX. I think VIII's graphics were one of the best out because those cut scenes are better than some cut scenes the PS2 games (not final fantasy) can provide in some cases.

One of my favourite features of the game was that the enemy levels increase depending on your level so you can't god mode a section of the game after a while...despite it being able to do that at the end anyway. >_>

[Aston]

Well, in comparison to FF VII, i don't think FF VIII Matched up, but it was still a good game.

Okay, the graphics of the game itself. 8 > 7, simply becuase, although it still has the retro value to it, the characters in 7 were Blocky, and whatnot. And, also, you see the same chararcter set used over and over, as different people, but who look alike. 8 had a wider variety of NPC's , and this made the game seem more real when you were in a town. Not only did you have kids, but you had kids who all looked different etc. The battle system graphics were.. I dunno, i liked FF7's battle alot, becuase the characters looked good in battle, and the limit breaks looked quality. Whilst ff8 had a more grainy kind of graphics.

Storyline wise, although ff8 had a great storyline, i still think ff7 had a better one. And that is the opinion of alot of my friends too, but there are the occasional one or two who prefer the 8 storyline. Maybe square think 7 was better too, since they carried it on alot? FF7: AC Etc. Although, i would've liked someone to clear up ff8, and the whole time thingy, and who is who. You know, something which explains the details of the game or something. I didn't like how they were all from the same orphanige. I thought that was a little TOO fairy tale, and that kind've lamed me out. (Although, they all had to be linked somehow, eh?) Forgetting that, i greatly enjoyed both 7 and 8 storylines, but 7 nabs it for me.

Ok, The weapon system in ff8 was a good IDEA, but there simply werent enough weapons, or, opportunitys to get the weapons. I had Squalls starter sword right through the game, because the first play through, i missed the magazine, or just couldnt find the nuts and bolts needed. FF7 weapons looked cool, but from the initial weapons of 8, well, not everyones. I didn't like the numchuck thingys. But the gunblade was a good idea, and having the r1 button as a trigger was a nice touch to the battles. It meant a critical hit right, but at your command!

I didn't like the fact monsters levelled up. I thought that ruined it. I mean, as you train, things are meant to get easier right? Not in 8. Although, being too high levelled v.s low levelled monsters can be boring, thats the players choice to play through with high v.s low, and 8 simply didn't allow this.

Also, the junction system was nice, but the draw system was tedious, and i rather used card mod. or refines.

The card game was good, in ff8, i enjoyed playing andcollecting all the cards. It would've been nice for maybe 1 secret character, which changes the storyline aroudn a bit. But i guess it was already complicated enough.

As said above, by selphie, about characters. They all had their own problems, which brought them together, and linked the storyline better than 7 in my opinion. I mean, in 7, ALL of the characters bar Cloud, and maybe Tifa could of just gone off, and done what they needed to do with their lifes. As in, Barret go and be with marlene, and Red go off to watch over the canyon etc. But in ff8, they all HAD to be together, else nothing would work out.

Overall, 7 sneaks in and takes the title of best golden age game for me, but 8 isnt far behind, simply because , although 7's was slightly better, in my opinion, 8's storyline was spectacular.

[Ryder]

I liked FFVIII a lot because I found the story gripping. I found Squall to be a complex character if a little frustrating at times and I think Rinoa complimented him. The music was superb and the FMVs exceptional. While I still find it trailing FFVII by a big distance it definitely was worthy of the 'Final Fantasy' name.

[King Hydro]

FFVIII.. i can't make up my mind if i love it or just like it. Thin king about it, i love it (i just decided that then, if you didn't notice)

Ok, the draw system was weird and often frustrating. But it was something new and exciting at the time.
I found the gf system and the junction system really fun. IT made you juggle your use of magic and your stats.
The GF system (whereby they learned abilities, hp+, etc) was a great addition for me. Summons are just lke any other magic spell, but when they come with add-ons and special benefits regarding how often you use them.. well.. you can't go wrong.
Such things like gaining synth shops, or item shops accesible through the menu got me through hard times.

[archangelserenity]

i like this game but drawing was a pain. but you used it to your advantage as you could be stronger than the monsters you were fighting at a low level and didn't need to level up as much

[Aston]

Lmao. The storyline was pretty AWESOME though.

Except time compression, which confused me. Alot.

[CollzyBwoii]

Lol yea the time compression got me proper confused

The rest of the storyline was awesome tho

Just a shame my game broke And cant find a new one if my life depended on it

[erack]

go to a pawnshop i know of a few that sell PlayStation games don't know where you like but some shops have it i got one when a friend went to london so there are place so buy it play it...
also on the note of the topic brilliant game drawing got tedious when a new party member joined and they were the only one's to draw also if you leveled up early then when you got Irvine and Rinoa it was really annoying to get 'em up levels from the level of 13 and 11 while squall was there with level 30...on the plus side the fmvs were brilliant and so was the story line the characters were cool but there wasn't enough development with Zell, Irvine, Selphie and quistis...But all in all my faverate ff game as of yet but i won't be able to play ff13...Sad face...

[CollzyBwoii]

Originally Posted by erack

go to a pawnshop i know of a few that sell PlayStation games don't know where you like but some shops have it i got one when a friend went to london so there are place so buy it play it...

Oh right cheers

[erack]

no prob

[archangelserenity]

I hated this game the first time I played it as i was in love with VII at the time and was confused that the games were not related (i was like 9 ok) but now i love it. what is it about this game!!!! the music i am in love with, the story sits in my head and wont leave me. i nearly think about it more than my gf well no not really that much but i hold this game in my heart, even tho the draw and battle systems were flawed and i spent hours drawing from monsters i still cant describe it but GREAT AWESOME GAME. Every rose has its thorn and this games thorns are the battle system and drawing, the rest is great. games are the new way to tell storys (rpgs anyway and i say new as books and movies have been around for yonks).

[Vinny Valentine]

while i thought 7+8 both had some dark corners in the stories, the gameplay obviously goes to 8.. MUCH more of a challenge and way more replay value than 7. 7 on the other hand clearly wins for the magic system, the chocobos,and limit systems.Both are favorites, and I still play them.. 8 is just more difficult

[Spira]

I loved FFVIII. It is and probably will forever be my favourite Final Fantasy game. It was the one that got me hooked on the series and I've since gone ahead and completed every other main series entry... but to focus on the topic....

FFVIII was a masterpiece of its time, and is an RPG classic in its own right. It was also a game of firsts...

Story-wise, FFVIII was one of the first to deal with serious issues of love. It has very closely written characters and throught their interaction showed both the happy and sad sides of love, which is something most games fail at doing.

Gameplay - revolutionary, but not everyone was willing to adapt. Junctioning allowed you to customize your characters to every detail that you wanted. The adjusted Leveling system made it so that you didnt have to grind to complete the game, and the GFs refine abilities made it so that you could get good in the game without even having to fight unnecessarily - you could even play cards to get good stuff..

The Minigame Triple Triad is still one of the best minigames in the FF series. It was consistent throughout the game and very enjoyable.

Music/Sound - stellar. The first FF game which used full channel orchestrated music and first with a theme song (a beautiful one at that). The soundtrack is one of the most focused among games, with strong recurring themes and melodies and nothing that throws people off as out of place.

Aesthetic feel - FFVIII played on European styles and elegant curves in its designs... It utilized a fairly cool palette and took a lot of consideration in making its themes consistent throughout the game... It was very artistically pulled off, basically.. which was something that no other games of it time bothered doing..

The only thing I felt that was holding FFVIII back was its localization. It seems like localization work for games at that time was still pretty weak. (personally, all localization work b4 FFX-2 was subpar). Many continuity terms were lost in translation (like Soul of Thamasa being translated as Samantha Soul).. and I somehow still believe that Ultimecia should have been named Artemesia... but only Dissidia will be able to clarify that, just as Crisis Core clarified Aerith once and for all