Squall Leonhart is a young man, who is in training to become of member of SeeD - a mercenary organization, the dream of all the young students in Balamb Garden. Squall is not a particularly friendly guy and has troubles with his fellow students and teachers. Currently, two countries are at war with each other; to complete his training as a mercenary, Squall and three other students are sent on a mission to aid one of those countries against the other. In the process they discover that there are some other characters pulling the strings from behind the scene, and get involved in a mystery that sheds a whole new light on their lives and ideals.

"Final Fantasy VIII" is set in a "retro" environment reminiscent of the 1960-ies, with supernatural elements mixed in. It introduces many gameplay changes compared to the previous installments of the series. You don't get money from random enemies, but instead have to earn it during your missions as a SeeD. You can customize your characters by equipping them with magic spells, which you can draw from enemies in battles. You can also cast those spells the same way you would use an item, since you don't have MP in the game. The trademark summoned monsters (called Guardian Forces in this game) play a very important role in the customization process. You can "junction" them to your characters and learn various abilities from them. They can also be summoned in battles.

[edit description]

Alternate Titles

"最终幻想8 " -- Chinese Title (Simplified)
"太空戰士 8" -- Chinese Title (Tradition)
"Финальная Фантазия 8" -- Russian Spelling
"Zui Zhong Huanxiang 8" -- Chinese Title
"Finalnaja Fantazija 8" -- Russian Title
"FFVIII" -- Informal Name
"FF8" -- informal title

[add alternate title]

Part of the Following Groups

Merchant	Title
	Final Fantasy VIII
	Final Fantasy VIII
Please select your country: Not an American user?

User Reviews

Pure creative genius of Squaresoft. Pure uncreative whining of gamers	PlayStation	Unicorn B. Lynx (53164)
The fantasy to start with and it didn't disappoint	PlayStation	Mike Wazoski (8)
Like any true work of art...It only gets better with age.	PlayStation	Edward Beezy (38)
4 discs of pure fantasy	PlayStation	Kartanym (9944)
Possibly the most underrated game ever	PlayStation	Sam Tinianow (102)
Final Fantasy VIII is one of the best games I have ever seen	PlayStation	Fading3 (21)
Worst RPG I've ever played when I played it the first 4 times. Best RPG I've ever played after the 5th try...	PlayStation	Indra Depari of 'da Clan Depari (12749)
Final Fantasy meets Dawson's Creek with 112471389 hours of non-interactive videos! DUCK AND COVER!!!	PlayStation	Zovni (9114)
J-RPG's have a place in the PC platform	Windows	John Franco (161)
One of the best RPGs of the PlayStation. Everyone has their own opinion, but most (not all) who hate this game are just over-the-top!	PlayStation	Reborn_Demon (124)

[16 more reviews | review game]

The Press Says

GamesFirst!	PlayStation	Sep 25, 1999		100
PSX Extreme	PlayStation	Sep 08, 1999	10 out of 10	100
Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (OPM)	PlayStation	Oct, 1999		100
PC Games (Germany)	Windows	Mar 07, 2001	84 out of 100	84
Gamekult	PlayStation	Oct 28, 2000	8 out of 10	80
IGN	Windows	Jan 28, 2000	7.4 out of 10	74
Christ Centered Game Reviews	PlayStation	Jun 01, 2005	B-	67
Jeuxvideo.com	Windows	Feb 22, 2000	13 out of 20	65
GamesFirst!	Windows	Apr 15, 2000		60
Netjak	PlayStation	Dec 17, 2002	4.9 out of 10	49

[see more rankings | add ranking]

Forums

Topic	# Posts	Last Post
OMG!!! TEH DEVIL!!!	16	Unicorn B. Lynx (53164) Jul 23, 2007

[new thread]

Trivia

You can spot UFOs during battles in 4 areas of the world. The sightings are used in the 'Pupu card' sidequest, and can only be seen from the second disk onwards.

[more trivia | add trivia]

This entry was contributed by Grant McLellan (559) and Matthew Bailey (1139)