Final Fantasy VIII

Buy it ASAP. Get it before someone ruins the story line for you! Square has done the impossible and followed up the best selling Final Fantasy 7 with a game that is better in just about every aspect (except being an easier game) while being original at the same time. I don't remember the last time I enjoyed a game this much. I really think that it's as close to a perfect RPG as an RPG gets. I have to scrounge just to find anything bad to say about this game. Just about everything I complained about is basically something I wouldn't touch on while reviewing another game because they'd have so many bigger flaws. The only huge difficulty I can foresee is new RPG players finding the game play a bit difficult and intense (I'd recommend Pokemon then). However, I think that most if not all RPG veterans will agree that Final Fantasy 8 is the ultimate RPG to this date, and even some non-hard core RPG fans will enjoy it greatly as well.

If FF8 were a film it would win the best picture Oscar, if it were a book it would get a Pulitzer Prize, if it were a scientist it would get the Nobel Prize ? you get the idea. This game is a must for all RPG fans, and so brilliant that all gamers should take notice. Just make sure you have enough time set aside to make it worth your while.

I don’t need to say that this is a must play, must own game. It seems to me that Final Fantasy VIII is the final hurrah for the PlayStation as we move into the next generation of consoles. It’s like a story book ending for the generation of PSX gaming. Squaresoft has taken the hardware to the limits, showing us that other developers out there haven’t been taking full advantage of the hardware at their fingertips. By far Final Fantasy VIII is this year’s reigning champion of RPGs, but it’s also the only game I’ve seen take full advantage of the PSX hardware. Go, young gunblade, and experience this RPG.

Even with its quirks, Final Fantasy VIII is one of the few games I would class as a masterpiece. Forget that it's an RPG - this is one of the most polished, vast and totally addictive games of any kind I have played in years. Square has somehow done it again.

Only a few games reach such lofty heights. This one is remarkable in most every way, and brilliantly executed.

Here it is, the latest installment in the Final Fantasy series, the most awaited video game in history, and it's finally here. The Final Fantasy series was always the most dominant RPG series, mostly because SquareSoft is behind it. I really think Square has outdone themselves, mixing gorgeous graphics as well as killer gameplay they have delivered the game of the millennium.

Final Fantasy VIII…just typing those few words and that number is enough to send chills down my spine and fills my mind with wondrous expectations. The Final Fantasy series has become almost legendary in videogame circles with their incredible stories, innovative battle modes and gameplay. It can also be said that with the release of FFVII, RPG's were finally accepted in the US & Europe and have now become mainstream. With the 8th game in the series supposedly having a more "grown-up" look and feel to it, I was expecting a lot of good things with this title. Well, I was not disappointed!

In the end, Final Fantasy VIII is a great game on so many levels. Personally, it was my favorite of the eight game series, and I found the characters and story in this game was far more developed and mature than the previous. Maybe I was just getting tired of the same old "hero" mumbo jumbo, but all and all, Final Fantasy VIII was fifty hours well spent.

Podsumowując. Pomimo kilku drobnych wad, Final Fantasy VIII stanowi nie lada atrakcje dla miłośników gatunku. Wspaniale wyglądająca grafika, cudownie brzmiący dźwięk oraz niesamowity klimat to zdecydowane plusy gry. Polecam!

Överlag är Final Fantasy VIII det mest avancerade spelet i serien. Hela Guardian Force-systemet gör det komplicerat att förse sina karaktärer med rätt styrkor och svagheter och även om man får mycket hjälp går det inte helt smidigt att navigera sig genom de otaliga menyerna. Men samtidigt ger alla dessa inslag Final Fantasy VIII ett enormt djup, och den som verkligen vill leva sig in i äventyret har näst intill oändliga möjligheter och en bra bit över 50 speltimmar framför sig.

Ondanks dat de typisch Japanse dialogen af en toen een beetje vreemd overkomen, is Final Fantasy VIII een spel dat over de hele wereld zal worden gewaardeerd. Niet alleen de graphics en de soundtrack zijn schitterend maar ook het verhaal is uniek. Kortom, een meesterwerk!

Final Fantasy VIII does a great job of adding some new gameplay features to the series with Junctions and the modifications to magic use and summoning. Coupled with great visuals and music, as well as an amazing cast of characters and story and this game’s fantastic.

Final Fantasy VIII may not be an exemplar of what it means to be a part of the Final Fantasy canon, but it's a great role-playing game regardless - despite Zell and Selphie.

I'm sure there will be plenty of debates surrounding the quality of this game, simply because of its pedigree. Square seems to draw extremes of ire like garbage draws flies. All I can tell you is that I truly enjoyed this game. It is a masterpiece of design and attention to detail. Its minor flaws would probably be considered great innovations in other games. Is it the best made RPG I've ever played? Probably. Is it my favorite RPG ever? Not really, but it's damn close. It's an excellent game and every RPG fan should give it a try. Play it with an open mind and you may just surprise yourself.

Overall I don’t know if they come much better than Final Fantasy 8. It’s status in the series from many fan’s perspectives is that it was a failed experiment or something worse but not from this fan’s perspective. Sure, maybe the battle system wasn’t as flawless as one would have liked but the game achieves in its greatest challenge by successfully conveying its themes through its characters. I think that it shouldn’t really be put against the other Final Fantasies in the way of plot because it really wasn’t as good but the game belonged to its characters and it is artistically valuable for their quality. Plus, along the way, I had fun.

Final Fantasy VIII combines a fantastic story, amazing visuals, and excellent sound with solid RPG gameplay, an eminently tweakable junction system, and scads of secrets and extras. After a string of visually stunning but uninspired games from Square, many gamers feared that Final Fantasy VIII would be more of the same. Cast all fears aside: the latest Final Fantasy is the greatest game ever to bear the name.

Final Fantasy VIII är inte så banbrytande som sin föregångare och därför inte felfritt. Trots det lyckas det med det som varje uppföljare borde innebära: en förbättring på i stort sett varje område jämfört med förra spelet. Enormt, utmanande, beroendeframkallande och ytterst engagerande. Detta är ett storstilat spel.

I have few things to complain about in Final Fantasy VIII. It is a solid game, with endlessly entertaining gameplay, and an incredibly griping story. It has surpassed FFVII in almost every way in my opinion, and is certainly one of the best games on the PlayStation. If you’re a traditional Final Fantasy guy, who likes MP and customizable armor, you might want to be weary when going into this game. However if you want to take a journey into the new yet familiar world of this epic RPG series, Final Fantasy VIII is a great way to turn.

So as not to get a lot of flack for this review, I've attempted to cover every possible angle of the game as well as a little history. Die hard FF fans will agree with me when I say that this title is spectacular, though it does have its own set of flaws, which as an FF fan, became rather apparent to me. These were mainly from an "innovation" stand-point than from a technical one. This section has been saved until the end since most readers would have skipped the whole review had I introduced the game as such. I must warn you though, you are entering my opinion area so don't let this reflect upon your purchasing of a great title. I was glad to see Cid reappear in this title (as headmaster of Balamb Garden) since he's been in just about every incarnation of FF.

Despite a few minor flaws, Final Fantasy VIII is one of the best games to be released this year. The story is so compelling, and all of the new gameplay aspects (Junctioning, The Card Game, etc.) make this a very deep Role Playing Adventure. If you're a fan of RPG's in general, I suggest rushing out and purchasing this game as soon as you can. However, let me warn you. If you didn't like FFVII because it wasn't enough like the previous FF's, then you'll more than likely dislike FFVIII. I suggest having an open mind, though, and giving this a shot no matter what. Even people who aren't fans of RPG's may get hooked enough on the story to keep going.

Final Fantasy 8 is a great game, but not a perfect one. The battles and junction system have their flaws. At times you'll be too powerful; at other times, you'll just be drawing spells to gain strength. But the long ending that waits in store will make up for most of the negatives. Overall, it plays and feels like a fleshed out Final Fantasy 7. While one can find similarities between the two in characters and ideas, you can really see how things really come together in number 8.

Final Fantasy VIII provides a compelling story with engrossing visuals to portray it. It's a very good balance between content and eye candy. The characters are extremely easy to care about. What carried me from point to point was wanting to see how the cast would change. What actions they'd take and how they'd deal with situations. This feeling of closeness limits the game somewhat, giving it a more linear feel than some previous ones. The sacrifice of freedom for a deeper story was taken advantage of and I'm very glad Square choose to go that route. I enjoyed the game tremendously from beginning to end and it now proudly rests on the pedestal it stole from FF4 as my favorite in the series.

All In all, I think this game is the perfect Final Fantasy game to top off the Millennium. It has around 40 hours of game play, with much more including the mini-games, such as the card playing game you play all throughout the game. Itâll definitely keep us tied over until Final Fantasy IX. A must get for any serious RPG gamer. Looks great sitting next to Final Fantasy VII.

Overall, it is a worth successor to Final Fantasy VIII. Square has done a superb job in upping the ante with this game, and it'll be tough for other RPGs to top, or at least match the standard set by this massive game.

The gameplay remains the same, just the story is different. Newcomers might not have a problem with this, especially if they missed playing VII. Hardcore gamers and action lovers however, might pass on it due to this lack of innovation. Finally, there's a serious lack of replay value, being pretty linear and rigid for an RPG. Unlike most RPG's, the Final Fantasy series is more like an interactive movie than a true RPG experience. Players used to journeying around fantasy worlds looking for quests and adventures should stick to titles like Baldur's Gate and Fallout.

Final Fantasy 8 remonte encore plus haut la barre des jeux de rôles sur Play en continuant à toiser ses concurrents de plusieurs kilomètres. Une vraie suite avec de nombreuses améliorations sous tous ses angles et en gardant l'esprit de la série.

In conclusion, Final Fantasy VIII is a fun game, to be played solely for the cinematic experience more then anything else. The flawed combat system makes playing it a chore at times, but the beautiful movie sequences and graphics more than make up for it. Newcomers to the series might find lots to like, while veterans might get bored quickly. Speaking from a veteran's point of view, I enjoyed the game. While not the most innovative RPG, it's a well-polished product worthy of at least one time through.

What it all comes down to is that Final Fantasy VIII is THE must-have RPG for the PlayStation. Though complicated and with the occasional fault, it could be remembered as the greatest Final Fantasy game through the 32-bit era.

Final Fantasy VIII pushes that envelope even further, and it would be wrong to say it's not the game that everyone expected. And for a lot of reasons that's a great blessing. It's also starting to become something of a curse, because if FFVIII shows anything, it's that RPGs have a little further to go.

Personally, I don't feel Final Fantasy VIII quite lived up to some of the previous Final Fantasy titles, but it's still one of the better RPGs around. The graphics will get you interested, the unique gameplay will keep you going, and the card game will get you addicted.

Overall I think that Final Fantasy 8 is an exceptional game, and well worth the purchase. Had more effort been put into the Graphics, and the PC user interface, this would be one of the best games of the year. I really think they lag behind on those areas. Even without these problems, I strongly suggest that any RPG fans check this game out. It’s hours of activity, that’ll keep you glued to your monitor. If you start to make any kind of action when the main character attacks, you know you’re hooked :-) One day I caught myself swinging my arm in time with the strikes. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Final Fantasy 8 ist kein Durchbruch in neue Spielspaß-Dimensionen, wie man nach einem ersten Blick auf die konkurrenzlos guten Zwischensequenzen und die moderne Aufmachung gerne glauben möchte. Dafür besitzt es einfach zu viele kleine Durchhänger: Schäbige Grafik hier, etwas langatmiges Herumgelaufe in ein paar Labyrinthen dort und dann auch noch der an Adlib-Karten erinnernde Billigsound. Dass wir dem Spiel trotzdem noch einen Gold Player verleihen, hängt mit seinen ebenso deutlichen, unverkennbaren Stärken zusammen. An den Einbau so vieler Kampf-Möglichkeiten etwa wagen die Entwickler der meisten Rollenspiele nicht einmal nach intensivem Drogenkonsum zu denken. Wer sich an der kindlichen Aufmachung nicht stört, dem rufe ich immer noch entgegen: Holt's Euch!

Schwächer als der Vorgänger, aber immer noch eine Klasse für sich. Wer bei Spielen auch nur ein bißchen Wert auf Handlung legt, kommt um dieses Programm nicht herum.

Die Helden aus Final Fantasy scheinen endlich erwachsen geworden zu sein. Nachdem der letzte Teil mit seinen eher an mutierte Teletubbies erinnernden Helden viele potenzielle Fans verschreckt haben dürfte, setzt Squaresoft jetzt auf einen deutlich reiferen Look. Hauptfigur und Aushängeschild von Final Fantasy 8 ist Squall Leonhart, ein schweigsamer junger Mann, der auf einer Militärakademie namens Garden seine Ausbildung zum SEED absolviert.

There is very little wrong with the gameplay elements that make up Final Fantasy VIII, and the story is much improved over Final Fantasy VII. Yet I have this nagging feeling Square knew this game would be coming to PC and probably could have gone all the way in converting this fantastic console RPG into a complete PC masterpiece. This isn't to say the title isn't worth your gaming dollar. As an RPG, Final Fantasy VIII is one great experience.

If you are a fan of the series, you'll find plenty to like: a story as convoluted as ever, interesting characters (with slightly two dimensional personalities), gorgeous cinema scenes, breathtaking GF animation, and plenty of ways to customize your characters. If you were expected something completely new and different, or you are a PC owner spoiled by the latest in graphics and sound, you'll probably feel as I do, slightly disappointed.

But in the end, Final Fantasy VIII is proof that a popular game can live up to its own hype. The naysayers and the nitpickers can focus on the tiny flaws that even the best games can't escape, but to say that Final Fantasy VIII is anything less than astounding would be like saying the Mona Lisa is merely "okay" because da Vinci forgot to give her eyebrows.

Удивительно, но на этот раз даже я со своим отчетливым нейтралитетом к аниме готов признать, что реализация Final Fantasy 8 оказалась на голову выше своих предшественников. Final Fantasy 7, Silver и Septerra Core могут спать спокойно и не возникать по пустякам, ибо на свет появился новый эталон для подражания. Конечно, уровень исполнения приставочной RPG на платформе PC все еще не дотягивает до родных компьютерных ролевых игр, но игры эти совершенно точно оформились в отдельный поджанр и развиваются очень бурно. Возможно, скоро они смогут в полной мере конкурировать с такими сериалами как Wizardry и Might&Magic.

Final Fantasy VIII est un très bon jeu. Mais Squaresoft nous avait habitué à tant de merveilles qu'une certaine déception était à craindre. La cause ? Le manque cruel de profondeur. Peu de mini-quêtes, un manque de challenge évident mais aussi un jeu qui dérive d'un point de vue dramatique. Si le septième volet est moins réussi techniquement, il est clairement plus intéressant.

All in all, Final Fantasy VIII is a wonderful gaming experience for adventure and console RPG fans alike, and is a great reminder that story-driven gaming is far from dead. Vive l'amour! Viva Squaresoft!

Japanese-Manga style animation appears to be invading modern PC games. And why not? Manga animation is accepted and widely popular among console players throughout the world. Porting graphics was once the main problem when converting PlayStation games to PC, but with the appearance of 3D accelerator cards on the market, this problem is beyond our worries. Today, a bigger problem is how to adapt game controls to be used with PC. Along with clumsy current-position saving, these were the main problems with Final Fantasy VII for PC. Obviously, the creative team of SquareSoft hasn't learnt their lesson, so the latest Final Fantasy suffers from similar flaws. What's more, the porting from PSX to PC took them no less than five months. Don't hate me you loyal Final Fantasy fans for this kind of critical intro; I do agree that this is a top-notch game when it comes to the atmosphere and the design.

FF8 has what it takes to knock FF7 from the memories of gamers. Its story is better developed, the characters are more interesting, and the graphics and music are twice as good and plays pretty darn well for much of the time. However, limitations of the hardware as well as art direction hamper the game too much in the end. It winds up being partly a graphical showcase and movie hybrid and partly a less than epic RPG (which was what it was billed to be). If Square doesn't give up on games and Sakaguchi doesn't abandon us for Hollywood, I'd like to see them come back to the table with another sequel that gets it right. Till then, as far as FF8 goes, what it has been most successful at doing is turning my PlayStation into a VCR.

Squaresoft heeft geprobeerd met een minimale inspanning op een maximale winst te bekomen. Op de Playstation is dat aardig gelukt, wand het spel maakt daar echt brokken. Maar om boven de middelmaat uit te komen op een PC moeten ze met groter geschut afkomen. En als je toch graag dit soort spel speelt, kijk dan eerst eens naar Septerra Core. Een spel met heel wat lagere ambities, maar dat veel gebalanceerder overkomt op de PC.

If you've seen the sort of stuff I review and enjoy, you know how much I love console games. It isn't with inbred FFVIII resentment that I criticize the game, it's with disappointment at knowing that this game will undoubtedly sell an incredible amount of copies with little effort on the development team's part. They could have made a few changes, taken a little more time, and really had a shining PC version that showed off the game's beauty, but instead it feels more like a matter of going the easy route. And the game suffers from it, so much so that I can't help but recommend that if gamers really want an authentic FF experience, they should play the much smoother, much prettier (gulp) PSX version instead.

While any given element of Final Fantasy VIII seems solid enough, the complete package seems somehow lacking. Perhaps it's the departure from the fantasy setting. Perhaps it's radical changes to all game mechanics. In any case, Final Fantasy VIII is a very good game which seems to have a deal of untapped potential. It does however pack in enough challenging side quests to keep RPGamers busy for quite some time.

Did Final Fantasy VIII live up to the hype? Not quite, but its prequel left some pretty humongous shoes to fill. Some great eye-candy (at the time) and an aurally pleasing RPG await the brave new traveller, but the battle system is skewered in places that should not have been touched; drawing and junctioning are great ideas that just didn’t turn out to be much fun. Moreover, the focus on a (confusing) friendship-driven story rather than the usual apocalypse now brings the pace of this saga to a crawl at times. I commend Final Fantasy VIII for tinkering with the original recipe to keep things fresh, but it probably bit off more than it could chew. As a result, it’s but a Tonberry to its Bahamut prequels; strikingly different, somewhat inferior, yet not without its own characteristic charm. That aside, there’s still a fair amount of enjoyment to draw out of this sucker.

I think only a person of 13 and above would understand the storyline just because I beat it when I was 11 and just saw it as a game nothing more, but I beat it recently and actually understood what was happening. There are some swear words and maybe some suggestive themes as in time space and evil moon (3rd and 4th disks) other than that its not to bad.

You could speculate as to how much better the game could have been in any number of ways, not the least of which being if it actually took advantage of the modern PC's superior power. But as it stands, there's no reason anybody should opt for the PC version of Final Fantasy VIII over the original, if only because the PlayStation game looks and sounds so much better. And if you don't already have a PlayStation, then you shouldn't even bother with the game in the first place. Its interesting story and impressive visual design aren't enough to recommend it in the face of all its ill-conceived, tedious, and irritating gameplay conventions, which are essentially impossible to deal with if you're neither a longtime fan of the series nor an eternally patient player.

Déception ! O cruelle déception ! Voici ce que vous déclamerez sur votre rocher après avoir goûté à la magie frelatée de FF8 sur PC. Quasiment tout a disparu et il ne reste plus que les vestiges de ce superbe jeu. Snif.

It was difficult to write a review of FFVIII without it coming off as a list of improvements that would make the next installment of this series a better as well as more commercially viable product in the PC gaming world. With so many great choices out there I don't feel that FFVIII is even near the top of my list; in fact, the advice I'd give is to either play it on the Playstation, or wait for the next conversion of this long-heralded mainstay of gaming. By the way, the Playstation version of FFVIII's graphics easily exceeds the competition and ensures its continued reign as one of the most respected series in console gaming. Don't expect the same on your PC.

Final Fantasy 8 is a travesty. A mockery of the good name of Final Fantasy rivaled only by that awful Spirits Within movie. While the Final Fantasy series continues (deservedly) to dominate the RPG landscape, this is one title that deserves to be lost and forgotten. It’s a pseudo fantasy, and not worth your money. Should you download it for free, it’s not worth the 50 or 60 hours you’ll be investing it to reach the end.

Compounding all this were the Guardian Force attack animations that grew excessive and tiresome, and the flashback sequences became more tedious and disruptive toward the overall flow of the game. I finally said, "enough is enough," and said "I dont care how popular the series is or how revered its creator Hironobu Sakaguchi is. This game sucks!"