PlayStation

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!"