Final Fantasy VIII

The Good
After the previous game conquered the masses with its visual splendor and drama, Square decided to go all the way with pomp and fanfares, and released one of the series' most hyped and controversial installments.

However, if you look beyond the often needlessly flashy exterior, you'll find quite an interesting game within. There are some rather extravagant features in the gameplay system. The series' trademark summons (now called GFs) have turned into a universal equipment of sorts, which determines the character's attributes, resistances, and teaches them new abilities. Armor is gone completely, and instead you junction magic spells to your attributes to raise them. This sounds like a crazy, convoluted idea, but once you get the hang of it you might even enjoy the flexibility. Add to that the complexity and the variety of GF-junctioning, the large amount of special abilities those GFs can learn, the usage of GFs themselves as summon spells, the fact that many of them are optional, and you'll get quite a bit of stuff to tinker with.

Though the game is noticeably less open-ended that the previous installments, there are still secrets to discover, including character-related sub-quests, optional boss battles, and large amounts of powerful items to hunt for. A fairly sophisticated card game can be played against various NPCs, yielding even more cool stuff to the player in case of victory.

The melodramatic story of Final Fantasy VIII is not without merit. I liked its soap opera-like tone, its unusual focus on modern-day teenagers instead of knights in shiny armor. Take a look at the famed love story, for example. Old RPGs showed a main hero with big muscles killing the bad guy and getting the girl as a result. Here, the love relationship develops slowly, in an "episodic" fashion, with attention paid to mundane details and crudely presented, but somehow endearing psychological traits. The setting has a certain "1960's vibe" mixed with old-school optimistic sci-fi, reducing medieval fantasy elements to a minimum.

There are plenty of emotional scenes in Final Fantasy VIII, with the famous dance scene stealing the show. That scene is probably the closest thing to TV drama-like entertainment you'll encounter in the world of video games. Generally, the CG movies in this game truly enhance the atmosphere. Instead of being just pointless eye-candy, those (mostly short and silent) sequences serve as little dramatic intermezzi that refresh the narrative and help to emphasize important events by taking them "out" of the gameplay.

Final Fantasy VIII has exquisite visuals. The "realistic" characters were a correct design choice for a game that attempted to move away from epic fantasy towards modern-day melodrama. Graphical details constitute a great deal of the game's special atmosphere: pay attention to some of the characters' clothes and outfits, decorations on the streets in towns, train design, etc. Gorgeous, stylish pre-rendered backgrounds and real-time 3D battle graphics surpass everything the PlayStation has seen before.

The Bad
The gameplay system of Final Fantasy VIII ended up being too ambitious, over-complicating things that should have stayed the way they'd been before. Some of the decisions made by the designers of this game were puzzling, to say the least.

One big problem with the system is the stubbornness with which the designers force the players to use GF attacks and limit breaks over and over again. I understand that boss battles should require more than simply tapping the attack button; but regular battles that drag themselves is a major mood-killer for a Japanese RPG.

The unskippable GF attack animations, admittedly gorgeous, are simply too long, and watching them again and again is a painful process. What's worse is that the player feels too tempted to use them all the time, because they are completely free. Putting a penalty on GF usage (health or MP-draining or whatever) would have at least balanced that part a bit.

An alternative to GF attacks are powerful limit breaks; but you can execute them only if the character in question is on the verge of dying. It sounds interesting in theory, and really proves helpful against bosses; but using this technique against regular enemies again means prolonging the battle. Same applies to the dubious magic-drawing: why can't I just buy spells instead of wasting turns upon turns on getting them from enemies? Regular enemies tend to have ridiculous amount of HP and also inflict ridiculously low damage on your characters. Put all of the above together and you'll have an idea about how tedious and unrewarding the battles of Final Fantasy VIII can become.

Some of the gameplay features in this game simply make no sense. Why do I get paychecks that diminish if I just wander about and don't follow the storyline? Discouraging exploration in an RPG is a cardinal sin. Even worse are enemies who level up together with the player-controlled characters, disrupting the balance and further increasing the player's desire to skip battles. In a Japanese RPG, where combat normally occupies a much more significant portion of the gameplay than in the West, this design flaw can prove lethal.

The ambitions of the story are severely hampered by strange, poorly explained, and needless plot twists. Maybe much of the quality has been lost in translation, but the writing doesn't improve at all over the previous Final Fantasy offerings, which were, frankly, never too good to begin with. The awkward and messy writing hurts Final Fantasy VIII more than it did the early installments, precisely because this game tried to disengage itself from "childish" fantasy elements and declared itself realistic and mature.

Plot holes and unsatisfying explanations become more abundant the more the game abandons its melodramatic tone and plunges into the depths of supernatural cosmic battles. Square didn't dare to pursue their new stylistic approach to the end and inserted a trivial, obligatory "save the world" grand finale, which seemed to have been torn out of context and pasted into the game without any good reason. And again, this damages the game more than it would a more traditional Japanese RPG.

The Bottom Line
Square surely took chances with Final Fantasy VIII. It alienated many fans and is still seen by some as the black sheep of the franchise. While I do not consider it a bad game and appreciate its artistry and its aesthetic value, I have to agree that too much patience is required to wade through lengthy summon animations, weird design elements, and inane plot twists.

The Good
I loved the card game. It was a great idea with all the monsters in the game and all the characters. The way they had the magic was pretty cool.

The Bad
The way they had the magic wasn't as cool as on FF7. The way it would always switch back to that weird guy in "Dreamland" was pretty dumb. Why do all FF games have to have such a weird storyline?

The Bottom Line
A good but not great RPG.

The Good
I liked the final battle. It is very difficult, but the more difficult a battle is, the greater is the satisfaction afterwards, when you see the beautiful ending video.

I think the music is beautiful. The songs are very finely composed, and it fits a lot the characters of the game.

The game has a good story. It has a lot of emotion, and is very deep. It shows a lot about the good side of a human being, and I liked controlling the main hero. The main characters are very attractive. I don't think at all they are stupid. Squall is very cute! He always tries to show he is so "cool", but actually he has the warmest heart. And the girl, Rinoa, is really cool - she is very brave, an active girl, and in the beginning she even took Squall's hand and forced him to dance with her. This was a great scene. I also liked that scene where Edea, the "mother", when she didn't recognize the little Squall. It was great, and quite philosophic, because you couldn't know any more what was real and what wasn't, and there was an illusion of time, where all times were mixed and confused, I liked this. It is hard to find a general concept of the game, but it is clear the script writer tried to BRING you something, even something about which he is not very certain himself - this is like Socrates said: "What I know is that I don't know anything". I liked the game's story very much because it wasn't black/white, there was no clear conclusion to what happened in the game, so it wasn't dogmatic. It brings the honest people a good feeling, because it teaches to be brave and never to give up. That's why it's profound.

The graphics are wonderful. I don't have any problem at all with the realistic character design, because I saw "Final Fantasy IV", and this is a big development since those times. In "Final Fantasy IV" characters look like little children. This is not my style. I understand this is the traditional Final Fantasy style, but I prefer the way the characters are made in "Final Fantasy VIII" or "Final Fantasy X", and NOT the way they were made, for example, in "Final Fantasy IX". I know some people say this "childish" style is for letting you more space for imagination, but I think a game should be more concrete in this sense. I like to see a relationship between realistically looking people, and not grown-up people who look like children.

The Bad
The monster animations are very beautiful, but it's a pity you have to watch them each time. It is beautiful when you see it for the first time, but then you don't want to see the same thing over and over again. They did it better in "Final Fantasy IX", where there were sometimes full animations, and sometimes short ones. Other than that, there was nothing wrong with this game.

The Bottom Line
Beautiful scenes, many different characters, great music, great animations, a touching story. You will not regret if you buy this game.

The Good
The story is very engaging, and each of the characters are very well developed...

Although many people didn't like this, I though the draw system (basically what it is is you can't learn magic, but you have to draw it from enemies) was good as it added a whole new layer of strategy...so did the GF junctioning system (Junctioning GF's to characers to make them stronger)...

The triple triad card game was pretty cool too...

Excellent sound track...

The Bad
There is no quit option and the saved game worked in slots?!? You can tell by the way the menu is set up that it is ported directly from the console w/o any modifications...no mouse support...any developer who creates a game without a quit option or mouse support should be severely smacked upside the head...

The game speed was slooooooooooow...even with text speed turned up high, sometimes it gets so boring you feel like falling asleep...

Did they ever think about giving you an option to turn the GF intros off??? after watching Shiva break out of an icicle for the millionth time, I felt like smashing the computer screen...

The Bottom Line
Real good storyline, except you can't help but feel that it is spoiled because of the crappy, cheap console like presentation...I mean come on, slots for saved games??? As a Final Fantasy fan, I wanted to gut myself...But if you can overlook its faults, this game is definitely worth buying...

The Good
The CGI animation was wonderful. The opening cinematic was my favorite (Squall vs. Seifer). There was interesting missions and battles and it made you have to think on your feet when you play. The weapons look very cool and the musical score is nice and calm when it has to be and terrifying when you enter a terrifying place.

The Bad
The Card Game. It was a little confusing. Plus the numerous side quests. Too many. And the GF attacks. You summon the GF and they only do 1 attack, that's it! The graphics looks like one big noodle you could unwind until it was gone. The characters at least, especially Squall.

The Bottom Line
Play it but don't play it too long.

The Good
Everything! I have played this game 10 times and loved every minute of every time. The storyline is great, once you figure it out. You will imagine that you are Squall in your free time for years. The characters are convincing, an improvement over the crappy characters in final fantasy vii, which my three year old brother could have improved on (or even my dog). They actually seem to have emotions and feelings, instead of being mindless robots. The fighting is good. One can go on side quests to make himself more powerful, and then it pays off when you're beating bosses by the hundreds. It is nice that it is possible to play the game with minimal understanding of the game's functions, but once you learn how to junction magic, it makes you more powerful. An altogether amazing game. Also, the triple triad mini-quest is awesome!

The Bad
When you go from one scene to the other, it takes 10 hours for the scenes to load. After each battle, you have to see how much experience you get, which takes about 22.763 hours, even if you run away! Some parts of the storyline just drag on and on (especially in the third disc), although it is not that bad. The bosses are not that hard, especially the second time around. The limit breaks are too easy to use, and do way to much damage. Finally, the GFs take about four minutes each time, and when you are summoning multiple GFs (especially Eden) it is just so boring. However, these are minor details, there are more good things about the game than bad things.

The Bottom Line
AWESOME. BUY IT. YOU'LL THANK ME LATER!

The Good
Final Fantasy 8 is one of those games you are amazed with from beginning to end. No matter what comes, you are simply stunned.

Final Fantasy 8 opens with a beautiful cinematic and a full orchestra playing in the backround. You introduced to the main hero Squall Leonhart (which is kind of ironic because one of his special attacks is called Lionheart) and his rival Seifer Almasy. They look like they are about to kill each other, but they are only training. As it turns out, Squall gets injured in the fight, and he is admitted the doctor in his college for mercenaries-in-training. Squall is approached by his instructor Quistis. It turns out Squall was supposed to take his final exam to become a member of SeeD (Yes SeeD is spelled like that). You are introduced to Balamb Garden and all of its facilities. The music in the backround is all nice and calm and it makes you enjoy what you need to do. Soon after that, you head off to pass your exam and guess what? You get to fight a big monster to pass! Colleges are getting so complicated these days....

Anyway, soon after you become a SeeD, you are introduced to a cast of characters for a mission, but you uncover a darker, more powerful force. It's no laughing matter and our hero doesn't care! This is one of the things that actually amazes me. No matter what the situation is, Squall doesn't care. He just cares about what he is told to do. He sometimes gets into hilarious confrontations with people and the comedy usually works. Squall is always in a situation that he really never asked for. That's what makes this game so fun.

The game has 4 discs in it and it is one long adventure. It takes you to places you never expected to be at all. A thing that amazes me is how the game is pretty hard. You get into fights and you may need to run or you will die. The enemies are all interesting and they are very exotic. You may even get to fight enemies so they will become your allies. Very cool.

The game has a system called the "Junction System" where you can equip magic. This is a first into the Final Fantasy world where MP is not used to do Magic. I found this helpful and much easier. This is also probably the only Final Fantasy game where you don't equip armor. It makes it so there are less problems. Along the way on your adventures, you may encounter and pick up forces called GF's (Guardian Forces). They help alot because you can summon them and they do a great deal of damage. There are many GF's to collect, but you have to look hard for most of them.

Final Fantasy 8 is a really great game for someone who never played Final Fantasy before. Sadly, for those who HAVE played Final Fantasy before Final Fantasy 8, they will have some problems with this one.

The Bad
After I played Final Fantasy 8, I went out and played Final Fantasy 7 and noticed the differences between the two. As I mentioned above, Final Fantasy 8 eliminates the armor equipping and the MP usage. They have been used in all of Final Fantasy. They just took it out so suddenly.

Final Fantasy 8 was just a little too dramatic. It had a romantic story going for it, but they pushed it waaaaaay over the edge. You like it at the beginning, but the next thing you know, the girl learns a strange secret about herself, and she flies off into space.

Which brings me to my next point, Final Fantasy 8 drives you to so many locations for small battles its absolutely strange. At some point in the game, you actually go off into space. Why? I don't remember. This game is so long and confusing I don't have time to recollect everything I saw in the game. In fact, the romance story is just a bit too romantic for a Final Fantasy game.

This is just one of the things I hate about the game. Some of the enemies are so powerful its ludicrous. One enemy in particular, he is sooo strong he is stronger than the last boss! It is absolutely insane. You actually need special items to actually combat this monster.

This may sound stupid after how I just ranted about the difficulty, but the ending boss was actually easy. If you strengthen up one character and do their special attack over and over, you can actually kill the last enemy.

The Bottom Line
Final Fantasy 8 is just an ok game. It is not for Final Fantasy hardcore people.

The Good
Final Fanstasy 8 is one of the games I enjoyed the most. First of all I wanna congratulate the producers for the amazing graphics they were able to create, the GFs are beautiful and the CG scenes are astonishing. Moreover the design of the characters (in the battle or in the field) are much, much better than in the FF7, which had those ridiculous tiny characters, even in some of the CG scenes. The fact that you can link magic to your status is a really good idea and the GF system is also great, you create a relation between each character and the GF, for example in my game Shiva is always junctioned to Rinoa, Ifrit is always junctioned to Squall and Quezacotl with Zell, for some reason I feel comfortable.

The Bad
Unfortunately some vital points makes this game be off the '10 best of all times' list: -Being able to get the Ragnarok only at the middle of the third cd is ridiculous, until then you have to drive that slow and huge thing, which is not attractive at all. -Using magic is worthless, the gf and limits damage much more. The magic is useful to increase defense or attack against a specified element. -There's a huge level gap between Squall and the other members for he is never out of the party, this is a critic I already had when I played FF7, you must be able to form the party the way you want, leaving behind this boring 'main character thing'. -Not so many characters to play with. In FF7 we had something like 10 or 9 different characters to choose in order to form a party.

The Bottom Line
To the readers,

I've read and heard a lot of bad critics about FF8 not being as good as the others so here comes my opinion: FF8 is a game for people older than the ones that played FF7, the storyline is as good as the one in FF7, the sounds are ok and the graphics are much better. I don't know which one to choose between FF7 and FF8 but I think I would prefer to do what I'm doing...Playing both!

The Good
There's Character development! YESSSSSS!!!!! That is, where as in most RPGs, the dialog of the characters and whatnot seems to pretty much the same for each one. In this game, however, they have very distinctive personalities. The graphics are much better than any of its predecessors (the characters have MOUTHS). Also, this game is a pleasant break from all the usual corny RPG stuff, like "chosen ones" and prophecies of great warriors who will save the World and crystals of elements and such. Of course, for those of us who really enjoy that, I hear that FF9 has plenty and spare. This is one of those games that I play for many reasons, but mostly to find out what happens next.

The Bad
The junction system is practically rocket science. Materia and espers were much easier. I also spent a good deal of time figuring out what makes your SeeD rank go up and down. I guess the worst part of this game is its complexity.

The Bottom Line
Imagine FF7 on steroids. This game is nothing like that, although thats probably what most people expected. This is a game with good graphics, an immense story line, and characters who behave in their own different ways. You know... like real people. But if you're stupid, then don't buy it. You'll melt your brains like cheese in a frying pan. ...Cheese in a frying pan?

The Good
The demos in the game are perfect. They are extremely detailed and look like real. The best part of the game is these demos. Your mouth will be opened and you won't feel it because you will find the demos perfect. The scenario is the second best part of the game. At first, Squall is only a student at Balamb Garden, not knowing how his life will change. Playing this game is much better than going to the cinema, and one of the reasons is the scenario. And the gameplay is perfect. The junction system is a very-well thought thing for gameplay. And the "draw" is a very good thought too. People who hate the burning of mana while making magics will LOVE this thing. And the music... The musics are extremely well. Did you know that SquareSoft paid 2 000 000 $ to a very famous singer to sing a song named "Eyes of Me" for the game?! The battle system is perfect. You "draw" magic from enemies, you don't use mana to make magics. And this "GF" idea is perfect. Everywhere is saying "Calling GFs more than a thousand times makes the game disgusting". No, that's wrong. There is an ability of the GFs (Except Diablos) named "boost". You can make your GF attack stronger with holding F and pressing A many times in combats. If you don't stop pressing A when a cross appears the power will reduce. The combats are very cinematic and fun. The charaters were well thought. They're all different and that helps the scenario. Don't think this game doesn't have any secrets. If you want to find all the secrets (if you don't want to play the game from its beginning three times like me) finish the game with a very very detailed walkthrough. The atmosphere is incredible. The scenario, the graphics and demos make an excellent atmosphere. You will think you're not playing a game but watching a movie. The boss fights are very strategic (Mostly Adel) They're like chess, but a very fast chess.

The Bad
Well, it's hard to say something bad about this game. If you really want to see a bad part of the game, you will not want to play the game from the beginning when you finish it.

The Bottom Line
A perfect game! If you don't buy this game you will find something missing in your life!

The Good
First let us mention game's preferences, as they're all just plain marvelous. Game comes on five CDs (I'm, of course, refering to PC version), one is just for installation, so basically, there are only four to play along with. As for the graphic and animations, they're breathtaking, and I think I'm really falling for that japanese creations (let's get one thing straight, though... I don't like anime like 2D, I'm a pure fan of 3D animations, hehe, exceptions can be games with animations like 'Outlaws' or 'Lands of Lore'). After playing this game, I'm trully sorry SquareSoft haven't put more of their games through the process of transporting them to PC platforms.

The story puts you in role of Squall Leonhart, not so friendly and sociable guy, due to past circumstances, who ended in a military school for mercenaries. Your only worthy opponent is Seifer Almasy, who cares a bit more about his ego and a dream to become sorceress' knight then anything else, and is pretty determined to keep away everyone that tries to prevent that (it is him who gave you that scar in the intro animation, just soon enough for you to do the same present for him, hehe). However, your fighting teacher is a hot babe that everyone enjoys her presence, but no matter, you always seem to keep distance... that is, until you first saw your falling star. Is it possible to catch a falling star? Well, you're just about to find out that as you play along :)

This is my first Final Fantasy game I even played, and no matter how people claim this one has a bit tougher controls and whole thing to settle along, it's possible to master everything just as you play along, as you can always refer to ingame help and mentor. Fighting is definitely not turn-based (those who claims it is are wrong), but you speed and ability to strike depends in a certain time limit (if you have higher levels, you'll be faster, etc.) so that could trick those who think it's turn-based. It is definitely real-time, as even when you're choosing what to do and how to strike, enemy won't just watching you calmly.

Game uses just a keyboard, without a mouse, and you're moving your character(s) very similar to those in 'Alone in the Dark' games, only way faster and smoother. In many occasions you'll be given to choose with whom to play and/or do a certain mission, and the experience will go to the characters with you play at the moment. However, magic can only be used if you assigned a certain GF (Guardian Force) to your character, so you'll have to switch that from time to time... actually, quite a lot. Characters are all well designed, animated, and have a story of their own, but that story just happens to connect all of ya (which you'll uncover more once you play the game).

Animations in the game (excluding intro and ending animation) only consists of sound, and the music (which is probably midi) is on its own, so I must admit music is greatly composed to suit in every situation when played along with a piece of any animation at the given moment. Nobuo Uematsu is surely now on my top list of game composers :)

The Bad
Nada! Not a single thing! I only hope SquareSoft will stop doing so much game for consoles and concentrate their future more towards PC. I mean, first, graphic on PC is waaay better then on some silly Playstation which can only be used for games, second, how can you guys even play games on that silly thing instead of keyboard? Third, I'd really like to see some games like 'Parasite Eve' and newer 'Final Fantasy' games for PC. I know, it needs to be taken care of wether it will pay off the transportation to PC, but so far, I'm sure that both games, Final Fantasy VII & VIII were accepted on PC equally as on Playstation. I hope even more. If not, then something's wrong with the population on this planet, I'll sayeth :)

The Bottom Line
Hey, trust me one this one, you don't have to be a Final Fantasy fan to like this game. I wasn't... but be prepared to become one once you try it, hehe. That's the price of playing it, I guess, hehe. Beside the great story, wonderful animations, amazing character motions, really creative effects, speechless and breathtaking music soundtrack, there's at lest a reason to get this game for PC instead of PSX, since you'll enjoy more with better graphic and everything. Not to mention how prices for consoles are so much higher then for PC (which is still a mystery to me). You shouldn't say no to this game if there's any adventure, action, rpg, fantasy, sci-fi or love spirit in you. Trust me on this one :) Yeah right, as if you should listen to this review, anyway, lol!

The Good
If there was one game series that was worthy enough to go on the hall of legends for ANY platform, Final Fantasy would be it.

Final Fantasy VIII took a reality check from by providing more 'realistic' or 'human' graphics. An upgrade to my opinion, although I can't objectively say its better - each Final Fantasy series (well most of them anyway) present there own unique style.

Final Fantasy VIII would be the Playstation version of the PC's "Diablo" (of is it the other way around) -- Introducing 2-5 minute cut-scenes that are better than a lot of 2 hour movies.

The character's in the game represent different aspects of human personality. Obviously, the main hero - Squall usually represents the hero-rebel that most of us went through during our teenage years. The "secondary" game plot revolves around these personalities. The developers made a great detailed job of opening the mysteries of each character - their emotions, dreams, fears and personal lives making Final Fantasy VIII a whole bunch of little stories into one great big scenario of story telling.

This game is indeed a product of a master storyteller.

The Bad
Well, you can read about the more good stuff in other reviews. However, l'd like to focus mine on the bad stuff.

Although as much as I love Final Fantasy VIII, the process of loving it was a long and hard rough journey. As seen in the One-line Summary, it took me 4 times to play this game to completely appreciate the game. If it weren't because of Final Fantasy VII, I doubt I'd be as patient in trying out the game 4 times.

There are many features that were difficult to understand for players familiar with the Final Fantasy concept, much less for those unfamiliar with it. I would rate user-friendliness a low mark on that area, honestly. This game can be also frustrating if your a perfectionist-style player. I've re-played this game 5 times, and each time I've found-out something new. This would be one of those games where you'd better buy the clue book unless you miss something.

In relation to that, there are a lot of events that without the clue book/walkthrough, I'm sure you'll miss out on. I don't quite enjoy the fact that when you reach the final battle, someone tells you you've missed a couple of GI's. Such inputs can be very frustrating and annoying. This game is a good example that sometimes "too much freedom of choice" can have its drawbacks.

The Bottom Line
Get this game like your life depended on it.

The Good
Squaresoft heard its fans after the success of its previous offering, Final Fantasy VII. "More!" they cried. And more they received. What we have in Final Fantasy VIII is every ounce of graphical glory the programmers could force out of the PlayStation, improving upon the powerful combination of pre-rendered graphics and full-motion video that made #7 so popular. Gone are the blocky characters, replaced with more realistic figures who really do stand at full height, with fully textured clothing, too. Unfortunately, it seems many gamers are unable to see past the superficiality of this game. I'll get to that in a bit.

There is, gladly enough, one really good saving factor to this game that I think might even be more fun than the actual game -- and that's Triple Triad, the card-collecting sub-game that permeates the game world. You collect monster cards, each with its own strengths and weaknesses, and then you challenge townspeople and extras standing around to play with you, and if you win you could win their cards (and if you lose, say goodbye to your own). There's so much strategy involved, and just when you think you've got it figured out the game tosses in another rule. Just collecting these cards, playing people to track down the rare cards, and the richness of gameplay this affords could very easily keep you from actually playing the game for hours.

The Bad
Unfortunately, Squaresoft bowed too much to peer pressure -- or fan pressure, as the case may be. Final Fantasy VIII is about twenty steps too far in the wrong direction, striving to be a bigger and badder version of Final Fantasy VII with more technology (both in programming and in the game environment) but lacking, unfortunately, in story and gameplay. We'll take a look at what Squaresoft thought they could do with #8 from what they learned in #7, and what went wrong.

Let's start with the Guardian Force/Junction system, which is how characters gain skills and abilities. See, in Final Fantasy VII, characters could equip summon spells that allows them to summon monsters in battle to do massive amounts of crucial damage. That, and give them some truly amazing animated visuals, and those summons easily became one of the major selling points of the game, gracing all sorts of marketing devices and magazine previews everywhere. So in Final Fantasy VIII Squaresoft figured these summoned monsters, now given the name "Guardian Force," could become the basis of the skill system, and characters would now be forced to depend upon the GF's for most of their attack power. In #7, summoning was limited to a maximum of five times per battle. In #8, you summoned as many times as you liked.

The result of this catastrophic decision was that every difficult monster had to be given huge gob-loads of hit points, since it was very easy to up your GF's attack power to a maximum of 9999 damage per hit (and sometimes they would even perform multiple hits). To prevent every monster from dying immediately at the hands of the powerful GF's Squaresoft had to make some regular monsters have as much as 100,000 to 150,000 hit points! But that's not all -- GF animations became even more over-the-top, increasing not only its "coolness factor" but also the length of time it took to play out, which made even regular battles a gigantic half-hour borefest of watching your powerful GF do the exact same thing fifty times in a row. This is not my idea of fun.

There are, as well, plenty of minor gripes to make: The characters, themselves, are largely identical in ability -- Final Fantasy used to be about specialization of characters (some of them forced) but here, you could use the same three characters for the entire game, just change the GF's around depending on which ability you'd like to use, and you'll never even have to look at the other characters if you don't want to ever again. There's a lack of equipment -- you only choose weapons, and even those are limited to four choices throughout the entire game, kind of like a simplified Equipment for Dummies, which further focuses your character's development on GFs alone. Then there's the Limit system -- a way for each character to perform superpowerful attacks when they're near death -- while it's well-meaning, you could still trick the game into letting you have a nearly unlimited amount of Limits just be never healing yourself, which again forces monsters to have insane amounts of HP just to stay alive. And one must also ask the question, why does a world so technologically advanced only have about three major cities in it?

Not to mention that halfway into the game there's an improbable plot twist -- I won't give it away here -- that can only be explained by tossing in the copout "Oh, GF's have a side effect of causing memory loss." Durrr....

Granted, Final Fantasy VIII could easily stand on its own and be a great game, but the point is, it's can't. See the words "Final Fantasy" in the title? There are years of prequels to live up to and by that comparison Final Fantasy VIII has failed. Unfortunately, this is a case when Squaresoft tried to give too much of what the fans wanted, and ignored all sorts of game design sensibilities altogether. While it's great that they made the effort, I'm afraid I can't really respect the end product.

The Bottom Line
If all you want in a game is that it "looks cool," then Final Fantasy VIII is for you. Otherwise, try games seven or nine for the PlayStation instead. Although they're more cartoony, they're also more fun, better balanced, and represent what Final Fantasy is really all about.

The Good
Final Fantasy 8 is one of the very few J-RPG's ever to hit the PC platform, and it happens to be one of the best RPG's overall to hit the PC. Although I have played PC games like Diablo and Baldur's Gate, this gave me the best RPG experience ever. Final Fantasy 7 was also great, but it can't compare to the greatness of Final Fantasy 8. The Storyline, the game's plot (an unusual time-travel story) is about some sorceress in the distant future who wants to "compress time", as in there is no future, there is no past, simply she wants to control time itself, and its up to the game's protagonists to stop her. There is also a very touching romantic subplot to the game. Every J-RPG I have played has a breathtaking storyline, and this is no exception. Great graphics, the game was the first of the series to use realistic character models (which I enjoyed very much), and the background blended well with them. This was also the only game in the series to feature an all-human playable character cast.

Cinematics, they are gorgeous to look at, console-style cinematics to the PC at their best. Original game play, I found the Junctioning thing fun to play around with, one can consider several combinations or strategies that best fit you're particular character, and even though the MP thing was gone (the only J-RPG game of it's kind) I found using a particular spell 99 times a huge advantage. The drawback about the no MP thing is one has to gather particular magic spells from several monsters and locations, lots of traveling and exploring. Fortunately, that's what I like about the game, traveling and exploring. Outstanding music score, every J-RPG like a Final Fantasy has a great music score regardless. Final Fantasy 8 is obviously the best Final Fantasy title ever to hit the PC platform. I only wish that more J-RPG's like this would come to the PC. An absolutely wonderful game!

The Bad
One of the downsides of this game is the exiting part. I have to press ALT+F4 to exit the game. I found that earning money depends on your SEED rank, not killing random enemies, which takes a long while to gather. Money after all is the key to any J-RPG game. The Gameplay can be quite confusing at first, but once you get over it, you're in for the thrill of a lifetime.

The Bottom Line
This is the game that will convince people that J-RPG's have a place in the PC platform. I still don't understand why the PC has very little games like this, I feel games like Final Fantasy 8 have shown they can make smooth transition to another platform, especially to the PC.

The Good
Before I played FF8, I wasn't a huge fan of RPG's. The main reason was because I felt RPG's were just too technical and difficult to get into. I'm glad that this was the first Playstation game I ever bought, since I've never stopped playing RPG's ever since.

FF8 is beautiful. From the detail in the backgrounds, to the very nice cut scenes and the strong musical score. Everything about it is sheer bliss. The thing that made it so much easier for me to enjoy the game was the easy to get into battle system. Although certain things inside the battle system take time to develop, it isn't hard to get everything started. The earlier battles help to get you into the groove of things for some of the huge battles later on through out the game.

Something that many games lack of in recent times is a lasting factor. FF8 will last a long, long time. Not only is there 4 discs to get through, but trying to collect everything will take the most out of you. The addition of a card game on the side of the main story adds a nice balance to the game, and gives you something else to do instead of the same battle after battle routine that earlier RPG's sticked too.

I have to give credit where credit is due, to the amazing soundtrack. Square are one of a handful of developers that actually take time to develop a strong soundtrack to go with the visuals, and the score here mixes songs of power, love and comedy all in one. Great.

The Bad
There are moments with the graphics that don't look all that well. Blocky textures appear sometimes, thankfully not too often.

The Bottom Line
This is the best PSX Final Fantasy. It improves the visual detail built by FF7, and the overall quality and fun is a little higher than that of FF9. It will eventually be left behind by FF10 and 11, but FF8 will always find a place in my imagination. One of Squares biggest triumphs, and don't bother to even tell me otherwise.

The Good
I liked the story and the cutscene graphics and music and the main guy, Squall (default name)'s attitude.The Guardian Forces are so cool and the limit breaks are cool too.

The Bad
I didn't like the battle system because you have to quickly decide what you want to do and that the monsters leveled up too.

The Bottom Line
This is a good game but has a few minor flaws to it.You can still find this old game on the web pages like Ebay and it will be pre-owned.

The Good
Final Fantasy 8, While odd compared to it's brothers (Sisters, if you must.) is still the one I enjoy the most. Not only can the story grab your attention, but it makes a hard try for you emotions as well. You just feel all warm and fuzzy inside when something works out.

Like many others, the summons play an important role in the story. (and are cool/cute/and all around awesome to look at, If I could only get plushies of them...) The summons give your characters the ability to "Junction" magic to certain stats, Such as Strength and Spirit. (Defense against magic attack for those of you who, like me, had no idea.) Summons in this game can also give you command abilities, like "Draw" which leads me to the way magic works in this game. Magic is stolen from the enemies. Simple way of putting it. You use "Draw" on normal enemies and bosses and stock up on magic which you can A:Later unleash upon other baddies in a furious storm of the elements or B: Junction to you stats to put you characters closer to godhood.

The characters.... Where to begin? They all have their storylines that somehow combine to resolve the major conflict in the game, with less flying boats.

The graphics? Well, Field and battle models are fine, much improved since 7, and not as.... well, child like as 9. But it's the "ingame movies" that really make me smile :) They are wonderful.

  Music? it has plenty!  As always, better than the last. Eyes On Me is to die for, as well as another variation of the Chocobo theme ;) <br><br>**The Bad**<br>There isn't much I disliked, Besides the fact that the enemies you fight level up with you.  Yes, I know you probably read that again but it's true.  The stronger your characters get the stronger your opponents become.  This is not all bad, since the stronger they are the higher level of magic they have to steal.  But many enemies in they game, *coughstupidfrekingrubydragoncough* pose a major threat at high levels and for me, a ruby dragon was harder than any other creature in the game.

Also, Though I am all for the "Get paid as you go" idea, I had a problem with the rank system.  I maxed out my characters early so I had no reason to fight all the time, but if you don't fight your rank goes down and you get less money...  :O<br><br>**The Bottom Line**<br>    In a nutshell, since my way of saying things is a bit round-about, play this game.<br>

If you have never played a Final Fantasy, play this.
If you always play Final Fantasy, Play this.
If you have already played this, play it again and goof off.
You'll laugh at the antics of a certain martial artist, you'll cry at the tender love story between certain characters, and you'll feel like bouncing off the walls whenever you Selphie. Don't worry, you'll know what I mean once you start playing.

The Good
First, its GF junction system was completely new. This system gave me an uncommon experience. Second, its SEED system is a new concept, it allows us to avoid hunting for money battling enemies. Instead, I had to raise my SEED rank to gain more salary, and to make the quests perfectly.

The music is just splendid, especially the song "Eyes On Me", I liked it very much. And the graphics show people as real people, I felt as if I were in the reality when I was playing the game.

It's hard to describe the story. The friendship between Squall, Seifer and other students of SEED is interestingly described. And also the love story is very beautiful!

The Bad
Nothing. Really nothing!

The Bottom Line
The SEED system, the GF junction system, the magic-drawing system are all different from previous Final Fantasy games. Those innovations brought me a lot of joy and a new experience.

The Good
This game had a epic long story that featured film-like CGI scenes with vibrant color and realism. This game/movie would have made the Final Fantasy Movie #1 in the box office, if they would have used the story (taking out all of the game-like resemblances such as battles and the long waits when you travel to other places) In place with some plot twist and some cuts, this movie would dominate the box office, except it lies besides Final Fantasy VII in the video game world.

The Bad
The game has a long drawn out plot that didn't suit a video game. Sometimes after defeating it once, it will begin to collect dust. Boredom will overwhelm you. As always it will leave a mark in the beginning for better games to come.

The Bottom Line
If you are a Hardcore Final Fantasy fan or love a good romantic story this is a game for you. Forget going to the movies looking for a better love/ action story. this is the one you'd want.

The Good
Almost everything was great. The graphics are CRAP - YES CRAP! Happy now Final Fantasy 8 haters? But, consider this; Final Fantasy 8 had the best graphics at the time on the PlayStation, especially compared with other RPG titles what had blocks for limbs (Final Fantasy 7) and is thus CRAP, but super FANTASTIC compared to other titles of the time. The music was fantastic. Simply fantastic. And i've got real proof of that - the game's theme tune "Eyes On Me" is currently the second-best ever video-game music released in Japan to date! (source: Wikipedia). The plot is extensive, with great back-story, history, plot and character development. The card game is possibly the best mini game on the for the early PlayStation, and the Full motion movies were just lovely. Even if you don't like the game, you just have to admit the movie quality was awesome, especially for PlayStation 1 titles. However, the PC graphics for this game are very ugly, and repetitive of play and stay away - stick with the original PlayStation version! In my opinion, the music (which I just adore) and plot are the highlights of this game.

The Bad
Of course, hardly anyone liked the new Junction system, which was just plain stupid and hard to understand, even with help of the tutorial. The "chocobo world" minigame was included in the game, but no way to access it due to the Pocket Station device never being released out of Japan, and the over-world graphics. In Final Fantasy 7, towns looked smooth and sleak, but Final Fantasy 8 has locations that look like weird-looking lego blocks when viewed from the map. This is quite ironic, considering that Final Fantasy 7 was the one that, despite having detailed towns, had "block" limbs - whilst Final Fantasy had detailed limbs, but now "block" towns.

The Bottom Line
In a sense, Final Fantasy 8 is like marmalade - either you love it forever, or hate it. Simple. Due to the low availability of this game today, you've simply missed the opportunity to decide if the answer was "hate" or "love". No doubt most people hate Final Fantasy 8, but it's just misunderstood (listen to me, I'm acting like if this game was a person!) and terribly under-rated. If you have the opportunity to play, have a go, but don't bother running around hoping to find it in stores. If you're in the mood for a RPG, you're probably better off with Final Fantasy 10 (rated game of the year once for the PlayStation 2, and hardly any haters for that game!) or the upcoming Final Fantasy 12 (one of the legendary few considered "perfect" by the Famitsu magazine).

The Good
Greaaat graphics. As far as eye candy goes, Square pulled everything they could get from the psx. The characters and enviroments now sport great textures, and great animations, not to mention amazingly-blended fmv sequences, which even nowadays hold their own against most other competitors.

Well..... There are some nice gameplay gimmicks like the draw system and whatnot....and...er...There are also great graphics!!! And uhmm.... did I mention the graphics? Oh yeah, the intro is pretty cool (but for those of you that claim it's the best one ever I encourage you to check the SPECTACULAR Privateer 2 intro).

The Bad
It comes with an officially licensed Pop Song and starts with a music video. That pretty much says it all. If you are one of those that get all misty-eyed with a bunch of "epic" images and a thumping classical song then congratulations, FF8 is gonna be for you. If you on the other hand are among the ones with gray matter in the skull then welcome to hell.

To sum it up FF8 is a tough nut to swallow. Why? Crap Gameplay, Crap Story. Historically these have been the two saving graces of videogames, if you can have both you have a golden hit, if you don't, then you just concentrate on having one (Doom, console rpgs, etc.) but FF8 blows on BOTH accounts. Let me explain, as far as gameplay goes: it is a console rpg, so that means that right from the start it's seriously impaired, I'm talking super-linear structure, simple game mechanics, etc... but FF8 introduces a series of features that make things even worse. Let's see, since everyone liked those flashy summon animations on FF7 then the game will be much more entertaining if we concentrate it all on that feature, right? Wrong. The developers decided to focuss the entire fighting gameplay on these summons (now called GFs) by making all enemies extremely powerful and hardwiring fighting skills to these GFs (which you must "junction" to yourself in order to say, cast magic) which point out another problem, you'll find out that your main focuss is to upgrade the GFs, nevermind the characters themselves. Of course, the deductive player will soon find out that due to the over-the-top nature of fights, summoning GFs is the only viable way to win, and here is when we get to the heart of the problem: you have to cast and watch these (lavishly done admitedly) animations oooover and ooover and oooover again. These animations run 3-5 mins each and turn fights into 40 min affairs, add to that that they are straightforward simple fights devoid of any strategic angle and you have a borefest in your hands. You are only required to sit there between animations and select which one to play until the monster you are trying to defeat is dead. To quote an ex-girlfriend of mine: "Are you actually playing this or what?"... I didn't know what to answer her.

Ok, so the gameplay is crap, what about the storyline? Lots of games have been saved from oblivion by the legions of pseudo-intellectual freaks that are content with having nothing more than "interactive books"... well this isn't one of them. For what I dare say is the first time ever, Square has blown it in what regards to the storyline/creative content. For starters there is a major turn to melodrama instead of epic-ness in the story, "hooray!!" says you "no more stereotyped super-heroes that save the world, right?" Wrong again. The move just focuses the stereotypes even more, since the game puts character development and relationships in the front seat. A tricky feat to accomplish right, since you have to have VERY well designed characters. Characters with dark shadowy pasts are usually popular, because they keep everything in shrouds and your imagination fills in those blanks, it's not the most original aproach, but it allows you to easily connect with your character because you essentially turn him into what you want and you don't pay attention to the cliches and stereotypes going on around you. Square had this down to a formula but they decided to forgo it in order to tell the stories between the characters here and now. Bold move, but suddenly we are disconnected from that sense of involvement that we had before and we are told to sit back and watch as the story unfolds by itself. Of course, when we do that we can't help but watch everything we have missed out before. Such as the stupid stereotyping taken to the extreme with the "dark and misterious character" "the anmesia solution to complicated plots", the stupidly incidental plot (you never drive the action, stuff in the game just "happens" around you) the plot holes, etc. Understandably enough, the main plot gets weaker as the characters become more prominent in the spotlight, but the whole thing just comes appart because it doesn't have any good characters to deal with. Every one in the game is supposedly "for real" but in reality they are the lowest forms of the sterotypes that have plaged videogames from the beggining with the added bonuses that they are super-heroes / part-time 20-something models / fashionably cool / and even Rock Stars!! (yeah, I'm not kidding you here).

You have the usual sidekick-like characters that offer comedy relief at the expense of plot integrity and general ambience (hey dude, we are in the middle of a war but let's have a rock concert yay!!!); the baddass antagonist to the main character; the mentor-like mother figure; the hero; and of course, the main love interest.

These last two deserve a whole chapter on their own, for starters every female character in this game is responsible for a regression of epic proportions that would make Virgina Wolfe rattle in her grave (anyone notice how all the female characters wear skirts or short thights? :D This game would be a perfect ad for Gap!), but Riona alone has taken female characters back 10 years at least, especially since she is supposed to be the "strong-willed and modern" chick. Bullshit. Riona spends the whole game acting as a damsel in distress barely capable of producing an adult tought. She starts out as a rebel leader of sorts but by the second quarter of the game the developers apparently forget about that and have her act like a ditzy (free-spirited for the politically correct) bimbo.

As for the main character Squall has got to be the most stupid character ever to grace a computer game, you see, in the culturally inept elite circles image is associated with attitude, so for instance if you wear leather you are a badass (see Britney Spears => I love Rock & Roll), if you have tattoos you are a badass, if you speak "l33t" you are hacker, if you have body piercings you are baaad, etc, Get it? Well, the idea behind Squall is that he is "real" and that of course means acting like an asshole and being an obnoxious bitch (because in the simplified world of Square character design flawed equals "real") and since FF8 is a "really real" game and not like "those other fantasy games", Squall gets to act like an asshole a lot. And I do mean a LOT. One of the reasons it is so hard to connect with Squall is because he is just an asshole! Early in the game you see his best buddy (dunno how the hell he can put up with Squall) aproach and extend his hand to congratulate him. His reaction? Ignoring him and looking somwhere else... Is that supposed to be "real"?? If I were Zell I would have broken the motherfucker's nose... and that's just the beggining. Through the course of the game you'll see him bitch and moan and crawl into fetal possitions and storm out of rooms like a histerical bitch (no, I'm not making this up). Of course, Squall by himself is nothing but an annoying bitch (much like Episode 2's Anakin), the problem arises when he is shoehorned into the game just because he's the lead character. You'll scratch your head in disbelief as everyone treats him nicely just because he's the main character, you'll have a brain stroke trying to figure out how they can name an asshole like him the leader of humanity's last stand or how Rinoa falls madly in lover for him....

And of course, the icing on the cake comes in the form of a mushy-feely coat of cheap sensibility aplied to the game, if you look at it closely the game's whole point is to mix the right amount of mushy strings to make the emotionally challenged among us go "ahhhh" with a sad misunderstood guy and a harsh cold unfriendly world and then just when you think it's all so mean and nothin's fair... Whammo! Love conquers all!! yay!!!!! Most people will end this game tear-stained thinking they have actually tought something when in reality they have lost precious time and swallowed four discs of pure teenie-booper crap....Either that or the rules of the universe just switched and a sequence where the lead and the female interest find themselves acting like schoolgirls and cuddling and speaking about their feelings while the officially licensed Touchy-Feely Pop Song (tm) plays in the background are actually meaningfull and touching moments.

The Bottom Line
To sum it all up: Am I an nutcase? Everyone loves this game! Why am I the only one to point out these things? Well, you see, we videogamers need to be less forgiving about the content of our products if we are to be taken seriously by the world. This game is a perfect example because it is pure unadultered CRAP. And, because it made it's translation to another art-form. No, really. FF8 is in spirit the same as FF: The Spirits Within, it changes some characters and doesn't have chocobos, but at it's soul is the goddamned story of Squall's inept existance, it even has a crappy touchy-feely sequence in space!!!

So what happens??? FF8 is praised by everyone in the videogame community, and the game sells millions, while FF:TSW is regarded as nothing but a flashy and hollow overpretentious crap by the motion picture community.... Are we surprised then when the masses regard computer games as kiddie stuff? Of course, I'd like to point out that while the psx version of the game was a success, the PC version bombed terribly, which makes me particularly proud of being primarily a PC-gamer :)).... There is a lesson to be learned in here kids, maybe I'm not as nutz as you think :)

The Good
First off...anyone who watches the intro to this game will be hooked.

The combination of the groundbreaking (for 1999) cgi effects and Nobuo Uematsu's intense score creates a cinematic experience that was unmatched in it's day. Even today, with 6 years of hardware and software evolution, few games can match the passion, excitement and mystery inherent in the INTRO of this game.

When the game actually begins, you are thrust into the role of Squall Lionhart, one of the most complex characters ever to appear in a video game. Squall is training to become a mercenary at an elite academy, and the story is centered on him and the group of soldiers that he leads. Squall is a pretty deep guy, with the type of complex personality that is more common in novels than in video games. On the surface he is a pretty uncaring dude, but as the game progresses you find out that most of his affect is due to a pretty crummy childhood (i.e. the boy has some abandonment issues to say the least.)

In fact the characterization inherent in this game is actually, for me, one of the best features of this game. Unlike FF-7 (or 5, or 3, or 1...what is it with these odd numbered FF games....) the characters in this game have real motivations, fears, etc. they are not interchangeable cardboard cut-outs. To put it simply, each character in the game has a reason to be the way they are, and the game delves into each character's psyche enough to make them all three dimensional characters. This is truly a character driven game, which is a bit of a departure from games like FF-7.

Another great feature of this game is the Junction system. This tends to be a "love it or leave it" feature of the game, and as a veteran of EVERY Final Fantasy game (except XI) I would have to say it lives up the expectations of fans of the series. The system if flexible, and powerful, without ever being too munchkin-y. It also tends to be the type of system that is really re-playable, since you can drastically alter stat progression and power levels for your characters when you know how to really use the system. Granted, some people will not like the junction system at first glance (I have a buddy who's a FF fanatic who WILL NOT play this game because of it) but I assure that when you spend some time with it you will find that it is one of the most flexible systems within the FF family of games.

Another feature that I really like is the fact that money is not as important in this game as in most RPGs, and monsters don't drop gil when they die. Money is normally only gained through your paycheck from SEED (the mercenary company your team works for.) Personally I feel that this adds a bit of needed realism to the standard RPG formula, I know that complaining about realism in a game populated with man-eating, magic-using monsters is kinda silly, but it's one of those RPG-isms that tends to bug me. (I mean where do these monsters get all their cash....stealing lunch money from school kids?) Instead, money is only used for things that tend to be "extras", like healing items, and car rentals.

Another great feature of this game is the Triple Triad card game. Your character can play this game against NPCs and build up a collection of rare cards that can be modded into rare items. If you delve into Triple Triad, you will find yourself ahead of the curve quite often in this game, as you will have access to spells and weapons that you would normally have to wait to get.

In closing I would have to say, this is a BIG game, bigger than FF-7. That being said though, it tends to be a bit more quaint than 7 in it's general scale, most of the conflict early in the game revolves around inter-city disputes, as opposed to the constant "save the world" vibe of 7. This scale helps center the story on the characters, as opposed to the world, which makes it all the more identifiable.

The Bad
I'm a pretty big fan of this game, so it's fairly hard for me to find points to criticize, but here goes.

I would have to say that the complexities of the junction system is something that took more than one play through to really learn. As this is about a 40 hour game, playing through once just to learn the ins and outs of the junction system is an investment of time that some people just will not make. While I like the system, I would have to say that more documentation on it from Square would have been nice. Granted, now you can just grab a FAQ and learn it, but still, a couple of extra pages in the manual or a better tutorial would have been nice.

Another feature that I do not really like it the in-game tutorial system. On your first playthrough it's essential, as it explains processes that are not examined in the game manual. On your second and subsequent playthroughs it can be a bit of a time waster, I really think it would have been nice it Square would give you the option of turning the tutorials off.

I guess the last thing I will mention is that, on my first playthrough, the lack of armor and the weapon modification system kinda bothered me. Granted once I learned the system better (i.e. your Strength stat determines how much damage you do with physical attacks; Vitality reduces physical damage like armor) I never had a problem again, but it's worth mentioning.

The Bottom Line
An essential part of the Final Fantasy series of games. If you haven't played it you should.

The Good
There are lots of original concepts to be found. It gets rid of a lot of RPG cliches such as gathering gold, armors and weapons. Armor is virtually nonexistent, your starting weapon is the standard 1 for your character throughout the whole game. You get paid regualrly so gold is no longer a big reason for killing random enemies. The graphics on the Guardian Forces are impressive the first couple of times you see them, but they get very repetitive.

The Bad
You can't skip the animations on the Guardian Force attacks. The grphics are sub par, they're left in the original playstation resolution which makes them low-res on todays PC's. A lot of the original concepts are poorly implimented.The sounds sound tinny and distant.

The Bottom Line
If you're a Final fantasy fanatic is the only way i can recomend this game. A console port that squaresoft put no effort into. They didn't take advantage of the computers superior performance.

The Good
It surely have revolutionize the game standard and expectation to match the fantastic storyline. The setting is what i loved the most, then the clip's graphic, battling system, character development and summoning. You may find that i have quite a low expectation, but it was the first and best game i ever played at that time, it was a work of a flawless piece of art.

The Bad
Although i am not a good critic, the fourth disc rather confuse and disappoint me. i say the game is getting a bit too serious for that the plots and events in the previous discs did not have enough information to sustain it. Or rather, there is too many events in the third disc as compare to the first.

The Bottom Line
It's the fantasy that leave people wondering.

The Good
Not very much, I don't think I like anything about this game. In fact, it was a waste of the electricity used to power my PlayStation.

The Bad
Everything. Talk about a completely laughable weapon system, my circle of RPG friends agreed that the weapons and armor system in this game took a big dump. I personally don't find it very interesting or original to have a combat revolver built in to my sword and be stuck with it.

The battle system boring, left you pressing X over and over during the battle while messing around on the computer until the battle was over.

No sense of rewards in this game because it was so easy, you basically watch movies and walk through the entire game. Did I even die once? I don't think so.

Remember when RPGs weren't all about eye candy and how many polygons are being rendered during battles? I vaguely do, this game doesn't help remind me at all.

This game flat out sucks, don't buy it or even play it. Its no mystery how Squaresoft pumps out so many of these Final Fantasies these days, they put about 10 minutes of thought in to em and flood the video game market right afterwards. There hasn't been a good Final Fantasy since the US Final Fantasy 3.

The Bottom Line
A complete waste of time. Insomniacs should play this. They'll be in a coma soon after.

The Good
In 1999, SquareSoft, released Final Fantasy VIII, perhaps the most controversial incarnation of the series, as for many Final Fantasy fans it was an insult of a game. I know many FF Fans that now hate the series because of FFVIII. I did not pay the game much mind as in 1999, I did not own a PlayStation, I was far to busy playing my new Dreamcast, and my PC. It would not be until several years later until I would play the game. It is a little better than FF7, but not by much.

In FF8, you are Squall Lionheart, a rude little shit. That people are drawn to for some reason. If being antisocial is so cool, how come I am not more popular? Anyhow, you are a student at the SeeD Academy. Where the teach kids to become warriors. Not unlike Harry Potter. The games plot starts off well enough, despite a prick for a protagonist. About 5 hours or so into the game it takes a most displeasing turn. More on that later.

Also good, are the Graphics. The characters of FF8 are large and well detailed. And for the first time in the series do not change appearance in battle. The backgrounds look better than in it’s predecessor. They are more detailed, and more colorful. And often are animated. But the better graphics feel wasted on the often poor character design. Why did Square fire Yoshitaka Amano? His art used to be one of the best things about the franchise.

The Bad
On to the negative portion of my review. The opening video is just plain stupid. When Deckard wannabe, Seifer slashes down at Squall head, he would have taken his head off, not just left a little scar. Furthermore the plot quickly gets sour. Around the time you meet up with Rinoa, the love interest, that Squall seems to have contempt for. At this point you are on a train and assault it. This results in an idiotic mini-game in which you attempt to uncouple the train cars. It is very annoying. And almost resulted in me quitting the game right then and there.

I would like to say that the plot picks up, but it really never does. Often, you run around doing things, for reasons that are unclear. Many weak plot points abound. Such as why would SeeD, send children on a dangerous mission? The fate of the city rests of inexperienced youths? The plot of the two evil sorceress’ is just dumb. There is also what has to be one of the dumbest moments in video game history, when during a battle between two SeeD schools, Squall and Rinoa stop to have a chat when three feet away people are dying. Blood would splatter on Squall’s face and they would continue to chat. Furthermore the dialog is unimportant, and trite. This also almost made me quit playing the game.

The new magic system of FF8, is GF’S. This is one of worst magic systems ever conceived for a game. You equip these GF’S, and can learn skills from them as well as magic. There are no MP points in FF8, instead you must “draw” magic. No not with a pen and pad, but by sucking magic from foes and “draw points”. For instance you draw Fira, 5 times and you can use it 5 times. This makes battles incredibly tedious. And can make even the simplest battles last ten minutes. And considering you are attacked by invisible monsters every 10 seconds you spend about 75% of the game do this crap.

The GF’S also allow you to “junction”. This allows you to increase attack power, HP, etc. This system is flawed at best. For example say that you junction you attack power + 50%. Then you standard attacks even from weaker characters do about 8000-9000 HP damage, when summoning the GF only does about 4000-5000. WTF?

Limit Breaks are back and just as moronic as in FF7. This time to learn them, you must find magazines for a particular PC and have them use it. An interesting idea but a little silly. You have a limit break bar that must fill to be used, this often results in wasted Limit Breaks, and harder boss fights. Some limit breaks are interactive a nice touch, but take a little getting used to.

Also in FF8, you DO NOT WEAR ANY ARMOUR, this is very dumb. And instead of buying new weapons, you upgrade them, this in if it self would not be so bad if you did not have to find the materials, first. What kind of merchant makes you bring them the materials? That as if when you buy a house the carpenters make you bring them the lumber. Also making weapons is sorta like MacGyver, a turtle shell + a rock + a feather = a new sword…huh? Also the weapons are all lame. From “gun blades” to giant nunchaku?

The Graphics, while good, are often ruined by atrocious character. Take a look at Selphie, and Irving, and you will see what I mean. The monster designs are also bad.

The music is horrible. It just plain sucks. None of the music is memorable or often not even fitting the moment. It is God awful. And there is still not voice acting….WTF?

The Bottom Line
Overall, even many Final Fantasy gamers hate this one. But who knows others may like. As many non-FF fans do like the game. But there are so many better PS RPGS, I cannot recommend this one.