Final Fantasy VIII
Rating:  -
Glad to finally get this one back. I used to have a huge collection of PS1 games but a little traveling mixed with friends who have slim wallets...well you get the idea.
Rating:  -
This may be a bit late but I just felt like putting it up after replaying this game on my PS3, the real reason most negative comments are from FF7 players is mainly because of things like the Junctioning system which takes some thinking to get it down the right way. When people say things like some parts are to hard or to easy it comes down to how smart you set up your junctioning system and alot of FF7 fanboys dont understand it and never use it throughout the whole game and rely on nothing but GFs to kill their enemies since they dont get they can Junction abilities to make Squall very powerfull and annilate enemies with a few hits , the game is actually very easy If you junction abilities the right way and you dont need money to progress really you get huge amounts of money you never use and really FF7 players dont understand the story either...lol I must admit its a bit complex but FF7 fans just say the story is horrible instead of figuring it out. I think FF7 players who really flame this game were hoping for something a little easier for them to understand and because they dont get all they do is just flame it.The story is actually quite beautiful away from the plot of Ultimicia. 5stars over all for the story. 4 stars for fun took one star out just because its sometimes hard to figure out your objective and spend time running back and forth from places if you arent listening to the dialogue it may take you awhile to figure out how to progress the story since nothing gives you hints on what to do.
By the way the game works perfect on the first PS3s released 40gigs and 60s I have no idea about the newer cheaper PS3s.
Rating: -
Final Fantasy 8 dominates all catergories graphics,story,length,and of course charachter depth. When i first popped in this game the first cutscene blew me away and from there on out I was hooked. The story is so good by disc 4. you will feel sad that it has ended. though most of disc 1 is just running around the place by disc 2 the story heats up and you wont be able to turn off the game. i recomend this game to anyone who likes great gameplay and great story.
Rating: -
Final Fantasy 8 is definitely a great chapter in the Final Fantasy anthology. I am a little more than half way through the game right now, and it still has my attention. The only misleading thing about the game was the hype. Many a person has told me that "This is the best love story in all the Final Fantasy games!", which is not entirely true. The game itself does not stem through a love story like I was led to believe.
The other thing that caught me off guard in the game is, unlike most RPG's, especially the Final Fantasy games, the Summons or Espers (pending on which games you've played) do not rely on your magic points (MP). On top of that, in order to gain more summons, you have to "scan" all the bosses and especially if a boss changes form, or you have to fight them more than once in the game.
Now as far as they buyer, I haven't had any complaints about using Amazon aside from one thing. I am a heavy collector. Comics, toys, art, etc. etc. So far, there is no way of telling if you will receive the "Greatest Hits Edition" or the original packaging. I personally thing all the selling users on Amazon should have the exact picture that they are selling, not just a picture they found online. Another thing with the Greatest Hits version is that I received a black and white play book rather than a color version. As I said before, I am a collector and very very selective about the items that I purchase. Aside from that, the game is great, and I recommend and RPG fan to play it, and if you're not an RPG fan, give it a shot. A lot of the great stories lay in the RPG's.
Rating: -
STORY-
You play as Squall Leonhart, who is part of an elite military faction known as SeeD. SeeD members work for those who they are contracted to in order to collect funds. Squall is attempting to pass his SeeD exam with careful guidance from his instructor Quistis Trepe. He meets several other students along the way, some of which are Zell Dincht (a lively martial artist) and Selphie Tilmitt (a cheerful nunchaku-wielding girl). Squall's ultimate rival, Seifer Almasy, accompanies them on the exam as well. After passing, Squall is assigned to work with a rebel group whose leader is Rinoa Heartilly, a beautiful and bright young woman. What starts as an average mission turns into a complicated and tangled web of love and deceit as Squall begins to question his values and the values of SeeD.
BATTLE SYSTEM-
As with previous Final Fantasy titles, fights are turn-based. Random encounters will occur as you walk around the world map. Each character on screen will be allowed a move every few seconds (including your enemies) making for fast-paced and enjoyable battles. During these battles, allies can choose from several different options. The basic function is Attack, which allows you to strike the opponent to inflict damage. Another option is Magic, which enables you to cast either offensive or curative spells. Draw is a somewhat unique feature. In Final Fantasy VIII, magic spells are not gained through leveling up or any other such process. Magic can be `drawn' from enemies and stocked like items. The number of spells you have will decrease by 1 with each use. GF is also a useful command. FFVIII features GFs, or Guardian Forces, which can be summoned at any time in battle. They deal massive (usually elemental) damage to enemies and carry their own health bars. GFs level up through gaining AP at the end of a battle, and new abilities can be attached to your characters through the junctioning of GFs. The allies in your party each have their own unique abilities and weapons that can be upgraded and changed throughout the course of the game. The job system from previous games is virtually nonexistent, but each character has their own attributes which make up for the absence of the class system. After battle, characters will gain a certain amount of experience that allows them to gain levels. The battle system hasn't been changed enough to be unfamiliar to older players, but allows new FF fans to pick the system up easily. After a while, battles will become a test of strategy rather than pure strength, and even grinding is fairly enjoyable with enough varied options.
GAMEPLAY-
To be honest, there isn't much gameplay outside of the constant battles. While Squall is wandering around the world map, he will be periodically attacked by various monsters, making for slow progress while traveling on foot. In towns and dungeons, you may move from one area to another simply by reaching the end of the screen. Whenever this occurs, however, the screen must slowly fade out and then in again, which may annoy more impatient players. Another thing which bothered me while walking around cities was the complete absence of any map screen. I found this irritating to deal with, especially when exploring more expansive locales such as Deling City. The towns, however, only serve as rest stops before larger and more epic fights. FFVIII is basically a string of encounters laced together with a giant world map to traverse and a rich plot to unravel. There are many vehicles that can be acquired or rented to make your way across said map, including cars, trains, boats, and the ever-present airship. As with many other Final Fantasy titles, jumping is nonexistent unless you are so prompted to do so. Despite the fact that the world map lacks much in the way of sightseeing, it does its job of providing the player with the feeling that they are traveling through a land larger than expected. I don't have any qualms with the controls, as they are basically limited to rotating the analog stick and pressing `x'. As with almost every other Final Fantasy game, there are a number of sidequests to complete as well as a strangely addictive card game by the name of Triple Triad. There are an amazing amount of regional rules to consider when playing, ranging from reasonable to extremely frustrating (such as the ridiculous `random' rule). The gameplay satisfies and the cutscenes are, to say the least, beautiful. It's good, old-fashioned RPG excellence.
VISUALS, CHARACTERS and CHARM-
Those of you who are used to being spoiled by more recent RPGs such as Kingdom Hearts or Persona 3 won't find much eye candy here. The cutscenes, as mentioned before, are obviously impressive, but the rest of the game fails to deliver. In-game graphics are decidedly less detailed. As this was Square's first adventurous leap into character models that looked realistic, I'm willing to forgive a few of their more obvious flaws. To be honest, the characters are just...ugly. I can find no other word to describe them. From a distance, they're indistinct blobs, and when viewed up close, they don't appear to have much detail on their clothing or their faces. I can accept this to a certain extent, but I've noticed that the backgrounds themselves are usually much more appealing than Squall himself. The settings appear to be well designed and the environments are interesting. Yet, there's something distinctly wrong with piloting a mass of pixels around landscapes which, quite frankly, make me feel as though they deserve something better. On the other hand, character dialogue is well-written and there is significant development of Squall's personality throughout the game, as well as changes in character relationships.
OVERALL-
I'll admit, I have a soft spot for Final Fantasy VIII, since it happened to be the first one of the series I've picked up. Since then I've played a multitude of RPGs, each with their own merits and flaws. But when all is said and done, the simplicity and familiarity of FFVIII gets me every time. If you enjoy beautiful cutscenes, well-characterized party members and expansive world maps, pick this one up.
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