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Reviews for Final Fantasy 8
JEFF's ReviewOver time, the development of RPGs change immensely. Generations of these games grow and mature with better plots, and greater development for the characters. Basically Square wants the characters to also look more realistic so that the player can become the starring character, which is Squall for FF8. And Square has succeeded with this masterpiece. After the release of the much anticipated FF7, RPGers craved more because the ending of FF7 was hardly satisfying. Square decided to make FF8 so more advanced and improved over FF7. They realized the flaws of their previous game, and tweaked them so that the player would play this game through at least twice. Gone is the dreaded....ugh...materia system which left no individuality for the characters, as well as the "super-deformed characters" with large blocky arms and stubby legs. The story starts out by introducing gorgeous FMV which is leaps and bounds over FF7's. Squall, a young Balamb student, is training with a fellow student, Seifer. The training goes a little too far when Seifer, overwhelmed with power, slashes Squall's face, barely missing his eyes. The shocked Squall drips blood upon the ground and, in fury, slashes Seifer right back. Strangely, afterwards, this is the first Final Fantasy to start out in an infirmary from which Squall is recovering. He meets up with his instructor, Quistis, who isn't exactly the best fighter but teaches Squall many things and leads him up to his first boss battle with the almighty Ifrit. Squall also bumps into many allies: Zell, an excited and hyper fighter; Selphie, a dorky messenger; Rinoa, a beautiful princess; and Irvine, the lone sharpshooter. In case you have no idea what FF8 is about, it mainly revolves around the SeeD resistance against the Sorceress, which unwinds into a very long quest for Squall. Through Disk 1 and 2 you fight against Edea and Seifer, yet in 3 and 4 you learn of a higher power than Edea's, and your goal is to destroy her. You also learn of Ellone and the comical backstory of Laguna and his friends which is a very vital part of the story. However, as complicated as this story may seem, for some reason I just didn't get a true Final Fantasy feeling when I beat this game. The "magic" of the series was somewhat lacking for me. Perhaps it was just because the series has matured immensely? Or maybe the plot wasn't as good as it could of been? I'm not sure. Don't get my wrong, the story was flawless, yet slightly dragging at some times. Overall, I felt that with excellent graphics, decent music (the mood setting "Eyes on Me" track), and superb gameplay, RPGers will be hooked until FFIX and Chrono Cross reach the states.
POO's Review After Squaresoft released the huge epic spanning 3 discs, it was a monument showing the world that the Playstation could handle such and immense and powerful game. But, in the end, Final Fantasy 7 was that, and only that, an epic, and it left true RPGers craving for a more romantic story. But now that Squaresoft has proved itself worthy, and has found a capable machine of handling their games (FF7 was originally for N64, but the Cart couldnt hold all the memory), they have begun to explore the drama that RPG's should be like. And now we have Final Fantasy 8, the drama RPG for the Playstation. The story starts in a fantastic FMV, surpassing FF7 by leaps and bounds. Even in the beginning, the love between Rinoa and Squall is felt, and the conflict between Squall and Seifer is also felt as you see them battling each other. Gone are the hideous monsters that used to be "people", and gone is the materia system that left no room for original characters, and now we have the GF's again. Awesome animations display the GFs' power, and each character has different limit breaks: Rinoa using her dog, Zell using fighter-style combos, and Quistis with her variety of limit breaks, similar to the Enemy Skill Materia in FF7. But even Square cant go back to basics without adding new features. The new draw system is added, and instead of MP, you have a limited number of spells which you can draw more of from different enemies. These spells can be junctioned to different statistics which enhance them, making your character stronger, and sometimes able to absorb certain elements. But, on the other hand, drawing takes time, and sometimes can be very time consuming. Overall, the graphics are awesome. All your characters are visible when you walk around, and your characters look the same as they do in towns and in battles, which makes the characters more realistic. The FMV's are done flawlessly, and walking around during some FMV's can be so amazing you'll stop and watch the action. (Battle of the Gardens) The sound of a video game (especially an RPG) is supposed to bring out the mood of a game, and FF8 acheives this very nicely. All the music, the chorus (look at Ness's review), and the silent themes add to the dramatic events that occur. "Eyes on Me" is also a very nice theme, and sets the mood perfectly.
Although the drawing system can be time consuming(emphasis on can be), this game is a MUST BUY, another acheivement of Square's wonderful enterprise that will keep people flocking for years to come.
 PAULA's Review However, FF8 didn't completely break away from Square's original attempts. The major villain in this RPG is a sorceress: Edea. And, like FF7, you will soon find that there is a higher evil even beyond Edea and because of that you will soon begin to have a slight sense of pity toward the original villain. The main character in this story is Squall, a student at a military academy who is basically… well, a loner. You will go through several missions because of this student status, and you'll gain your first GF through this. As Squall you will meet up with the other characters and the girl that captures your heart: Rinoa Heartilly. The graphics in this RPG were amazing!!! Maybe not flawless because PSX doesn't support polygons very well, but undoubtedly way above average. The opening cinema thrust you into the clearly seen rivalry of Squall and a fellow student Seifer Almasy. The in-game graphics, like I said, were practically perfect. The much more realistic world disappointed me. The houses and buildings were not as colorful as FF7's and didn't really dazzle my eyes. But overall, it was certainly a visual feast. Discarding the old materia system was a really good call by Square. The new Draw system left more room for character growth. Besides the draw system change, the battle system was not altered extremely. Even though this battle system is better, in the beginning I was a little confused and lost. But after a while it became easier and faster to react. The opening music of FF8 combined with the drool-over graphics really could mesmerize anyone. Nobuo Uematsu is a guy who really knows what a game needs for music. Every single cinema sequence or gameplay sections were definitely enhanced with the great music. A good example from the game would be the end cinema's musical score "Eyes on Me" that added to the emotion and triumph of finishing the 4-disc game. "Eyes on Me" is a vocal song, which is uncommon to the FF's unless during a chorus segment, but it was perfect for a serious game. FF8 could really be played for a long time. Although, you may not have as much fun with it compared to FF7 because of Gold Saucer, FF8 had the kind of addictive card game of Triple Triad. It wasn't as fun as Gold Saucer, but hey, a least it's something to do while you take a break. Also, the plot will keep you going for a long time to unravel things, and probe into a character's past. And a couple useless, but fun, quests to do if you're willing, will also keep you busy.
Undoubtedly, an achievement by Square that's worth your time, and money. So if you're looking for a game with a serious theme then FF8 is your best bet. Overall, a great game that can be appreciated by all RPG players in at least one aspect.
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