A SHORT LOOK AT FINAL FANTASY VIII
FFVIII is created by none other than Square Soft. It is composed of four discs containing gorgeous Computer Generated (CG) Movies, kick @$$ Guardian Forces (my favorite is Ifrit), awesome characters. FFVIII is also expected to have improved FMV, an Americanized look, more of a sci-fi twist, new characters, new weapons, and a more dramatic story line. It was released in September of 99.
The characters are absolutely gorgeous! They have a more Americanized look and do not have the Manga eyes and facial features.
The story line of FFVIII is much more dramatic with a strong love story. However, this is not the first time love has been incorporated with an RPG. In Final Fantasy II, Cecil loved Rosa, and the two of them got married in the end. In Final Fantasy III, Locke lost his love and felt an obvious love towards Celes. Also in FFIII is Terra's love toward the children. In Crono Trigger, there was Crono and Marle's love (remember, they have children). In Wild ARMs (though not created by Square), all three characters shared some form of love: Rudy loved his grandfather, Old Man Zepet; Jack loved Lady Harken; and Cecilia loved Filgaia and her father. In Final Fantasy VII, we all got to love Aeris. Aeris and Cloud had a love between them. Tifa and Cloud also had a love for each other, which is evident after you beat Hojo and everyone goes off except for Tifa, who remains with Cloud. They talk and spend the night together. Tifa says, "This day will never come again… So let me have this moment…" Clearly, love has been in previous RPGs.
Ever since FFII (IV in Japan) we got to summon creatures of different elemental powers to aid us in our battles. Now, these creatures are called Guardian Forces (GF's). However, the concept of GF's is quite different from the traditional procedure of summoning we know from the previous FF games. First of all, a character not Junctioned to a GF can only Attack. Once the GF is attached, the character can use items and Cast and Draw magic (which I will get to later). As the character gains experience, so will the GF. As the GF's experience increases, it will do great things such as give HP and MP bonuses and the ability to Junction magic along with improving a character's attributes! Sound confusing? Well, here's an example: Squall Junctions Shiva. As his experience increases, so does hers. As her levels go up, she will give HP bonuses and abilities such as speed, counter, and guard. She will also allow him to Junction his Fire magic to his armor so Fire attacks heal rather than harm him. Doesn't that sound great!?
All together, there are many GF's (Quetzecotl, Ifrit, Shiva, Siren, Brothers, Leviathan, Carbunkle, Pandemonium, Alexander, Cactaur, Tonberry, Bahamut, Odin, Gilgamesh). Odin and Gilgamesh cannot be summoned on a whim. They appear randomly.
Now, here's the scoop on Casting and Drawing magic: instead of buying or learning magic in the traditional fashion, you must Draw spells from your opponents. The Draw command is only available with a GF. I know this entire Draw magic thing sounds absolutely dumb (probably dumber than the whole Materia thing), but then again, it is still better than trying to kill a bunch of enemies to get the gold to buy spells or the experience to build up your levels or Materia.
Don't fret just yet! Square came up with some neat features to aid you. For example, you can increase Squall's attacks with a well-timed trigger pull on the Gunblade (R1).
That's not all! During a GF summon, you can power it up: YEAH! Note that you can only do this once you have learned Boost. You can press Select to bring a Square Button icon next to the number 75. Rapidly hit the Square Button to make your power rise (I recommend a turbo controller). This will help immensely! Just watch out for that darn X that will reset your power back to 75.
There is also the Limit Break feature. However, you rarely get the opportunity to use it, and it's usually when your character is about to expire.
Still interested in what I have to say? Cool! I haven't even got to the good parts yet.
I have heard that Chocobos are back! However, you have to blow whistles and find Chocobos. It is so frustrating!
In one scenario, you travel by train. It's a small quest (like the train ride at Corel in FFVII). You will also be able to travel by means of Balamb Garden.
A neat feature that I am rather impressed with is the option to rent cars. When you walk into a shop, the clerk will say, "When you walk around a wilderness where many monsters live, you should move by car safely! Would you have one?" You then have the option to Rent a Car or cancel. Neat eh?
There is also a kick looking flying structure: Ragnarok. Ragnarok was lost in space seventeen years prior and still remains to be one of the most powerful flying machines. The body is red and the letters ESTHAR are marked on it. It can hold a crew of four, which includes a navigator, a wireless operator, a cannon operator, and a pilot operator, in addition to approximately ten more occupants.
SQUALL LEONHART
Squall is rather quiet and is training at Balamb Garden to become a member of SeeD, an elite military force. He meets his obvious love interest, Rinoa, at a SeeD induction party. Squall can be very cold at times. However, he is very caring and sensitive inside. His weapon is the Gunblade. It is a cross between a gun and a sword (which is obvious in its name).
Rinoa meets Squall at the induction party into SeeD. She is the leader of a rebel force called the Forest Owls. Galbadia is planning to wage war against the world, and Rinoa learns who is behind Galbadia. She seeks SeeD for assistance since the Forest Owls aren't too successful in their missions (maybe if they had a better name like the Annihilating Anacondas they'd win a battle or two).
Her companion is a dog named Angelo, who is used in her Limit Breaks. Angelo is 2 years old and is 55 centimeters (1 feet 9 inches) tall. He's not that big actually. His birthday is December 13, and his weapons are his claws.
Seifer shares some qualities with Squall. They both have the same scar on their face and both wield a Gunblade.
He is a law enforcer at the Garden. He is assisted by Raijin and Fuujin. Seifer reminds me of Sephiroth in many ways.
Laguna originated from Galbadia and opposes SeeD. He seems to be on some sort of mission with his comrades, Ward and Kiros.
Kiros is a 23 year old male. He stands at 191 centimeters (6 feet 3 inches), his birthday is July 6, and his blood type is O. Kiros' weapons are Daggers.
Both Ward and Kiros are close friends of Laguna. In Squall's dream, Ward, Kiros, and Laguna are all soldiers of the Galbadian Army.
Raijin is an 18 year old male. He is quite large and his weapon is the Club. He does not seem to be all that bright, getting picked on and made fun of all too often. Even Fuujin picks on him: if he talks too much, she will kick him. He too is devoted to Seifer and hates Squall.
Fuujin and Raijin assist Seifer as law enforcers at the Garden.
The world of FFVIII seems rather peaceful. However, if you look closely enough, the problems are just covered up and hidden. Gardens were created to cover up these problems. In these private schools, soldiers are trained and scattered throughout the world, preventing or stopping wars from breaking loose.
Lately, Galbadia has been starting trouble.
In one particular Garden, Balamb Garden, attend some bright and talented students. These students include Squall, Zell, Seifer, and Selphie. At the Garden, students from the ages of six to nineteen are trained. They have the chance to pass the graduation exam from the ages of fifteen to nineteen. If a student does not pass the exam by the time they are nineteen years of age, they are expelled from the school.
On top of graduating from the Garden, a student can try out for SeeD. SeeD is an elite military force and is harder to get into than it is to pass the final exam at the Garden. Squall wishes to enter SeeD.
When Squall is inducted to SeeD, he attends the party. Here, he meets his love interest, Rinoa. They do not reveal who they are at this moment. Later, they meet, and it is revealed to Squall that Rinoa is the leader of the Forest Owls, a rebel force. The Forest Owls have not successful in their battles against Galbadia and are seeking the help of SeeD.
After meeting Rinoa, Squall has a dream in which he is Laguna, a Galbadian soldier who would rather be a journalist. In the dream, Laguna seems to be on a mission with Ward and Kiros.
By this time, Galbadia has annexed (assuming complete political control over another nation or territory) a neighboring nation, Dollet. President Deling of Galbadia attacks Dollet and their satellite system. He then announces his official declaration of war against the world. President Deling was helped by the evil witch Edea. Because of this, Squall is sent out to assassinate Edea. However, Squall's bitter rival, Seifer, is there to get in his way.
So far, this is all that is known. I am sure there are many plot twists and turns just as there were in FFVIII, and I do not want to even attempt to make any predictions. However, my premonitions are pointing towards something tragic happening to Rinoa. This is because all the talk of this being a love story. I am truly looking forward to finishing this game.
There is also a CC group. There are six members: Jack, Club, Diamond, Heart, Joker, and King. These members are hidden throughout Balamb Garden. The identity of King will surprise you if you don't already know who it is.
