Lost Classics: Final Fantasy 8 (PS1, PC)

by William Talley, filed in Games, Lost Classics, Reviews on Dec.21, 2007

Weather you wish to admit it or not, the Playstation installments of the Final Fantasy series, particularly VII and VIII, marked a major turning point in console role playing games. Up until then, role playing games were only enjoyed by a niche but dedicated audience. What they lacked in graphics, their epic stories made up for a thousandfold. Final Fantasy VII introduced 3-d polygon models, fully rendered cinematics, and graphics that were as epic in scale as the game’s storyline itself. Squaresoft had clearly outdone itself, and in 1999, it was tasked with having to following it up. Released in America on the same day as the Sega Dreamcast, Final Fantasy VIII managed to not only surpass the scale of FFVII, but it managed to set a new standard for role playing games. Despite its critical acclaim amongst gaming media outlets and fans alike, many purists don’t think too highly of this entry in the series. For the life of me I don’t see why, because next to Final Fantasy Tactics, this is arguably the best PS1 Final Fantasy game. In fact, it stands alongside Metal Gear Solid and Resident Evil 2 as one of the greatest PS1 games of all time, and it’s also one of the finest console role playing games ever.

The storyline involves a group of students-turned-soldiers known as SeeD as they are drawn into an international conflict with an evil sorceress. However, the game is actually centered around the relationship between Squall Leonheart and Rinoa Heartilly, two of the game’s protagonists. Of course you’ll be joined by other characters such as the martial artist Zell Dincht, and marksman Irvine Kinneas. Throughout the game you’ll experience flashbacks of a man named Laguna. Before the game’s end you’ll discover your connection with him, and the secret behind the mysterious forces at work in the world.

The gameplay receives a huge overhaul. Battle is centered around “Guardian Forces”, summon creatures that your characters equip. The Guardian Forces govern your stats, abilities, and magic. Without equipping them, the only thing you will be able to do is attack. Magic is also done differently. Instead of using magic points, magic spells are obtained by stealing them from enemies. The limit breaks return from Final Fantasy VII, and feature interactive minigame elements such as a slot machine and fighting game-like control pad motions. These gameplay changes, while keeping the battle system fresh, tended to alienate many hardcore fans as well as many gamers who were already on the fence about Final Fantasy. Another big change to the formula was that the game’s characters were shown with realistic proportions 100 percent of the time (as opposed to being super deformed in several of FFVII’s cinemas), and all three characters in your party were shown in the field at the same time.

Even for those who may have been put off by these radical gameplay changes, the storyline, characters, graphics, and music manage to elevate the experience into something special. If for whatever reason you haven’t played this game yet, then you are cheating yourself out of one of the finest games ever. You should have no problem finding a copy, and I have no doubt that it will show up on the PSN network store sometime in the near future. This is proof that sometimes popular things are popular because they are good.

Tags: Final Fantasy, Square-Enix

http://www.Raphy-L.com Raphy L.

I actually loved the Junction system. I wished they did a spin-off of Laguna. I liked his storyline.
Dreamwest

FFVIII is my fav out of the series. The junction system really let me step out of the traditional leveling up and MP system. And the other cool (or uncool) thing about FFVIII is that you can avoid 90% of the random encounters and still finish the game.
Lyall

I have spent hundreds upon hundreds of hours on Final 8, and still play it on my pc (ps1 version with emulator).
I am in awe (still) of FF Advent Children and my only gripe is that it wasn’t FF8 that was made into a blockbuster movie!
I remember I spent my whole grade 11 december holidays dedicated to FF8 (way back in 2000). The game has the biggest replay value ever. I’ve finished it countless times but still I go back to it. I play it right through every year. I also agree that it’s right up there with the best that came from the ps1 and is definitely better than FF7. People critted FF8’s junction system but the truth is that it added so much depth and you were actually penalised for using the GF’s (which people also complained about – the lengthy play times of each GF’s attack) by having your Seed rank lowered. This game has brought a tremendous amount of joy to my life – sounds sad, I know, but it’s true. Even now with my fiance’ and baby, I still spend time on FF8. If the creators and designers of the game ever read this, I want you to know that you have created a true masterpiece.
Harry Eaves

I can’t say FF8 was my absolute favourite of the series-it’s difficult for even a megalomaniacal, time-and-space invading Sorceress to compete with Sephiroth (FF7 is probably my favourite, but FF8 closely follows).
FF7 and FF8 probably, and I feel quite sad when I say this, contributed to much of my personality now-I was quite young when I played them, probably too young in fact. But I’ve re-played both at least twice, so now I actually understand their storylines!

Where FF7 just had the absolutely most epic storyline in the history of the universe (for some reason it is more epic to me than things like Halo, where it is the galaxy and/or a real-life location that is at risk), FF8 felt really, really special. I can’t describe it-I feel a connection to the FF8 world which I don’t have with any other fantasy world. I think it is probably the FF8 world’s similarities to our own world, and the fact that the people there seem happy, before all the wars break out-there’s much more to lose in a happy world than a depressing, already-dying world.

The characters are also fantastic-a lot of people don’t like Squall, but, because I can relate him to someone quite close to me in real life (he’s a real person, unlike most heroic protagonists), I really like him-that isn’t to say I would like him as a friend, but as a protagonist, he’s the best in any Final Fantasy game I’ve played (all after V except for XI).

Personally, I would very much like to see spin-offs for FF8, but which focus on other aspects of the FF8 world-an RTS-style game, for example, could be a fantastic prequel representing the Sorceress War-imagine having an RTS in which the forces you command utilise both semi-conventional strategies (guns, swords, vehicles, PMC’s…) along with magic, monsters (T-Rexaur cavalry?!), GF’s and robots!

And there are plenty of other opportunities for expansion of the FF8 world-many people would like to play as Laguna, which would perhaps allow for a FF8 version of Dirge of Cerberus (though, personally, I think Dirge of Cerberus ruined the FF7 world-replacing Cloud as the saviour of the world was just plain wrong. And an FPS in which the player plays as Laguna would have to involve some more interesting stuff, helicopters, grenades, harpoon-wielding allies……).

There are also loads of fanfics based on the FF8 universe-from what I’ve noticed, more than there are for FF7, which must be saying something about the (in my opinion) more flexible background of FF8.
I really do think its background should be expanded-but this should be done carefully, we do not want an FFX-2 remake!
I think Square has been running out of good ideas ever since FF8. That isn’t to say the rest from that point are bad-most of them are outstandingly good! But fantasy worlds like those which Square produces should not be laid to rest-they have histories and nations and a huge variety of inhabitants. Imagine if someone made a story about a certain point in our world’s history, but nobody bothered to expand on that story? Our world doesn’t consist purely of the second world war, with various hints of a previous world war. There have been hundreds of wars, not to mention eras of peace and tranquility. And as FF8 is the FF world which best mirrors our own world (though the dying planet theme of FF7 is uncannily, and most likely intentionally, similar to the global warming scare on planet Earth), I say we continue to write stories and make games and films for it as a companion to the history of our own world.

Sorry for ranting, but I like to get all of my thoughts down in one go, however futile that may be.
http://jacknifedakilla.wordpress.com screwfacecapone

Wow. No prob. I’m glad people love FF8 so much. In fact, there are peeps who like it even more than I do. I’m amazed.
Lyall

I agree with you Harry, It wasn’t so much the story, bu the characters of final fantasy 8 that clawed at my heartstrings. I also related to Squall, alot. very interesting concepts you have, I especially like the FF real time concept, now THAT would kick 4ss. great idea, I think you should pitch it?

I also agree with the fact that the FF universe, especially in FF8, is portrayed as a paradise, then the excrement hits the fan, and this only adds to the emotional attachment to the characters, because we know whats at stake.

ok, im done rehashing Harry’s rant. I’ve always fantasised about a next generation FF8 on the PC/PS3, sigh, a guy can dream right?

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