FFVIII : Love It Or Hate It?
- Thread starter Daenerys
- Start date
- Tagged users None
I really love Final Fantasy VIII a lot! The introduction of this game is very fun to watch as you listening to one of the greatest song from the game. It's futuristic world and the story line makes this game so interesting. You get to experience some new features like the unique Junction System, which allows you to junction magic to each of the characters to increase their stats, resistance and add elemental or status effect to their weapons. The monsters and bosses becomes stronger as your characters level up, making it more challenging for the players to defeat them, challenging side quest, etc.
I really enjoy playing this game.
I really enjoy playing this game.
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2013
- Messages
- 1,777
- Location
- Somewhere in time
- Gil
- 865
- FFXIV
- Salvae Celeres
- FFXIV Server
- Lamia
- Free Company
- Symphony
I enjoyed this game far more on my third replay than my first. On the first play through I missed too many things and by the third disc I had a sinking feeling that things were going a whole lot more difficult because I had left stuff behind (mostly GF's & magazines), and I wasn't as good at finding things in those days so, yeah; not a proud moment. With the second play through I paid more attention to the story and was completely lost as I didn't get it at all! Third time was a charm though and after working hours at it (which I enjoyed every minute) I got my 100% clear. That was a proud moment! My first main title FF to get a complete clear, who wouldn't have fond memories! 
Also, the soundtrack is phenomenal! ♥
Also, the soundtrack is phenomenal! ♥
mothcorrupteth
Orthodox Christian
I voted Hate, although that doesn't quite capture the way I feel about it. I love the soundtrack, love the setting and the realism, love the romance focus. But it ranks as my second-worst main numbered entry for all the reasons that have been trotted out ad nauseam: the lack of character development or depth in anyone but Squall, the horrendous Junctioning system, the futility of grinding when enemies level up with you, the button-pressing QTE that prevents you from taking in the grandeur of the GF animations, and the weak plot. But compared to Final Fantasy XIII, FFVIII is Citizen Kane. (Yes, do the necessary logic, and that means I actually like FFII more than FFVIII. I have something of an acquired taste for Akitoshi Kawazu projects, for all their ramshackle design decisions.)
The bite about the button mashing during the GF summoning is kinda and pointless since it's optional. One easy way to take care of it is buy the item that makes them forget an ability, forget that one and just press select during the summon and you see no more hassle of the so called button mashing, just a clear screen for the summoning.
You are wrong about that. The boost ability says that it increase the damage deal to the enemy depending on the total boost percentage it gets. The higher the percentage the more damage the Guardian Force's attack it deals. So I wouldn't say that is pointless to have the boost ability. Otherwise they wouldn't add it.
And you are wrong saying I am wrong, since you did not read the context of my post to the reply it was. It was in reply to someone saying it was button mashing so it made the GF summon sequence less enjoyable. My comment was the said button mashing is optional so saying that as a complaint is pointless.
mothcorrupteth
Orthodox Christian
I think he understood both our arguments just fine, because I can't enjoy a clear summoning animation with a little voice in the back of my mind saying, "You know, your summons could be more powerful if you'd just use the Boost function." Either way I'm distracted, and that ruins the point of summon animations in the first place.
I think there is an auto-boost option that you can select in the menu setting if I'm not mistaken for that purpose. If not then I must of got confused with another game. I think they should add that option to the game so that you get to see the summon animation without worrying about messing up the power boost.
mothcorrupteth
Orthodox Christian
'Fraid not. My guess is you're misremembering what a lot of us did at the time: get a turbo controller. (Something they can't allow third parties to make anymore because of the Achievement / Trophy system.)
As I thought. I didn't mind doing the boost option at all. I have used it in the entire game. I must of got confused with the Final Fantasy X option to speed up the Aeons attack animation.
I hated it back when I first played it, but I've since warmed up to it over the past few years. I still don't really like the battle system or the characters though, except for Squall who was the only one I could relate to on any level, and even then I couldn't care less about his backstory. That being said it has arguably the best minigame and FMV direction of the series to date. The music was pretty good too, especially Man With The Machine Gun, one of the best battle themes ever.
Meekal
ShinRa Guard
I think I enjoyed it my first few times round, but looking back at it now, I think I dislike it even more every time I think about it. the characters where all boring and I didnt care much for any of them other than Seifer, but even then he made a bad ass seem boring and dull.
Aldoxin
Newbie
Being the new guy, I probably should let you know this is by far my favorite one. VII will always hold a special place being the first RPG I ever played, but seeing that gunblade battle between Squall and Seifer I was hooked and it only got better from there.
VillainFan42
Ex-Soldier
I have to admit, I'm legitimately confused why so many people like this game. Let me clarify, I'm not gonna go full Spoony on fans of the game. If you liked this game, I'm not trying to be critical against you guys, but personally? I HATE this game.
The Junction system was good in theory, but results in 10-minute stretches of doing nothing but mucking about in the menus- which are poorly-designed, complicated, and boring to look at (heck, you can't even change the color! WHY?!)- and I don't like how Limit Breaks were reduced to desperation attacks. I don't really care much for the realistic art style of the game, and most of the character designs kinda suck with a few exceptions. The storyline is really confusing and a whole lot of things don't add up. The villain's motivation and backstory are completely up to interpretation, and while you could argue Kefka had that same thing going on, you at least knew enough about Kefka that you could put the pieces together pretty easily, whereas for Ultimecia you don't have much to go on. I absolutely DESPISE weapon remodeling. And I only really care about half the party members. I admit, there are a few things about the game I like. The music's phenomenally good (but this is Final Fantasy so that goes without saying), and I do actually think Squall is a good protagonist. Plus, the dance scene is one of my favorite moments in the entire series. All the same, it's kind of sad when I enjoyed FF2 and FF13 far more than this one.
Again, I'm not bashing people who liked this game. Maybe I'm just missing something. There's obviously a reason it's so popular, but I just don't get it.
The Junction system was good in theory, but results in 10-minute stretches of doing nothing but mucking about in the menus- which are poorly-designed, complicated, and boring to look at (heck, you can't even change the color! WHY?!)- and I don't like how Limit Breaks were reduced to desperation attacks. I don't really care much for the realistic art style of the game, and most of the character designs kinda suck with a few exceptions. The storyline is really confusing and a whole lot of things don't add up. The villain's motivation and backstory are completely up to interpretation, and while you could argue Kefka had that same thing going on, you at least knew enough about Kefka that you could put the pieces together pretty easily, whereas for Ultimecia you don't have much to go on. I absolutely DESPISE weapon remodeling. And I only really care about half the party members. I admit, there are a few things about the game I like. The music's phenomenally good (but this is Final Fantasy so that goes without saying), and I do actually think Squall is a good protagonist. Plus, the dance scene is one of my favorite moments in the entire series. All the same, it's kind of sad when I enjoyed FF2 and FF13 far more than this one.
Again, I'm not bashing people who liked this game. Maybe I'm just missing something. There's obviously a reason it's so popular, but I just don't get it.
Last edited:
I think of the main characters between VII and X, I probably mostly relate to Squall. I have a chronic internal monologue that's contrast to what I actually say, unless of course it strikes a nerve and then I try to find the best way to say it. He's introverted. That's what I love about him, he's a pessimistic introvert, but he's not so pessimistic that he becomes a bully like Seifer is.
I still hate Seifer, years later. He really did just strike me as the brainless, overly-macho for no reason bully type. Okay admittedly, Fujin saying "ya'know?" at the end of every sentence got to be quite funny after a while. Whereas with Squall, Squall knows what he's doing, he's just quiet and doesn't like people.
Once I get done with FFVII, I'll probably go through FFVIII again after I manage to digest the amount of time as an adult that it will take for me to do everything that I want to do in FFVIII, just like I had to take time to get to that point for FFVII.
I still hate Seifer, years later. He really did just strike me as the brainless, overly-macho for no reason bully type. Okay admittedly, Fujin saying "ya'know?" at the end of every sentence got to be quite funny after a while. Whereas with Squall, Squall knows what he's doing, he's just quiet and doesn't like people.
Once I get done with FFVII, I'll probably go through FFVIII again after I manage to digest the amount of time as an adult that it will take for me to do everything that I want to do in FFVIII, just like I had to take time to get to that point for FFVII.
Mister Goober
Active member
I would rather lose a kidney than proclaim "I hate Final Fantasy 8".
Oh crap...
You have to consider the era and technology level. There are more possibilities with a PS2 than with a PS1. For a PS1 game that literally is contrasted with the original Super Mario, you can just imagine how infinitely better Final Fantasy 8 is. Also, Final Fantasy is never truly about the gameplay. It's about the art, by way of visuals, music, and writing. It's always been that way.
I mean, are you really gonna compare its gameplay with something like Final Fantasy 15? Of course it's going to be terrible.
Oh crap...
You have to consider the era and technology level. There are more possibilities with a PS2 than with a PS1. For a PS1 game that literally is contrasted with the original Super Mario, you can just imagine how infinitely better Final Fantasy 8 is. Also, Final Fantasy is never truly about the gameplay. It's about the art, by way of visuals, music, and writing. It's always been that way.
I mean, are you really gonna compare its gameplay with something like Final Fantasy 15? Of course it's going to be terrible.
This is definitely a game that I see hated by a large majority of players, but the players that do like it absolutely love it. So I was quite interested to get around to this. There were things that I was also drawn to about the game, such as the fact that the story is more heavily centered around the romance of two characters than previous Final Fantasy games. I remember in my teenage years, Rinoa was a very popular character amongst female fans of the series, and I do find her design and general character to be very charming.
Unfortunately, I was kind of underwhelmed by the whole experience. I don't have a fervent hatred of the game as some do, but I did find the narrative to be lacking in any real meat, despite some very noble (if a tad pretentious) attempts at emotional complexity. I also found the gameplay to be more interesting in concept than in execution. I love the idea of being able to draw spells from enemies, and to use them more like items than as magic points. But in practice, I think it slows the pacing of the game to a halt.
The game is also extremely reliant on special summons, which involves watching the same drawn-out animations over and over again. On that note--and I want to emphasize that this is absolutely a me being stupid thing, not necessarily an issue with the game--because the game seems to rely so much on summons, it also doesn't do a very good job disincentivizing players from just using status spells like slow and haste and then just spamming GF's, rather than properly augmenting your stats, until very late in the game where it is possible to essentially soft lock yourself because you're terribly under-equipped and can't use GF's without also killing Rinoa. I, er, may or may not have had to use a save editor in order to progress, because I did just that.
I think my experience with the game can be best summed up by when we finally hear the full track of Eyes on Me while Squall and Rinoa are in the space ship, awaiting rescue. I had heard Eyes on Me before playing FFVIII, and I thought it was an absolutely gorgeous song. It is a gorgeous song. So I was ever so excited to finally hear it in context with the game to which it belongs. But unfortunately, I just thought the song's inclusion to be more distracting than anything, and the moment that it plays to be... perhaps not the hard-hitting emotional moment that I think the writers believed it was.
Basically, I just think it's okay. I don't hate it, but I can't picture myself replaying it.
Absolutely not helped is that I wasn't aware that the Steam version contains a different OST from the PSX version and is just so lame by comparison. I was so upset when I went to find some standout tracks on YouTube and they were completely different. And the original 1999 PC release is even worse. I understand why the original PC version is like this, but why is the Steam version some weird in-between? I'm not saying it would have fixed the game, but it would have perhaps made some of the weaker moments slightly less so.
Unfortunately, I was kind of underwhelmed by the whole experience. I don't have a fervent hatred of the game as some do, but I did find the narrative to be lacking in any real meat, despite some very noble (if a tad pretentious) attempts at emotional complexity. I also found the gameplay to be more interesting in concept than in execution. I love the idea of being able to draw spells from enemies, and to use them more like items than as magic points. But in practice, I think it slows the pacing of the game to a halt.
The game is also extremely reliant on special summons, which involves watching the same drawn-out animations over and over again. On that note--and I want to emphasize that this is absolutely a me being stupid thing, not necessarily an issue with the game--because the game seems to rely so much on summons, it also doesn't do a very good job disincentivizing players from just using status spells like slow and haste and then just spamming GF's, rather than properly augmenting your stats, until very late in the game where it is possible to essentially soft lock yourself because you're terribly under-equipped and can't use GF's without also killing Rinoa. I, er, may or may not have had to use a save editor in order to progress, because I did just that.
I think my experience with the game can be best summed up by when we finally hear the full track of Eyes on Me while Squall and Rinoa are in the space ship, awaiting rescue. I had heard Eyes on Me before playing FFVIII, and I thought it was an absolutely gorgeous song. It is a gorgeous song. So I was ever so excited to finally hear it in context with the game to which it belongs. But unfortunately, I just thought the song's inclusion to be more distracting than anything, and the moment that it plays to be... perhaps not the hard-hitting emotional moment that I think the writers believed it was.
Basically, I just think it's okay. I don't hate it, but I can't picture myself replaying it.
Absolutely not helped is that I wasn't aware that the Steam version contains a different OST from the PSX version and is just so lame by comparison. I was so upset when I went to find some standout tracks on YouTube and they were completely different. And the original 1999 PC release is even worse. I understand why the original PC version is like this, but why is the Steam version some weird in-between? I'm not saying it would have fixed the game, but it would have perhaps made some of the weaker moments slightly less so.
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2008
- Messages
- 9,415
- Location
- Νεφελοκοκκυγία
- Gil
- 3,761
- FFXIV
- Polyphemos Bromios
- FFXIV Server
- Moogle
- Free Company
- KupoCon
This is a very interesting take. It has been a long time since I last played the game, but I wonder if this moment might have been more impactful if it had been made clearer to the player of the significance of the song Eyes on Me. In that it was originally composed by Julia (Rinoa's deceased mother) for her former flame Laguna (Squall's father) and was essentially a love song hinting at their romance that was not to be. Skip a generation and their children with their respective partners end up fulfilling that romance instead. The song of their parents becomes their song. There is a (sort of twisted) poetry to it all.
But during that space scene, is it even clear to the player at that point that Laguna is Squall's father? I honestly cannot remember.
So I wonder if that song would have worked better for you if it felt like the culmination of a sort of spiritual essence of Love that skipped a generation and finally came to fruition when these youngsters were drawn together, and how Squall risked everything to rescue Rinoa from her fate of perpetually floating in space. He was in a position (and had the will) to come for her, whereas Laguna and Julia had to be separated due to Laguna being called to duty with the Galbadian army, and they never saw each other again. The rest was history.
It could be one of those moments which had the potential to be a lot better if it had been executed a bit differently.
It's possible that the additional context might have made the scene hit a little harder. But to me, the scene didn't feel like it was written with the idea of having an emotional pop song played over it. It seemed to me like it was going for a quieter and more contemplative mood, with regards to the dialogue and the general atmosphere of the scene. So when the song starts playing, it felt like I had left a YouTube tab open by mistake.
I don't recall if Laguna's connection with Squall had been established at that point, but the song Eyes on Me had been name-dropped, so the connection is immediately made clear even if it's not explicit. It just felt like a clumsily put together scene. Perhaps that was intentional, because it's the first time Squall decides to open up and be honest about his feelings towards someone he cares deeply about, so it's naturally going to be clumsy and slightly awkward. But because other parts of the story are also kind of stilted, it doesn't read as a deliberate design choice, if indeed it was intended to be one.