FFVIII's Bad Reputation.

Im the opposite, I adore 8 and I cant find anything wrong with it. Many see it as a bad game because it came after 7 maybe and 7 is seen as SE's pot of gold. People need to give 8 a chance and if you dont like it, then thats fair enough. But they need to understand that people do like 8 lol.

As its been said, its like Marmite lol. Very true and I love Marmite ;P
 
Personally, i myself thought badly of this game.
that's BEFORE i started playin it :P

after half of the first disc, i simply got sucked into the story, and it was an amazing game, as a final fantasy game should be :)

maybe its really cuz of the GF system that ruined it for many ppl.. idk, but as soon as u adjust yourself to the system, its alot more fun.
 
I on the other hand LOST interest after the first disc. I felt the story started to fall apart near the middle, and I couldn't even be bothered to finish it.

The battle system was unique, but not enough to keep me addicted.
 
Well, the junctioning system was too troublesome to use. I mean, drawing magic out of the enemies is just too time-consuming and not fun at all >_>. My other complaint is that you seem to lvl up way to fast, at least compared to the other FF games I've played (seriously, I hit lvl 50 with Squall....when I was on Disc one!!! And hit 100 while in the middle of disc too...) And that thing is closely related to another bad thing: Some limit breaks are overpowered....like WAAAAAAAAAAAY overpowered!

Having Squall at lvl 100 unleash his Lionheart was pretty much saying bye bye to whatever you were fighting...bosses included. And that's something I didn't like. It's not fun if you can kill a boss that easy. So yeah, that's probably why so many people complain about FFVIII ^^;
 
It's interesting. My friends who introduced me to the Playstation started me on 8 in about 1998, and I was fascinated to see how far things had come since the early days of Choplifter and Gauntlet. (Yes, my family had Pong. Yes, I had a Merlin.)

I kept getting stuck and not finishing VIII, because it WAS my first modern game, and I didn't level up wisely and found myself being utterly creamed in the later parts of the story. Apparently the incredibly easy levelling system is not so easy if you haven't played many RPGs! Also, I had work.

In my early passes through the game, I enjoyed the story and the fact that there were in fact quite a few stories getting played out, complete with flashbacks.

Early on I came to have a fondness for what I called "The Legion of Sulky Teenagers." You have to understand, I have taught students like the kids in this game, especially Squall and Rinoa. I've seen teenagers acting like they act, slightly less caricatured. I was won the moment poor I'm-trying-so-hard-to-be-mature Squall said, "I had a terrible nightmare. I dreamed I was a moron." Rinoa didn't bother me in the slightest; she reminded me of every earnest young person trying so hard to change the world, occasionally getting snippy with those she cared about. I had played few enough games that I was just grateful to have a female character with a temper, who could tell the male characters they were being idiots and/or attempt things on her own. She didn't always choose wisely, but hey, I wouldn't have either.

The story got a little muddled later on with Adel and Ultimecia, but my game always froze during the Lunar Cry FMV on my old emulator, so it's only been in the last year that I've seen the rest of the story! I didn't like it as much once they reached Esthar, partly because of the music in that area and partly because it felt cold and unfriendly there. It was still a great way to be introduced to modern games, since before that I was still happily poking around in MYST and RIVEN. Also, I'm a sucker for angst and romance, and I liked the fact that blockheaded Squall finally started looking after people, even though it took his love interest going unconscious for him to realize that he loved her. (Typical of so many guys; they don't see what's before their eyes.)

We each come to games at a different time, age, perspective. I get far more fed up with the adults who don't act like adults than the teens who try and fail! I wonder if gamers in their late teens and early twenties tend to judge the protagonists differently partly because they're peers, fictionally speaking.

I'm still puzzled why VIII is so hated and why its characters are so panned, but contra's analysis helps clear many things up.

I think what still puzzles me is that many of the criticisms -- muddled plot, characters pushed to the wayside, romance between two characters who aren't particularly compatible suddenly dominating the thing -- could apply to VII as well.

Sorry for a somewhat rambling reply; it's late, and I'm goofing off after a long day's work.
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In my opinion...The game is great but sure it got some bad points.

1st and this one is very annoying ...The short movies...Characters actually moving there lips without saying a word! sure we saw that in FFVII but at least there was a Subtitles!!

2nd The high graphics...I think ppl shocked with the high graphics that was too early but other ppl react with a great way and actually they liked the game.

3rd Final Fantasy VII...Some ppl fall in love with that game and they put in there minds that it's the best and they reject the new one *the new game I mean*and the new game was FFVIII.

4th and it's the last...The new fighting system from the limit break to the junction.
 
I adored VIII and can find little fault with it and even then, it's just little bits with which I can't be bothered, such as collecting all of the necessary items needed for obtaining the final weapons, or having to monotonously fight 20 tonberries before actually getting one on your side.

The music was exceptional, the plot was diverse, it took a futuristic approach to Final Fantasy [which was a first and last by the looks of it] and was just a generally good game.

I hate critics.
 
Well, everybody is a critic but I hope they make another game like this where it has diverse futuristic type setting and characters that you can enjoy without all the emoness and whatnot. Isn't FFXIII going to be futuristic?
 
Lightleonheart said:
Well, the junctioning system was too troublesome to use. I mean, drawing magic out of the enemies is just too time-consuming and not fun at all ^^.
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The junctioning system is so easy to exploit, I can't imagine not using it. And as for drawing, well, the best junctioning exploits work at the beginning of the game, and you would need magic-refine abilities to do them, so drawing isn't always an issue... besides, I like the draw system alot more than basic MP, anyway.

Lightleonheart said:
My other complaint is that you seem to lvl up way to fast, at least compared to the other FF games I've played (seriously, I hit lvl 50 with Squall....when I was on Disc one!!! And hit 100 while in the middle of disc too...) And that thing is closely related to another bad thing: Some limit breaks are overpowered....like WAAAAAAAAAAAY overpowered!
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The leving issue is part of a new strategy based advance system. It always takes 1000 exp to go up a level... the higher level you're on, the higher level your enemies are one... the challenge is to stay on a lower level while utilizing the junction system properly so that you're power, life, and defense continue to increase, even if your level doesn't...

I'm currently playing through the game again, and I'm on the second disc, about to head out to Trabia Garden... my highest level character is Squall, and he's only on level 18. But he has well over 5000 HP, and is doing more than 1000 damage with his basic attack (triggered, of course)... Rinoa is on level 15, has anout 4000 HP and is doing around 700 damage... and Irvine (my other mainly used character) is level 16, with about 4000 HP, and even though he only does 100 damage off his basic attack, he has a 100% instant kill rate (to non immune enemies, obviously) due to the Status Attack Junction and his 100 death spells. So you see... a high level doesn't matter in this game... all it does until the fourth disc is make everything more difficult.

Lightleonheart said:
Having Squall at lvl 100 unleash his Lionheart was pretty much saying bye bye to whatever you were fighting...bosses included. And that's something I didn't like. It's not fun if you can kill a boss that easy. So yeah, that's probably why so many people complain about FFVIII ^^;
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As for over-powered limit breaks... yeah... some of them are... but they need to be in order to beat some of the over-powered bosses out there. Omega Weapon comes to mind right away... just imagine trying to fight him without using Renzokuken and landing a few Lionhearts... it would take even longerm, and its already like a 40 minute battle, as is.

But yeah... FFVIII gets a bad rep simply becasue it came after FFVII... thats the real reason. It was too close to the so called crown jewel of the franchise and was far too different for lots of people who loved FFVII to view fairly. Everything else is just an excuse, or misdirected reasoning... it being the so called follow-up to FFVII is why it got a bad rep... because you really couldn't get much more different than FFVIII from FFVII back then.

Those of us who didn't have that problem, or were eventualy able to get past that, have enjoyed this game emensly... and I find it quite sad that some fans still can't pull themselves to do so... becasue FFVIII has had teh best written story of any new age FF thus far (new age FF began with FFVII, in case you didn't know)... and I find it sad that some people are preventing themselves from witnessing it, even today.

FFVIII rocks... period. :D
 
Well the first thing I noticed when I started FFVIII right after finishing FFVII was that battles, commands and such were so slow. The game itself was slow too and very time consuming. This was quite annoying, and it was like the exact opposite of FF10.

However, the story was weird but still I liked it.

Musics, excellent. Martial Law and Eyes on Me are maybe the best FF songs ever.

Graphics are good, but playing FF8 on a 42" TV really makes it look bad. On smaller TVs it's excellent.

The whole "enemies level with you" scene is also great and it gives people the ability to create even more challenges. This is nice too, even tho I've never bothered to play any of those.

The only cons that pop into my mind are draw-command and slightly repetitive battles.

Great game.
 
Takk said:
But yeah... FFVIII gets a bad rep simply becasue it came after FFVII... thats the real reason. It was too close to the so called crown jewel of the franchise and was far too different for lots of people who loved FFVII to view fairly. Everything else is just an excuse, or misdirected reasoning... it being the so called follow-up to FFVII is why it got a bad rep... because you really couldn't get much more different than FFVIII from FFVII back then.
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Yup. Instead of recognizing the flaws of FFVIII, let's go by the easier way, and blame everything on FFVII.

FFVIII r0ckZ my S0cKs!11

FFVII SuckZ and iz 0verRat3d!!1one

:rolleyes:
 
It's not a case of 'blaming' FFVII or ignoring any flaws that FFVIII may have. FFVII is a good game, but it's just being pointed out that FFVIII maybe suffered in having to follow up a game as successful as FFVII. Having to follow something so successful is always tough. It's not the only reason for why the game divides people so much of course, but it's also a overly simplistic to say that FFVII and its fame being its immediate predcessor wasn't a factor too.

Not everyone who loves FFVIII is a rabid FFVII hater.
 
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Right... and its not like I'm a FFVII hater... though I will admit that its overrated... and accordingly, FFVIII is rather underrated... that said, both games had their flaws, and both games had the strengths. It just so happens that people tend to have a very jaded view of FFVII because it was "uber pwnage" in the minds of many when it came out, and rightfully so... its just sad, imo, that people can't see how overrated it was/is even 11 years after its release.
 
I've played and beaten every FF from 4 to 10, so I can definitely say this: If I were to rank the games in quality, FF8 would above and beyond be on the bottom of that list. No, it wasn't an exercise in mediocrity. FF8 is just plain BAD. God I hated this game. And yes, I actually finished it. Perhaps I'm masochistic.

First, the music was top-notch and, for a PS1 title, the graphical quality were what you would expect from Square. And mini-game can be quite fun as long as annoying rules didn't get in the way. But that's all the praise this game is going to get from me.

Personally, I think anyone who liked this game is either f**ked in the head or have very bad taste in gaming. I shouldn't be saying that, but it's the godawful truth. The entire thing is ass.

The characters have less depth than a piece of paper. Save for Squall and Rinoa, they are forgotten after the 1st disc. Not to mention, I would've liked to have seen Squall gang raped and violated with his own sword so he would actually have something to cry about. And Rinoa is an annoying skank. Just how fast did she go from Seifer to Squall? Even Paris Hilton doesn't boyfriend hop as fast as she did. Usually.

The game is totally broken and is not a challenge at all unless you were severely mentally retarded. Magic-junctioned-to-stats made every creature cower before you, regardless of the player level. And thanks to monsters leveling with the player, they never posed a threat. So, there is almost no reason for the player to bother with any random encounters. Drawing 100 magic would take forever. And you could refine things to make 100 each of an item that gives one character temporary invincibility and an item that gives the whole party temporary invincibility.

But there is something that breaks the game even more than all of that. THE F**KING SUMMONS! If anyone wanted to win almost any fight; Summon, Repeat. That is all. But the summon sequences were f**king LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO *hack* *wheeze* OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG! You could go out and get a cheeseburger and be back in the time for a summon sequence to complete. Sure, you could stick around and button mash to boost the attack, but the benefit isn't all that much and you would be out of a cheeseburger.

But simply put, there is no strategy to this game. None.

The story didn't suck. In order for a story to suck there had to be a story to begin with. There is no story to FF8. FF8's attempt at a plot was so schizophrenic that it was common for any plot points brought up in one scene will be completely forgotten, never to be heard from again, by the next. And let's not speak of the orphanage revelation. A 5th Grader on acid could write more coherent crap than this, and it would be a whole lot less contrived.

Now I'll focus on one plot line that is sure to piss off FF fanboys/girls, and that is the Squall-Rinoa love story plot thread. It sucked donkey dong. On one side, we have an annoying emo wanker. On the other, we have an annoying bratty skank. Joy. They had less chemistry than water. Why she would throw herself at this emo whiny prick is beyond me. Any of the other guys in the game would be a better choice than Squall, but that's like saying taking a cannonball to the groin is better than getting than a thumbtack enema.
 
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You're not masochistic... you're just retarded... and you're little post there only serves as proof.
 
Aya Reiko said:
I've played and beaten every FF from 4 to 10, so I can definitely say this: If I were to rank the games in quality, FF8 would above and beyond be on the bottom of that list. No, it wasn't an exercise in mediocrity. FF8 is just plain BAD. God I hated this game. And yes, I actually finished it. Perhaps I'm masochistic.

First, the music was top-notch and, for a PS1 title, the graphical quality were what you would expect from Square. And mini-game can be quite fun as long as annoying rules didn't get in the way. But that's all the praise this game is going to get from me.

Personally, I think anyone who liked this game is either f**ked in the head or have very bad taste in gaming. I shouldn't be saying that, but it's the godawful truth. The entire thing is ass.

The characters have less depth than a piece of paper. Save for Squall and Rinoa, they are forgotten after the 1st disc. Not to mention, I would've liked to have seen Squall gang raped and violated with his own sword so he would actually have something to cry about. And Rinoa is an annoying skank. Just how fast did she go from Seifer to Squall? Even Paris Hilton doesn't boyfriend hop as fast as she did. Usually.

The game is totally broken and is not a challenge at all unless you were severely mentally retarded. Magic-junctioned-to-stats made every creature cower before you, regardless of the player level. And thanks to monsters leveling with the player, they never posed a threat. So, there is almost no reason for the player to bother with any random encounters. Drawing 100 magic would take forever. And you could refine things to make 100 each of an item that gives one character temporary invincibility and an item that gives the whole party temporary invincibility.

But there is something that breaks the game even more than all of that. THE F**KING SUMMONS! If anyone wanted to win almost any fight; Summon, Repeat. That is all. But the summon sequences were f**king LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO *hack* *wheeze* OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG! You could go out and get a cheeseburger and be back in the time for a summon sequence to complete. Sure, you could stick around and button mash to boost the attack, but the benefit isn't all that much and you would be out of a cheeseburger.

But simply put, there is no strategy to this game. None.

The story didn't suck. In order for a story to suck there had to be a story to begin with. There is no story to FF8. FF8's attempt at a plot was so schizophrenic that it was common for any plot points brought up in one scene will be completely forgotten, never to be heard from again, by the next. And let's not speak of the orphanage revelation. A 5th Grader on acid could write more coherent crap than this, and it would be a whole lot less contrived.

Now I'll focus on one plot line that is sure to piss off FF fanboys/girls, and that is the Squall-Rinoa love story plot thread. It sucked donkey dong. On one side, we have an annoying emo wanker. On the other, we have an annoying bratty skank. Joy. They had less chemistry than water. Why she would throw herself at this emo whiny prick is beyond me. Any of the other guys in the game would be a better choice than Squall, but that's like saying taking a cannonball to the groin is better than getting than a thumbtack enema.
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D'AWWWWWWWWWWW you don't like it?
Your arguement fails
" SQUALL R EMO RINOA R SLUT"
Maybe to someone who sees things only superficially. Seriously your intelligence has to be questioned, you just decided Squall is emo because why exactly?
And ololol at Rinoa being a skank, since you've played FF4-10, you should know that Male lead meets female lead, and a couple of weeks later, she wants to have secks with the protagonist. Sure there are some games with no romance. But stop Bawwwing about something most games have.

And so what if you have to junction magic, did you find it difficult, otherwise you wouldn't be complaining. Lets say junctions r ghey, so is leveling up characters. It's just subjectivity, you go "oh noes i hates FFVIII it r retard, FF7 sooooo bettra therz no drawingz olololol leveling r kewl".

Awwww did you have trouble, the summons were longer than your attention span? Then don't use them, if it so easy Zomg u retard if u find hard, then surely summons are not worth using. But then you wouldn't have anything to complain about would you?

Like to talk about drugs do we? Inhaling air freshners is probably too hardcore for you, amirite?
Just because you can't follow a plot doesn't make it shit. It does however suggest that you are stupid.
It's a pity there are people like you, everything isn't nice and simple so they complain. Intellectually disadvantaged people shouldn't be allowed to write. You'd be the kind of person yelling " WAITING FOR GODOT R SHIT NUFFINK HAPPENZ SAMUEL BECKETT R STOOPID".

Less chemistry than water?
I'm sure Oscar Wilde is terrified that you will be a threat to his wit. Srsly I'm sure he is.
Why didn't you go for your first choice, "They don't mix, like water and oil"?
I've explained the love story before, but seeing as you can only see things that are obvious, there'd be no point me pointing out for you.

I'm glad for your contribution though. Kthnxbai
 
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Aya Reiko said:
Personally, I think anyone who liked this game is either f**ked in the head or have very bad taste in gaming. I shouldn't be saying that, but it's the godawful truth. The entire thing is ass.
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I personally laughed about this part of their quote. Everybody has their right to opinion and I don't normally mock anybody for them, but to flat out say that if people don't agree with you then they are retarded is well...you get where I'm going with this.

Anyway, to get back to that quote, I'm sure those that like FFVIII are FF fans. So going by that you are saying that if we liked FF then we have bad taste in gaming and the entire series is in bad taste...:whistle2:

I personally loved the game. I find it to be better then VII. Like said before I find VII to be overrated and VIII to be underrated.
 
While I do agree that most of the cast could have had more screen time, I was satisfied as a whole as to what we did get to see. Everybody in the main cast had some type of relevance (although Squall, Rinoa and Seifer obviously had bigger roles).

I also liked that the setting was much more realistic compared to other FF games. I loved VII the most at first, but then VIII changed my views after I replayed VIII a few years back and began to appreciate the simplicity and "humanistic" areas the game offered.
 
It had realism that most FF games don't, considering their focus is generally 'fantasy' (Who would have thought?). Although the orphanage revelation was not just unnecessary, but brought down the game, it doesn't mean that the game was shit. The only good point you [Aya Reiko] made isn't strong enough to bring a four disc game down to 'shit' standards, whereas that single paragraph of praise was more than enough to balance the equation out. Final Fantasy VIII was good, in my opinion, because it was an anchor that Square could have used in order to push themselves into a completely different direction (being Furturistic). It still connected enough with the initial idea of Final Fantasy, but it had possibilities that none of the other games have had. I'd say that since most people bitched and moaned and bled out their crotches over FFVIII, they decided to go to their roots with IX, having black mages and classes and etc. Look at X, though. Personally, I haven't played it, but from what I've observed, it takes a more futuristic look in comparison to any FF game besides VIII. If VIII hadn't been directly after VII, which was a huge success (and had a fairly futuristic take on things as well; mako reactors, a being who traveled from space, etc) then I think it could have been considered the key game of the series, instead. The potential was there, but the willingness of the fans wasn't.
 
Well, I really like the game..I think it is a great storyline, the characters submerse myself into the game..
really fantastic.. ..The only thing I don't like is... graphics..
 
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