Final Fantasy 8
I've been a big fan of the Final Fantasy series since my Nintendo days and it has proved to be the best series of any genre available. And as each new edition is released, a tidal wave of momentum follows it as each Final Fantasy game has invariably been better than the one before. However, Final Fantasy 8 marks the first time that this series takes a step backward.
Don't get me wrong, this is still an excellent game and worth every penny but I came away with the feeling that I was led around like a child throughout the game. Exploration and discovery are what made Final Fantasy so much fun to play but in FF8, you can't help but find things because you are led to it. The struggle of figuring out where a certain place is and how to get there is lost as non-player characters do everything but draw you a map when the tell you how to get from A to B. In defense of the creators, I think the mistake the makers of this game made was trying to mix a more mature LOOK for the game (no more cartoon-like characters) while still making the STORYLINE easy for younger players to understand. An impossible feat that FF8 attempts and fails at.
There are loads of positives for this game as well. The new "Junction" ability and subsequent magic-use system is great; perhaps the best Final Fantasy has had. Plus, you have a game-long mini-game feel with a fun and surprisingly useful card game that you can play with many non-player characters.
The graphics are, quite simply, awesome. I especially like how your vision of the horizon is obscured when you're in a forest or low-lying area. Very realistic. The music/sound is also fantastic but there were certain times when the music didn't quite match the scenario, if you know what i mean. Light music in a tense situation or vice-versa, seemed a little too common for me but overall, it was great.
Overall, I believe FF7 to be the better game. However, FF8 introduces so many new things, so many new ideas that I can see being used in future Final Fantasy games, that makes this a must-buy with no regrets. Trust me on this...
Review
Contributed by Scudpc3
I've always thought the Final Fantasy series was the best in RPGs. FF7 represented the series' ascension into 32-bit glory. No doubt, FF7 was the best so far. I still remember those first shots of FF8. When my dad took me to buy it, I couldn't contain myself. FF8 had everything going for it, including awesome graphics, a monster soundtrack, a great story, and a cool cast of characters. But... it wasn't as good as 7. FF7 had a better story, atmosphere, and plus, the "materia" system works a lot better than the "junction system". Don't get me wrong. Final Fantasy 8 is an excellent game, the best RPG of 1999, but it doesn't really surpass 7.
Review
Contributed by Ian Wolff
Before Final Fantasy 7 came out I wasn't a big fan of Final Fantasy, but when I bought Final Fantasy 7. I got hooked instantly! I kept on playing and playing until I beat it. After I beat it I heard that 8 was coming out, I was so happy. The first day it was out I went to the mall and bought it. I ran home and started playing it. At the first moment of the first cut scene I was blown away! It was so realistic it wasn't even funny! I knew right then and there it would be a great game. As soon as I saw Seifer and Squall fighting in the first cut scene I dropped into a deadlock. I played it all night and then some. I'm on the third disk right now but this is what I think:
For the graphics, its unexplainable how perfect it was. It fits into the story perfectly. It is the best graphical game I ever played! Where the graphics really shine is in the cut scenes and during a GF attack.
For the story, Best story ever. It fits in perfectly in. There are so many twists and turns in the story its fun! You never know what will happen next. Every character has its different past and future. They all have different problems, and they all come into the story at perfect times. And their are tons of surprises, too.
I could play it again and again for different tasks. Say to get all the GFs or get all the cards, or get every magic ability.
If someone is here that doesn't have it, buy it or you will regret it!
