Final Fantasy VIII

[Cerys]

Having finished playing FF VII for the umpteenth time, I'm now playing through FF VIII for the ... umpteenth time.  It's not up there with VII, but I still love it.  How about you?

[Hangthebuggers]

I enjoyed the collectible card game with the changing rules more than the actual game itself. I was a bit narked off that we didn't get the materia system from VII.

Not a bad game though, some decent cut scenes for the time. But it never felt as 'magical' as VII.

[clingfilm portent]

It will always hold a special place in my heart for being the first massive, prolonged disappointment in my gaming life.

None of the humour of VII, no memorable characters, awful insipid love story. Yeah it looked great but, it stinks.

[Thursday]

Lots to like about it, but if you want to talk about classic Final Fantasy's that don't get their due than IX is the one you want to talk about. (VI does because of hardcore RPG fan that wants to tell you how the series became shit with VII)

I love the first disc of it and even disc 2 (Although we'll pretend the circular desert prison didn't happen) but once it starts getting into the Ultemecia and sorceress stuff it falls apart.

[Cerys]

Lots to like about it, but if you want to talk about classic Final Fantasy's that don't get their due than IX is the one you want to talk about.

Ooh, yeah.  I reckon a lot of people discount it because of the twee character art, but I still love it.  Not least because of the music, which is beautiful.

[thraxx]

FFVIII was a huge disappointment compared to VII, but to be expected after, basically, one of the greatest games ever made.  I consider FFVIII to be The Second Coming compared to FFVII's The Stone Roses.

XIII looked great and was pleasingly complex and years later I still often think about the Triple Triad game which I'd love to play again today.  If you made that game as an app, you'd make a fucking fortune.

The downside was the Draw and Junction systems which you never really felt that you were getting to the bottom off and felt shortchanged by in terms of gameplay.  The other things that bugged me were the changing backwards and forwards between the characters, stories and their parties so again, you never felt like you were getting to grips with the characters or the story.  You'd advance a bit and then transfer over to that cunt Renault Megane or whatever we was called.  Wasn't there a shit load of aimless travelling round, backwards and forwards too?

Couldn't stand FFIX.  It did look nice, but the cutesy graphics, massively simplified combat system made it look like they'd written it for 8 year olds.  There were also far too many fucking cut scenes as I recall.

[lazarou]

XIII looked great and was pleasingly complex and years later I still often think about the Triple Triad game which I'd love to play again today.  If you made that game as an app, you'd make a fucking fortune.

You'll be pleased to know they've recently gone and made that, then.

[Hollow]

Final Fantasy goodness list, main games only or it would get silly.

1. Final Fantasy VI
2. Final Fantasy IX (bit too easy, but it's the only 'real' Final Fantasy on PS1)
3. Final Fantasy V
4. Final Fantasy VII
5. Final Fantasy IV
6. Final Fantasy VIII
7. Final Fantasy III
8. Final Fantasy X
9. Final Fantasy XIII
10. Final Fantasy XII
11. Final Fantasy II (great games but showing their age, defo worth a play though.
12. Final Fantasy (I know to put the original at the bottom is a bit sacrilegious but it's not as good as the others so, to be honest it might be a better game than II)

[Hollow]

Sorry for that slightly off topic list.

I liked eight...it was a solid experience, that bit in space was fucking tedious though.

I like Triple Triad..I can hear the music now.

[thraxx]

Final Fantasy goodness list, main games only or it would get silly.

1. Final Fantasy VI
2. Final Fantasy IX (bit too easy, but it's the only 'real' Final Fantasy on PS1)
3. Final Fantasy V
4. Final Fantasy VII
5. Final Fantasy IV
6. Final Fantasy VIII
7. Final Fantasy III
8. Final Fantasy X
9. Final Fantasy XIII
10. Final Fantasy XII

Final Fantasy X at number 8?????

[Hollow]

Final Fantasy X at number 8?????

I thought it was alright, finished it...it had a touchingly beautiful atmosphere, mainly due to the music and not helped at all by the atrocious acting.

The game itself is one of the more linear games and thus in my eyes worse.

[NoSleep]

Final Fantasy goodness list, main games only or it would get silly.

1. Final Fantasy VI
2. Final Fantasy IX (bit too easy, but it's the only 'real' Final Fantasy on PS1)
3. Final Fantasy V
4. Final Fantasy VII
5. Final Fantasy IV
6. Final Fantasy VIII
7. Final Fantasy III
8. Final Fantasy X
9. Final Fantasy XIII
10. Final Fantasy XII
11. Final Fantasy II (great games but showing there age, defo worth a play though.
12. Final Fantasy (I know to put the original at the bottom is a bit sacrilegious but it's not as good as the others so, to be honest it might be a better game than II)

FFXII at 10? because it's so different from the others? I'm a fan of all things Yasumi Matsuno so I'm biased towards it (even though he handed over to another director midstream).

[Hollow]

Yes it did not feel like a final fantasy game, mainly it's adherence to the tactics/Vagrant Story universe, and it's weird combat system.

Really good game but it's from a different series.

[Hollow]

The soundtracks to Final Fantasy games are very very important to the feel of the game...Nobuo Uematsu has to do the music or it's game over.

[NoSleep]

Yes it did not feel like a final fantasy game, mainly it's adherence to the tactics/Vagrant Story universe, and it's weird combat system.

I liked being able to program the "AI".

[NoSleep]

The soundtracks to Final Fantasy games are very very important to the feel of the game...Nobuo Uematsu has to do the music or it's game over.

I especially liked the music by Hitoshi Sakimoto, which was reminiscent of his soundtrack for Vagrant Story. Nobuo Uematsu is great, though, although (OT) I was much less keen on the soundtrack to VIII compared to VII (and VI).

[Hollow]

You're probably right you know?...If I could get past the whole 'Ivalice' thing it would be higher no doubt.

[Hollow]

I don't honestly think there's anything more beautiful than Aerith's theme...maybe Kakariko Village in ALTTP, by the mighty Koji Kondo.

[NoSleep]

The smoothness of the game controls and the 360° view in XII were probably the best the FF games have offered (although I haven't played XIII). Certainly made X (which I attempted to replay shortly afterwards) feel very cumbersome both control wise and visually.

[NoSleep]

I don't honestly think there's anything more beautiful than Aerith's theme...maybe Kakariko Village in ALTTP, by the mighty Koji Kondo.

I think my favourite soundtrack is Chrono Trigger.

[Cerys]

I liked eight...it was a solid experience, that bit in space was fucking tedious though.

Imagine sitting through that bit in space, impatiently waiting for the moment when Rinoa gets past being all fat-faced and floaty rings in her space suit so you can carry on playing, only for the action to repeatedly grind to a halt mid FMV because there's a minuscule scratch on the disc.  Imagine that.

Just fucking imagine.

[Pseudopath]

I don't honestly think there's anything more beautiful than Aerith's Tifa's theme.

FTFY.

[Cerys]

The slow Cosmo Canyon theme is achingly beautiful.  Lovely.

[NoSleep]

Imagine sitting through that bit in space, impatiently waiting for the moment when Rinoa gets past being all fat-faced and floaty rings in her space suit so you can carry on playing, only for the action to repeatedly grind to a halt mid FMV because there's a minuscule scratch on the disc.  Imagine that.

Just fucking imagine.

I don't think a PSX game has ever failed on me like that. I have a copy of Suikoden that is actually cracked and it plays through perfectly. PS2 games would grind to a halt if there was a scratch on a disc situated nearby. Really put a stick through the spokes to the whole "buy secondhand" scam I had going through the PSX era.

[Cerys]

Oddly enough I solved the issue by buying another copy second-hand from a seller on Amazon.  And there was great rejoicing.  Until, this playthrough, I mixed up the discs.  Oh, the nostalgia.

[thraxx]

You'll be pleased to know they've recently gone and made that, then.

I'm in there right now, cunts.

[Hollow]

Imagine sitting through that bit in space, impatiently waiting for the moment when Rinoa gets past being all fat-faced and floaty rings in her space suit so you can carry on playing, only for the action to repeatedly grind to a halt mid FMV because there's a minuscule scratch on the disc.  Imagine that.

Just fucking imagine.

Shocking...I would weep, it happened to me with X...killing flying sin and FUBAR.

[Hollow]

The slow Cosmo Canyon theme is achingly beautiful.  Lovely.

Oh it is isn't it? makes my heart ache...:)

[Thursday]

Actually, here's the thing I hate most about FFVIII

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUaMD1u3njw

10 minutes 30 seconds into this where Rinoa falls and is hanging on for life so rather than finding something to save her Zell and Quistis run and find Squall and tell him he has  to save her while he's busy organizing the whole school that's become a warzone. Then they also make him give a speech in the middle of a battle, while they just stand around when Rinoa needs help, but they don't want to do anything, they want Squall to do it and seem puzzled that he doesn't value her life above everyone else's even though they're not in love or anything yet. They leave her hanging for 15 minutes, because they thought Squall should save her rather than them.

And that's the other weird thing, why are all the characters so concerned about getting Squall and Rinoa together. They're clearly completely unsuited for each other.


This has annoyed me far too much for over 15 years now.

[Glebe]

I was obsessed with both games at one point. Beautiful visuals, tons of imagination, clever ideas, gorgeous soundtracks.