Final Fantasy 8 is a story starting amidst a war. SeeD cadet Squall Leonhart, the main character, along with the other SeeD cadets, Quistis, Selphie, Zell, and Irvine, are given a mission to assassinate the sorceress. Along with the help of a loud, opinionated Rinoa, the characters soon find themselves in much more trouble than they bargained for. Squall, who is very quiet and reserved, soon finds himself in a complex state of mind. When SeeD starts to depend on Squall with a heavy demand, he feels the pressure to be overwhelmed. With his dreams of Laguna Lorie, a ex-soldier turned journalist, Squall is left in even more turmoil. Just to top things off, his thoughts of Rinoa don't seem to be lightening up. Squall also has to deal with Seifer, his problematic rival who wrecks havoc everywhere he appears. As the story progresses, its hard to tell where the reality of the story ends and the dream sequences begin. With more and more about Laguna unraveling, he soon starts to intertwine with the mission of the SeeD. So, between Time Compressed Worlds, SeeD Gardens, and regular dream sequences, Final Fantasy 8 is a tale of the SeeD leaving you wanting more.
Rating:
The arts used in Final Fantasy 8 were very creative. Character designs beat any of the previous Final Fantasy games, yet the CG graphics and scenic backgrounds are lagging. One bad thing about the artwork was that there was little FMV's, or full motion videos. The game is four disks long, and yet, there is very little FMV action. Character clothing and design is my favorite part of the artwork. Every character is drawn into detail, and look very real. Outfits are simple, but look very nice and fitting for the character personalities. The artists in charge of character designs would get my vote, because these designs beat anything before its time. As for background art, it is fairly good, but Final Fantasy 7, one game before its time, has it beaten. It would have been nice to see some better art, because Squaresoft had done proven what they were made of.
Rating:
The music in this game was ok, but did manage to get on my nerves. Characters have no voices, not even in the FMV's, which makes the game less enjoyable because you spend a lot of time reading subtitles. Character voices would have been too far ahead of their time, though. Final Fantasy 8 did manage to get two good, hit songs. One song, "Eyes On Me", is sung by Faye Wong. The other is "First Love", which is sung by none other than Utada Hikaru. These songs are very good. The plain instrumental music, heard during parts of the game, isn't the best, and as I said, rather annoying. Overall, though, because they had managed to get a few good songs out, I would say the music isn't all that bad.
Rating:
The worst thing about Final Fantasy 8 is that it had to follow Final Fantasy 7. This made for a few poor reviews. Overall, the game is very enjoyable, and doesn't take very long to beat. The story is quite interesting, and yet, has a lot of turns and twists in it that would make someone feel like they are watching a soap opera. There is a few serious times, as when a character is in grave danger. The story has a good script, and its funny when it needs to be, and serious when that's what's called for. Their isn't much of a true moral through the story, and there isn't much of a moral at the end. Although, the feelings between Squall and Rinoa is easy to see, and yet, hard to grip as the writers put off their relationship pretty much until the very end. The end of the story may make a few people choke up, but after the more serious part, will make the player laugh until the very end. So, overall, Final Fantasy 8 isn't a bad game at all, and I recommend it to anyone wanting a nice, quick, and easy RPG!
Rating:
7.8333 (good)
Reviewed by winxfairykay, Dec 24, 2005
Very good review on a pretty good game. But I think you have one song mistaken, "First Love" by Utada Hikaru. I do not remember it in the game and, after looking at my OST that I have, I couldn't find it. Just wanted to make sure on that one.
And the end did kind of choke me up the first time I saw it. (Laguna's part the most though)
Nice review.
Then, if voice recordings were ahead of their time, why do you compare them to today's standards? A game is only less enjoyable when you have seen something better somewhere else and compare it to it. Ask early NES gamers if their experience was less enjoyable at the time of its release because they didn't have 3D graphics. No, it is less enjoyable if you played the game years after its release. The review should be treated objectively as if it were written right after its release.
I do agree with your comment that FFVIII recieved a few poor reviews because people try to compare it to FFVII. They're separate stories and thus should be treated as such. Overall, a good review but I think this game deserves a higher score. :pacman:
I freak'n love this game! It should have gotten a higher score! >:( Squall kicks azz in that game! I loved the ending though it really good! Evin the story line was good. the music was great even when you go into Ultemecias castle :) . Squall and Rinoa are my favorite couple. I hope they make a movie of this one like they did with part 7 Advent Children!
Anyway good review. I like the song "Eyes on me" and the introduction song too. You deserve a cookie.(shoves down throat)
its a good game.i dont get why everyone likes 7 more than 8!7 had bad graphics compared to 8.and the story line?what the
heck?do people like games that are hard to understand or somthing?
ff8 is a good game that has good graphics overall and surpassed all ff games before it.they should make a movie!it would
be awesome!
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