History Trivia / FinalFantasyVIII

* ExecutiveMeddling: ''{{Xenogears}}'' has this game to thank for it's sloppy second disk. In the middle of ''Xenogears''' production, staff and funding was taken from the game in order to work and finance ''Final Fantasy VIII''. This resulted in exposition being narrated in paragraphs instead of actually playing the game and a storyline that wasn't entirely explained in the game too clearly (all but requiring [[UniverseCompendium Perfect Works]] to make sense of things).
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* CreatorBacklash: The Gunblade was originally treated as one of the most effective weapons of the time, Cid being thrilled at having a Gunblade master in the ranks of [=SeeD=], and it being often said that only the best can use them. However, since this game its reputation has died down a lot. Squall's ''Dissidia'' profile says the Gunblade is an antiquated weapon and was notoriously difficult to use properly, and Squall's choice to use one is more a show of stubbornness than strength. Tetsuya Nomura meanwhile has admitted the weapon has an odd design, and looking at other games, Gunblades usually now appear as literal gun and sword combinations rather than the vibrating weapon Squall uses.

* ShoutOut: Great Salt Lake.
** Another shout-out occurs in music form: the final boss music, "The Extreme", contains a call-back to the original Final Fantasy battle music.
** On the music example, the beginnning of [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czn2_ngX6_k the final dungeon theme]] is very similar to the third segment of Dancing Mad from ''FinalFantasyVI''.
*** Doomtrain isn't terribly different from the [[FinalFantasyVI GhostTrain / Phantom Train]] either. And by that, it has a freakin' ghost face and looks undead enough.
*** Triple Triad may be a reference to the Warring Triad in ''FinalFantasyVI''.
** Ultemecia's design was actually a ShoutOut to Yoshitaka Amano's artstyle. You can definitely see the features - white hair, lipstick, eyeliner...
** Lunatic Pandora likewise has sequences very similar to music from the Moon in FinalFantasyIV. Appropriate, considering that it was designed to call down monsters from the moon. Likewise, when the monster's are ready to drop the moon grows red. This same feature is shared by the corrupted moon of IV.
** The blue Galbadian uniforms resemble the SOLDIER uniform from FinalFantasyVII. They're even issued with Buster Swords.
** Zell's final weapon is quite appropriately named for a FightingGame, {{Ehrgeiz}}.
** The jaunty polka tune from peacetime-Dollet is reused for [[TwothousandAndone the Esthar moonbase.]]

*** Same translation also has an NPC remarking that Galbadia Garden's ice hockey team watches the Film/FridayThe13th movies while they train. Then when you fight them on disc 2 they're not called "Slapper" but are instead named "Jason."

* CreatorBacklash: The Gunblade was originally treated as one of the most effective weapons of the time, Cid being thrilled at having a Gunblade master in the ranks of [=SeeD=], and it being often said that only the best can use them. However, since this game it's reputation has died down a lot. Squall's ''Dissidia'' profile says the Gunblade is an antiquated weapon and was notoriously difficult to use properly, and Squall's choice to use one is more a show of stubbornness than strength. Tetsuya Nomura meanwhile has admitted the weapon has an odd design, and looking at other games, Gunblades usually now appear as literal gun and sword combinations rather than the vibrating weapon Squall uses.

* CreatorBacklash: The Gunblade was originally treated as one of the most effective weapons of the time, Cid being thrilled at having a Gunblade master in the ranks of SeeD, and it being often said that only the best can use them. However, since this game it's reputation has died down a lot. Squall's ''Dissidia'' profile says the Gunblade is an antiquated weapon and was notoriously difficult to use properly, and Squall's choice to use one is more a show of stubbornness than strength. Tetsuya Nomura meanwhile has admitted the weapon has an odd design, and looking at other games, Gunblades usually now appear as literal gun and sword combinations rather than the vibrating weapon Squall uses.

* CreatorBacklash: The infamous Gunblade has never appeared in this form again. While it's become an iconic ''Final Fantasy'' weapon, it usually appears as a gun with a sword blade attached, a sword with a firearm built into it, or both at once, this game and Squall's spin-off appearances are the only time the original Gunblade appears. Furthermore TetsuyaNomura has admitted that in hindsight it is a very odd design, and Squall's ''Dissidia'' profile mentions that Gunblades are antiquated weapons and notoriously difficult to use, and Squall's choice to wield them is probably more due to his stubbornness than preference for the weapon itself.

* CreatorBacklash: The infamous Gunblade has never appeared in this form again. While it's become an iconic ''Final Fantasy'' weapon, it usually appears as a gun with a sword blade attached, a sword with a firearm built into it, or both at once, this game and Squall's spin-off appearance are the only time the original Gunblade appears. Furthermore TetsuyaNomura has admitted that in hindsight it is a very odd design, and Squall's ''Dissidia'' profile mentions that Gunblades are antiquated weapons and notoriously difficult to use, and Squall's choice to wield them is probably more due to his stubbornness than preference for the weapon itself.

** Doomtrain isn't terribly different from the [[FinalFantasyVI GhostTrain / Phantom Train]] either. And by that, it has a freakin' ghost face and looks undead enough.
** Triple Triad may be a reference to the Warring Triad in ''FinalFantasyVI''.

** The French translation, full of [[ArtisticLicense gratuitous English that does not match the original English]], has an item called a [[NineInchNails 9 inch nail]]... described as "the claw of an [[IndustrialMetal industrial monster]]." Guess the French translator must've been a fan then.
*** Same translation also has an NPC remarking that Galbadia Garden's ice hockey team watches the Film/FridayThe13th movies while they train. Then when you fight them on disc 2 they're not called "Slapper" but are instead named "Jason."

** Zell's final weapon is quite appropriately named for a FightingGame, {{Ehrgeiz}}.

* Zell's final weapon is quite appropriately named for a FightingGame, {{Ehrgeiz}}.

** Lunatic Pandora likewise has sequences very similar to music from the Moon in FinalFantasyIV. Appropriate, considering that it was designed to call down monsters from the moon. Likewise, when the monster's are ready to drop the moon grows red. This same feature is shared by the corrupted moon of IV.

** Ultemecia's design was actually a ShoutOut to Yoshitaka Amano's artstyle. You can definitely see the features - white hair, lipstick, eyeliner...

* Ultemecia's design was actually a ShoutOut to Yoshitaka Amano's artstyle. You can definitely see the features - white hair, lipstick, eyeliner...

** The French translation, full of [[ArtisticLicense gratuitous English that does not match the original English]], has an item called a [[NineInchNails 9 inch nail]]... described as "the claw of an [[IndustrialMetal industrial monster]]." Guess the French translator must've been a fan then.

** The French translation, full of [[ArtisticLicense gratuitous English that does not match the original English]], has an item called a [[NineInchNails 9 inch nail]]... described as "the claw of an [[IndustrualMetal industrial monster]]." Guess the French translator must've been a fan then.

** The French translation, full of [[ArtisticLicense gratuitous English that does not match the original English]], has an item called a 9 inch nail... described as "the claw of an industrial monster." Guess the French translator must've been a fan then.

** The French translation, full of [[CreativeLicense / gratuitous English that does not match the original English]], has an item called a 9 inch nail... described as "the claw of an industrial monster." Guess the French translator must've been a fan then.

** The French translation, full of gratuitous English that does not match the original English, has an item called a 9 inch nail... described as "the claw of an industrial monster." Guess the French translator must've been a fan then.

** Triple Triad may be a reference to the Warring Triad in ''FinalFantasyVI''.

** Doomtrain isn't terribly different from the [[FinalFantasyVI GhostTrain / Phantom Train]] either. And by that, it has a freakin' ghost face and looks undead enough.

** On the music example, the beginnning of [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czn2_ngX6_k the final dungeon theme]] is very similar to the third segment of Dancing Mad from ''FinalFantasyVI''.

** Zell, a fist fighter, has a facial tattoo that bears a big resemblance to Mike Tyson's.
*** Actually, Tyson is more of a(n unintentional, possibly?) ShoutOut to Zell instead, as FFVIII came BEFORE Tyson's tattoo.