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Reviews VideoGame / Final Fantasy VIII

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willyolio Since: Jan, 2001
07/05/2011 14:51:10 •••

Counterintuitive

That's the one word I can use to really summarize the whole game up. Everything about this game is just counterintuitive.

Let's begin with magic: one of the most important parts of any Final Fantasy game. Like most Final Fantasy games, it has the standard spells- ice, lightning, fire, cure... all the way up to Ultima. The difference is you'll never actually use them in this game. Having rare, powerful magic raises your stats the most - and using it would lower your stats the most. Great, a Final Fantasy game where using magic is detrimental.

Experience and levelling up: It's a neat system where the monsters level up with you, so every single level is always 1000exp instead of the exponential growth curve. This auto-adjusting difficulty is a good idea if it weren't for the junctioning system. Keeping your level as low as possible is actually the easiest way to get through this game. Great, a Final Fantasy game where running away keeps you strong, and fighting makes you (proportionally) weaker.

Characters: The main character is unlikeable, while the rest of the cast is just static with little to no development. Squall's uncaring mostly, which means the plot is moved not by his decisions but what he's been ordered to do. He officially doesn't care about anything, with a signature Whateverâ„¢. The few times he actually makes a decision himself, it doesn't matter anyways - either everyone else already decided to do it before he tells anyone, or everyone tells him to do the opposite and he just goes with it. The rest of the cast is flat and one-dimensional. Zell is the hothead, Selphie's energetic, Quistis is trying to be the mature one, Irvine's got an ego, Rinoa is a Damsel in Distress. As for backstory, for 4 of the 6 main characters it's simultaneous Laser-Guided Amnesia, and one is just pretending to have Laser-Guided Amnesia. Great, a Final Fantasy where I can't find anyone to actually care about.

Story/Plot: As usual, the entire world is in danger and you are the ones to save it. The main characters, however, just go with the flow. The final boss is only introduced early in Disc 3, and gets no development - she just wants to destroy the world, just because, you know... that's just what evil villains do. Almost every plot point just happens because it's next on the list - nothing feels like it was ever a result of earlier decisions. No action and consequence. One thing happens out of your control, then another unrelated thing happens, etc. This is especially apparent with the "love" theme - the main characters fall in love just because I guess it's the next point on the checklist. Nothing really links together organically, nothing flows properly. Big twists contradict earlier actions with only a flimsy excuse of "Oh, I always knew, I was just playing along" several times in the story. The writing is atrociously lazy.

Overall: Poor. The music is good though.

Kerrah Since: Jan, 2001
07/03/2011 00:00:00

You forgot the card game. :P

willyolio Since: Jan, 2001
07/05/2011 00:00:00

oh yeah, should have mentioned that. playing cards all day is what makes you more powerful, not levelling up. never have I ever seen a mini-game (not even a sidequest, technically!) be so damn powerful.


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