In 1999, Squaresoft, riding on the overwhelming success of its previous roleplaying game in the Final Fantasy series, released Final Fantasy VIII. While similar, since it was another 3-D game with turn-based fighting, the battle and character development system and storyline were drastically different. It was generally well-received by American consumers, though standing in Final Fantasy VII's shadow led to some criticism.
Storyline:
Without spoiling too much, the story revolves around a group of mercenaries whose involvement with an assassination mission eventually escalate into an international war. A sorceress orchestrates everything behind the scenes, so the mercenaries decide to restore peace and civility to a troubled world.
The characters of the game have very unique personalities, no two of them the same. Though their background stories are somewhat underdeveloped, it's very easy for the player to find a likeable, favorite character due to the diverse range of traits that each possesses. (I always thought Seifer was awesome, personally.)
While the main characters of Final Fantasy VII and VIII are similar in that they're often anti-social introverted people, the most pronounced difference between them is the presence of internal dialogue. While Cloud is silent and contemplative in Final Fantasy VII, Squall's thoughts in Final Fantasy VIII are actually visible to the player, to allow a better understanding of how he feels and what he's thinking throughout the course of the game.
The story tends to rotate more around the characters than their environment, unlike several other games in the Final Fantasy series. A love theme is prevalent, though it only really manifests near the later chapters of the game. Until then, it's a rather one-sided romance. Overall, the story's very impressive, though at times it's a bit unbelievable or not very well fleshed out. For instance, several of the characters conveniently forget important things about their pasts, and the only reason given is the existence of GFs, or powerful summons, that they use to fight. Additionally, the final villain's motivation is somewhat lacking, but the relationships of most of the other main characters are particularly compelling, enticing the player to complete the game and see where everyone stands after the last, most difficult ordeals.
8.6/10
Music
Nobuo Uematsu, famed composer of Final Fantasy I, II, III, IV, V, VI, and VII's music returned once again to produce much of the music used in Final Fantasy VIII, and he certainly didn't disappoint. Much of the music is very memorable and fits each situation nicely. Two songs in particular that really stand out are the game's opening theme, "Liberi Fatali" and the recurring love song, "Eyes on Me". "Eyes on Me" was actually the best-selling video game single of its time, trumped only by "Hikari" from Kingdom Hearts.
The battle music, character and town themes, and even chocobo tunes are quite memorable. Even the airship music is invigorating to listen to, similarly to the piece that played when soaring through the skies aboard the Highwind in Final Fantasy VII.
All in all, the music corresponds perfectly to each section of the game. Laid back, casual tunes play when the characters find themselves with free time (though that isn't often), pulse-pounding beats blare when undertaking crucial and difficult missions, and ominous music accompanies the moments of suspense and intrigue... Though not my favorite music of any FF game, VIII certainly doesn't disappoint in this department.
8.8/10
Controls:The game controls like most Final Fantasy titles, and it's fairly straightforward. Outside of battles, you use the analog stick or directional pad to control your party's movement. The X button allows you to interact with your surroundings, and the O button opens your menu, which allows you to customize the skill sets of your characters, use items, take ranking tests, save, and all the advanced features that any RPG utilizes. VII used a different key to open the menu, though, so changing which key activated it threw me off a bit. However, the game allows you to reconfigure the controller at any time. Outside of those commands, the rest of the buttons seem to just control the camera angle, something any old-school gamer has got to appreciate. After all, how many good games have been ruined by a terrible camera angle?
In battles, the controls are still pretty simple. Final Fantasy VIII uses a turn-based battle system, so the directional keys and the X button are just about all you'll need. Pick an action, like "Attack", "Magic", "Draw", etc...and hit X to initiate it. Square's always been known for simplification of control schemes. Note: The below picture is a mini-game, and there's an American release of the game, so just ignore the Japanese characters...
9.6/10
Graphics:
To some people, graphics make the game. However, when the story's as entertaining as VIII's, graphics aren't nearly as important. Even so, Final Fantasy VIII has some phenomenal visual effects. The character models are drawn very realistically, something never before done in a Final Fantasy game. Their features are well-defined, though their facial expressions never change when you're in control of them.
However, during the computer generated scenes, a staple of every FF game, the game exceeds all expectations. Even during the game's opening, the full scale of the realistic look of the characters was enough to wow most audiences. By no means tacky, the vibrant artwork and flowing movement of every single thing was awe-inspiring to a generation of gamers that could only settle for blocky polygonal structures attempting to emulate emotion that preceded VIII's debut.
The locales in FFVIII are spectacular to behold, usually. Though there are some exceptions where the scenery is a bit drab, unappealing to look at, or stock, most of the places you can visit are detailed and absolutely beautiful. While you're not able to interact with everything, there's often much you can explore on every screen to either further the storyline, pursue a side mission, or even just learn more about the world which VIII's characters inhabit.
For its time: 8.8/10
Gameplay:
FFVIII is a roleplaying game, so it's heavily story-driven. The battles in the game are turn-based, and you need to strategize your movements if you want to win most battles. In essence, you outfit and equip your characters with weapons, magic, and summons before you venture forth, get into fights and progress the storyline (or not), and then use the new things you found along the way to make yourself stronger. Spells are no longer cast through a "Magic Points" system, but instead are stockpiled by "Drawing" them from enemies. Other methods exist to gain said spells, but the one I've mentioned is the most commonly used one.
These spells are then junctioned to your stats: HP, Str, Mag, Spr, Vit, Spd, and Lck. Depending on which stat they're junctioned to, it'll increase. HP affects the amount of hit points you have, Str affects physical damage, Mag increases the effectiveness of both curative and offensive spells, Spr affects your resistance to offensive magic, Vit increases your defense against physical damage, Spd affects how quickly your ATB (Active Time Battle) gauge fills up (which allows you to perform an action), and Lck determines several unmentioned things, but I won't go into it here.
In addition to your stats, you can unlock various other slots that you can put your magic in, which can increase your resistance to harmful spells or add elemental attributes to your physical attacks. The number of combinations you can use is staggering, and your choices can make boss fights incredibly difficult or a piece of cake. It's not easy to pick up at first, but within an hour, you should have the idea down pretty well.
However...repeatedly having to draw spells from enemies can get really tedious after a while. Add in the fact that the only way to get certain spells is by doing this, waiting on draw points, or having ridiculously rare items, and it sort of forces you to work really hard for some spells that'll just end up being depleted after a while. The system isn't without faults, but I still think it's an ingenius way to add in a lot of character customization.
7.7/10
If you ever get a chance, grab this game and try it out for yourself. If you're still fond of games that rely on excellent stories and very strategic gameplay, it's one you won't regret playing.
Final score: 8.7/10
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