This review may be something of a controversy for those who read it and are familiar with the iconic trilogy of "Final Fantasy" games released on the Sony Playstation between 1997-2000. (Entries VII, VIII and IX) Simply because of the nostalgic love many people have for its immediate predecessor, "Final Fantasy VII." But in honor of my 100th review this year (my first time reaching such a number of reviews in only one year), I am going to give my honest opinion on "Final Fantasy VIII", my personal favorite of the trilogy. And it is a game that I feel, more-or-less, still holds up over a decade after its initial release.
Centering on a theme of love, "Final Fantasy VIII" is arguably a quantum-leap forward over the prior entry in many ways, bringing forth vastly improved graphics, sound and interactivity.
The story focuses on our lead hero, Squall Leonhart, a lone-wolf teen-aged cadet at the military academy Balamb Garden. Haunted by his past, and unwilling (or perhaps afraid) to put his trust in others, Squall may seem callous, but is actually a rich, deep character. Together with his former instructor Quistis, hot-headed fellow student Zell and spunky school-girl Selphie, Squall is at first sent on several missions by the academy, before being drawn into a much deeper conflict and storyline.
Sent with his team by the academy headmaster to help a small resistance group, Squall encounters Rinoa, the other lead character in the story. And throughout the tale, both Squall and Rinoa are pulled towards each other as they slowly fall in love. But the treacheries of the world, including the rise to power of an evil Sorceress and the betrayal of Squall's rival Seifer, may not only tear apart Squall and Rinoa, but may lead to the destruction of the known world.
Graphics/Visuals- 10/10 For their time, these were among the finest graphics available on a console title. From highly detailed pre-rendered backgrounds, to characters far less blocky than prior 3D entries, to some arguably movie-quality pre-rendered FMV sequences, the visuals of this game were marvelous. Although they haven't aged well, the design is still remarkable even today. For their time, the graphics/visuals were a perfect 10.
Sound/Music- 10/10 As was the case for the previous entry, there is no real voice-over work to speak of, and outsides of battles, sound effects are very limited. However, the sound effects presented are much more true-to-life, and less "cartoonish" than in VII. Also, the score by Nobuo Uematsu is remarkable, touching, and gorgeous. It was one of the first video game scores to sound as good as a Hollywood soundtrack.
Control- 10/10 There isn't much to say when it comes to the control category. The game is controlled through simple navigation over maps and through (fairly) simplistic menu-navigation. And it's simple, concise and to the point, so the controls are pretty much ideal.
Story- 8/10 The story is the one category where I cannot give this game a perfect score. And it is for the same fundamental reason I listed in my review for "Final Fantasy VII"- inconsistencies and leaps within the tone and style of the storytelling. While the story and characters are very compelling (I personally found Squall a far more compelling character than Cloud), there are many points where the story takes leaps in terms of logic and tone. (Without spoiling anything, there are some major twists and turns that seem pointless and out of left field.) However, despite it's faults, the tale is still compelling and memorable, and it is a good story over all.
Overall, though, to me this game is a perfect 10. I don't know exactly why, but this game is just compelling, fun and all-in-all, a vast improvement over the already fantastic previous entry.
I'm giving "Final Fantasy VIII" a perfect 10.
Centering on a theme of love, "Final Fantasy VIII" is arguably a quantum-leap forward over the prior entry in many ways, bringing forth vastly improved graphics, sound and interactivity.
The story focuses on our lead hero, Squall Leonhart, a lone-wolf teen-aged cadet at the military academy Balamb Garden. Haunted by his past, and unwilling (or perhaps afraid) to put his trust in others, Squall may seem callous, but is actually a rich, deep character. Together with his former instructor Quistis, hot-headed fellow student Zell and spunky school-girl Selphie, Squall is at first sent on several missions by the academy, before being drawn into a much deeper conflict and storyline.
Sent with his team by the academy headmaster to help a small resistance group, Squall encounters Rinoa, the other lead character in the story. And throughout the tale, both Squall and Rinoa are pulled towards each other as they slowly fall in love. But the treacheries of the world, including the rise to power of an evil Sorceress and the betrayal of Squall's rival Seifer, may not only tear apart Squall and Rinoa, but may lead to the destruction of the known world.
Graphics/Visuals- 10/10 For their time, these were among the finest graphics available on a console title. From highly detailed pre-rendered backgrounds, to characters far less blocky than prior 3D entries, to some arguably movie-quality pre-rendered FMV sequences, the visuals of this game were marvelous. Although they haven't aged well, the design is still remarkable even today. For their time, the graphics/visuals were a perfect 10.
Sound/Music- 10/10 As was the case for the previous entry, there is no real voice-over work to speak of, and outsides of battles, sound effects are very limited. However, the sound effects presented are much more true-to-life, and less "cartoonish" than in VII. Also, the score by Nobuo Uematsu is remarkable, touching, and gorgeous. It was one of the first video game scores to sound as good as a Hollywood soundtrack.
Control- 10/10 There isn't much to say when it comes to the control category. The game is controlled through simple navigation over maps and through (fairly) simplistic menu-navigation. And it's simple, concise and to the point, so the controls are pretty much ideal.
Story- 8/10 The story is the one category where I cannot give this game a perfect score. And it is for the same fundamental reason I listed in my review for "Final Fantasy VII"- inconsistencies and leaps within the tone and style of the storytelling. While the story and characters are very compelling (I personally found Squall a far more compelling character than Cloud), there are many points where the story takes leaps in terms of logic and tone. (Without spoiling anything, there are some major twists and turns that seem pointless and out of left field.) However, despite it's faults, the tale is still compelling and memorable, and it is a good story over all.
Overall, though, to me this game is a perfect 10. I don't know exactly why, but this game is just compelling, fun and all-in-all, a vast improvement over the already fantastic previous entry.
I'm giving "Final Fantasy VIII" a perfect 10.