Final Fantasy VIII
Game Developer: Square Enix
Despite having flaws, I personally love this one! FFVIII is an overlooked game that should be judged by its own merits...
Ranking: 5 stars
The Final Fantasy RPG video game series has recently become one of my all-time favorite video game franchises. I had first heard of the franchise through playing KINGDOM HEARTS (which I absolutely loved!), as the series was a crossover between Disney and characters from Square Enix, allowing the player to interact with popular Final Fantasy characters like Cloud, Cid, Squall, Yuffie, Aerith, and the mother of all video game bosses, Sephiroth (I still can't kill him in either KH1 or KH2)! As I was playing Kingdom Hearts, I became more curious as to what these characters were like in their original games. They were well-incorporated into that series, and they had likable personalities, so I decided to try one of the original Final Fantasy games to see what these characters were like in their own games. It was a problem knowing where to start however, as there have been fourteen entries into the main Final Fantasy series, as well as several spinoffs. But what's unique about each Final Fantasy game is that it's not an on-going series, but rather that each game has it's own story, characters, and continuity, meaning that a new player wouldn't have to start with FINAL FANTASY I from the 80's, but play whichever they desired to. For me, my first Final Fantasy game was what many consider to be not only the crown jewel of the franchise, but one of the greatest video games of all-time, FINAL FANTASY VII. While the graphics were heavily outdated (keep in mind it was made in 1997, and I got used to them quickly), the battle system and gameplay were great, the story was highly compelling, and characters like Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, and Sephiroth were well-developed and had unique personalities. Critics widely praised VII for it's story, proving that even video games can succeed as a storytelling medium, and I can safely agree as I absolutely loved the game (ignore all the haters on the internet, go and play it right now, you will not regret it)! Since I enjoyed VII so much, I decided to play FINAL FANTASY VIII next as it always looked interesting to me. But because of the universal claim that VII received, fans of the series have been heavily divided on whether VIII successfully followed its predecessor, either loving or detesting it. While I still think VII is the better game, I personally love this one despite it having some serious flaws. The story of FINAL FANTASY VIII is centered around a young teen named Squall Leonhart, who keeps mostly to himself and doesn't let others know what he's feeling. Squall is a student of Balamb Garden, a facility that trains students to become members of SeeD, an elite military mercenary force that takes on requests and assignments from other nations across the world. After passing his graduation exam, Squall and his classmates Zell and Selphie become official members of SeeD. They soon take on their first mission, which involves helping a rebel force to kidnap the dictator of the corrupt nation of Galibandia. Squall soon discovers that the client who hired them is a girl named Rinoa Heartilly, a beautiful and mysterious woman who he danced with at a ball the previous night before. Rinoa is immediately fascinated by Squall, but she finds it difficult to connect with him as due to his cold-hearted attitude towards others. But amongst all of this, the group soon discovers that the Galibandian dictator plans to wage war on the rest of the world, and has affiliated himself with an evil sorceress known as Edea. What started as a simple mission now becomes an all-out war between the SeeDs and the sorceress, with Squall and his allies caught in the center of the conflict. As the battle against the sorceress' forces continue, Squall's cold demeanor begins to fade the more he interacts with Rinoa, whose warm-hearted personality acts as a foil to his own introverted self, and two soon fall in love. But as Squall and Rinoa grow closer, and the characters discover forgotten details of their past, they may be forced to face a threat far more dangerous than the sorceress and the forces of Galibandia. FINAL FANTASY VIII is a heavily divided game amongst the Final Fantasy community. While some fans praised the game for it's love story, deep themes, and character-driven plot, others felt that it contained too many plot-holes, was weak in its gameplay, and found the story and characters either unlikeable or underdeveloped. In my opinion, I feel that the reason the game has received this polarizing response is because it immediately followed FINAL FANTASY VII, which was widely considered to be the highest point in the franchise, and would be a tough act to follow. Because of this, many fans were disappointed with what they were given with VIII, feeling that it did not meet their expectations. This is unfair in my eyes, as much of the backlash towards VIII is mostly in it being compared to VII and other previous entries. I feel that rather than comparing it to it's predecessors, FINAL FANTASY VIII is a game that should be judged by it's own strengths and weaknesses, rather than how it holds up in comparison to the previous games. I'll admit that when I first started playing this game I was a little disappointed to see that it wasn't as good as VII was, as I found VII to be an absolute masterpiece. However, I eventually decided to critique the game as it's own thing rather than in comparison to VII, and for what it was, I genuinely loved this game! That doesn't mean that the game is perfect, as it does have flaws, and I can understand why they would throw people off, but for the moments that were done well, I felt were really done well! Personally, the main problems that have with the game are inconstancies in the plot, as well as new elements that are suddenly introduced throughout the game. While the plot itself is interesting and well-set up, there were moments that did make me scratch my head a little. Throughout the story, new plot twists would be introduced, having little build up to them, and coming out of left field. While random plot twists appearing randomly is a major pet peeve of mine in storytelling, I didn't think that they were enough to seriously hurt the plot in this case. Many of these plot twists worked well in my eyes, as they were useful for increasing the gamer's investment into the situation and turmoil of the characters. Some examples of these include (SPOILER ALERT!) the reveal of the Sorceress Edea being a pawn in the hands of another sorceress from the distant future, the reveal of a hidden technologically advanced nation, and a figure of the past being revealed as the president of that nation as well. However, there were plot twists that I felt weren't handled as well, such as the discovery of Squall and his allies all coming from an orphanage and not remembering due to amnesia (a common cliche in RPGs). While these twists were interesting, there either wasn't as much time devoted to them, or had little information to fully elaborate upon them. As such, this made the story harder to follow at times, as new information was constantly being added, and while most of it effectively contributed to the plot, other areas weren't handled as well. Another criticism I have is that some parts of the story were not fully explained, or were briefly touched upon but not fully explored. For instance, we learn that Ellone is a girl sought after by the sorceress for her ability to send people's conciseness into the past. While this is a cool power, and it adds a layer of motivation for the villains, there are some things left unexplained. How did Ellone get this power? Is she the only one with it or are there others? Plot holes like this can be irritating as while I enjoy the ideas and concepts, their undermined when they're not fully elaborated on. While the problems that I mentioned are definitely serious, and can be off-putting to players, I feel that the game has many great moments that make it a wonderful experience. For example, I really enjoyed the handling of the romance between Squall and Rinoa. As I mentioned earlier, Squall at first attempts to distance himself from his peers, never expressing how he feels about a situation, and coldly shrouds off those who attempt to get into his head. He avoids companionship as while he secretly cares deeply for the safety and well-being of his friends, he's afraid of getting close to them as he fears of losing the bonds he might form with them. This is primarily due to an event that occurred in his childhood, as a person he shared a strong relationship with was taken from him, and as a result, he avoids letting others get close to him as he does not want to risk losing the feelings of attachment again. This serves as an excellent foil to Rinoa, as she possesses a kind-hearted personality, and is very outgoing and willing to experience the joys of life. As such, when she first encounters Squall, she at first hates him for being cruel towards others. But as the two get to know each other better, she begins to see that his outward behavior is not who he really is, but rather that he's suppressing how he truly feels, and makes attempts to have Squall open himself to others. I find this approach to their relationship to be fascinating, as Rinoa wants Squall to break out of his shell and experience the pleasures of life, as well as let others know what he's feeling. This serves as major character development for Squall as he soon begins to break out of his shell, and begins to express deep feelings for Rinoa that eventually form a romance between the two. Whenever I've seen people criticize this romance, the most common complaints that I've seen is that it's either too rushed, or that it lacks basic relationship elements like saying, "I love you," or kissing. I respectfully disagree however, as while Squall admitting this feelings for Rinoa does come rather abruptly, his cold demeanor gradually wanes the more he interacts with Rinoa, making his feelings for her believable. It also doesn't bother me if their only kiss is at the end of the game, as I really enjoy the chemistry and dynamic of their relationship, as well as their interactions which help to benefit of both the character's development, and their feelings for one another. On the subject of the characters, fans are extremely hit-or-miss when it comes to the cast of FINAL FANTASY VIII. People often complain that they find the characters to be either underdeveloped and one-dimensional, mean-spirited with "melodramatic teen emo drama," or extremely obnoxious and annoying. While I personally feel that FINAL FANTASY VII had the superior cast, I still found the characters of FINAL FANTASY VIII to be well-developed and likable. I've already covered Squall and Rinoa, but common criticisms about these two individually is that Squall is a brooding emo and unlikeable jerk, and that Rinoa is stupid and annoying. I disagree, as while sometimes Squall can be a little to cold at times, I love the character development he undergoes that has him break out of his shell, and the backstory that justifies his behavior. While Rinoa can be impulsive by rushing into situations without thinking, she does so as she hates senseless violence, and will do anything to help others. Another character I really enjoyed was Squall's mentor at Balamb Garden, Quistis, who acts as the voice of reason for the group, and makes logical decisions to help her friends. I also really liked Squall's rival Seifer, who started out as the bully at Balamb, but eventually joins the sorceress in order to achieve his personal dreams. What made him a interesting antagonist in my eyes was because of the lengths he was willing to go to reach his goal, even if it meant hurting those he once called allies. My favorite character though has to be Sorceress Edea, as when it's revealed that she was being possessed by another sorceress, Edea (becoming a temporary party member) is willing to do anything to undo the damage she unintentionally caused, even giving up her powers to prevent herself from being possessed again. I found it admirable that she was willing to give up her vast powers as a sorceress in order to serve the greater good, conveying her as a strong-willed woman prepared to make any sacrifice to help others. Overall, while the characters have their individual flaws, I found them to be unique, well-developed, and I was always invested in their endeavors. The only character I hated in the game was Squall's teammate Selphie, who is incredibly annoying! Although she becomes a SeeD and is apparently 17 years old, she constantly acts like a 5 year old. She bounces around, dances, speaks in an annoying cutesy-like speech pattern, and even sings a stupid song about trains (ugghhhhh....SHUT UP SELPHIE!!!! I'M TRYING TO FOCUS ON ALL OF THE OTHER CHARACTERS IN THE GAME! WHY COULDN'T WE HAVE HAD EDEA AS A PERMANENT PLAYABLE CHARACTER AFTER SHE TURNS GOOD?! IT WOULD HAVE BEEN INTERESTING TO SEE HER CONFRONT THE SORCERESS WHO MANIPULATED HER! THAT WOULD'VE BEEN AWESOME! THIS ANNOYING BRAT SHOULDN'T EVEN BE IN THE GAME! Sorry for going off on a rant, I just really hate this character). Selphie contributes nothing to the story, and only serves to annoy the heck out of players. Aside from her, I really enjoyed the characters of this game. The final aspect of the game I feel that I should elaborate on is the gameplay. While the game still retains the classic elements of the signature RPG battle system, FINAL FANTASY VIII introduced elements to it that have been controversial among players. I primary aspect of the gameplay involves a new device called the junction system, which links a characters abilities and stats to a creature you can summon called a guardian force. While this eliminates the need for MP, allowing the player to summon GF limitless times, what throws many players off about this system is that it requires the player to draw magic from enemies. Since your magic contributes to stats like HP, strength, and magic, the player is forced to steal magic from enemies in order to boost stats, which can be very time consuming and frustrating for players. While I do understand their criticisms, I feel that it helps to create a biased view of this game that scare people from playing it. While I admit that the junction and draw system was irritating at first, I was able to get used to it quickly, and use it to help strengthen each individual party member's stats effectively. The summoning of GF's (while being unable to skip long cutscenes of them while in battle) is fun to toy around with as each creature has a unique design and power set, and can provide different abilities for party members that use them. I also love the weapon Squall uses known as the Gunblade (a combination between a gun in a sword; a reversal of the bayonet), which is not only one of the coolest fictional weapons ever conceived (I'd love to have one myself!), but is unique in how it functions. Rather than shooting bullets, the weapon requires Squall to slash his enemies and simultaneously fire the trigger, adding greater damage to his attacks. This adds a timing mechanism to Squall's attacks that with practice, can make his attacks more powerful, and gives him astonishing limit break attacks. Even though FINAL FANTASY VIII has flaws with inconsistencies and holes in its plot, I still found the story to be highly compelling, the dynamic of the romance intriguing, the characters likable and engaging, and the gameplay to be unique and intricately fun. I know it's not a perfect game, but as a natural optimist, the moments that I feel work in this game, work unbelievably well. I believe that good moments greatly triumph over bad ones, and as a result, those good moments create a great gaming experience that should not be overlooked. It may not be the masterpiece that was FINAL FANTASY VII, but that's what I believe is the problem with the biased opinions towards this game. Rather than critiquing the game in how well it follows in comparison to it's predecessor, it should be analyzed on for what it is as a self contained video game of it's own right. In my eyes, I found it to be an extremely fun game despite some of the flaws, and I still enjoy playing it. Don't judge this game based on what the fans say, but check it out for yourselves so that you can draw your own opinions about it. It's worth the time and investment! "Only when you are aware of the uniqueness of everyone's individual body will you begin to have a sense of your own self-worth." -Ma Jian
