1. Final Fantasy VIII
As I cross into 2020, I cast my mind back 20 years to the turn of the year 2000. At that moment, I was playing this amazing new game that I'd bought a week before just to see what all the fuss was about, but as I began playing I quickly started to realise this was something special. Time may escape us all, but it has also tested FFVIII and I enjoy it just as much, if not more, than I did when I first played it. Even during 2019, I've completed two playthroughs and still become absorbed by the game and enjoy losing many hours, where I belong. Over the course of 20 years, I've become a fan of both Final Fantasy and the subgenre of JRPGs, all thanks to this game. I've bought this game many times on different systems, I imported a PocketStation for FFVIII, I have a ton of related merchandise including guides, soundtracks, real Triple Triad cards, the list goes on. It was even the subject of my only two threads on VGChartz.
I could write pages on why I love this game (which I began drafting, but discarded in the interest of keeping this short), I'll sum up by saying it nails everything, from the story and characters, to the music (which may be Uematsu's best work), the world, the gameplay, Triple triad and the pre-rendered graphics/cutscenes. The Junction System just narrowly beats Materia as my favourite way to build my characters and party.
2020 may be the year of FFVII (which releases on Rinoa's birthday, funnily enough) and while I'm eagerly waiting to play the remake, there is no doubt I'll replay my favourite game of all time, FFVIII, before 2021 arrives. Hopefully, I'll live to see the day when FFVIII gets a similar remake treatment.
Last edited by Landale_Star - on 31 December 2019
