I haven't played FFVIII but I have seen Let's Plays of it and the characterization really is beyond disbelief.  For the first two disks, Squall doesn't give Rinoa the time of day but the instant disk 3 starts, he because all "I can't live without her".  This is really stupid plot development considering their romance was suppose to be mainly what the story was about.  Also, Squall and Rinoa showed no chemistry.  I remember when GameTrailers said in their FF retrospective that FFVIII "had some of the most compelling storytelling in the series".  Looking back, I think they were just being sarcastic.  Either that or FFVIII really did have "some of the most compelling storytelling in the series".

10/10 my best game ever!!!

But ti DID have a compelling STORY as in the events that take place. You don't get EPIC things like that happen in FF nowadays.

But yeah the characters SUCKED....and as most people count "characters" as a part of the story it may not be the best for you.

But as a story in terms of what happens n stuff its really cool and its really compelling, brilliance does shine through in parts, for me its the 2nd best story in the series tied with FF7 (just counting events).

If we were to count characters & world/myth/lore into this it would go much lower and other FF's would go in front of it (FF10, 13 & 4 to be specific)

You should buy it on PSN.

I personally don't like modern hack and slash games like Devil May Cry, but I would still give Bayonetta a high score if I were to rank it.

This game though, is in a genre that is relatively new to me, but has gotten my interrest. Hovever, the game is the very definition of plain bad.

Tell me, why can a low level SeeD candidate summon huge monsters?

Why do I have to junction said monsters to characters or they can't use items?

Wasn't the point of statistics in RPGs to just be a measurement of the experience and skills of the characters in an at least somewhat realistic way?

What is the point of all these weird statistics. Why are spells treated like items and junctioned to stats, what's the point other than to confuse everyone but the uber hard core? At least Tales of Symphonia's EXsphere system made some sense and was integrated into the plot.

And the most important question of all. Why won't anyone answer these questions? I've heard that the junction system allowed for much customization, but seriously, I have seen systems in games that have allowed plenty of customization without the kind of nonsense that is the junction system.

How could anyone defend FFVIII? Please tell me, I want to know. What is there to like in the gameplay part of it?

9.0/10


FF8 have the best battle system in the series (and one of the best battle systems in a rpg)
The music was great, characters were unique and lovable (ya know)

I was addicted to "Triple Triad", it became my favorite minigame (until Blitz ball of course)

Not to forget that epic opening cinematic, man that was (and still) awesome :)

Production values mean nothing to me. If what is underlying the pretty graphics and sound is crap, then it's crap. It's like comparing a McDonald's burger to a kobe burger, and giving a point to the McD's one because it's in a wrapper...

well obviously people can, the person who posted below your post (nen seur) said it has the best battle system in the series

For me it's a 8.5/10. I found it engaging, but I found the gameplay mostly too imbalanced and too easy for the first 3 discs.

I would like more detalied answers though. I'm not unreasonable, it's just that noone answers my questions so I have to keep asking them. If I knew more about what is supposed to be good about the game I could change my opinon, or at least agree to disagree.

Why can't people explain why the gameplay is so good when asked?

4/10 - least favorite of any FF I've played. I'd score it lower, but I did actually play through to the ending and I'll reserve sub4 scores for games which I wouldn't ever want to finish.