[POLL] WHY SOME PEOPLE THINK FF8 WAS THE BEST FF EVER?

I'm an avid FF fan, and truthfully, I don't really *dislike* any of them. For the longest I have held FF8 as one of, if not my favorite. It's not necessarily for the nostalgic feeling.

To be honest, what really had me was the story. I enjoyed the characters a good deal. People constantly complain about Squall's attitude, but that's the thing. That's how he is supposed to be. It's his personality. You are able to see him go from an emotionally sedated jellyfish, to a somewhat loveable ogre. Though seeing him jump such large extremes comes across as unbelieveable to some, and even sickening to others with the help of Rinoa's *love*, I liked it. It is your typical teenage angst-finds-love-saves-the-world-with-friends routine, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I fell in love with Laguna and his crew, had a love-hate relationship with Seifer, adored Irvine's pervertedness, made fantasy babies with Zell...

It sounds sappy, but I liked each and every character they had.
The story writing isn't eye-opening, or world changing, but it did enough just right to draw me in.

I also enjoyed the world - It's not modern, but not too futuristic. A good blend.

The battle system is okay. Though I enjoy ATB, FF8 is not my depiction of a successful way to implement it. The drawing part never bothered me. It is a pain having to stock up - I'll admit that. But, when you equip certain magic, it ends up being a game of managing your magic. What to use, what not to use. What can you afford to cast. If you equip it, how much can you cast...
Honestly, I took it as a game mechanic and rolled with it. Yeah, equipping cura and having to use it when I forgot to have the other characters draw 70 curas is a whore and a half, but you learn to adapt and win anyway you can.

The card game was fun, once I got the hang of it. Every other time I was getting my behind handed to me. Then, I started seeking out NPC's to play because I liked it so darn much.

The beauty with FF is that, no one game feeds off another, aside from parts of lore, game mechanics, and certain abilities. One game suits the needs of others, but not necessarily everyone else.

I'm not a huge fan of FF7, but I understand that there are aspects of it that simply spell out the perfect rpg for many people.

DON'T YOU JUST LOVE ART.

Every FF game in the main series has its fair share of qualities that made me want to keep on playing until I beat the game at least once.
The only exception being FF9.
I've played and beaten 1 through X-2.

What I enjoyed in FF8? Let's start with the obvious:

-A more realistic look and design in world and characters. FF8 is the easiest I can get immersed into. Characters look, think and act less like Anime stereotypes and more like real people. I can enjoy this.

-A story that often focuses on relationships. Squall and Seifer, Squall and Ellone, Rinoa and Seifer, Squall and Rinoa, Quistis and Squall, Zell and Seifer, Irvine and Selfie, Edea and Seifer, Edea and Rinoa, etc.
Character development and relationships were important to the story and made me care for them. I was genuinely sad to say goodbye to these great individuals at the end of the game.

-A gorgeous soundtrack that makes a great job at enhancing events' emotions. One of the most exciting segment I ever experienced in any FF is the Dollet Field Exam. The game successfully preps you up mentally and emotionally for this segment and the roller coaster of tension that follows is one of the most satisfying moment I've had while playing the game. The scenes that follow (the party and graduation) were also the best rewards I could ever hope for. The soundtrack beautifully supports every moment of this ride.

-A more relatable main character. Yes. Squall has a realistic personality. His flaws and issues aren't overused. At last. Thank you Square.

-A theme of love that isn't shy to expand itself and to show that all is not always pink. Again, thank you Square for having characters express their desires and act upon them. I don't think I can get any sicker of the cliché clueless/asexual male characters and embarrassed/virgin female characters.

-A huge amount of fun optional battle-related customization systems available anytime. Drawing magic, building GFs, Junction, Item changing abilities, Materials for weapon upgrades... I can always do something meaningful aside from following the main quest. It lets me affect the game's pacing to suit my tastes.

-Similarly, many secrets to find, optional dungeons, quests and mini games to play. I didn't get bored doing the optional stuff in this game. Only a few segments in the main quest, with D-District Prison being the worst, had me yawn.

-FF6 style Limit Breaks that you know about. Great power now comes at a great risk: Limits can only be used when your HP remains critically low. It makes more sense than filling up a "frustration meter" and it increases challenge, if only a little.

-One word: Gunfuckingblades.

Mmh, this is all I can think of for now, but surely there are other reasons why I enjoy this game.

- - -

What I didn't like so much in FF8:

-I couldn't care much about Laguna. His intermittent segments and initially obscure storyline were more difficult to enjoy.

-The orphanage and mass amnesia plot points. I believe they didn't add much quality compared to the rest of the story.

-The redundant designs of human and robotic enemies.

-The lack of necessary strategy in most battles aside from boosting your stats through Junction. Don't build your GFs or grind-draw and the difficulty will be well-balanced. But the completionist in me cannot play like that.

- - -

I'd say FF8 is one of my favorite game in the series along with FF6 and FF7. I couldn't care less about picking one as my ultimate favorite. I love all 3 of them.

It's not about how every game should be to be perfect.
It's about appreciating uniqueness and specific qualities.

Edit: Oh yeah, meisam, BTW means "by the way", not "between".

People like FF8 because they dont know good rpgs.

Sorry kyrsty...

author=arcan
You are forgetting FFT you heathens!

Orlandeau, that is all.

Because it's a post-modern masterpiece.

Seriously: Sure, the game is ridiculous as hell with regards to the characters' backstories, but the bunch of kids you play as are exactly that - kids, uncertain about their own futures much less the world they're living in. I think a good example of this is the normally cocky Irvine facing a huge moral dilemma as he's about to assassinate Edea - in hindsight there was a lot of reasoning behind what happened there which just made me appreciate the guy alot more. All the other characters (including Selphie, come on let's give Selphie a break - she had the worst time in the game) had similiar events happen with them, where they could have pulled off amazing things but were just weak, stupid or teenage. I don't think you get any more believable than that.

Regarding the about-face in Squall's character: He's, what 17 or 18? He was bound to experience 180's in personality from time to time.

Apart from the characters, the music and the world as a whole are really immersive. Fun-fact: When I take the train or something I make it a point to play Blue Fields on my MP3 player at some point during the journey. #notsoguiltypleasures

The Squall's dead theory is indeed interesting yet is pure conjecture.

http://taylorniall.wordpress.com/2012/09/02/squalls-dead-theory-revisited/

http://finalfantasy.answers.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:Emperor_Mateus/Squall_Is_Dead_-_Why_it_doesn%27t_work

(Squall's Theory Revisited isn't very believable)

You can in fact make a second case for Squall's death.


That's right, he got brained with a sword, right in the first scene.

You know how they said, everything got weirder after disc one?

Well, stuff was already weird. Guardian Forces, a school that sends people out on military expeditions, and a giant oddly shaped school with weird cultist types as administration types.

Despite him supposedly winning, he woke up in the hospital over a supposedly minor wound.

Or, maybe not, maybe Seifer cut his face off. We have this cut where the scene breaks after the Squall blinks and before the cut, where his brain sorta wanders to Rinoa. Now, stop just before the cut. It's past the side of his head, meaning a very deep cut, not a simple facial scar. We do not see the initial result of the cut, just Squall down... and Squall getting up with a relatively minor cut (which he has to go to the doctor for).

Further, the barren wasteland? It's back to the very end. This is two seconds into the story, and they already book-end something at the story's end, the wasteland/garden thing. Another thing, they have this "I'll wait for you." "Why?" "For what?" (These are strange responses from Squall, without the context added that he's not sure there's anyone for her to wait for)

And yet, I believe although most of this is a dying dream, Squall isn't dead at the end of the game. Just that he fears he is.

I think that uncertainty is what the game's about. Finding out that, yes, despite all the doubt that can be cast, Rinoa actually does love Squall. She brought him back, making this a romance, not a tragedy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kK0X-HSLmU

"If frown is shown, then you will know you are not dreaming." A reference directly to the uncertainty, of whether he's alive or not, dreaming or not, Rinoa cared enough to rescue him or not. The uncertainty is real, but the end result is better than expected. And that is what makes this game great.

Oh! And examine the rocky terrain Seifer challenges Squall on, and the terrain Squall walks on later and Rinoa meets Squall's prone body on. They're the same barren rocky ground.

author=Liberty
Also not a fan of le big bad. I prefer evil to have a bit more personality and presence (helloooo Kefka and Sephiroth~). I'm just not a big fan of Ulty (I still maintain that she's really Ultros from FF6, travelling back in time to get revenge on the cast of FF6, only to have taken a wrong turn and ending up in a completely different world. No reason except I think it's hilarious to think that the big bad of FF8 is really a time-travelling, body-stealing purple octopus-thing.)

Ultimecia is Rinoa (nvm what Square says, they're lying).


-She summoner Griever or whatever that lion is.
-Weird dialogue from Squall (see video above)
-The entire story is really about Rinoa/Squall, not Edea. This scenario not only gives a plot to the villain, but it makes sense from the standpoint of a lover's spat.
-Oh yea, and it's explicitly stated that Sorceresses can't die until they pass on their power. Adel passes his to to Rinoa, meaning she long outlives Squall.