FF8 Hate/Love Debate

One of thethree FF's in the main series that i havent played, ive found almost as many mixed opinions on this game as... well you know...FF7. Well i finally broke down and settled my beef with Ebay and recently won an auction on FF8 so that i can finally play it for myself. Now comes the waiting while it ships and i'd like to know what your opinions are on this game as a whole. Story, Battle system, overall gameplay, everything. NO SPOILERS PLEASE. Hopefully this thread will keep me sain while i wait for the game to ship. THANKS!

I thought that VIII was a pretty good game. The story was alright, and the characters were interesting. The story got pretty confusing sometimes, for me atleast. I enjoyed the battle system, it allowed for alot of customization, and I had fun messing around with the GFs (summons). Yes, the draw system definetely got a bit tedious at times, but still, it was new and fresh for Final Fantasy, and made the experience much more different and unique. And I don't mind the fact that enemies leveled with you, I was still able to kick the ass of most enemies with ease even though they werer around the same level of my characters, and also there were some enemies that put up good fights thanks to the fact that they could level up. It was a nice little bonus to be able to control what happens with most of your limit breaks once you got it, too. There are many optional things to do in the game and I thoroughly enjoyed doing them. There was some good music in the game, as well, some that were memorableto me.DJ-Lafleur

FF8 although had a not so hot off the stove story with a "meh" main villian, the game provided a great experience. Its cast of characters, although some would get pretty annoying, defenetly had alot of life added to them, u felt atached most of the time, while this is debatable being as some arent very fond of love stories or squals silent behavior (NOT EMO!!!), the game absolutley succeded in the ways of the combat system, idont care what anyone else says.

Great limit break system, exellent character customization, and an amazing soundtrack to top it off.

The entire game was both boring and frustrtating. Noneo f hte characters interested me. They all seemed flat, so the story was boring as well, seeing as how it was character centered. The gameplay was maddening. Who the hell beta tested the draw system and thought it was a GOOD idea? "I know! We will make hte player sit there and do the same thing over and over and over again in hopes of getting spells while the enemy beats the tar out of them." Terrible idea.

http://www.spoonyexperiment.com/games/FF8/

Watch this. It is funny and it explains exactly why I hate the game

I GOT IT. Well it came in the mail today. I opened the ugly yellow envelope to reveal the fat four disc playstaion one freshly wrapped case of Final Fantasy 8. Only 1 problem. I HAVE NO PLAYSTAION 1 MEMORY CARD. Gamestop doesnt carry em any more so i guess ill have to hit up Game Crazy. Looks like ill be keeping my PS2 on for a couple days until i canget a memory cardLOL.

I GOT IT. Well it came in the mail today. I opened the ugly yellow envelope to reveal the fat four disc playstaion one freshly wrapped case of Final Fantasy 8. Only 1 problem. I HAVE NO PLAYSTAION 1 MEMORY CARD. Gamestop doesnt carry em any more so i guess ill have to hit up Game Crazy. Looks like ill be keeping my PS2 on for a couple days until i canget a memory cardLOL.

MiracleMir

Just pray you dont get a power cut during that time haha.

FF8 was the first FF game I ever played, and needless to say I really liked it (if I didn't I probably wouldn't have bothered to play the other FF games). I know a lot of people think the chracaters are annoying, but I found myself caring for them and wha happened to their world. The music is wonderful, and is the only FF soundtrack I actually bought.

The story can be a bit confusing, true, but in the end it all made sense. I know some people doesn't like FF8's story, because it is mostly a love story. In my opinion it might just be the greatest love story of all time, and the game teaches a valuable lesson: You can't go through life alone. You need friends and loved ones to make you strong.

The battle system was a bit difficult for me to get into at first. The Junction system lets you customize a lot and so does the GF's. I like that the enemies follow your level because that gives you a constant challenge. In other FF games you could end up with very easy boss fights if you had leveled a lot, but in FF8 you don't have to worry about dissapointments like that.

Because there are so many people with so many different tastes, the debate about FF8 will never end. And that goes for all the FF games. I really like FF8, other people may not. In the end it's all up to you what you think of it, no matter what people may tell you before you try it.

I didn't like it as much as other FFs, the spoonyexperiment guy has some (very funny) points which pretty much sum it up, although not quite as negatively. Drawing spells is simply too tedious and you'll obviously have the urge to possess the maximum of every spell on at least 3 characters. Additionally, it discourages magic use and the junction system makes leveling sort of pointless as you'll only grow weaker compared to the monsters around you.

Had nothing against the story, although I found the GF concept within the story a bit stupid (won't elaborate further due to possible spoilers) and I just didn't like Squall's attitude. From a technical standpoint though, it's an amazing step up from the already impressive and still charming VII, especially the FMVs looked incredible at the time.