Quite possibly the most anticipated game of 1999, Final Fantasy VIII continues Square Soft's best selling RPG series. The story follows Squall Leonhart, a serious and reserved gunblade-toting soldier in the special combat unit known as SeeD, and his role in the war against the hostile Galbadians. (Or so it would appear.) Never much for working with others, Squall's journey will introduce him to a variety of new people, some he'll call friends -- others he won't.
Of the characters he'll meet, no one will affect Squall's outlook on life more than Rinoa Heartilly, a beautiful young woman who teaches him the meaning of love. Also of note, Laguna Loire represents the game's most mysterious character, an ex-soldier turned journalist who appears to Squall in his dreams. Meanwhile, SeeD candidate Seifer Almasy admires Squall's abilities but sees him as an arch-rival.
Though it bears the Final Fantasy moniker, several differences from previous installments can be found in Final Fantasy VIII, most obviously the overall look. The outlandishly deformed designs composing the likes of Cloud Strife and Barret Wallace (from Final Fantasy VII) have been replaced with a more realistic-looking band of heroes and villains.
Also new to Final Fantasy VIII is the Junction System for magical use. Guardian Forces (GF)s such as Ifrit and Shiva, gods and goddesses who allowed previous Final Fantasy characters to use their powers through Materia, are still available and must be obtained in order to utilize certain features of the Junction System. In order to earn possession of a GF, the force itself must be defeated or "drawn" from a boss monster. Other less predictable methods can be used as well. Once a character has obtained a GF, he or she can summon it during a battle, unleashing its power and then proceeding to draw magical abilities from enemies. GFs grow stronger with each battle and will eventually bestow special abilities to the character who junctions it.
Unlike other Final Fantasy games (and most role-playing games for that matter), magic points are not the limiting factor for casting spells in Final Fantasy VIII. Rather, drawn spells are quantitative; each opponent you face has a type of magic that can be drawn, or taken. For instance, if a character has eight spells of one type and then casts one, he or she is left with seven of that type until more are drawn. Spells can also be junctioned to improve a character's vital statistics such as hit points, offense and defense. For example, junctioning a spell like Full-Life to hit points will make them increase dramatically, especially if you have a lot of them stocked. Similarly, Fire junctioned to attack means bad news to ice monsters just as junctioning Thunder to defense won't make your typical Blitz (a type of thunder monster) very effective. (In such cases, their attacks might even heal you instead!)
Some RPG fans might be alarmed to learn that characters stick with their weapons throughout the course of the entire game. However, by reading the Weapons Monthly magazine and visiting a junk shop, weapons can be upgraded -- but not how you might suspect. Though a fee is involved, it is minimal. The challenge comes in attaining the rare items necessary for the upgrades, which can usually be gained by defeating or stealing from powerful monsters. Incidentally, money is not earned after defeating a monster but rather through Squall's SeeD salary, determined by his performance in field and written tests.
As with most RPGs, experience points (for both the characters and Guardian Forces) are gained after defeating monsters, resulting in higher levels of experience as more are attained. However, as the characters gain experience, so do the monsters. In other words, the level seven Bite Bugs you fight at the beginning of the game will still be just as challenging 93 levels later.
Unlike Final Fantasy VII, which featured many mini-games, few are found in Final Fantasy VIII. However, "Triple Triad" (a card game played with a similar mindset as dominos) can play a major role in your inventory later in the adventure. Each game, available to play as long as there are people around to converse with, pits a party member and non-player character (NPC) against one another with the cards they have in their possession. Strategic placement of cards will earn a player victory and the right to choose one or more of the loser's cards for his or her own collection. "Local rules" may apply, so don't expect the same game every time. Besides through beating a NPC, cards can be obtained by defeating enemies or by utilizing the "card" command during battle, in which a GF must be junctioned to use. Ultimately, the cards can be refined into rare items and spells that help out tremendously in your quest.
Though there may be a few differences, many of the popular features of the franchise return in Final Fantasy VIII. First, Limit Breaks can be enabled at critical moments unleashing a unique and powerful attack from a character. There are also various battle abnormalities inflicted by opponents (i.e., sleep, curse, berserk, confuse and slow), item shops and a variety of vehicles to operate for faster movement on the world map.
And what would a Final Fantasy game be without a few Chocobos? In addition to utilizing their services in the game, fans of the burden-bearing birds who also happen to own a PocketStation (as of the game's release, only available in Japan) have the opportunity to play "Chocobo World." This simple-looking yet epic journey involves a Chocobo named Boco and Final Fantasy favorite Mog.
Unfortunately, most Americans won't be able to take part in Boco's adventure. We'll just have to settle for the four discs of gameplay comprising Final Fantasy VIII.
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!! You need to get this if you like acion suspensefull games. Because this game can give you enough of it and it's great overall. Submitted by a reviewer (Marion,Iowa,USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 1 of 1 found this helpful.
My love. This was the game that got me addicted to Final Fantasy and video games in general. It had its (tiny!) flaws but it will always hold a special place in my heart. I loved the characters, the story, the battle system, the music... everything. 5 out of 5, in my opinion probably the best game of all time. (PS- I wonder if I already reviewed this on here, I can't remember, haha...) Submitted by Dawn (ON, CA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 2 of 3 found this helpful.
Un juego excelente! Hacía años que jugué éste grandioso título y después de tanto tiempo sigo pensando que lo es por eso decidí comprármelo de nuevo. La historia es una de rareza que hace de éste título algo emocionante. A pesar de que a momentos se hace un juego algo tedioso, vale la pena pasar ésta dificultad con tal de adentrarse en uno de los mejores uegos de la serie y que se adapta a todos los niveles de dificultad! Submitted by Max Rage (Mexico City) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 2 of 3 found this helpful.
Let's steal magic to use it,BOO!! Good story.BAD EVERYTHING ELSE!I hated this FF so much,I was so dissapointed.After dedicating my life to Cloud's gang,this game made me want to join the Shinra Empire and suck the mako energy right out of it! Submitted by PanicHouse_16 (Coral Springs,FL (Ft.Lauderdale)) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 2 of 4 found this helpful.
Fun to start, quickly becomes repetitive and boring... First of all, I love Final Fantasy games.. I played FF7 TWICE through, taking up a good 200+ hours of my life.
FF8 doesn't deserve to be called a Final Fantasy.. the main character is so colorless and dull that by the end of the game you just have a bitter taste in your mouth. I mean, talk about going overboard with the "Strong, Silent Type" personality. Also somewhere about Disc 3, I begun to realize that the game is incredibly easy if you just keep using GF's.. The bottom line is: why would I use a physical attack for 100 damage, or use magic for 300, when I can GF Shiva and hit for 9999? GFs are long, boring, and with Boost hurts your fingers. Even if I spent the time/resources to upgrade my weapons, what is the point since Shiva hits for 9999 by disc 3?
Blah blah lionheart rules... Omnislash ripoff. Squall sucks.
Random encounters are just as long as boss battles since GFs finish them just as quickly. This tends to make them INCREDIBLY BORING and POINTLESS.
Awful battle system, EXTREMELY BLAND HERO (I hate squall!), the only thing that gives it 2 stars are the intro and ending movies. Submitted by Adam (Mesa, AZ, USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 2 of 4 found this helpful.
Guide lead protagonist Squall Leonhart in an adventure spanning four discs
Transfer the magic from enemies to your characters with the all-new junction system
Features close to an hour's worth of computer animated cut-scenes
Controls
Controls
MENU SCREEN: right stick = N/A O = N/A Square = open limit break screen (status screen) Triangle = cancel R1 = N/A R2 = N/A: FIELD SCREEN: right stick = N/A O = open menu screen Square = talk/challenge to card game walk (when used with D-pad or left stick) R1 = N/A R2 = N/A D-pad/left stick = move cursor/select commands Start = display help/pause Select = hold down to hide battle info X = execute increase GF's attack power while the Select button is held down L1 = turn on/off target window L2 + R2 = escape D-pad/left stick = move Start = turn vibration function on/off O = open menu screen Square = move vehicle forward L1 = turn camera angle counterclockwise L2 = N/A
Final Fantasy VIII Cheats Chrono Cross is the sequel to the 16-bit Chrono Trigger, a game in which many role-playing fans considered to be on par, if not better than the developers' other role-playing series, Final Fantasy. For those who are new to the franchise, it combined a turn-based battle system with an intense storyline and a host of classic characters.
As one of the only games to receive a perfect score from Famitsu, a well-respected Japanese gaming magazine, the storyline of Chrono Cross goes beyond the norm, as it concerns alternate dimensions as well as time travel. It focuses on the adventure of a boy named Serge who, on a dungeon exploration trip, stumbles into a parallel world in which his life had been cut short. After gathering his courage, Serge sets out to solve the mystery of his death.
Along the way, Serge will encounter a motley group of companions -- a total of 40 different characters will wander into the scene and interact with the protagonist. Each has his, her, or its, own unique personality traits and background story. For example, a female barkeep named Orlha is searching for a long lost sister while an accomplished wrestler known as Jillbert guards a gravesite. Many characters are of a non-human race. Kabu is a lazy, unproductive vegetable man and Irenes is a mermaid that uses healing abilities to cure those wounded in battle.
The battle system is a little different than the usual "pick a single attack and wait" equation. Instead, Chrono Cross introduces the use of stamina points. Each character is gifted with seven stamina points at the beginning of a fight. Battle options are divided into weak, middle and strong powers with the more powerful attacks requiring a larger number of stamina points. Therefore, you can use any combination of moves within the seven-point range. If you'd like a single massive strike, go ahead and pick a strong power hit. If you'd rather land the first blow, pick a weak attack and utilize your quickness.
Additionally, the magical system is based on a combination of fighting and spell casting. As you attack a monster, you'll gain the power to cast a variety of magic spells. If you plan on taking it easy, your characters will never become powerful magicians. A bar indicates the level of your magical power; as it grows, you'll gain the ability to cast increasingly powerful incantations. The characters can combine spells to unleash some big time destruction.
Chrono Cross is a single-player adventure compatible with the PlayStation's Dual Shock Analog Controller and memory card device. Can you unravel the mystery of Serge's untimely death? He's counting on you!
Key Features
Final Fantasy VIII Review Chrono Cross is the sequel to the 16-bit Chrono Trigger, a game in which many role-playing fans considered to be on par, if not better than the developers' other role-playing series, Final Fantasy. For those who are new to the franchise, it combined a turn-based battle system with an intense storyline and a host of classic characters.
As one of the only games to receive a perfect score from Famitsu, a well-respected Japanese gaming magazine, the storyline of Chrono Cross goes beyond the norm, as it concerns alternate dimensions as well as time travel. It focuses on the adventure of a boy named Serge who, on a dungeon exploration trip, stumbles into a parallel world in which his life had been cut short. After gathering his courage, Serge sets out to solve the mystery of his death.
Along the way, Serge will encounter a motley group of companions -- a total of 40 different characters will wander into the scene and interact with the protagonist. Each has his, her, or its, own unique personality traits and background story. For example, a female barkeep named Orlha is searching for a long lost sister while an accomplished wrestler known as Jillbert guards a gravesite. Many characters are of a non-human race. Kabu is a lazy, unproductive vegetable man and Irenes is a mermaid that uses healing abilities to cure those wounded in battle.
The battle system is a little different than the usual "pick a single attack and wait" equation. Instead, Chrono Cross introduces the use of stamina points. Each character is gifted with seven stamina points at the beginning of a fight. Battle options are divided into weak, middle and strong powers with the more powerful attacks requiring a larger number of stamina points. Therefore, you can use any combination of moves within the seven-point range. If you'd like a single massive strike, go ahead and pick a strong power hit. If you'd rather land the first blow, pick a weak attack and utilize your quickness.
Additionally, the magical system is based on a combination of fighting and spell casting. As you attack a monster, you'll gain the power to cast a variety of magic spells. If you plan on taking it easy, your characters will never become powerful magicians. A bar indicates the level of your magical power; as it grows, you'll gain the ability to cast increasingly powerful incantations. The characters can combine spells to unleash some big time destruction.
Chrono Cross is a single-player adventure compatible with the PlayStation's Dual Shock Analog Controller and memory card device. Can you unravel the mystery of Serge's untimely death? He's counting on you!
Key Features
Teen (Content suitable for ages 13 and older)
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Let's steal magic to use it,BOO!!
Fun to start, quickly becomes repetitive and boring...
Share this Product