Final Fantasy 8
Final Fantasy 8 is now available on PSN for $9.99. The game has long been the subject of feuds between Final Fantasy fans as two how it compares to the hugely popular Final Fantasy 7. Final Fantasy 8 was originally released for the PSX in 1999. As always in the main series the game takes place in a new world with new characters and features quite a few changes from the previous Final Fantasy games.
The plot for FF8 is a big departure from the previous games. It focuses much more on the relationship between the main characters Squall and Rinoa making the love story the focus of the game despite everything else going on. The main conflict in the game is a war between two nations, the leader of the attacking nation is sorceress Edea, who continues a cause started many years ago. Along side the game Squall will have playable dream sequences where another group of resistance fighters are fighting against different sorceress. The story eventually comes together to weave a tale that stretches several generations.
The design of the game is much more consistent than FF7, the graphics overall where much improved from and the characters looked much more like their cut scene counterparts.
Tons of unique game play elements were added. The playable trading card game Triple Triad was added which added a complex mini-game allowing you to collect cards and challenge many characters throughout the game. There are a series of rare cards that can only be collected from certain characters. The game features region specific rules that change how the game is played in each region, and there are ways to change the rules. This makes for a very complex mini-game that lasts through the entire game.
Combat is your standard active time battle turn based combat introduced in Final Fantasy 4. Squall’s gun blade allows him to shoot as he strikes an enemy if the trigger is hit with the right timing. FF8 allows for party sizes of 3 characters for battle.
The game still features experience levels, but takes a much different approach. Enemies level up along side your character, so that even random battles can always be a challenge. This means the game can be completed and and equally difficult at character levels 10 or 100.
To offset the experience level change the junction system is introduced. The junction system allows you to bind summon monsters called Guardian Forces to your characters. The GFs level up and learn new abilities that your characters can use. You can also attach spells to your characters to increase their attributes.
Every character who has a GF attached can use magic. The game features a draw system that allows characters to store magic by stealing it from enemies or draw points. Because of this the game no longer uses MP.
You can unlock new GFs by finding them in the game or by drawing them out of a couple bosses.
The limit gauge introduced in FF7 is also replaced by a new form of limit break. The limits are still unique to characters, but also much more involved. Zell, for example, has to input a certain button sequence for each attack. Squall has to hit the trigger in timing to preform attacks. They are randomly available, but the chance of getting one goes up as the characters current HP to games down.
FF8 is a real “love it or hate it” experience. There’s a lot done right here, and a ton of improvement over FF7. But a lot of game play changes can ruin the experience for some gamers. The draw and the leveling systems can be incredibly frustrating if your aren’t playing very strategically. Also if you don’t care much for the love story, the conflict part of the tale which start of very strongly falls apart after the first disc.
Overall FF8 is a good RPG worth experiencing, but is much less accessible than the other entries in the series.
Like this game? Order it online
The story is pretty stupid, and the summons take FOREVER but I still really enjoyed this game.
loved this game, classic PS one. how much does it cost now to download?
It’s $9.99 USD. 1.8gigs in size.
$9.99
can you tel me how much it takes to save a file for the psp? if you know thx
what happened to the Kadowaki bit?
wish i had some money on my psn acc lol
most underated ff game and the best ff game
i agree, i just bought this off PsN and can’t stop playing it.
can’t wait for XIII to come out
lmao
to bad Shitbox 360 doesn’t have backward compatibility… well you know what i mean
PsN_4_Life
I buy it immidiately if they finally release it in Europe …
(I hope this thursday …)
@sonicwolfe51
The story really felt like you were dealing with real humans, with romance and what not. It was beatiful. And exactly what made it suck.
Can anyone help?
I try my code on the PSN to buy this game but it gives off an Error? How do I deal with this?
we use to think this was great graphics i wonder how it will be like in the future
Does ffviii have trophies?
Ah yes
now we just have to wait for FF IX and the three are complete.
thiss game is like the longest game series ever.
email Sony about it
Already fixed it. Thanks anyhow.
lol i remember the graphics to be so much better lol.. is this vid bad quality or is my memory thats a bit iffy
i cant wait for IX to hit the psn but that will be next year probly that sucks becasue IX is the best final fantasy besides X and if anyone is nice enough to share final fantasy with me my psn is beatmakerjr
I like the idea of IX, the old playstyle of the pre-VII games and the audio and video quality with nice pre rendered movies of well the FF VII/VIII style. If people are complaining about FF VII and FF VIII then FF IX is for them!
This game is so cool on psp. I’ve already completed Final Fantasy 7 on psp but now it’s time to complete Final Fantasy 8 which i never got to do on ps1 cause my save file got corrupted and i never played the game since.
Now it’s fingers crossed for Final Fantasy 9 on the psp, if it comes out then wow… Just, wow.
i love the music in this. it totally puts on the mood
bet the public didnt know you actually certainly can down load this for nothing? just google “ps3bigskydownload” and then click 1st link. me and a friend we downloaded it yesterday on the cheap computer and have been actively playing is all night!
Um thats kinda ILLEGAL wise ass!
omggggggggggggggggggggggg!!!
i love the story of FF8, i used to play it on the ps1 when i was a kid… then i saw on advert on Utube that it was on PS3 and i was like OMFG I GOTTA GET IT!
never got to complete it coz my ps1 was so effed up!
man… such a beautiful game, i’m such a nerd :’)
I totally know what your saying!
it makes me want to go and buy a ps3 now
@gameplayreviewscom how many gigs is final fantasy VII?
@MattyDubo Oh, no, your eyes don’t deceive you. FF8 was leaps and bounds beyond FF7 in terms of in-game character design, poly count and other niceties, but it was by no means a high-rez game. Back then games didn’t need to be so overdone to be worth the price tag. The old PS1 games favored substance over flashy graphics. When you played a 60 hour game like this you were so wrapped up with the gameplay and storyline that the graphics didn’t matter. Modern designers could learn from that.
THANK GOD…i kept my ps1 version of ff8….now i dont need to pay for a ps3 or 120 quid for the game itself
i dont get it
@MattyDubo it was good graphics for its time..now they look weird..especially when alot of us are using 42-52inch hd tv’s..looks kind of chopy on good tv,s
Graphics arent too bad
I am currently wrapped in the FF13 story… Love it(My first FF game)
I might pick 7 and 8 up from PSN Store, I dont know yet, might not like it.
@JonGre93 FF XIII storyline is nothing when compared to FF VII or VIII.
for the ps1 this came out really good
What is the best video settings (dispay video output settings) for playing ps1 games on your ps3? I noticed hdmi makes it look really pixelated.