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Amazon.com
Editorial Review
SquareSoft has always had a sure-fire hit when releasing any of their Final Fantasy titles, and Final Fantasy VIII should be no exception. The basis of a good RPG (role-playing game) has always been the story; spectacular graphics are secondary. Final Fantasy VIII's involved and interesting story line is filled with great twists, well-developed characters, suspense, and romance. As an added bonus, the graphics are beautiful. Everything--from the low-lit jazz club to the steam-filled railroad tunnels--is gorgeous and perfectly sets the mood and tone of a scene.
The game mechanics are standard fare for an RPG: acquisition of items and spells, turn-based combat, experience points earned in combat allowing advances in levels. From exploration to battles to dialogue, Final Fantasy VIII has it all. However, Final Fantasy VIII falls to that great weakness of RPGs: random battles. While necessary for advancing in levels, the battles occur with such frequency that they can grow annoying, making for a tedious game experience.
The epic storyline spans four discs--over 40 hours of gameplay--and is based around a mercenary cadet who finds himself caught up with an underground rebel faction. He winds up in a plot to assassinate the sorceress who has just seized power from the president.
You could complain of limited replay value, but this gripe is of no consequence: the game is such a satisfying experience, it doesn't require replay. Final Fantasy VIII is easily worth both the hype and the wait. You can't buy a much better game. --John Cocking
Pros:
A story to beat all stories
Characters worth caring about
Hey--it's from SquareSoft
Stunning animations
Cons:
Too many random battles
Combat is, as always, turn-based and offers minimal excitement
Weak souls might give up after two or three discs of play
Amazon.com Customer Review
Final Fantasy VIII, June 1, 2000
Reviewer: A gamer from Iowa
A new Final Fantasy. I found this game to be a nice change of pace from the usual RPG. No money to worry about (Money is given to you at regular intervals, and not much is needed anyway), no armor to equip and take up room in your inventory, no magic points (MP) to worry about. The exclusion of these things have been critized by some, but I found that I could enjoy the story and the battles much more this way. Others have critized the random battles, but these can be easily controlled to the point where they don't happen. In fact, it could sound like Squaresoft has oversimplified this game, but that could not be further from the truth. The Guardian Force system offers incredible depth and custimation and rewards the patient and hardcore gamer. There are many, many sidequests to enjoy (Collecting items for weapon upgrades, looking for new Guardian Forces). Completely finishing the game is not a job for the casual gamer. I must light on the excellent job Squaresoft has done with the graphics. All the FMV is almost like watching a live action movie, and just as enjoyable. The in game and battle graphics have no parallel. Guardian Force animations are amazing, if a little long. Overall, this game has the perfect balence. Great graphics and a simple system for the casual, but depth for the hardcore. I give it 5 stars. Great job Square. Keep them coming.
The best game ever?, June 4, 2003
Reviewer: Neverwinter Knight (see more about me) from Los Angeles, CA USA
I have been a PlayStation Final Fantasy. I have never played the original Final Fantasy's from NES and SNES. This is possibly the best game I have ever played. The story was great, and the graphics are by far the best on PlayStation. The music was amazing too, and rivals many professional bands. Zell was by far my favorite character, he was so cool. The CG animations were the best part of the game, though, which had great pieces of the love story thrown in there. It's amazing that a game could be so great. It was like watching a movie that I desperately wanted to finish. The GFs were the best from any Final Fantasy, and have been brought into FF9 and FFX. The only bad part was how easy the bosses in the final tower were. I had cactuar, and equipped Zell with Kamikaze, and I just used that on every boss. I killed everyone but the final boss with it one hit. The hardest monsters were in the forest where you get Ifrit, and these were the Tyrannosaurus Rex type things. A great game with many different plotlines, and an overall great game.
Final Fantasy VIII is the greatest RPG ever made, July 26, 2003
Reviewer: Duncan Taylor from Houston, Texas
This game truly is an experience. The much lauded Final Fantasy VII pales in comparison to this masterpiece. Some fans may disagree with me, saying "But Aeris dies!", as if that makes the game good. Any-who, the characters, story, gameplay, sound, graphics, FMVs are all jaw-dropping, even now, almost 4 years later. Despite all the icing on the cake, it is the story and the detailed cast of characters that make this game great. I was nearly in tears at the end of the game, the story was just that darn good. Square, please make a remake of this game on PS2 like you're doing with FF7. (Which doesn't deserve a remake)
A game that fell from heaven itself, July 26, 2003
Reviewer: Ben from Natchez, MS
Ok, one, this game does not deserve 5 stars it deserves 10, this game is the best game ever made. Adventure, action , and romance. If you are looking at my review and you dont have this game, then i strongly advise you to go to your local wal-mart and buy, may this game go on and on, because it did for me, i feel as though this game changed my life with its love and excitment, trust me. Oh and if you happened to beat the game wait till after the credits theirs a big excitment your in for, who knows maybe youll cry alittle , well anyway, this game is basicly starts off when your a Balamb Garden, your a student their named Squall,a student that dosent want to get along or love, find out about squall, youll thank me on day for buying this game because it is simply, the best game ever mad.
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Final Fantasy VIII Official Strategy Guide