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[AJUMP23]

I never finished this one. I got as far as the rocket launch and just stopped. It just wasn't interesting to me.

 

[Mr Hyde]

I didn't like it when it was released. It was such a radical departure from 7 and at the time, I was too young to understand why Square didn't follow in the footsteps of that game instead of trying to reinvent the formula. It didn't help that my save file got corrupted during the fourth disc and I couldn't bring myself to do a new playthrough.

I revisited the game a few years back on Switch with the double whammy collection of 7 & 8, and I found it much better and more enjoyable than as a teen. In fact, it was pretty fucking great. It holds up very well and feels unique in the Final Fantasy universe. The characters, the setting, the story, everything comes together really well and hasn't really been tried again by Square, since the game got such a bad rep. And that intro sequence is still fucking awesome.

 

[Werewolf Jones]

The second best FF game. Never played the full game until the conclusion of COVID. I never "got it" as a kid. Amazing game, doesn't need to be remade. The remaster does enough.

 

[fatmarco]

Still one of my favourite cutscenes, the gameplay transition into FMV, plus the music:

 

[tylrdiablos]

Oddly enough... I finished this game for the first time ever last week. (Steam Ramastered version.)
I can remember when it originally released on the PSX and I got the bus into town to go get a copy from Electronics Boutique.
I put a lot of hours into it but I think I dropped it because I got into end game territory and just wasn't prepared (or intelligent enough) to get over those final few hurdles.
I don't think a game has ever taken me 25 years to complete. But I'm glad I did.

The story is... okay. But when you fully understand it (after reading the wiki or watching a 20+ minute YouTube video), it all comes full circle and it genuinely left me wanting more from that particular universe. I really liked the world building and I would have loved some books that take place before or after the events in the game. (Like the World of Warcraft or Halo books that flesh things about a bit.)

I've jumped straight into Final Fantasy IX and am enjoying that too.

 

[amigastar]

Jesus I’m old.

IDK man, when i was 37 i thought i am old now i think with 41 i am old. I bet when i'm 52 i will say i am old and wish i would be 40 again. So as long as you are not 61 you are not really old.

 

[E-Cat]

Whatever.

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

I didn't like it when it was released. It was such a radical departure from 7 and at the time

That was 8’s main problem for most people. FF7 popularized JRPGs and 8 wasn’t 7-2. Kinda funny when you think about how much Sqex has been milking FF7 since then. A proper sequel at the right time could have put Cloud and his friends to rest forever. Instead Square did what they always did back then - made a completely new game with totally different characters and systems and a lot of first-time JRPGers were disappointed. Their loss.

 

[Clear]

FF8 is one of my all-time favourite games, and for me an absolute high-water mark for Square.

That being said, I have to admit to feeling disappointed on my first playthrough. I felt it lacked a real villain, and the plot was oddly episodic, lacking the sheer opera of FF7's sweeping dramatic moments. Over time I realized how completely wrong my perceptions were, and how special FF8 is as piece of work.

What's most unusual about the game is that despite the bombast of the visuals -and quite honestly, as an artistic showcase it was so far beyond the competition at its time of release it was almost unfair- is that at heart its quite a small, personal story.

I could rant on for paragraphs about all the things I love about this game, but ultimately what makes it special for me is its warmth. There's a sweetness to it that I've never seen replicated in another FF title.

 

[jaydogg691]

Nah.

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

I love Final Fantasy 8. That battle system is fantastic, I beat the game in around 20 to 30 hours just by knowing how to break the battle system. Yes Squall is an ass in the beginning but he actually shows character growth during the whole game. So come at me haters

 

[Bkdk]

ff8 remake will be released 25 years later. Probably after they finish their massive 6 remake project, then 9, 10 remake. 8 remake will come after all that.

 

[Ozzie666]

I remember being somewhat confused at the story even as a young adult. It was not a great transalation. This game is the middle child and doesn't get the respect it deserves.
The end movie, song and space scene - still stuck in my brain years later. The scene at the end with the ring, kills me every dam time.

 

[German Hops]

Just for the record, R = U. And you all know it.

That aside, my fondest memory of VIII was one one of my classmates naming Rinoa's dog, "Assface".

So when he did his special move, it was called "Assface Cannon".

Ah, good times.

 

[Muffdraul]

FFVIII was one of my favorites. I mainly love the visual design of the entire package, but I also just love that pretty much everything about it is just so fucking weird and out of left field. I'd been playing JRPGs for seven years at that point (starting with FFIV in 1992) and was starting to get pretty bored due to how same-y so many of them were. FFVIII was bizarre as shit. Bloody fantastic game. It didn't surprise me one bit that it got shat on by so many in the fanbase, that was inevitable. Whether they were newbie fans who were expecting FFVII-2 or OG fans who just wanted "a new classic FF" and would have to wait for FFIX, it was destined to bum tons of people out just for being so freaky.

 

[BryceNobody]

Love FFVIII through all the imperfections. Doesn’t necessarily hit every mark, but respect how radically different it feels than any of the other 90’s Squaresoft-era FFs.

Actually liked it quite a bit more than IX.

 

[fersnake]

best FF ever. didnt play FFVII but i like it alot but 8 is in my heart, 9 and 10 too.