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How should I play FF8?

P

painey

Member
I have decided I am going to re-start Final Fantasy 8.. despite getting it on launch day on Playstation all those years ago I never finished it, and want to play through the whole thing again and complete it. However I am left without a SDTV now and left with a multitude of options, especially as I have my cousins copy for PC. My choices, with pros and cons are

Play on PC:
Pros:
Quickest Loading/Saving
Rumble with PS2 pad
Cons:
Limited to 640 X 480 resolution
Graphics look "too good" (poor textures very evident)
Must sit in office chair

Play on PSP:
Pros:
Play anywhere
Graphics look stunning on a small screen
Cons:
Slowdowns
Takes long time to rip/convert all 4 CD's
Playing on a small screen may miss out on details and dont fully appreciate FMVs
Emulation may not be 100%

Play on PS3:
Pros:
Wireless control
Upscaled image
Faster load/save times
Cons:
No Rumble
Image still looks blurry on HDTV
Emulation may not be 100%

Play on PS2:
Pros:
No "emulation" problems
Rumble
Cons:
Awful image quality on HDTV
Slow saving/loading

My biggest worry is emulation problems.. I dont want to get 30 hours in on the PSP/PS3 only to find theres a point the game wont progress past and that my time has been wasted, like I recently found with Yakuza via PS3 emulation. Any ideas, or has anyone played FF8 through on PSP/PS3 with no problems?
 
I would say on the PSP because being able to bring it anywhere is a huge plus but I'm unsure about the emulation issues that may still be there.
 
This is a decent question, and I shall await the answer as well.

I picked up Chrono Cross yesterday for $15; I haven't played it since I beat it launch weekend, and I got tempted to running through it again.
 
You shouldn't play FF8. Unless, of course:

- you hate yourself
- you like sappy characters
- you enjoy boring storylines
- you like flashy Summons (ok, that's the only redeeming point of it)
 
Dude, play it like it was destined to be played: PS1 and SDTV.

No emulation cheating, still fearing memory card failure etc.

Hardcore.
 
I don't see anywhere in the OP where he asked if he should play it or not, so the FFVIII hate parade might as well move along, unless like Slaughter you plan on answering the question.

I vote for PC as well, btw.
 
ePSXe in HD or PC for fastest loadtimes.

and no it's not a waste of time as it is one of the greatest games of all time
 
Jiguryo said:
You shouldn't play FF8. Unless, of course:

- you hate yourself
- you like sappy characters
- you enjoy boring storylines
- you like flashy Summons (ok, that's the only redeeming point of it)
Click to expand...
He asking what system to play on.Not your fucking opinion of the game.
 
Jiguryo said:
You shouldn't play FF8. Unless, of course:

- you hate yourself
- you like sappy characters
- you enjoy boring storylines
- you like flashy Summons (ok, that's the only redeeming point of it)
Click to expand...

yeah, that kind of sums it up. :lol
 
I'd say PSP because of the convenience, though I don't know if there are any weird bugs. Personally when I play FFVIII it has the same effects as overdosing on diazepam (valium). Maybe I should give it another try, but it's just so mind-numbingly boring to me. If you like it however then more power to you.
 
I am playing on PS3 right now. I looks nice but FYI it is not 100% there is some problem when you encounter an enemy and the white shoosh isn't correct. Not a big deal as the game is perfect beyond that.
 
creativity said:
Keep hitting draw unt... oh, err...
Click to expand...
Only Smart players use magic refine to get magic and use draw for GF and drawpoints only.
Look,this is not a FF8 bash thread,I don't to revive the FF8 defense force and defend bullshit accusations.
 
Since people are railing against FF8, I say play "Arc the Lad" instead! Awesome game, great for pickup and play (SRPG) and stuff.
 
Play it on a nice 27" interlaced set via a PS1 or PS2. That's what it was intended for. ePSXe is neat and all, but the plentiful 2D backgrounds and assorted sprites look AWFUL when you try to scale them up to higher resolutions.
 
Defuser said:
Only Smart players use magic refine to get magic and use draw for GF and drawpoints only.
Look,this is not a FF8 bash thread,I don't to revive the FF8 defense force and defend bullshit accusations.
Click to expand...

I realize this is the common wisdom. It was just a silly joke, and I actually rather enjoyed the game at the time. You seem a bit on the defensive. Something you want to talk about? :)
 
Doesn't the PC lets you do more with the Chocobo raising stuff, since that Poketstation didn't make it to the US, but was a part of FF8?

My wife was telling me about all kinds of Chocobo stuff she did in the PC version that I'm *fairly* sure wasn't even possible in the PS version, because I played the American version sans-Poketstation.

So for the fullest gameplay experience, I'd say PC version.

Here, I'm gonna hand the keybord to my wife and she's gonna tell you what she told me. Either this stuff wasn't doable to Americans, or I missed it
because I didn't care!
:

"I got the PC version for a birthday way back when, and played the game to near-completion on it. I couldn't see any real flaws, and unlike FFVII for PC, the music didn't seem like it had been raped--in fact, the game looked and sounded great. What the PC version did let you do was play the chocobo-raising minigame that was not possible on PSX because of the lack of Pocketstation. The game is actually one of the better chocobo minigames I've played in the series, second only to Choco Hot and Cold.

After getting to a chocobo forest in game, you get Boko, and can then either use it in the game, or "send it away." That's where you turn on your little chocobo application and play to your heart's content, moving your bird around the map to event spots to get items, level ups or battle monsters. I know I poured a few hours into the game at least, and upon calling your chocobo back into the main games, it will be the level that it reached in the minigame, and bring back the items it picked up, which were actually pretty good.

Chocobo World's not a huge drawing attraction, but I certainly enjoyed my experience with the PC version with it included. The only downside was that you could somehow grab ANOTHER Boko if you sent Boko into Chocobo World and bork up your CW file--you already have Boko, so you can't call him back and get your items."

A round of applause for May16's wife, everyone. What a gal!
 
charlequin said:
It's the only way to fly.
Click to expand...

Show me a screenshot of it in action on ePSXe with a 2D background wherein it doesn't look like ass and I'll be convinced.
 
Defuser said:
Only Smart players use magic refine to get magic and use draw for GF and drawpoints only.
Look,this is not a FF8 bash thread,I don't to revive the FF8 defense force and defend bullshit accusations.
Click to expand...
You called?
 
Just remember, enemies level up when you do, too, so the game is easier the less you fight in random battles.
Just draw magic and run.
 
creativity said:
I realize this is the common wisdom. It was just a silly joke, and I actually rather enjoyed the game at the time. You seem a bit on the defensive. Something you want to talk about? :)
Click to expand...

M3wThr33 said:
Just draw magic and run.
Click to expand...
So how common is that wisdom again? If you been here long enough,I've been defending against bashers who use the same old reasons to bash FF8 even though I've provided evidence that they're stupid and wrong.

GaimeGuy said:
You called?
Click to expand...
Gattai da!!!
 
Defuser said:
Only Smart players use magic refine to get magic and use draw for GF and drawpoints only.
Look,this is not a FF8 bash thread,I don't to revive the FF8 defense force and defend bullshit accusations.
Click to expand...

the ff8 defense force is right here...
 
I've recently started a playthrough of FF8 and it plays/looks good on the PS3 so I would go with that. Smoothing does absolute wonders for this game!!


I thought this thread title was about how to play the game "right" which is what I'm attempting to do on this playthrough and I have some tips to offer on that as well:

1)Get the "Card" battle ability and the "Card mod" menu abilities ASAP
2)Finish all battles by carding your enemies in an attempt to keep your levels as low as possible
3)Draw only for rarer magic and don't be afraid of using what you have

4)After you build up a good set of cards, mod all of them except for your deck and for cards that you need more than 1 of to mod, always keep at least one card

The point of step 4 is that you will always know which cards to pick up out of someone's deck when you beat them. Here is the priority list I use:
a)If you've never had a copy of a card, you can pick that,
b)If the opponent has a copy of a card you have in stock, then that card is either part of your deck or one that requires multiple copies to mod and is worth having extra copies.
c)If the opponent doesn't have either of the first two, pick out any card you want.


Doing this method keeps your levels low (which is good especially for bosses and makes your weapon upgrades more valuable), your weapons upgraded, and a good stock of magic and items to make that magic where you will rarely have to worry about using the spells you do have and will get you some powerful spells early.

The game is WAAAAAYYYYYY more fun doing it this way.

I really liked this game when it came out, then I hated it, and now I like it again.

This is unasked for (I know), but it was worth it to me to type it out and see what I've been doing layed out.
 
Play it on the PC, it at least looks pretty.

See, I can stay mildly positive about this game if I keep my responses short. ;P
 
Playing it on the PS2 right now. Image quality is surprisingly good for a ps1 game. Im playing it on my 32" Samsung lcd. It looks a helluva lot better then ff7, that's for sure.
 
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