#Final fantasy viii review code#
#Final fantasy viii review Ps4#
#Final fantasy viii review free#

#Final fantasy viii review free#

Once Squall's free of the Garden and he's busy fulfilling his first contract as a mercenary, the story slowly starts to branch out into weird (and sometimes wonderful) territory. Back in 1999, this was a pretty unique setting - it was a slice of school life long before later Persona games took the concept and ran with it. The first few hours introduce you to the concept of the Garden, which is essentially an academy for budding soldiers. Everything starts out surprisingly grounded as you guide Squall to his goal of becoming an elite mercenary.

#Final fantasy viii review code#

IвЂ™m glad Square Enix finally got its act together and was able to preserve Final Fantasy VIIIВ for a new generation: letвЂ™s just hope the source code isnвЂ™t Гўв‚¬Е“lostГўв‚¬ in another decade.The plot itself is. Squall and his gang are welcome in my home anytime, and VIIIВ deserves a spot in the вЂњall-time Final FantasyВ greatsвЂќ list. ItвЂ™s also a surprisingly weird game, with вЂњsalariesвЂќ and quizzes to rank up in the SeeD organization, as well as some of the oddest twists in the entire franchise. Whether you approve of his broody nature or not Squall is distinctive when put in a JRPG lineup, and so is most of the cast and his memorable Gunblade. The character designs, the elegant architecture, even the clothing has a regality to it that so many games to date lack. The thing is, so much of VIII is timeless. If youвЂ™re worried about save slots, donвЂ™t be: thereвЂ™s two вЂњfiles,вЂќ which have 30 slots each. The backdrops simply donвЂ™t get the same treatment, and when you hit that world map for the first time ::whoosh:: the dated graphics will hit you like a ton of bricks. The character models are a standout improvement, as they actually look crisp, to the point where you can pick out their individual facial expressions.

#Final fantasy viii review Ps4#

You can get a good look at it in the video above, which showcases the PS4 version.ДЄs for looks, itвЂ™s important to remember that this is a light remaster of a very old (two decade old) JRPG. All of that is done by clicking in the analog sticks (left, right, or left+right), and a gaudy little icon will come up on screen noting that a particular cheat is active. Mechanically it has the whole вЂњthree times speed boostвЂќ thing to make the game/grinding go faster (a staple of Final FantasyВ re-releases), the ability to turn off random encounters, and a cheat code for max HP/Limit Breaks. The RemasteredВ edition, in my experience, still preserves the core game. ItвЂ™s easy to do that when Nobuo Uematsu is gracing you with one of his best soundtracks to dateВ that wonderfully links the past of Final FantasyВ to the (at the time) present. A lot of people want to be immersed in a completely realized, self-sustained world. For everyone else, itвЂ™s something new and a challenge.Д«ut maxing out statlines isnвЂ™t the sole reason play Final Fantasy games.

For all the min-maxers out there, I get it. Then when you junction that magic to enhance your statline, thereвЂ™s a pause between each cast as you lament the idea of ruining your build.

Having to вЂњstealвЂќ magic from enemies is not only a weird concept, but a rote one at times, which can lead to grinding within grinding. On the flipside, thereвЂ™s the experimental draw and junction system, which alienated droves of players at the time and will do the same thing all over again 20 years later. And while I didnвЂ™t really dig party member ZellвЂ™s goofball attitude at the time, IвЂ™ve come to appreciate the levity he brings, especially when the story gets more and more macabre.В And donвЂ™t even get me started on Laguna Loire, one of the most complicated and well written characters in the Final Fantasy universe. While Squall is often painted as a вЂњwhateverвЂќ spouting ice king, I got to run through little moments of kindness that helped flesh him out all over again, like the time when he helps a fellow student. While nostalgia always plays a part, running through VIIIВ again reminded me why I fell in love with this entry in the first place. VIIIВ has some issues, but what Final FantasyВ game doesnвЂ™t? I didnвЂ™t have the specter of VIIВ hanging over it because I had played so many other JRPGs up until that point, which I believe helped color my reaction to it. I basically played it in a vacuum, and it wasnвЂ™t until afterВ I had finished its postgame activities that I started to hear rabbling that it вЂњwasnвЂ™t as good as Final Fantasy VII.вЂќДЇinal Fantasy VIII came at a perfect time in my life. I distinctly remember going to my local EBX (an offshoot of Electronics Boutique, a GameStop division) to not only pick up a Dreamcast, but a copy of Final Fantasy VIII.ДЄnd the thing is, while a new system is cause for celebration, I didnвЂ™t touch it until I was finished with VIII.