In around 1999 - 2000 for a while I had quit gaming, the only time in my life I ever did. The Sega Saturn had been discontinued at that point and I was a young adult finding interests in other things as you do at that age. Around 6 months after that a friend of mine was going on holiday and randomly dropped his PlayStation at my house with a handful of games unannounced for me to play while he was away. To this day I don't know why he did it, I didn't ask, he never said. In the pile of games was a game called Final Fantasy VIII. Never played it before, hadn't really kept up with gaming news that wasn't Sega related but decided to give it a try, 4 discs, cool description on the back.
Honestly it blew me away. It might seem outdated now but I can't begin to explain How impressive the opening CGI was at the time. The art direction, the music, the atmosphere. This was the coolest thing I'd ever played. There wasn't a thing about it I didn't like. The set up, the guardian force animations and spectacle, the junction system, not to mention how obsessed I became with Triple Triad trying to get all the cards. (The internet was less easily accessible for me back then so I used the book strategy guide, which I recall being wrong about how to get some of them.) I bought playing cards, imported the soundtrack on CD and even bought figurines of Quistis and Rinoa which I still have proudly displayed on my shelf from 25 years ago.
Replaying the HD version of this game when SquareEnix released it again in 2019 only served to remind me of how much I like it. Yes there is nostalgia in the feeling but all the qualities of this game for pushing storylines, art, atmosphere and mechanics are all still there. There are some games that are hard to describe for me why I love them so much. It's like a feeling of all the ingredients coming together to form something that tastes amazing. Final Fantasy VIII is just one of those games. People say it's flawed, they point out their issues with it and I can even agree with a lot of their points but I just don't care. This game just brings me joy like a little warmth in my core.
It's the game that got me back into gaming and will always be perfect to me, flaws and all.
Honestly it blew me away. It might seem outdated now but I can't begin to explain How impressive the opening CGI was at the time. The art direction, the music, the atmosphere. This was the coolest thing I'd ever played. There wasn't a thing about it I didn't like. The set up, the guardian force animations and spectacle, the junction system, not to mention how obsessed I became with Triple Triad trying to get all the cards. (The internet was less easily accessible for me back then so I used the book strategy guide, which I recall being wrong about how to get some of them.) I bought playing cards, imported the soundtrack on CD and even bought figurines of Quistis and Rinoa which I still have proudly displayed on my shelf from 25 years ago.
Replaying the HD version of this game when SquareEnix released it again in 2019 only served to remind me of how much I like it. Yes there is nostalgia in the feeling but all the qualities of this game for pushing storylines, art, atmosphere and mechanics are all still there. There are some games that are hard to describe for me why I love them so much. It's like a feeling of all the ingredients coming together to form something that tastes amazing. Final Fantasy VIII is just one of those games. People say it's flawed, they point out their issues with it and I can even agree with a lot of their points but I just don't care. This game just brings me joy like a little warmth in my core.
It's the game that got me back into gaming and will always be perfect to me, flaws and all.
13 Comments
@imshitting420 - I really wanted them to release triple triad on the PSP back when it came out just to play it stand alone. I think they released a version on mobile eventually as a free game with timers and in game purchasing. Real Monkey Paw wish moment. Bleh.
I can relate a lot, had a similar experience with FFX back in the day and even though I am fully aware of that game's flaws, I will hold it dear to my heart for all eternity :) I'm curious to see how I'll feel about FF8 when I eventually play it without any nostalgia whatsoever.
@Gloominary - I hope you like it when you do! Interestingly FFX I got at a time I had very little money so my girlfriend at the time bought it for me with a memory card. We broke up a year or so later so for a long time I had bitter memories attached to it. Replaying the HD version of it though cleared those away though and I really like that game a lot too.
I always knew we were mortal enemies, what with you and your five-star rating!
But yeah, FFIV is my nostalgia hill to die on in the Final Fantasy series, so I totally feel you on that. I'm glad you found a game that brought you back into the mix, that's such a great thing. <3
But yeah, FFIV is my nostalgia hill to die on in the Final Fantasy series, so I totally feel you on that. I'm glad you found a game that brought you back into the mix, that's such a great thing. <3
@FallenGrace Triple Triad on PSP (or any handheld) would be the best thing ever but I think they never wanted to give it some love but I'm still in shock because of the fact that they didn't make a Hearthstone clone few years ago.
hell yeah, love to hear stories like this. Especially since it was so unexpected for ya after yer friend dropped it of.
This title continues to stay firmly in my top 5 FF's after playing the lot of them, Its a pure delight to play. Really don't think the flaws are a major issue. And yeah Triple triad(TT) is cool af. If you ever try FFXIV, FallenGrace its like seeing an old friend again when you play TT there lol. LOTS of cards to collect hooo boy
This title continues to stay firmly in my top 5 FF's after playing the lot of them, Its a pure delight to play. Really don't think the flaws are a major issue. And yeah Triple triad(TT) is cool af. If you ever try FFXIV, FallenGrace its like seeing an old friend again when you play TT there lol. LOTS of cards to collect hooo boy
@FallenGrace That sounds like a bittersweet memory but I'm glad you ended up liking it. I have some games attached to personal experiences like that as well. Usually though, I remember them fondly for helping me cope with a stressful or emotionally challenging situation. Mass Effect for instance will always be the game that helped me distract myself when my first relationship ended. But I get that games can bring forth negative memories as well. Thank you FFX HD for clearing that up I guess :D
Damn awesome review. I really need to get back to this one. Played and dropped it in 2016 and havent touched it since but I'm sure I'd like it
@Shenobi - I was hoping my 5 star would shift the average score higher as it deserves, but alas, it did not! :P Thanks! FFIV is a great game too, a good choice!
@Detectivefail - The spark to reignite my gaming passion literally. I have never played XIV, not so much an mmo player but I heard about triple triad in it. Second Monkey Paw moment for me lol.
@Gloominary - We have both chosen fantastic games for these memories I see lol.
@NOWITSREYNTIME - Thanks, I have been musing about this for a while as a thought for some reason as you do when past memories sometimes surface for no clear reason. I would love to see your review for it if you ever go back.
@Detectivefail - The spark to reignite my gaming passion literally. I have never played XIV, not so much an mmo player but I heard about triple triad in it. Second Monkey Paw moment for me lol.
@Gloominary - We have both chosen fantastic games for these memories I see lol.
@NOWITSREYNTIME - Thanks, I have been musing about this for a while as a thought for some reason as you do when past memories sometimes surface for no clear reason. I would love to see your review for it if you ever go back.
Great review!! My experiences mirrored yours very closely; I was really kind of turned off my FFVII's chibi look and the more "mature" aesthetic of VIII was totally working for me. And that opening cutscene hahaha wow... that was back when pre-rendered CGI was still really impressive and oh man it was so epic. Still one of my favorite Final Fantasies.
@Fallengrace God sorry I didnt see this cuz you didnt put the 17 lol. Yeah, I feel ya there all the way. Would definitely like to go back to it and review this game in the future!
@cowboyjosh - I played VII for the first time after VIII. I had to give the PS back when he got back from holiday so I bought my own with it then started hunting down other games on the platform, especially RPGS which were tough to get in some cases. I bought VII excited and initially was put off by what I saw as a big visual downgrade though I got used to it eventually lol.
imshitting420
16 days ago