FFV8 - That Memorable Part Where...um...

by Misery Guts

Well we waited for months with baited breath. We read every article, looked at every webpage, and listened to every silly rumor. Then, when we finally got Final Fantasy VII in our trembling little hands, we were left to wonder, "What all the bloody excitement was over?".

It hurts to be disappointed. But moreover, it sucks to dislike something you've spent so long waiting for, especially when its in a series that you've always loved! But like it or hate it, Final Fantasy VIII is a finished product and nit-pick as we may, it's not going to get any better. Or worse, depending on what your opinion may be.

So what's the first problem that everyone has latched onto? Those nasty FMV sequences! Just like people hated music videos for stealing the soul of radio, and CD's for stealing the 'pure' sound of vinyl, people are quick to bark at the new additions. However, as we all know, music videos can sometimes suck and CD's are getting to be too expensive.

Don't get me wrong, the FMV sequences in FF8 were outstanding. The realism was surprising, and the animation must have taken months to prepare. It's just too bad they didn't better spend that time actually working on something else. I don't know, like, say.....the game itself.

Now stay with me here a second, okay? I want you to ask yourself a question - what was your favourite part in any of the Final Fantasy games? (You may want to start with Final Fantasy IV, since the only people in North America playing the original FF2 & 3 are us law-breaking emulator users.) Me personally? Well thank you for asking! I'd have to say...

***SPOILER ALERT***

Final Fantasy IV - when Rydia came back all grown up!
Final Fantasy V - when Galuf died
Final Fantasy VI - (ah, so many!) when Celes sang in the opera
Final Fantasy VII- that smug look on Sephiroth's face when he killed Aerith (razzlefrazzle....)
Final Fantasy VIII - .....um............uh.........

To tell you the truth, there were absolutely NO memorable parts in Final Fantasy VIII EXCEPT how disappointed I was with the last battle! The game was dull, repetitive, and oh-so linear. The only truly awe-inspiring thing was the ending FMV sequence, but as we've established with countless griping letters;

"Square cannot live on FMV alone." The game seemed short, lifeless, and uneventful. The few innovations that made it interesting were the ones that didn't really affect the gameplay. Would you like some examples? Tough, you're getting some!

The song "Eyes On Me" for example. Okay, i found it kind of annoying and that woman just goes on and on and on, BUT it's a great idea, putting a lyrical peice of music to a video game scene. However, this only lasted a few minutes.

Real-life people, as opposed to the 'kawaii' characters. At first I was greatly opposed to this. Many people refer to Final Fantasy's 'super deformed' characters as one of it's flaws, but after seven games you'd thnk they'd realize that it's not a flaw but a trait. I didn't want to see the series lose that anime look, but the game carried it quite well. This, however, was another change only noted in the game's appearance, and not in it's gameplay.

The game does have it's innovations, such as the Junction system, but when it comes down to it all you have is a bunch of characters throwing magic around and watching the same GF sequences again and again and again. At least in Final Fantasy IV & VI (and to some degree, V) each character was different and had his or her own diverse abilities. The characters in Final Fantasy VIII were simply carbon copies of one another. Oh sure they LOOKED different, but when it came down to it they were just characters who did relatively equal amounts of damage (Squall aside, of course) and relied heavily on magic.

Final Fantasy VIII had absolutely NO replay value to me, and you're looking at the guy who's played all the other games through at LEAST four times each! And I somehow manage to find the time to work a full time job and entertain a wife! The only time I'll go back to FF8 is to watch the opening FMV with that great music, Liberi somethingorother, or to fight the last boss, Ultimacia. Not because it's fun, however, but simply because I want to see the ending.

And that's all it comes down to. That was all the game holds for me. Interesting FMV sequences. We didn't wait all this time for a new game. We waited for a movie with a lot of repetative fighting in-between key scenes.

I didn't want to think that Square could make a bad game, but it has come to pass. They do make one great movie though! Let us just hope that Final Fantasy IX, should it ever come to exist, is spared this fate and returns to the game's roots. After all, the best Final Fantasy games were those SNES/Super Famicom ones, weren't they?