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Final Fantasy VIII

Platform : PlayStation
Rated: Teen
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,391 ratings

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Final Fantasy VIII


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Product Description

Product description

Game Synopsis

In a time of both sophisticated technology and powerful magic, an evil sorceress corrupts the world's largest military power through manipulation and deception, enslaving mankind to do her bidding. Her goal is not something as simple as world domination; but to completely conquer all of space and time.

To counter the turn of events, various leaders head combat training schools, known as Gardens that turn out elite fighting forces. Known as SeeDs, they defend, serve, and protect humankind from the sorceress. The sole purpose of these academies is to vanquish the sorceress and save humanity, as we know it, although they take many other assignments for the right price.

A small, loose-knit group of SeeD graduates find themselves wrapped in a much bigger endeavor than simple military combat. Now, a gunblade specialist, together with a diverse group of young heroes, must set aside his fears, face the emotions he's run from, and become the leader that he never wanted to be.

Amazon.com

SquareSoft has always had a sure-fire hit when releasing any of their Final Fantasy titles, and Final Fantasy VIII should be no exception. The basis of a good RPG (role-playing game) has always been the story; spectacular graphics are secondary. Final Fantasy VIII's involved and interesting story line is filled with great twists, well-developed characters, suspense, and romance. As an added bonus, the graphics are beautiful. Everything--from the low-lit jazz club to the steam-filled railroad tunnels--is gorgeous and perfectly sets the mood and tone of a scene.

The game mechanics are standard fare for an RPG: acquisition of items and spells, turn-based combat, experience points earned in combat allowing advances in levels. From exploration to battles to dialogue, Final Fantasy VIII has it all. However, Final Fantasy VIII falls to that great weakness of RPGs: random battles. While necessary for advancing in levels, the battles occur with such frequency that they can grow annoying, making for a tedious game experience.

The epic storyline spans four discs--over 40 hours of gameplay--and is based around a mercenary cadet who finds himself caught up with an underground rebel faction. He winds up in a plot to assassinate the sorceress who has just seized power from the president.

You could complain of limited replay value, but this gripe is of no consequence: the game is such a satisfying experience, it doesn't require replay. Final Fantasy VIII is easily worth both the hype and the wait. You can't buy a much better game. --John Cocking

Pros:

  • A story to beat all stories
  • Characters worth caring about
  • Hey--it's from SquareSoft
  • Stunning animations
Cons:
  • Too many random battles
  • Combat is, as always, turn-based and offers minimal excitement
  • Weak souls might give up after two or three discs of play

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
1,391 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the quality of the game to be great. They also say the story is interesting and intricate. Customers are happy with the condition of the discs, saying it was in good shape. They appreciate the graphics, saying they are some of the best around. Customers also are satisfied with character development, and difficulty level. However, some customers disagree on performance, and value.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

101 customers mention101 positive0 negative

Customers find the game fun, excellent, and worth playing. They also say the storyline is unique and enjoyable. Customers also appreciate the addictive card game and the junction system. Overall, they say it's the best final fantasy game they've played.

"...Besides the game being fun, you can get a lor of spells and useful items by basically refining the cards that you win from the game......." Read more

"This game is a classic, maybe better than FF7?" Read more

"...In my opinion, Final Fantasy VIII is one of the best ff games. It has a different feel than the previous ones...." Read more

"...The soundtrack from this game is absolutely the best in the series. Every song has its own emotional pull, and is very independent from one another...." Read more

65 customers mention58 positive7 negative

Customers find the story and plot of the video game interesting, enthralling, and intricate. They also say the world and story are unique, and provide enough challenge to stay interesting. Customers also say that the ending is perfect, and the opening sequence is the best out of any FF to date.

"...FF VIII's story is epic, engaging, yet easy to follow. There was not one character in the game who I did not like...." Read more

"...Interesting and fun to play. I won't go into the story or such, you need to discover that for yourself...." Read more

"...of critics of the junction system out there but I feel it's a very innovative system. More than that, it provides incredible flexibility...." Read more

"...This game also has a lot of replay value, as the story gets very deep and you'll always be noticing something new about the setting, characters, etc..." Read more

49 customers mention36 positive13 negative

Customers like the condition of the video game software. They mention that the discs are in good shape, the case is intact, and everything looks brand new. Some say that the game is a solid installment in the FF series and a continuation of the series.

"Looks brand new!!" Read more

"...game nearly as much anymore, but I still think it was a solid installment in the FF series...." Read more

"...time it came out Gamers were used to 3-D. These cracks become larger as the series progresses...." Read more

"...I’m beyond ecstatic that the discs are in such phenomenal condition...." Read more

46 customers mention38 positive8 negative

Customers like the graphics in the game. They say the graphics are amazing, gorgeous, and leaps ahead of other games. Customers also say the whole drawing system is neat and the cinematics are nicely produced. They mention that the pre-rendered cutscenes and backgrounds are amazing.

"...Not to mention the CG cutscenes in the game as beautiful and awesome to watch.FF VIII's story is epic, engaging, yet easy to follow...." Read more

"...time killer in which you battle other NPC's through a very clever card game structure...." Read more

"...cinematics that are of course nicer looking, but many elements of the actual game are gorgeous...." Read more

"...--The characters are pretty well done; their costumes are neat and not too outrageous, and there's a pretty good level of humor throughout the story..." Read more

29 customers mention25 positive4 negative

Customers like the character development in the video game. They say the characters have great personalities, excellent chemistry, and the secondary characters stories are fairly well constructed. They also mention that the game has fantastic character building and pacing, which minimizes the annoyance of picking characters for your main party. The character designs are new to the series, which is great, and allows for massive character customization. Overall, customers find the game to be a great gift.

"...and that's not all! Final Fantasy VIII has an amazing story with amazing characters and amazing musics!..." Read more

"...mid way, but the game makes up for it for through its fantastic character building and pacing...." Read more

"...--The characters are pretty well done; their costumes are neat and not too outrageous, and there's a pretty good level of humor throughout the story..." Read more

"...a solid working core for the story, and the secondary characters stories are fairly well constructed.... but Squall... again rears up his head and..." Read more

26 customers mention19 positive7 negative

Customers find the difficulty level of the game easy to use and simple. They say the game is not too challenging, and the actual fighting is much easier. They also say the junction system is fairly easy to understand, and that the game has a very interactive feel. Customers also mention that the bosses are challenging, although the final boss is pretty easy.

"...But I soon realized how awesome it is. VIII has a very simple battle system, wait for the the ATB gauge to fill, then do something!..." Read more

"...The junctioning system isn't complicated (unless you're slow or haven't played FFVII); it's just that one spell you may junction to one attribute..." Read more

"...(the story, well rounded characters, actually engaging battles, etc.),..." Read more

"...The only issue is that it's hard to learn (if you can even call that an issue). The soundtrack from this game is absolutely the best in the series...." Read more

55 customers mention38 positive17 negative

Customers are mixed about the performance of the video game. Some mention that it is playing great, while others say that it still doesn't work.

"...more than just a pointless time kill, many of these cards offer very powerful items to really help boost your characters strength when refined...." Read more

"...But it's good. Also it's a good love story if you ask me--it's right up there with the stories of FF9 and FF10.--You don't use MP...." Read more

"...The only thing is my last disc doesn't work at all. The Playstation says it's formatted wrong...." Read more

"One of the most underrated of the FF series. Great gameplay, great characters, great graphics and over 60 hrs of basic gaming...." Read more

42 customers mention20 positive22 negative

Customers are mixed about the value of the video game software. Some mention that it's worth every dollar they saved up for it, while others say that they got a used, very poor, unplayable copy.

"...Overall: 7.33/10 - This game had great potential, but it fell short in very important ways...." Read more

"...One of the things I really like is the salary system. You get paid according to your testing level...." Read more

"...The Gameplay Was My Only Problem With This Game It's Just Not As Exciting As FFIV,VI And VII But I Liked The Costumizing System..." Read more

"...First, the logistics. The price that Amazon offers is competitive and shipping was very quick...." Read more

Water Damage
2 Stars
Water Damage
got final fantasy 8 in very good condition and the case had cracks and the manual and cover art were also water damaged
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Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2011
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Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2024
Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2010
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Top reviews from other countries

Lindsay
5.0 out of 5 stars Better than expected!
Reviewed in Canada on March 2, 2019
Brianne Langill
5.0 out of 5 stars Happy with product and service
Reviewed in Canada on April 26, 2021
Ron Boudreau
5.0 out of 5 stars Finally getting yo play it
Reviewed in Canada on January 4, 2013
Willow B.
4.0 out of 5 stars Weakest of the PS1 Final Fantasy Classics, But Still a Great Game!
Reviewed in Canada on February 10, 2017
Shawn Carlson
5.0 out of 5 stars 5-star
Reviewed in Canada on June 4, 2018