Final Fantasy VIII (psx: 1999): Reviews

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Final Fantasy VIII


8.9

based on 24 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 48 votes
Read user comments
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GAMES:

Final Fantasy XII

Cheat Code Central

Official Website

A revolutionary new Battle System has been created to add more customization to your characters by way of the Junction System. The latest features such as Dolby Surround Sound, Pocket Station compatibility and CG movie integration have also been incorporated into this masterpiece, making this title a showcase in technological game advancements. [Square]

PUBLISHER:	Squaresoft
DEVELOPER:	Squaresoft
GENRE(S):	Role-Playing Game
PLAYERS:	1
ESRB RATING:	T (Teen)
RELEASE DATE:	August 31, 1999

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Adrenaline Vault

This game looks amazing. There is simply nothing out there that can even compare to it on the PlayStation, and it's unlikely that we're going to see anything to rival it any time soon.

100

GamePro

Involving and exciting characters, storylines, and battles keep you glued to your seat - and keep you from noticing the many hours you spend playing this amazing game.

100

Official U.S. Playstation Magazine

Pack[ed] with stunning FMV, well-developed characters, and a touching story that revolves round the theme of love. [Nov 2001, p.46]

Absolute Playstation

Spanning four discs, this is a massive RPG. You can try and skate through it in 50 hours but can easily spend over a 100 hours playing if you decide to take on all of the side games, collect all of the Cards and experience all there is to experience from this game.

TotalGames.net

A work of Tolkeinesque proportions and not only the greatest RPG of our times, but one of the greatest games of all time. Wholeheartedly recommended.

GameSpot

Cast all fears aside: the latest Final Fantasy is the greatest game ever to bear the name.

Electronic Gaming Monthly

Teens in clam diggers save the world again. Doesn't have "FFVII's" rep, though. [Jan 2004, p.188]

Armchair Empire

Between the story, the beautiful graphics, music score, and the insanely enthralling card game mini-game, Final Fantasy VIII does the series proud.

GameShark

My baby, my sweet, precious little FF8. How I love thee, let me tell the ways; Triple Triad, Rinoa, the incrediblly sweet and fresh magic system and Junction, the beyond jaw-dropping FMV's, Rinoa, the biggest surprise Air Ship yet in any FF..

Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)

This is, in all possibility, the most stunningly attractive game the PlayStation has ever known.

Game Revolution

A great game, but not a perfect one. The battles and junction system have their flaws. At times you'll be too powerful; at other times, you'll just be drawing spells to gain strength. But the long ending that waits in store will make up for most of the negatives.

Gaming Age

Aside from the true graphics engine, Square has gone above and beyond the call of duty with FFVIII's Full Motion Video sequences. The CG's quality is unmatched.

Total Video Games

A must get for any serious RPG gamer. Looks great sitting next to Final Fantasy VII.

All Game Guide

Though complicated and with the occasional fault, it could be remembered as the greatest Final Fantasy game through the 32-bit era.

Hot Games

The game's major weakness is in the combat system - there's too many loopholes that can be exploited with the Draw technique, making combat tedious and mundane after a while.

GMR Magazine

Things were more "real" this time around. [Feb 2003, p.97]

Games Domain

May not be the perfect game everyone expects from Square, but I challenge any FF player to get into it and not get hooked.

IGN

For every moment of breathtaking delight, there are a dozen predictable, endless battle sequences.

Gamezilla!

I just can't say enough about the graphics in this game either. After you play all the way throuugh this game, you will not be able to say that you did not get your money's worth.

GameCritics

For all its depth, though, I quickly discovered that I had little control of the game after the early part of it.

Gamestyle

Unfortunately while the game is graphically superior to FFVII, in terms of setting, story and controls it lags way behind.

Electric Playground

Somehow, a little bit lost in the beauty and the emotion of Final Fantasy VIII is the actual game system.

Happy Puppy

Final Fantasy VIII has been called an epic game. And it is, if epic means "boring."

netjak

A travesty. A mockery of the good name of Final Fantasy.

The average user rating for this game is 8.9 (out of 10) based on 48 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Steven P. gave it a10:
Fantastic game, even today i enjoy playing it, great characters and an excellent storyline, although in my younger years i didn't understand most of it, it all became clear once i matured and began to think outside the box. Today this game may not seem like much compared to more graphical and mainstream final fantasy games, but this is a true classic! it clearly stands out above the rest!

Jerk Guy gave it a9:
FFVIII is an awesome game, some people I have met judge it a bit too harshly because the first FF they played was VII, in my experience with FF fans, it’s usually the first FF they play that they deem their favourite or “the best”, but I find it hard to compare this to VII because this game has allot of the same qualities, but just done with whole lot of different flavour. You can fault any game if you look hard enough for reasons but the only things in this game that got to me were the ending, I really don’t get it, and not being able to enter any of towns on the fourth disk, I’m not a fan of being restricted from adventure in a video game since that is kinda the point, but having said that I still love this game and have been able to play it numerous times over.

Christine W. gave it a10:
So addicting. I've played VII and IX too, and I have no idea how this game scored lower than the both of them. The story is great and the romance is tasty. Graphics are pretty nice too for that time. I LOVE THIS GAME. The juctioning system is a bit confusing at first, but you'll get used to it.

Dave W. gave it a9:
FFVIII is ofen over shadowed by it's direct predecessor in the series. The story here is very deep and intricate compared to the vast majority of games. The world is well crafted. The only niggles that hold me back from rating this a 10 are minor issues with the difficulty pacing, possibly leading players into boss fights they do not have the braun to win in areas they cannot rectify the issue in (disc 4 first boss, exp is 1 a fight in this area, and it's easy to reach this point massivly under-powered if you're a fast player). It is also possible to max your character and GF levels out on the first disc extremely quickly by exploiting certain easy to defeat monsters in very early areas of the world map.

Denise G. T. gave it a10:
Ehe, easily my favorite game. The characters are just great and there isnt really a sob feast element going on like in 7, although I do have to admit that Squall was a bit a cry baby, but that made him cuter for some reason. The graphics were amazing for its time. Overall a really excellent game

Steven S. gave it a10:
They will never ever make one as amazing as 7, 8, 9 and 10 ever again. This game is amazing in everyway, should keep you playing for like... 100 hours... love the soundtrack yeah yeah.

Andrew C. gave it a10:
This is the very first Final Fantasy game I ever played, and it is also my favorite. Some people complain that it's more of an "interactive story" than a true RPG, and the many changes to the series seem to tick people off. But these are all the reasons that I really love FFVIII. It has wonderful, believable characters and a sweeping plot. Its junction system allows loads of freedom, and the graphics are superb. Square has yet to do better.