Final Fantasy VIII (Platinum) previews

All I can say is i loved this game. All of the Final Fantasy games are great and this is no exception. The gameplay keeps you on the edge of your seat, the interesting ‘Draw’ function allows for some great surprises during battles. The story is execellent, as you'd expect from Squaresoft, and has several interesting twists and turns. Just as you think you've figured it out, another curve ball is thrown at you. And the graphics are great, especially for an early Psone game, with the cut scenes being highly polished. You can't help but love this game.

I hilgly recommend it!!

Some people say this wasnt the best Squaresoft could have done – and in some aspects it could be correct. But it's probably because people were hooked on FF7. FF8 is great in its own right, and like any Squaresoft RPG, takes a lot of gameplay. The magic system isnt the best, and takes a bit more skill to master it compared to other FF magics. Summons are improved, and have a larger role – they can learn many important abilities, and also become “acustomed” to players – so they grow in strength with certain characters. They also level up. The storyline again is great, the battle system is better in some aspects than FF7, and ingame graphics are pretty decent.

A bit different from other FF games, but still very worthy and a must-have.

Truly fantastic in it's day – the graphics, concepts, sound and all. These days those graphics don't look so groundbreaking. But what makes Final Fantasy VIII stand out and be remembered today is not the graphics (which are still good) – it's the compelling gameplay and storyline

FFVIII represented a brave step for Square – it was different from the traditional FF gameplay in many ways. Many people, especially after becoming addicted to FFVII, couldn't cope with the changes and they grew to hate it. How tragic. Those very changes are what made me fall in love with Final Fantasy in the first place. It is my favourite FF game, which I enjoyed even moreso than the much hyped FFVII. It's a shame that this game is considered a love-it-or-hate-it game. Those who accept FFVIII are rewarded with a brilliant gaming experience. Those who refuse to adjust to the differences in FFVIII gain nothing.

Final Fantasy 8 made me like games and buy a playstation… enough said