Final fantasy 8 Review III - Part 2

The whole plot of the game is (most of the time) focusing on the main character, Squall, who you will find controlling most of the time. sometimes there will be scenes where you control other individuals aswell, so you dont miss a blink of the story or the action.

The Storyline takes wild twists and turns, but the good kind of winding around. you'll often be battling against old friends you worked with in your home academy - the Balamb Garden - and visiting many wierd and wonderful places and people. a particular part of the story finds you trying to stop your home Garden from being devastated by cruise missiles, or being overtaken by enemy soldiers and forces. Along with all the frantic action and fighting, there is an extensive use of soundtrack in the whole game, using hard-hitting tracks for action and slow-moving sounds for relaxed or emotional scenes.

But its not ALL action. there are many advanced cut scenes that fit in to the game with considerable flow and smoothness. these scenes alone are mind-blowingly detailed, with high-res graphics and animation to make your jaw hit the floor in pure awe. Not only is Final Fantasy 8 the perfect answer for those who want a long-lasting (and indeed challenging) game - but its now on platinum, meaning it is being sold dirt cheap at £19.

Final fantasy 8 Review IV - Part 2

The graphics and sound always get upgraded. People who played either FF7 or 9 will find these graphics a little more realistic as instead of little dwarf midgets with no mouths you have your proper, down to earth human beings. Seeing that this is PSone, the graphics can’t be that good, which is why Square cleverly use pre-rendered backdrops to set the scenes.

Basically, instead of a graphical background you walk around what is in effect an on-screen painting. This makes the game feel more realistic and believable, and is the reason that the game is stretched onto four discs. The music is of the same high quality we can expect from FF, composed by orchestras and setting the scene for each part perfectly.

The main thing that will keep you playing is the superb storyline. It keeps you hooked, and as far as stories go, I’d say the story here can rival the likes of Tolkien’s masterpieces. The story keeps you gripped, whilst moving you along at a steady pace so it’s never a case of same old, same old. However, the main reason to buy FF is the life-span. For just 18.99 you get a game which wil last ages.

If you use a walkthrough, this will still take 50+ hours. However, more adventurous gamers will spend at least 70/80 hours completing the game, and RPG nuts will spend over 100 hours here completing everything. How’s that for value for money?