Is Final Fantasy 8 Worth Playing In 2021
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 26 авг 2024
- NO STORY SPOILERS
After many months I have finally got around to playing FF8 for the first time ever and it was time to make the final "Worth Playing in 2020" video but this one would be a little different. It was so refreshing to play a classic FF game that was so different from the rest, even if at times it had me frustrated.
Thanks for all the support as always and leave any feedback you might have for me. I'll see you in the next one.
-
-
-
-
-
-
Final Fantasy 8, final fantasy 8 review,final fantasy review,final fantasy 2021,final fantasy 2022,best final fantasy,final fantasy 8 ps4 review,final fantasy 8 ps4 gameplay
*This is a Re-Upload of an Older Video I posted back in 2020, in case you're wondering why I keep saying "2020" during the video*
Imagine playing this in the 90s without internet guides, Me and my brother literally had to memorize, explore and read everything to finish the game
When i play this game for the first time in 2017 i didn't know what the hell i had to do and i beat the game with some difficulty without internet. I did it with all FF games except, 1, 3, 6, 7 and 12 and is better doing without a guide or something
I used to proudly call myself a FF VIII Guru
Me too it was so fun now it's a distant memory
My first ff game i ever play in 2000
The junction system is very confusing until my sister gift me guide book
But the story is very good maybe beceause its one of very first rpg that i played with good story
It's too tedious that's why.
This is my favorite FF. I never understood the 'you don't want to level up too much' stand tbh. I want the game to become more challenging as I progress. I think you really hit the nail on the head with being able to customize the difficulty once you reach a certain understanding in the core systems of 8. Truly a masterpiece of story and presentation.
The idea behind not leveling at the beginning of the game is linked to junctioning. Pretty sure you understand this, as you mentioned difficulty, but I figured I'd elaborate for others.
Say you reach the point in the game where you can now start equipping GF gains per level... If you've arrived at this point, already leveled to 15, then you're unable to apply 14 additional GF level bonuses. (1-100)
This is my favourite FF - the uniqueness, the music, the card game, the characters, the setting, it oozes charm! But especially, the replay value - every time you play you discover some extra lore... and you can even set challenges for yourself.
Won’t lie I’m shocked you don’t have more views/followers?! Genuinely thought I stumbled on a huge gem within youtube, a gem non the less! You deserve a boom in followers etc..
Feels very similar to a summoning salt or resonant arc video 👏🏽 credit my man
Same! What a great find! :D
same here
Definitely agree !
As someone who played this game as their first FF game back in the 90s, I honestly didn't mind the junction system because I have no other point of comparison from other FF games. In fact I enjoyed the junction system since it is my firsthand experience of that "in-depth" character building I ever experienced. While the Junction system may be too complex to absorb for the first time, when you get how it works it is really easy!
Ever since then I've played most FF games and hands down for me FF8 still has the best soundtrack. Hearing it really takes me back. Balamb Garden, Blue fields, breezy, fragments of memories, fisherman's horizon and Eyes on Me! The BGM for Triple Triad is also excellent. Speaking of which, Triple triad is one of the best FF mini games I ever played, I'd say they are both on top with FFXV's fishing!
I think people just loved materia from FFVII and were upset when it was not in the game so the junction system started at a disadvantage. Also thanks for this vid mate loved FFVIII !!
My single biggest problem with the junction system is that it PENALIZED magic use. I don't want to use all my cool spells because they would lower my stats. That's terrible development. It didn't help either that character stats were so low that using or losing a stack of magic (such as in the final boss battle) would utterly cripple you if you didn't keep characters low level until their GFs could learn the stat boosting abilities, then equip 4 to raise certain stats.
A better way to do everything would be to have the draw system simply draw the ability to use that magic from an enemy (not give stacks, but unlimited us for mp), then let you equip that spell in the junction slot for a set stat boost. Or, give it a set base, but let it increase a stat up to a maximum level after X number of uses to level it up. So Ice might give a +5 to magic at spell lvl 1, but at the max spell level of 10 it'll give a +25 to magic. That way you're REWARDED for using magic. And if they still want stacking (ugh...), then that just gives you X number available to cast, not contribute to stat gain since casting would level it up.
Just... SOMETHING needed to be done about the magic system in this game. Because it just wasn't ever worth casting magic compared to physical attacking.
@@rabidhellhound9714 Great points. But I think limited use of magic ties into the story. For the most part, they’re not Mages, they’re soldiers whose job is to defeat the sorceress. One way to look at it is these characters are advanced versions of Mystic Knights from FFV and most elemental and status spells can be used by junctioning spells to your attack slots. That way you never have to cast a spell to do Ice damage, for instance.
The only spells worth casting are Meltdown, Regen, Aura and Haste and there’s ways to inflict Haste and Aura without using magic. And while casting Meltdown will lower your Vitality(assuming you junctioned it to Vitality), the decrease is minimal and more than worth it due to Meltdown working on every monster, boss and Superboss. And Instead of casting Regen, just put drain on status attack and use Darkside if you need to do 9999 per hit.
You can easily replace Meltdown I believe with Gayla cards after the battle. Strong spells like Flare, Meteor and Ultima work much better junctioned to STR, SPR or Elemental defense, even if you triple cast them and you should never waste your Triple spells because they’re one of the best spells since it’s great for boosting SPD, HP, or STR.
FFVII’s combat was all about magic, summons and limit breaks. FFVIII increases the importance of “summons” and magic outside of combat but you can beat the game without summoning any GF’s and the game is actually easier if you never use the GF command. By the time I got the GF Eden, Zell, Squall and Irvine could do 5-digits(or more) of damage per limit break turn. Most magic spells barely rarely 9999 damage anyway unless you use boosts like Mag+60
@@jordanw.97 But if the only point of having magic is to not use it, then what's the point? It's like FFVIII's crafting system. It does virtually nothing and could have simply been replaced by finding the very, very, very few upgraded weapons there were. And even those were pointless except for Squall's because he got new limit breaks and Selphie's last one because of the 255 accuracy.
FFVIII had so many half baked sydtems and ideas that amounted to nothing. Coming off of FFV with its awesome job class system, and FFVI with its esper magic learning/stat raise system, and FFVII and it's AMAZING materia system, that's just totally unforgivable. FFVIII was a huge flop, mechanically speaking. So bad the FFIX's "back to basics" approach was lauded as extraordinary gameplay when really it was fun but nothing new or innovative.
Following FF7 was always going to be impossible. I appreciate FF8 for being its own thing
If they would have kept the materia system, FF8 would be held in just as high a regard, I feel. 8 was great as an experience, as far as story and battle systems and such, and especially the Triple Triad game. I'd rather play TT than any of the Golden Saucer games in FF7. If only they didn't turn so many people away with the overcomplicated (at least on the surface) junctioning system
@@jmarra07 gamers hating the junction system are just lazy. FF VIII is not alone when it comes to uber-customization mechanics. there's also the tempering system in Legend of Mana as well as the transmogrification in Disgaea, and I didn't hear too much rant about them
@@jmarra07 I think that biggest problem with the junction-system is that there wasn't explanation system like in 9. You know, the thing you get in the menus when you press 'select" and the little moogle icon explains what the different things are. The names of different junctions aren't that clear if you don't re-read all the tutorials or have a guide. Also the menus! Dear God there is so many pages of menus to scroll through with a d-pad 😂.
@@kevinmajorca Yeah, I guess. I mean, I caught on pretty easy, by seeing numbers go up, but it always felt like an unnecessary step, just like having to draw out magic spells
Not really for those who had played before ps1 era. 7 was just kinda "whatever, this is weird for me". 8 was pretty much the same. It wasn't until 9 when it felt like the series had hit a near masterpiece again.
That said, 8's junction/draw system is weird. As much hate FF 2 gets, I think it would have been a great idea to revisit and perfect that system rather than what they did in 8.
Final Fantasy 8 has a more meaningful story, although rather messy at times. The characters were good although hit-and-miss on their motives and development, but it's a lot like 2 for me - a black sheep that tried new things that just did not work as well as they could have.
I've completed this game twice and my mother got to the end (admittedly underpowered) in her 60's without knowing everything about the junction system. The whole package is up there with 7 and 9. The story is incredible (apart perhaps from the twist) and the ending is my favourite FF ever. The 1st disc is almost perfect. People just use their edgy online personality to argue and criticise.
I gotta give 7 the nod for the #1 spot, because it's the entire reason I ever got a PSX back in the day, and it opened an entire world of JRPGs that I would have never played. 8 was easily my second favorite, and I honestly never cared much for 9. It was too childish and the battle system sucked
I’m not sure if someone already said this but you can also get magic using the gf abilities to refine items. Early in the game you will even get stronger magic if you learn the abilities
For a while, FFVIII was my least favorite Final Fantasy. However, my opinions on it have changed since purchasing the remaster and I find that I'm enjoying it a lot more.
I remember reading about how good 7 was in video game magazines as a kid. I rented it and I was too young at the time to really grasp and playing a big JRPG like that. I tried again a couple years later with 8. I adored this game so much. Playing the remaster was such a nice nostalgia trip. Balamb Garden is still my all time favourite video game theme. I wish I could play this game again for the first time.
ff8 was my first ff. the first cut is the deepest. :)
still my nr. one. ❤
i really like your videos! good work. thanks!
Binging your videos and I want more… don’t give up making videos. They are fantastic!
Channel is making a return next month, new name , banner and more high quality content
hey ! I'm binging your videos right now (thx to the FFXIII worth playing video) and I'm only halfway through this vid. but I'm really glad you pointed that playing a video game while checking discussion and guides made your experience worse. I think the most fun part in a video game is discovering things by yourself. after all, this is why we loved a bunch of unknown "bad" games in our childhood, it's because we were discovering for ourselves and I think that the average video game consumer tend to forget that :) keep up the good work, I love your videos ! cheers from switzerland ❤️
Much appreciated! That’s exactly the point I wanted to bring across and I’m glad people agreed with it🙏🏼 this channel will be making a return next month (after a long break) and it’ll have a new name so be on the lookout for that!
I hear the same complaints on ff combat with almost every entry :D but I think it's the same for every game: you don't need to go in depth with the combat systems to beat the main story. You only need to go deep for the optional stuff and that is usually a whole new game in its own. I love that! The story is more like a cinematic experience where you don't have to think about it that much, but to beat the super bosses you need to perfectly min/max everything. FFX is a great example but in FFVIII too, if you just play and level normally through the game the system works very well. It's only if you start to abuse things where it becomes unbalanced.
The game can also abuse you back if you don't understand it; for example if you actively grind your level up then you can start having a serious problem in certain fights. Being level 100 all around is quite painful.
@@Latronibus this
This seemed really insightful, I like the nostalgic vibe you gave it. It was nice too watch cuz I was thinking of getting it too💯💣
Whenever I played new final fantasy games I'll hold myself from checking any guide because that's how it is when I first played ff7 back in the old days, so the thrill is there and as frustrating it is that's the element that made me enjoyed the game.
My most favorite game. The love story, the side boss that’s stronger than main boss, the secret weapons, the grind for the gems, everything.
6:00
the Draw command isn't your one and only way of getting magic, however it is probably the least efficient way
Refine Abilities are abilities your GFs can learn to turn items into magic
the same way you can turn cards into items like Card Mod
however if you want a challenge I would recommend just ignoring this lol
these abilities can absolutely break the game
I mean it's hard not to learn about it considering the weapons are often employing it for upgrades. I think it's neat if a bit underhanded and convoluted. It's a shame that the junction, and GF ability screens are 90% of your power progression but I like that they tried something new at the time.
Just about to type this.
How people miss that is beyond me.
I do all3 together. People tend to get greedy with the draw command. I use the 2 draw rule per encounter and 4 draw rule per boss and it duffices for everything. The only thing is protect spells are hard to come upon and get burnt out of my inventory fast so I put an enemy to sleep or blind and I go crazy and draw a lot.
I do all3 together. People tend to get greedy with the draw command. I use the 2 draw rule per encounter and 4 draw rule per boss and it duffices for everything. The only thing is protect spells are hard to come upon and get burnt out of my inventory fast so I put an enemy to sleep or blind and I go crazy and draw a lot.
Triple Triad is one of the best FF minigames ever. It’s too easy to really mess up the rules across regions though.
We need a mobile or phone version of Triple Triad, if there isn't one already
@@jmarra07 they just gonna getcha with gatcha ...Id be skeptical of anything square enix releases for a good while, they making so many dumb decisions....save your money for atlus and indies.
I was a dumb kid when I started this on the PS1 so I couldn't beat it without a gameshark, haha. When I came back to the remaster last year and actually learned the junction system I fell in love. So I wholeheartedly agree, great vid!
FF VIII is a tough nut to crack. I loved it, but I’m an admitted Final Fantasy fanboy. What killed me was how long I was stuck on the final boss… six months. It took SO long to finally defeat her. I originally played on PS1 and haven’t played the remaster. GF animations took FOREVER!
Watching your review made me want to revisit the game. What a relief that the animations seem skippable. Imagine having to watch the animations every time you use a GF in a battle. Boss fights could literally take over 2 hours.
Your reviews are consistently impressive and loaded with quality. Avoid the “F-bombs” in order to keep the professionalism up. Just a suggestion. Otherwise, brilliantly done.
Yeah that X3 speed was a real help with the remaster lol
There is easy way to defeat Ultimecia. U get 10 holy war items from Odin card wich gives immunity to your whole group for few turns.
I agree with the other comments, these have been done really well so far!!! Thank you!
I was a teenager when I played this on the first Playstation...
This is one of the few games I desperately wish I could play for the first time again.
As much as I liked this FF, my personal favourite second to FF7 remake, there was definitely trade off between just having fun and maximizing efficiency
That's actually my ranking list at the 5:20 mark haha! It's nice to see that list is popular enough to be included, even if I'm one of THOSE people having my top 3 be VII, IX and X. That was written before the Remastered version came out and now it is I'd probably put it a place higher while also bumping XV down to second-to-last.
Rambling aside, this is a good video, always need to see a more measured reaction to playing VIII for the first time nowadays that isn't ridiculously OTT.
I really love 8. I think it's characters are just my favorite - Squall is my spirit animal. And I Love the junction system. I'd like a remake where it's a little easier to fight but the story shouldn't change AT ALL.
A remake of 8 would be far better than however the remake of 7 turns out. 8 is already mature, in it's visuals and story. A big part of why I liked 7 was that it was a big goofy and cartoony, even when it got serious. It made it more like an anime, but the remake of 7 is like the FF7 Advent Children Prequel game lol. Takes itself way too seriously, and the remake is not going to ever be as good as the original, if they ever actually finish the thing in the first place.
Squall your spirit animal? I bet you are an edgy 13yo who loves katanas, then, and thinks of himself he's mature and that that age gap is the reason for his lack of friends.
Find a psychologist and thank me later.
people really over stress about leveling in this game. played as a kid like 3 times leveld up like nobodys buisness and i was fine. opponents died by my blade pretty easily. only time i was screwed was my first time whit Fujin and Rajin. i did not make pass them because i was like 6 years did not undertsand english and junction system was compeltley screwd plus i was like level 90 ore something. after i learned english at my second playthrough it was all good. to people who wonder why i picked up ff8 at age 6 whit no english skills at all i say it had pretty cover and i sucked whit platformers.
This!! Lmaooo I was about to say, why cry about them getting stronger with you, figure it out, I did too !
Love to hear that you enjoyed your first time playing the game, even admitting that it's flawed and a difficult game at times.
I think there's a lot to love about FFVIII but you have to be invested and be willing to put in the work.
Love seeing these types of videos so I'm very happy that you popped up on my feed! Got a good voice for it and easy to understand. Keep up the good work, can't wait to see what you do in the future!
I loved your approach to FF8, ignoring all the info on how to optimize the game and just playing it and learning as you go, because that’s how those of us who grew up with it did it.
I got into FF with 7, and I was in 4th or 5th grade when I tackled 8, and I approached it the way I did 7. Being a kid, I skipped the tutorials and just kind of tried to figure it out on my own. Of course, I ended up making the game super hard because I leveled up as much as possible the way I was used to, but part of the fun was coming back to it and continuing to find ways to tinker and make myself overpowered. But that happened over years as I replayed it. That’s the best way to appreciate the junction system imo.
The real issue with 8, is that the enemies scaling with you and junctioning just don’t pair well. Once you understand that, it’s easy to god mode the game. I think had they kept out the enemies scaling, it would have gone over better. But I honestly still loved it.
Also a really great Video =D Final Fantasy VIII is my favourite game in the franchise, and I played it more times than I care to count xD
But maybe it is because of this that i do NOT understand what people think is so bad about some things...
1. enemys levelling up. I will be honest, when I played the game when 11 or 12 years old for the first time, I didn't knew about this, and it didn't bother me. in fact, I do not think that makes the game harder at all, on the contrary, it makes things EASIER I would say! Enemys, with very few exceptions, get barely stronger, BUT they get higher Tier Magic for you to Draw from them, which in return will strenghten YOU up, since higher Tier Magic means higher Stat Boosts on everything!
2. I also did a blind playthrough for the first time back then and I thought the junction wasn't really that hard. G.F. give you slots in certain Stats to put magic in to increase that stat. BOOM! DONE! You can also add an element to your attack or defenses, same for Status Ailments. I never really thought it was really complicated, the "hardest" thing to figure out is finding out which magic increases which stat the best, and that is just a bit of trial and error, nothing major. Or you simply use Auto Junction and the game does all the work for you, and you simply have to do fine tuning (like taking off elemental Spells on basic attack, if you want neutral Damage). It was a blast to play and I really enjoyed that System =) Only downside is you barely will USE SPELLS TO ATTACK because of this, which is kinda sad, but overall I liked it a lot =)
3. You can easily transfer one Characters whole Junctions and magic can be transferred from one character to another, no need to rejunction, you only have to do this at one or two points in the game where for some unexplicable reason!
4. Triple Triad, the most fun and most AWESOME Mini Game in the series, with the most convoluted Rule System I have ever seen! Holy Crap even to this day I am still not sure on how some of the rulings do work, even with the explanation in the help section of the game D= It is so much fun, but I wish I would understand what I am doing when some rules are applied!
EDIT: I completely forgot: Drawing magic is actually tied to your magic stat, so the higher your magic, the better the chances of a succesful draw and the higher the amount of magic you get per draw!
Damn, completely forgot one thing xD
Drawing magic is actually tied to your magic stat, so the higher your magic, the better the chances of a succesful draw and the higher the amount of magic youbget per draw!
"i decided to play the game without a guide" You sir are a champion. While i love the internet, it has also destroyed a part of gaming. No one just plays a game anymore, they start playing and google a min max easy win guide for everything.... Then wonder why they never have any fun. People want open world games, but those same people also head to youtube for any quest that even makes them think a little bit.
You still play the game even if you did that. But after being in 14 for 5y, people kinda dont like effort and that includes looking up guides lmao
@@delsingray5923 Id say a big wrong on that. The first things people do is either run to the steam forum and whine, or youtube search for the answer... and they do BOTH of these things before they even give it a SECOND of thought themself.
There's really no wrong way to play a game as long as the person playing said game is enjoying themselves. People who use guides to enjoy the game are no different than people who min/max everything. I'm tired of this weird elitist videogame culture that makes it out to seem like you HAVE TO play a game a certain way. Let people be man.
@@nickolaspineda6764lmao what ever you say champ
@@jonathansoko1085 Thanks, I knew you'd come around (:
I played it when it first came out and also just went for it without any guidebook or tips (I had no internet back then lol) since I felt pro after playing FF7. It’s still one of my favorites of the FF games.
Thanks man, im playing it right now. I sat down at the study desk and I was like wtf is this shit but I'll give it a try.
Takes time but it's worth it if you can dedicate yourself
I played this nearly 24 years ago, when it came out. It is my 2nd favourite game ever and the best final fantasy for me. It just resonatet hugely with me as a tennager.
I actually played to the endboss the first time, only using GFs, only to discover you can't beat the endboss this way. So I started it from the beginning again and did it, now understanding the junction system and making squall a killing machine. It is really a great system when you understand it.
I played the game when it first came out as a teenager and loved it. I bought the remastered version about two days ago. I still love it.For the most part I believe it is just nostalgia kickin but also a big part is that I consider ffviii alongside vii and ix to be the last classic 3d final fantasies. I am still a fan of the series but it somehow has lost its magic after 9. Its like they are trying to make generic fantasy games nowdays with ff flavour. Still I have a hard time picking my favourite game in the series between 7,8 and 9.
This game was extremely easy to take advantage of using the junction/GF system.
I did play through the entire game. By the end, I focused solely on Squall... The other party members' roles were simple support.
I had Squall attacking, and this is no joke, every 0.25 secs. His ATB gauge would instantly fill following every attack. Just hold down the circle button and time right trigger pulls for the gunblade... That was the entire end game for me.
Having played the game a few times, but never really getting to the end and never reading a guide. I have found a method that works for me in this game.
Step 1. Set GF to learn card ability, and the other to learn item mod ability.
Step 2. Draw a bunch of scans and then a few other spells.
Step 3. Gain enough AP to learn card ability by defeating enemies.
Step 4. Set GF to learn card mod ability.
Step 5. Never kill another random encounter, scan them to get where their health is, get them low and turn them into cards. You will get 0xp from the fight but still get AP for summon abilities.
Mod cards into items and spells and mod items into spells. Never grind again.
You are now playing a game of card captors you need to card them all.
Draw is random? No! It depends on how much Mag stats you have. If you have lots then you draw 7-9 every turn if you are way under stats and trying to draw a high level magic, it fails half the time and the other half you get 1-2. Drawing is the only way to get magic in this game? No! GF abilities refine items and cards into magic are another major alternative. Giving a GF to each of the 6 party members? Why would he ever want to do that? Ever heard of Switch Junction? It's on the menu and is available since the start of the game. I thought he has been experimenting with the game but somehow don't know these facts? Also junction system is really easy. Get every spell available then select junction - auto - strength on every character. Don't have to think and most of the game, it is the best set up.
I played and beat this game in probably the year 2000 I was 13 or 14 years old and I never knew about the leveling the weapon with the cards and then the other biggest thing I did not know at the time of playing it, is the enemies scaling with you cuz obviously the internet wasn't prominent type thing but I remember being stuck on the final boss for about a week. Great videos!
Thanks for the video and your thoughts. FF8 was the first FF I ever played. My first playthrough, I didn't understand the junction system and finally got stuck at a point. After beating FF7 I came back, figured out the junction system and loved the game. At the time, the graphics blew me away and it was a huge step up from FF7. I'm now playing the remake and while I'm enjoying it, it is definitely more tedious than I remember. I appreciate the cheats so I can speed up or skip encounters. I guess I don't have as much free time now than I did in high-school. Anyways this was a great trip down memory lane. I'll be upgrading to PS5 soon and look forward to the next generation of Final Fantasy!
FF8 is my favourite FF, and you explained exactly why so many people don't like it today. Eight is designed for you to work the mechanics of yourself by trying things out. If you go online and work out how to min max in the first 2 hours of the game, you have removed all the fun. And just level up, there is no reason not to. This is just nonsense you read online by people who don't understand the game, and again takes the fun out. And use your magic, you don't need 100 of everything stocked up. The in game junction tutorial is not great, to be honest, but just use auto junction, and swap all if you change characters, and it's super fast and easy.
Final Fantasy 8 is most romantic video game, one of the best FF, the characters are mature, has no "Rainbow" theme
I still need to play through FFVIII I have it in my shelf because I bought it a while back. Great video though ✨
FF8 was my first ever Final Fantasy game I bought back in 2000 or so. Took me a good 80 hours to beat with the official guide
FF8 is one of my favorite games of all time
Love these long format video essays. Excellent work! You have my subscription!
Good, big brain man than pro jared. Actually learned the game than just not enjoy it more and more.
Ff8 my first ff ps1 game, had to replay last part of cd 1 12 times due to minor damaged disc. card games quest where fun but sad when you missed some npc after advancing plot. Draw kinda cool finding gf from bosses. Nice story, nice npc. like it a lot.
I've played through ff8 so many times, and ive never even thought that leveling up is a bad thing...
I'm currently playing ff8 for the first time since it came out on ps1. It has really brought back some memories that I thought I no longer had. Heck I even remembered most of where to get GF's and certain magics. I honestly tho, wish they had put more effort in this one like they did for ff7. Keeping game style the same but going all out on graphics and adding voices and cut scenes in place of reading a lot. I believe it would have made this game really stand out and get a lot of popularity.
What throws people off is that at the beginning, you don’t challenge Ifrit to progress, you grind AP at the beach until you unlock card mod and then card Glacial Eyes for the Jumbo Cactuar Card. Lol
I played this when I was 9 years old, no guide. It was really fun, sometimes it will take days to progress through the game, as English is not my first language and google translate was not a thing too!! Needless to say this game hold such a dear place in my heart, as it is the first game I finished, without guide at the time. Makes me want to pick it up again😅
While playing this after the first time I didn’t want to level up but not for same reason you mentioned. I didn’t even notice that monster levels up with you. I don’t want to level up as much due to some gF has ability to add more stat to you when you level up, I need that equip first before I want to level. Level doesn’t even really matter anyway. I can get to almost max hp and damage at level 15 even before my first mission. Card game is the key!
Good video! I just love this game. I like FF7 and 9 as well, but 8 has a special place in my heart. I love the junction system, but drawing magic from enemies is soooo tedious. Good thing that remake built in a fast forward-button!
Also, tbh, doing a low-level run of the game is kind of a pro move, not exactly what you would do on your first couple of playthroughs. It's totally beatable on level 100, so you shouldn't have worried about it :)
This game has a reputation of being the most devise game in the series (and that's saying something for FF). One thing no can argue is the fact that it's not a badly made game. Everything works as intended, it's just a question of whether or not what it does works for you.
This is my a Favorite Final Fantasy game
11:00 Rinoa as Mona Lisa got to me X D
It’s November 2021. I’m playing FF VIII.
Played it back in '99. It's still my favorite game of all time to this day.
This was the only FF game I finished back when it came out, I loved it so much
The biggest issue with this game-there’s a mini game where you chose instruments for a party. If you chose all romantic instruments, then squall and rhinoa have a major character development moment that furthers there relationship and is referenced later. If you don’t pick it, they seem to become lovers out of nowhere and the game will reference this scene that never happened.
Also I always leveled my characters to level 100. Never had an issue with the monsters getting too tough. I just keep squall near dead. Other two characters at full life as tanks. If squall dies than Phoenix down him. That brings him back but barely. Then just keep doing limit breaks and wait for lionheart to activate. Instant KO. The only time this was an issue what ultima and omega weapons-but they are optional bosses. There’s an item that makes you invincible to fight them.
TBH, FF6,8,9 are my top classic JRPG games I've ever played. People may hate my opinion but i don't really care. I like what I like.
I still have my 4 disc ps1 set. Last boss battle took me so many tries but it was so worth it!
Junction system does have an ‘auto’ option on screen that’ll do it for you and drawing magic from enemies isn’t the only option, you can also find draw spots often outside of battle and can convert items into magic (or magic into other magic)
The cost of skipping the tutorials, I’m guessing
Where's the FF7 video?! I love to see videos on the subject
Ah finally someone who knows how to have fun in VIII. People talking about it online are incredibly annoying, both the negative and positive ones (even the ones that give "advice").
My first playtrough of FF8, when I was a kid, I could barely read English. I made it to the end of disc 3, the boss there .. without using Junction. I did use GF's and all but I did not know you could attach magic to increase stats. I used a lot of GF's, boosting them, potions, I think?
That boss, end of disc 3 uses earthquake and murdered me. Then a friend at school taught me junction.
So, I made it to the last boss, eventually now comes the fun part. When that boss beat me I got pissed, mashed some buttons and .. lost my save-data. Mind you, I was a kid and didn't know how most worked. I did not know my memory stick had different pages so I replayed FF8.. .. só many times.
Eventually I figured out the pages of the memory stick when an old save load showed up 😕. I did beat the game and nowadays know you can break the game (your stats) on disc 1. But, yea. I did enjoy the game but I played it on the highest difficulity, you could say.
Yeah the game does hold up pretty well. If they ever remake the game like with FF7 they need to adjust the Card Game and Limit breaks for obvious reasons
Maybe not allow you to use Card mod on higher level cards until you party level is at a certain point, and only allow the use of one Limit break per every certain number of fights including bosses
I can't believe you didn't mention the GF abilities. It's a core function of the game, and it's what gives you the full use of the Card Mod/ Junction system.
Game wise one of my lest favorite in the series. Soundtrack wise it’s fucking epic
The systems in this game was really confusing. I played this when it was new right after having gone through ff7, i was around 13. I did enjoy the game but my first playthrough was filled with confusion and frustrations- i never figured out how to go about upgrading the weapons. I never undstood the enemy scaling. I sortof got the hang of the junctioning system, atleast the basics. I never, to this day, understood why my seed level kept decreasing and thus constantly low on money. It was frustrating and by the end i managed to get stuck at one of the finale bosses i just couldnt get through(there was no means to backtrack and grind at that point) .. so i never actually finished it until many years later.
Honestly, I think blind, guide-less playthroughs are some of the best ways to experience games. So many games are over-hated because of nothing else than mismanaged expectations and bad press.
I had to laugh at your whole diatribe about you not wanting to level. I grinded and leveled the crap out of this game, and i enjoyed fiddling with my setups so much. My last junctioning round before the end battle lasted for an hour and a half (i really wanted to make sure that *everyone* was properly equipped before the end battle, because i didn't know which party i'd have). The only time my high level was really biting me in the behind was when encountering Marlboro's. FF8 was my first FF (hence the soft spot i have for it), and because of that i still kind of freak out when i encounter a Marlboro in the other games in the franchise. :)
I usually just focus on drawing since that's what dictates your stats. If I've maxed out what they offer, I skip or just obliterate them. Yes the game does scale with you but I mainly just ignore that outside of Diablos lantern fight. The game can only scale so much as, like you, everything is limited by numbers.
The thing about people freaking out over leveling up is a bit exaggerated and misunderstood in truth. Like, yes, 'optimally', staying at a low level means enemies will be disadvantaged with lower level magic and stats and you can overpower them via refining higher level magic and junctioning. But optimizing is sometimes a lot of unnecessary effort for the casual player and can take out enjoyment from the game. Yes, enemies get stronger via scaling....HOWEVER, after level 19, at levels 20-29, enemies will have higher level magic you can draw from which means you can already junction much higher stats to your characters, refine easier, and etc., and then at 30-100, they have whatever is the highest level of magic they are assigned to have.
So if they have Curaga, you are in good hands for raising your HP very high via junctioning it. I had to play this game on the original ps1 without any guides because the internet wasn't around and sure, there was the strategy guide, but since I was already drawing and junctioning magic and just playing through eventually learning about the refining and card system, it all fell into place. As you found in your video, just enjoying the game and not comparing yourself or over-optimizing is a better way to enjoy the game. Sure, if you didn't take care to junction and get into a battle while higher level, maybe the enemy might cast firaga on your party member, ko, but you have a chance to draw with one character, and also start running away, junction, etc, and you are already better off. There's ways around what might seem like an impossible situation...I got myself out of one.
I’m sure someone has mentioned this already, but drawing is not the only way to get magic
Just found your channel, really considering playing these older titles. Also it seems like your older videos are missing? Would be nice to watch them. Enjoying your content, keep it up! :)
I like how people think the junction system is complex, but think there’s nothing wrong with the disaster that is all of the SaGa games. At least FF8 EXPLAINS the systems to you, and you can see the changes and differences tangibly.
Also, the level scaling is way less severe than everyone freaks out about. This is one of the easiest FFs to Platinum (outside of the Queen of Cards sidequest), because it’s nowhere near as time consuming or grindy as other FFs.
DRAW is not the only way to get magic. You can refine items to get magic.
FF8 was the first FF I finished (I got close to finishing FF7 but then lost the save). I enjoyed it quite a bit. The battle system was interesting though a bit tedious. Because the stat boosts were tied to the number of spells you had, your compatibility with the GFs it only made sense to hoard the spells and use summons instead. It was annoying when you had a good load out and then the game switched out characters on you and you would need to set it up again. I dont remember anything about issues leveling up and didnt shy away from battles, even grinding for draws and stuff, and had no issue with difficulty. In fact it was super easy late game. I got to a point where I could end battles before my first interactive turn.
Personally I felt like the overall story was confusing, but liked the character interactions and sub plots. And as noted the soundtrack is excellent (Fisherman's Horizon, Liberi Fatali, and Man with the Machinegun are standouts).
My favorite Final Fantasy game!
A lot of people dig too deep into stories, I thought this story was interesting enough, and I liked the characters. Some people nitpick quite a bit.
FF fans are among the pinnacle of nit picky gamers
I loved this game when I was a kid, but got half way through disk 3 when my memory card corrupted so had to start again. When I got round to start it again, my ps1 broke. Eventually I bought a ps2 and when I went to play ff8 through, disk 1 stopped working and it would freeze after the first cut scene when quistis enters the hospital room.
I put the game aside and when I eventually bought a ps3 years later, I decided to revisit the game. I bought another copy and played it through and almost smashed the tv when I realised the stupid glitch that means you can’t play disk 4 on ps3 for some stupid reason. Looked online and apparently it’s a thing - ff8 disk 4 just doesn’t work on the ps3 console.
So basically, a higher power just doesn’t want me to complete this game.
number one the game tells you everything but if you don't pay attention you won't realize it number two drawing is not the only way to gain magic in this game you could also use card mod to turn cards into items and magic another thing if you go to balamb town there's a weapon shop and you could see if you have the right materials and enough money to upgrade your weapon each character have their own specific weapon and you can upgrade that weapon as long as you have those things I mentioned up above who is this have a tutorial for you telling you about the junction system and the draw system and the limit break system now if you don't want to listen to her open your menu go to tutorial and go to junction or draw it'll tell you exactly what it does also if you want to increase the amount of spells you draw for each enemy or draw point do you have to increase your magic skill the game also tells you this
Draw is not the only method game Magic it may be the first method and most reliable but it's not the only one because of the refine system which you can unlock from some of the Guardian forces
If only there was a final fantasy 8 remake 😂 7 and 8 are my favorite 2
It’s so funny to me when people talk about how confusing the battle and junction system is because I beat the game when I was eleven and it was my first Final Fantasy game. My brother and I beat it together and we used a guidebook, but aside from that we just banked our magic for stats and spammed GFs in battle and it seemed to work out fine.
You didn't know you could use Junction Exchange in the Switch menu screen to transfer an entire junction setup and magic collection from one character to another after one of the many character swaps?
My favorite game of all time.
ff8 is so fucking amazing, i was one of those people that hated the game before trying it... .the STORY... OH GOD THE STORY IS SO FUCKING GOOD, the story was so cute and it reminded me of myself and my lady, thats probably why it feels so personal xD, but the battle system is amazing like drawing magic is actually a really good mechanic, you have to choose whether you want to build your characters in a certain way or keep using magic. The GF system is pretty cool as well, it actually didnt take me long at all to understand junctioning and GF's which is probably what helped me so much with the game.
Also the endgame content is pretty fun too, it's pretty limited but it's still fun =D
i know this is very fragmented but i always get distracted and talk about other things when i try to stay on topic, all in all FF8 is an amazing game, the only guides you should use are where GF's are and thats it! explore the game yourself :P
What a game. Totally my fave FF 👌
you say you have to do random battles to get magic, but you can use diablos to remove random encounters and you can get magic thrue cards, wich you can get by playing the mini game triple triad, the best mini game in any ff game
Everyone brings up the draw system like its some critical mechanic. Its never optimal to use it except for rare exceptions like meteor or full life. Its better to refine items or cards for spells. Complaining about draw is like complaining about any ability like coin toss or steal...
FF VIII is a classic! I probably beat this game 3 times already. Wish it would continue after it's over.
haha love the video but honestly the junction system is not hard to work out its fairly simple i played this as a kid and got the hang of it fast and i was a dumb kid pretty dumb adult to lol
you can make magic with objects, the fighting is only tedious if you don't know this and are only drawing spells from enemies. also the levels don't really matter, I think you were bias by the guides you read before playing. the first time I played it (my first FF too) I maxed my levels before leaving the Balamb garden and the game wasn't that much harder.
Its funny, I was a dumb kid when I played this and I powered trough it with not much thought. I was like, "wat spell make Gun Blade hit harder..." and bam, I unga bunga'd my way through the game. All I did was use that spell that let me use my limit breaks and put it on Squall, Zell and Irvine. BIG DAMAGE
Also, is it my imagination or wasn't there a way to take all spells and GF's and transfer them between characters? I remember specifically doing something along those lines. I basically had all GF's equipped to three characters and any time I wanted to swap out a character, I just took a set of GF's and gave them to someone else. And wasn't there an auto junction feature that automatically equip spells based on Attack, Magic ect?
Overall, I had a great time with FF8. Childhood gold.