I started gaming in late 1998, with a PlayStation and the first Crash Bandicoot game. I quickly found myself fascinated by video games — reading about them extensively online, chatting with friends, etc. Then, while reading online in early 1999, I heard about an upcoming release: Final Fantasy VIII. I had never played a game of this sort, and my previous RPG experience was one confused day of D&D in 1984, with friends who were experienced RPGers, so I had little idea what to expect. None-the-less, as soon as the game was released, I ran to the store and picked it up.
From the get-go, several things struck me as simply wonderful:
- The opening sequence’s combination of visuals and music (Liberi Fatali!) was stirring, promising both high adventure and romance.
- Amazing music. Stylistically diverse, and moving. It furthered immersion more than any other game music I’d encountered.
- Turn-based battles based on menu selections. It blew my mind that I could fight this way, and I loved it.
- Gaining XP, AP, items, and levels, all displayed post-battle to bouncy music. It provided a sense of progression that I’d never encountered before.
These parts of the game all clicked with me; they somehow felt right.
That said, I had a terrible time with the junction system. My main problem was that I had a poor grasp of how to use magic to augment my stats. This being one of the game’s core aspects, my first attempt at the game was doomed to frustrated failure. Enthusiasm for the awesome bits carried me through to the end of the Dollet mission, but shortly after that, I abandoned the game.
Soon after,I fell in love with the Dreamcast, and in November of 2000, I picked up “Skies of Arcadia”. Man, did I love that game. Captivated by story, characters, and gameplay (ship battles for the win!) I sunk more than one hundred hours into it, at the end of which it became the first RPG I ever beat. After that, it wasn’t long before I decided to give FF VIII another try, so after reading up on the Junction System and Triple Triad (sister’s Triple Triad guide was invaluable) I started a new game.
Oh man, was it a different experience! All the stuff I’d enjoyed the first time was still great, but I also found new stuff to revel in:
- Drawing huge quantities of magic—while listening over and over to the battle theme (Don’t be afraid!) was a very enjoyable grind (as was killing Cactuars for AP later in the game).
- The various aspects of Triple Triad—the game itself was fun (though I went to great effort to spread only Balamb’s rules everywhere I went), Carding enemies in return for items was great fun.
- The item and magic-creation systems are incredibly deep. Every enemy drop, every item gained via carding, could be used to create something (more) useful.
- Travelling all over the world, exploring a huge variety of environments.
- GF command abilities provided cool abilities, but they had to be earned one-at-a-time, so there was a satisfying sense of progression.
But more than anything else, I loved that former bugaboo, the Junction System. From the game’s release until the current day, there are plenty of players who loathe it, arguing that its power is game-breaking. I agree that it’s an overpowered system, but I don’t consider it game-breaking, as it’s totally up to the player how they make use of it. Personally, I love working characters up to a hugely overpowered state, as it aids in making me feel like a badass, so I’m a fan.
The final sequence of battles was far more exciting than in “Skies”, as well. Ultimecia’s many forms were impressive, the music was great, and I got a huge kick out of Ultimecia’s ability to blow away stat junctions — nullification of one of the game’s primary mechanics struck me as the perfect ability for the final boss. In fact, I so enjoyed that final battle, that after beating the game, I immediately reloaded my save, hit “record” on the VCR, and played it out again—presumably for posterity.
In the years since then, I’ve restarted the game several times, but I’ve rarely even gotten past the Dollet mission. I suppose that after the 200 hours I put into that first full playthrough, I’ve basically burned myself out on it. Additionally, there are other FFs that I like more (not VII, thankyouverymuch). But being my first RPG, Final Fantasy VIII is forever special.
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