|
Final Fantasy VIII Platinum |
|
|
Final Fantasy VIII Platinum |
| Browse by Category: Accessories Consoles Games |
from: Sony
Brand: Sony EAN: 0711719193920 Label: Sony Manufacturer: Sony Manufacturer Maximum Age: 216 months Manufacturer Minimum Age: 180 months Platform: PlayStation Publisher: Sony Release Date: September 29, 2000 Studio: Sony Editorial Review: Product Description: This latest instalment to the best-selling Final Fantasy series incorporates the theme of love into an RPG story-line of epic proportions. The Final Fantasy VIII world comes to life in a dazzling display of digital artistry as lifelike characters and seamlessly integrated CG animation are enhanced with Dolby Surround Sound technology. With Analogue Controller (Dual Shock) and PocketStation compatibility. Amazon.co.uk Review: SquareSoft has always had a sure-fire hit when releasing any of their Final Fantasy titles, and Final Fantasy VIII should be no exception. The basis of a good RPG (role-playing game) has always been the story; spectacular graphics are secondary. Final Fantasy VIII's, involved and interesting storyline is filled with great twists, well-developed characters, suspense and romance. As an added bonus, the graphics are beautiful. Everything--from the low-lit jazz club to the steam-filled railroad tunnels--is gorgeous and perfectly sets the mood and tone of a scene. The game mechanics are standard fare for an RPG: acquisition of items and spells, turn-based combat, experience points earned in combat allowing advances in levels. From exploration to battles to dialogue, Final Fantasy VIII has it all. However, Final Fantasy VIII falls to that great weakness of RPGs: random battles. While necessary for advancing in levels, the battles occur with such frequency that they can grow annoying, making for a tedious game experience. The epic storyline spans four discs--over 40 hours of gameplay--and is based around a mercenary cadet who finds himself caught up with an underground rebel faction. He winds up in a plot to assassinate the sorceress who has just seized power from the president. You could complain of limited replay value, but this gripe is of no consequence; the game is such a satisfying experience, it doesn't require replay. Final Fantasy VIII is easily worth both the hype and the wait. You can't buy a much better game. --John Cocking Accessories: Related Items:
Average Rating:
 Rating:  - My favourite ever.This is the greatest game I have ever played... It took me just over 140 hours to fully complete it. I was very young when I played this but I found it very emotional. You really learn about each character and get to know how they feel. Everything is very well presented, and there are some amazing scenes that just made everything seem epic. I still have my Version, and I also have the Guide completely untouched, still in it's foil. If you love Final Fantasy, get this. Rating:  - A bridge too farIsn't it funny how everything in life seems to balance out in the end? For everything good in the world, there exists something equally bad. For every Winston Churchill, there's an Adolph Hitler. For every Duke of Wellington, there's a Napoleon Bonaparte. And for every Final Fantasy 7, there's a Final Fantasy 8. For those of you who were living in a cave on a remote windswept Scottish island back in the late 90's, Final Fantasy 7 was a landmark title that changed the landscape of gaming forever, propelling it into a true audio visual art form with budgets to rival major motion pictures and development teams in the hundreds. With the release of Final Fantasy 8 a couple of years later, hopes were high that developers Square would repeat the success of their previous title. And then we played it. Well, things start out promising at least. An epic opening sequence introduces main character Squall, battling it out with rival SeeD student Seifer in a 'training exercise'. A bit of unsanctioned magic usage on Seifer's part sees things get out of hand, resulting in both characters sporting rather fetching facial scars by the start of the game. But despite this impressive opening, things quickly go downhill. The main problem lies with Squall himself, in that he's about as likeable as a bad case of piles. He's so uncommunicative, so sullen, so self-absorbed and so drenched in late-90's Emo moodiness that I almost wanted to teleport myself into the game, Tron style, and beat him to death. The success of an RPG is dependant on creating a sympathetic, compelling main character that you actually care about, and Final Fantasy 8 fails in this. But of course, this being a Japanese RPG, Squall is still surrounded by friends who apparently don't notice his dysfunctional personality. And there's the old cliche of everyone being rediculously young and beautiful, regardless of their function. For example, one character who is supposed to be an experienced teacher at an elite military academy is EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD. Did she enlist in the military at the ripe old age of ten? Or are SeeD lifespans so short that anyone who makes it beyond the first year is considered a seasoned veteran? Another problem is the story. As mentioned before, you play the role of a SeeD - some kind of elite mercenary force for hire. When the evil Galbadian Empire invades the peaceful kingdom of Dollet, Squall and his motley crew are called in to stabalise the situation by destroying everything and everyone in their path. This then brings them into conflict with the evil Sorceress Edea, who isn't actually evil but is instead the group's former foster mother who was possessed by another evil sorceress from the future called Ultimecia, who in turn wants to free ANOTHER evil sorceress called Adel, and... Aaargh! I can't take it any more. My body's rebelling. Yes, as you've probably guessed, the story of Final Fantasy 8 is as impenetrable and confusing as a Metal Gear Solid game, and half as entertaining. And that's not to mention the ridiculous plot holes, like for example the main characters having all lived in the same orphanage as children, but somehow contracting mass amnesia and forgetting the whole thing until it becomes convenient for them to remember. Final Fantasy 7 also featured a main character with fractured memories, but the gradual revelation of the truth was an integral part of the story - not just a convenient plot twist. Gameplay suffers too. Battles are still randomly generated, but now enemies level up depending on your characters stats, meaning that the overall difficulty remains more or less constant. This sounds great in theory, as it should stop people grinding their way up to almost omnipotent levels of power, but when you think about it, grind is what RPG's are all about. Grind is what keeps people playing when they could be outside breathing fresh air and getting enough sun to keep the rickets at bay. Another serious problem is the weapon upgrade system. In most other RPG's you can either buy new weapons, find them or loot them from the enemies you've just murdered. Not so here. Here you have to collect bits of junk, research new weapons and use it to build your shiny new gunblade or whatever. Again, another idea that sounds great in theory, but the problem is that some very important bits of junk can only be found in certain areas that are only accessible during certain stages of the game, and if you're unlucky enough to miss them during your window of opportunity then you're completely Friar Tucked when you get to the tougher later boss fights. And while I'm ragging on about the difficulty, I might as well mention the game's final battle. More specifically, I'll tell you how long it took me to finish - AN HOUR AND A HALF. That's right, ninety minutes of my life were swallowed up by constant, frantic battling to keep my characters alive. Now, I'm no stranger to tough battles, and you kind of expect RPG's to throw a few curve balls your way, but this was just ridiculous. I can honestly say it was one of the hardest things I've ever done in a computer game. So how would I sum up my thoughts on this one? Well, I guess I'd say that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. In constantly seeking to innovate and improve, Square went a step too far with Final Fantasy 8. It's a game of grand ideas, but unfortunately ideas alone do not a good game make. It does show the occasional spark of pure genius, but these aren't enough to forgive its many flaws. Rating: - Greatest Game of all timeI remember when my parents bought me this game for christmas about 10 years ago. At first I had no idea what was going on but after much perserverence it all came together and I completly knew what was happening and I dedicated as much time as possible to unravelling the excellent story which takes about 70 hours to completly finish and is the greatest story I have ever came across in a game. The visuals are a pre-rendered making them very pretty to look at and the soundtrack is as epic as usual thanks to Uematsu. If you have the ability to play this game and haven't i would strongly advise getting it. Rating: - The best FF game ever!I played this game when it was released...a good years ago. However, in my opinion is still is one o the best RPG I've ever played.
Cake Decorating - Wedding & Bridal Figurines - PastryWiz.com Recipes
|
Please send mail to PastryWiz with questions or comments about this web site.
This Store is brought to you by PastryWiz.co.uk
In association with Amazon.co.uk
|
* Information in this document is subject to change without notice. Listed prices are for informational purposes only and may change without notice. Final prices are determined when you place your order. |
