Same here too! Played this one before ff7. Loved ff7 but this one blew me away, one of the most epic endings ever. I still reload and play Ultimecias' castle , the last battle one of the most epic ever. Did you all find and beat Omega Weapon???
I was 11 when I played this game, I had to play it with a dictionary by my side and I had literally hundreds of hours in the game because I missed the dialogs and had to talk with every npc trying to find out what to do. I didn't had internet or magazines to help me, and I played it for years like that. Eventually I reached Ultimecia's castle but never managed to defeat her. I started a new game last month and managed to finish the game last night. I was caught by surprise with my feelings when I started to realize I never knew what happened in the end of the game. I watched the whole thing with tears in my eyes, and the credit scenes made me smile in a way I felt like I was watching a footage of old friends having fun. I was really happy about that. It sounds silly, but I had to share this. lol
Gay lol. Yeah nah I feel you man, I did the same thing back then with no internet to help etc. Was difficult. I did end up finishing it, though I didn't fully understand the story past Esther ad it became super confusing with the sorsceresses and going back in time, and when they threw Adele into the mix etc. Was good to see a coherent refresher that explains it well.
I couldn't finish the game cause I didnt know that if you defeat the bosses in her castle you unlock your fighting abilities. Took me a few months of trying to kill her, but i managed somehow to do it 😂😂😂
IT took me 20 long years to realize that Laguna is Squall's Dad. Laguna and Julia love that never happens, actually happens in the next generation with Rinoa and Squall
i never realized Laguna was Squall's dad until i just watched this video. is Rinoa Julia's daughter? i beat this game back in the day on ps1, but im replaying it on steam. im only at the part where Selphie has to stop the nukes from hitting Balamb garden. i like the story. i just wish it wasnt so confusing, cause it makes me have to use a walkthru at times to figure out where to go next.
Wow man that's crazy! One of the main themes of the game is that you can't undo the past and Squall and Rinoa are literally getting the chance that Laguna and Julia never had.
I could never wrap my mind about how the entire game is a never-ending time loop that starts when Edea inherits Ultimecia's power. Because of that incident, she founds Garden to fight that very sorceress, which ends in her following Squall through time compression and dying, where Edea once again inherits her powers. I wonder if the number 8, being turned on it's side to represent the symbol of infinity, was a basis for the storyline.
The game isn't a time-loop, time moves linearly in FF8 despite Squall and Co jumping into the future. It only seems confusing because of the time jumping. Everything that happens up until Lunatic Pandora and defeating Adel happens in real time in Squall's present day. Once they defeat Adel, Ultimecia then possesses Rinoa. Ellone sends the two of them into the mind of past Adel so that Ultimecia can cast Time Compression, which she does. Time compression has been cast, but Ellone cuts Ultimecia off from the spell, before it can be complete and fracture time itself, into little pieces of set time. Rinoa's mind returns to the present while Ultimecia returns to her time. Immediately Squall and his party jump to the future using the Time compression spell which has been partially cast and has weakened the barriers between past, present, and future, essentially they Ultimecia's own spell against her. This is the really important bit - 1. The party jumped into the future to defeat Ultimecia. Therefore as far as time is concerned this fight happens wayyyyyy in the future, in Ultimecia's time period as a matter of fact which is longggggg after Squall and everyone we know is already dead. 2 For Laguna in Squall's time, because these events happened in the future, and time can only flow toward that future event, very little time would have passed at all. 3. Squall would have jumped to the future and then immediately popped back having defeated Ultimecia. Ultimecia's death happens later on in the timeline, and because events can only happen in order, Squall exists before Ultimecia does in the timeline, therefore he must return from her future longgggg before that future battle can actually take place in that same timeline. ^^ Does this make sense - He must come back first, because Ultimecia's present day, takes place long after Squall's present. 4. We the gamer got to take that jump into the future, with the party. For everyone else in his time, he would just pop back immediately having won. Time compression seeing the spell wasn't finished casting, would unravel, and the barriers between the time periods would start to start to reform and stabilize. 5. Hurray evil defeated, problem solved. The only major difference is Edea would go from having no sorceress power, to having newly gained sorceress power by time compression's end. Ultimecia gave her powers to Edea while time compression was still unraveling therefore Edea kept her sorceress power, after time compression ended. Therefore Edea and Rinoa are both sorceresses in modern day again. Unless of course the sorceress line is broken through Ultimecia giving her power to someone from a previous time period, ending their line permanently. I guess it's unknown if Edea would take it on. 6. Hurray. Everyone goes off to throw a party, the one we see in the ending movie. 7. Life goes on. 8. Centuries Later (because time is linear so we have to wait for the timeline to reach Ultimecia, which is long after the main party are dead) Ultimecia rises, comes to power, and using junction machine Ellone starts messing with the past and through this she interacts with Squall's timeline 9. Thanks to Ellone, Ultimecia manages to cast time compression. 10. In response Squall and his party jump to Ultimecia's time and kill her, this is when the huge battle and all of that stuff with time compression unraveling around them, happens. Squall wins, time compression starts to unravel and the party returns to their own time. Despite the fact time compression was cast incomplete, the whole thing lasts for very little time at all. Just long enough for Squall and Ultimecia to wind up in the past and tell Edea to build garden, and for the sorceress power to pass on, but once Squall reaches his own time period again time would have resumed as normal. 11. So Squall and Ultimecia get lost on the way and detour by accident into the past where they meet past Edea, who Ultimecia then is forced to give her sorceress power to. 12. Ultimecia dies, Squall returns to his own time and everyone chucks that party. So you see despite the fact that the party jumps to the future, and Squall goes to the past with Ultimecia etc, all of the events still happen in order of past, present and then the future, so it doesn't create a time loop for this reason.
mdb45424 Seed is formed because of Squall. He and Ultimecia end up in the past by accident where Ultimecia gives up her power, and Edea is given the idea to build Garden by these events. Therefore Squall affects the past by accident, through wandering too far in time, the important thing is the spell, the spell was unraveling when Squall made his detour, and it is reason he can affect the past. Squall creates a set moment in time, and this is why Edea in present day is aware of, and that is why garden exists in the present day. Yes he went back during time compression to create a fixed moment in time. However time at that point wasn't flowing in any direction, because past, present, and future didn't exist anymore, time was trying to correct itself and return to normal as the spell unraveled. It isn't until the barriers return to normal, that time returns to how it has always worked in ff8. Therefore Edea remembers it during the game, and Garden is still built before the main story starts, because time isn't fixed relative to where Squall is in time, when he effects the past, while being lost in time. When the spell is over the barriers return to normal and stabilise, so time at that moment becomes fixed once more, this is what makes ff8 not a time loop, because the spell creates the opportunity to change the past, but only during that moment when time isn't fixed, and once time compression is completely undone, time continues in the ff8 world, as it did before Ultimecia ever cast the spell to disrupt the flow of time. The only potential difference created in Squall's present day, is with Edea and whether she's a sorceress, or the sorceress line was broken by Ultimecia giving the sorceress power from her present day, to Edea who exists generations in the past. I don't know the answer to that, but the Ultimania hints that maybe Ultimecia ended the sorceress line for good at that point. I hope this comment made a bit more sense this time ^^
hell yeah... best one i think... well 7 and 8 are very close... i just replayed 8 for the first time in many years... was so good, i was sad to finish it.
From 6 to 10 was a golden run of fantastic storytelling in gaming. To this day, 4 - 10 are still the best Final Fantasies imo. Enix got a lot right with 12, some people love 13, but they never really succeeded in infusing their games with the charm that the original Squaresoft team did.
When the battle music came on, I remembered watching my mom play this when I was young. I couldn't understand what was going on but I helped her strategize each battle.So that took me back.
My brother finished the game one time. He liked it a lot. Then he found a guide and realised that he finished the game but didn't find half the content of it. So he played again, and again, and again until he got this game with all done, cards, swords, summons, all. Conclusion: This game is addictive.
+Erick Rodríguez I remember that about the old games, especially the Final Fantasy games. As a kid hearing about all these hidden items and weapons you felt like there were all these secrets to be found.
My takeaway is that Ultamecia was ultimately (no pun intended) obsessed with the death (or the finite condition of life) and wished to control time out of fear. In her fear she never truly lived and when she was destroyed came to that realization (as per her strange final words). For Squall he was essentially following a route where he was wasting his finite time dwelling on the past (the part of time you have the least control over) and ignoring the happiness that was (sometimes literally) poking him in the chest. Seeing Ultamecia and what she had become in her obsession with averting the inevitable shook him out of his own obsession. For the players the story basically boils down to this: Don't waste your time in fear of the future, and being ruled by your past because "time will not wait for you, even if you cling to it, It slips away the instant you open your hands, And…"
today i felt nostalgic and thought about playing ff8. it was my favorite FF because of the story line. i wanted to relive the story but didnt want to spend countless hours to get the feel. then i discovered your video. thanks man. i had a rough day today but for the 30 minutes this video made it all the better. thanks!
I'm the same way, honestly I think 8 is a better game anyways. But my first final fantasy will always be my favorite, 8,10 and 15 are the best. Honorable mention of FF2 and FF4 though :)
honestly as a teenager i played this game not knowing what the hell was going on. lol I just remembered so many stuff happening. I loved the game so much because how much the story changed.
A youtube podcaster who can talk without sounding like a hyper ventilating 13 year old so I can revisit these games without having to tolerate the slow ass battle system. You are a rare breed.
Played this game more than 10 years ago. Now I am a mother in age of 34 and enjoying this clip cause it put everything together amazingly💖💖💖. Wish a written text attached to the video😍
I think there should be a prequel of this game where we play as Laguna, Kiros and Ward and it tells their story of how they went from being Galbadian soldiers to eventually overthrowing and trapping Sorceress Adel and becoming the rulers of Esthar. Seriously, why haven't they made a game about that?? It sounds very interesting. Plus, there are so many prequels and sequels to other FF games and FF8 has NONE.
Ok. Just to make sure you don't misunderstand what I meant, I meant that if we transplanted 8 style graphics over 7, and vice versa, the 8 graphics would look better.
It was the ultimate Playstation game at the time. The hype was insane. It was like, Nintenwho? There was a couple of years and games when Square just left everybody in their dust, to be honest. VII, VIII and IX were stupendous games then and are still classics. They had amazing graphics for the time but the style and attention to detail was unique. They actually had artistic flair which you have to say was pretty rare among original Playstation games.
this is a special relation i have with this game compared with other games. without hesitation i can say it is my absolute alltime favourite game ever. i grew up with this game and played it as long as i can actually really think and i dare to say that it shaped a lot my point of view and my personality ever since. still got my first 4 disks from 1999 and they work just fine, although they are almost two decades old. talk about quality~ since then i've played this game every year at least once and it never gets old to me.
I share the same sentiment with you. Still have the original discs as well. However during the scenes where you can control the character during the FMV, my ps2 struggles to load everything.
What a convoluted story! I've watched almost all of your recap videos and I just wanted to say thanks for covering all of these entries in the FF franchise. I don't have time to go through and actually play them all but I find the stories fascinating; and you recapping them all for me has allowed me to appreciate how wonderfully crafted all of these games are. Thanks again!
Do you think the real reason Irvine was struggling with shooting the sorceress was because he recognized her as Matron? He does claim that he "always gets these jitters" even though he acts all confident. But could he have just been lying there to cover up the fact that he remembered his childhood when all the other orphans couldn't for some reason?
+Bill Sutherby Very true, I believe you are correct. Irvine is very confident with his sharp shooting abilities but he struggled to shoot Edea. He agreed to do it because that was his mission. During the lengthly cut scene in the basketball court at Trabia Garden, he even says to Quistis and Selphie that he remembered everything when they first met but didnt share it as he was surprised they didnt recognise him.
If i remember correctly irvine does remember or at least more than the others. He was sent to a different garden and doesn't really use GF which is the reason for everyone's memory loss.
i think Final Fantasy VIII is one of the best of the series... story is great...characters amazing , guardian force system ,crafting system ...top in the series...i wish square would remake ff viii
Have played through FFVIII at least 5-6 times. It was so nice to enjoy the whole experience again with narration :) I can't imagine how long this took, but well done good sir! Subscriber earned!
Definitely one of my all-time favorite games. Loved the cast of characters, artistic direction, gameplay, atmosphere, story, and soundtrack. All were executed masterfully. This is one game I hope never gets a remake. I don't think it would be possible to make one that would meet, let alone exceed the original in terms of quality. Sure, the graphics and sound would be higher quality but the balance of all aspects of the original game was masterfully crafted by a company that was at it's peak at the time. Duplicating those conditions would be extremely difficult, if not impossible.
I just watched this video, and had the same reaction. I mastered this game, got literally everything and maxed everything... Yet, had no idea that Laguna was Squall's father.
Played it multiple times, never picked up on it either when I was a kid. When the Moomba called Squall "Laguna" I was just assuming they could tell the similarities or characteristics between the two, but I never put that together. I've heard of others also just figuring it out too, and it is so funny how easily we missed this obvious fact. Haha! I love this game so much. Number 1 favorite FF title.
It's pretty clear, and it's kinda important to the story since the whole idea is that Squall x Rinoa is fulfilling the unfulfilled love of Laguna and Julia (since Julia's daughter is Rinoa and Laguna's son is Squall)
Although FF8 was and still is my favorite FF game, it had one of the most complicated story imo. Thanks for explaining the story for me. I appreciate it!
@@eskimocheeks9911 It's not that difficult actually. To summarize in short: Ultimecia is in the future and uses a machine to influence our present day. She needs a powerful sorceress to cast the time compression, that being Adel. Group let's her do it but stops her in between. Time and world is not messed up enough to actually get 'destroyed' but enough for the characters to pass through time, reach Ultimecia and defeat her.
FFVIII had some of the greatest characters in the series. The introductory scene is etched into my memory. Seifer was a magisterial antagonist and Ultimecia was the force driving him.
The story would have been even better if thy would have stuck with the original story with squally being dead at the end of disc one and Ultimecia is actually Ranoia
Lol 6 is my favorite FF, I got it when it released on SNES originally and can't even count how many times I've gone through it. Still like Zidane/Dagger better though.
Will always be my absolute favorite. The music, the visuals (at the time), the story, the characters, the battles, the exploring, tuning your characters, chasing down the best weapons, gfs and abilities. Just all of it is absolutely amazing and completely unforgettable. I've completed a playthrough at least once or twice every single year since it was released. Dont see myself stopping that trend anytime soon.
Wow! Absolutely fantastic recap man! Im very impressed you managed to relay the story with ease, especially during the sorceress part with the time compression, thats when VIII does become very convoluted haha. Great job! My favourite part was the ending :) Thanks!
I was 11 years old when my older cousin bought me this game. I can actually say I still have it and will always cherish it. (im 22yr old now). I ended up buying FF7 after wards, and it did not steal my heart the way FF8 did.
You played them in the wrong order my friend I love both equally, I used to watch my dad and his friend play ff7 and was fascinated by it I was too young to even read the dialogue but I observed so much just from watching they were stuck and couldn't get past the angelic version of sephiroth (didn't realise back then how much we'd missed in the game no Internet available) anyway I beat the last boss when I was around 6 years old and was bought ff8 as a present I played believing it to be a sequel to ff7 but ended up falling in love with the whole new world and the twists in the story I only got as far as the sorceress Adele because I didn't understand the junctioning system played it again in my mid to late teens and completed it properly and is still one of my favourite games of all time behind 7 I believe you have to experience 7 first to truly appreciate how good 8 is because in 1999 we'd never seen video game graphics in cutscenes like that way ahead of its time and they simply do not make music they did for video games like they did with ff8 or ff7 anymore
@@louiiliffe6093 ff7 didnt come close to ff8. Ff7 was blocky and the story was amateur , ff8 the story is finley detailed and the world open and well detailed. Squall is an orginal not some clone😂
Excellent job on covering everything in FF8! this must have taken a lot of time and effort to complete, so I thank you. It was quite nostalgic to revisit all the details of this game and now I understand it much more then I did back when I played it for the first time. Also, this was never cleared up in the game. Kiros and ward said they know who squalls parents are but they never revisited that. Are Laguna and rain his parents?
yep. hurts my heart to think about it. laguna fell in love initially with Rinoa's mother who ended up marrying colonel Caraway when laguna is injured in lunatic pandora and winds up in winhill. Laguna falls in love with Raine and its alluded that they have a child of their own in Squall. Even though the gang loses most of their memories from GF's Squall always remembers Ellone is his sis ;__;
Wonderfully done! This is my first and favorite FF game besides Tactics. I've read how people found this a ridiculous game but this summary really gives a streamlined version of the story that sounds easy to understand. I love it still. Thank you.
great job on this! Final Fantasy VI through X are still the pinnacle of storytelling and character development in games. I still fire up FFVIII every now and again.
The reason why this game is underrated is because it was ahead of its time. In the PS1 era, people would rather prefer "better equipment = better damage/higher level = stronger character" RPGs than learning something as complex as the junction/GF system. To truly appreciate this particular game, you need to dig deep -- talk to people, explore the game world, play card games, read the tutorials, and piece together information for the story to make sense. It's not going to spoon-feed you the entire story, but it's actually giving clues right from the very beginning (literally, when Squall was lying in the clinic and Ellone checks in on him). Casuals, particularly those who skip in-game dialogs and simply refer to cutscenes when comprehending the story, will never understand.
Complex doesn't mean better. It's just that people were smarter than to accept a flawed system. If you needed to do deep meditation just to play a game normally, it isn't well designed. Also, if mindlessly drawing countless magic spells is pretty much required to enjoy the game fully, it's TERRIBLY designed. I have played every FF and this one is literally the worst designed one by far, even more than FF2's deeply flawed system. I try year after year to get back into it, and trust me, I perfectly understand the junction system. I just can't get past it's poor, tedious, and convoluted design and execution.
@@javi9445 I hope you're just trolling right now because storyline and game play are two different things entirely. Plus the junction system isn't that hard to understand at all if you have an understanding past that of a 10 year old child that and people like you are the button mashers in fighting games and don't learn combos and techs because it's "overly complicated."
The story wasn't a secret love story between Rinoa and Squall. It's was about loss and gain and a young man turning into an adult and accepting those responsibilities as well has dealing with abandonment issues. Most final fantasy games stories are imbuguis not just final fantasy 8, so before you bash 8 please tell me how 1 (going into the past to maybe break the endless cycle) or final fantasy 10 (where the main character is a dream) or the fan favorite ff7 (where you're a clone of Zack which is never explained in the main story ) is better a less ambiguous story than 8. Final fantasy games leaves some of the story to the readers imagination, but ff8 doesn't spoon feed you everything so maybe that's why you despise it so much. Honestly I would want only one scene more with Squall and Laguna and have them bond more, but that's just me. It doesn't take away from the amazing story that ff8 was and how many young people relate to squall and the inner turmoil he was confronted with and how he overcomed them and grew as a character.
@@javi9445 the theme of FFVIII is love... just like the theme of FFVII is life. It's pretty obvious. Bad ass story, and decent fighting system. Played all ff series and they're all great. 8,7,6,9 stick out the most 10 is cool, everything after that is great but a new generation has taken over so a bit on the edge for me ☺
Did they eventually hook up? The lounge singer was Rinoa's mom and Raine is Ellone's and Squall's mom. I think the beauty here is that Laguna's first love that didn't work out transcribed into the lounge singer's daughter falling in love with Squall, his actual son. Beautiful story.
i hope not, if ff vii goes in the wrong direcction with the actual battle sistem i just want to stay with the nice memory of this game instead they do it again but from the wrong way, i hope you understand what i mean.
Rodrigo Campos Marambio I think one of the people at Square said something like "it would be a waste to stick with the turn-based battle system in the FF7 remake with the character models being so beautiful," which really broke my heart, because it suggests they're prioritizing _looks_ now, instead of function. The turn-based system from the past allowed us to strategize; the new system they have going on with the newer FFs and remakes is more action-based and more about button-mashing, to be honest...it's hard to get invested in any of it. So I agree with you.
If it does get a remake I hope Square enix adds the additional stuff that was supposed to go in, but they didn't have time to include due to rushing to get it out on time. I also hope they improve on the translation because a lot of the issues people have regarding Squall in the english version was due to lousy translation, Squall isn't meant to be a rude jerk, he's meant to be formally polite.
i've played this game many many times, and i never truly understood the whole time compression thing til i watched this vid lol. i knew it was squall who gave the idea to edea about founding SEED. it makes much more sense now lol.
You just took me on time-crossed journey. I went back and forth between my times as a teen playing this game (with not much thought), to now where I feel nostalgia and appreciate this game for all of its layers and beauty. Thanks for the amazing commentary, and thanks for transporting me into the past and present.
So far, FF8 is the only FF game I finished, and thus it holds a special place within me. The great soundtrack is also something I still listen to this day. HOWEVER, the things that got me really hooked to FF8 are 1) I expected Balamb Garden, a place so massive and majestic, to put up a shield or have something to destroy the nukes, but NO -- it instead uproots itself, floats and goes mobile (LOL!), and 2) the story kicks that up a notch with the Battle of the Gardens where another massive floating structure (Galbadia) rams into Balamb like two sumo wrestlers and their respective armies go to war. These were so ridiculously so badass it was epic! ...and oh, also 3) The highly addictive side quest: TRIPLE TRIAD!
Hey man I I know this is an older video, but I really appreciate the hard work you put into each video/topic. FF8 was my first Final Fantasy so I really have a strong connection to this one. Anyway, thanks again!! ♥️🎮📡
I finally completed this game during lockdown 2020 after playing it so much as a kid and never getting to the end. What a wild ride. This is my fave final fantasy gmae
What a well made, well put together, insightful and entertaining video. I fund myself with no time to replay these heartfelt classics, playthrough videos are too long, but recaps like this allow me to revisit special moments in special games and bring joy. Kudos
@@1881eagle Hated it too, what a bore! Especially because you had no way of avoiding it. I actually had a friend playing it for me, all I cared about was the story, didn't want to waste time with card games.
Triple triad was a good mechanic. Optional if you're choosy...I HATED BLITZ BALL!!!!! which was a card game BADLY hidden in a "sport" TT made sense... Kinda
This game is what I still get excited when I watch videos of it. The first FF8 game I played several years ago and it has an important place in my life.
Excellent Lore, I'm looking at your views and can only say you that you deserve so much more. I liked the video and will further share your channel with others who may be interested in such. I look forward to watching many more, as a viewer I am very interested in this type of lore video. The 1 minute lore videos don't give enough information, but yours was in my opinion, flawless. I played final fantasy 7, 9 and up, but skipped 8 unfortunately so this helped a lot. Thank you so much for your dedicated effort.
Brandon Whittaker I think almost everyone called her Kwis-tis, except for him... I can only find official pronunciation for her Japanese name though not in the English one, so you never know =p PS I've just found out her Japanese name is pronounced "Kisutisu Turipu"
Seriously? So much hate... People are always like this when it comes to Final Fantasy VIII. Everyone hates it because that is the way it was introduced to them and because they had only played Final Fantasy VII before expecting the same thing or a sequel. Final Fantasy VIII is one of the most unique games of the series, makes absolutely sense for those who say that it does not and it has some huge pros along some minor cons just like every game that it is as great as it is. To conclude, people simply have the wrong criteria when it comes to Final Fantasy VIII and simply love to hate it, do not deny it. Still (though not by far) my favorite game of the series. Now about Final Fantasy VII that everyone so much adore and compare it to Final Fantasy VIII just to "somehow make Final Fantasy VIII look bad"... I loved every part of Final Fantasy VII except for one and that is the reason it is not even among my three favorite games of the series. Everybody loves Sephiroth and so do I and I love how the story is Sephiroth centered too, but is that a good thing? It could have been if Sephiroth had any reason to be the bad guy. He chases after his false mother's dreams... Wait, what? Let me make a metaphor I usually make in order to explain Final Fantasy VII's story and then you tell me if I am wrong. It is this guy called Sephiroth, son of a lady called X and a mister called Y. He finds out that mister Y was feeding X with potatoes while she was pregnant to Sephiroth. Sephiroth is born and his is life is so that he once happens to be in a library. He there reads books... Books that teach him that mankind had a terrible fight with potatoes and mankind won. After that he also finds out that his mother X was fed potatoes when he was carried. Instantly after that he decides that he is not son of X and Y, but that he is son of the potato that X was fed and sincerely what I get from it, is that he believes that he himself is a potato... Anyway, since it is crystal clear that Sephiroth is a potato he decides to avenge his potato momma and destroy the world that once stood against his potato mom. I really, really love Final Fantasy VII and I love Sephiroth and Cloud too, I really do, but the reasoning of the game is the worst of the series (still one of the best and most emotional adventures I have ever played!!!). P.S. I am not one of the Aeris' death fans. I like more Zack's death (and the concept around it) and the amazing revelation of Cloud's false identity.
9hamos8 neither one of the stories make very much sense, but the thing about ff8 is the combat to me is more in depth. It takes more strategy choosing magic to use and junction, and with only 3 ability slots you have to make every character have a different role in battle, compared to ff7 junction a shitload of materia on every character and pretty much tank your way through the game. 7 is easy to pick up and play, 8 not so much. Both are great in their own respects. 8 is more unique while 7 is more traditional, but for me 8 will always be better than 7.
Vance Rose Found 13 to be the worst one. The Junction system in this game is actually pretty easy. It's hard if you try and gun it like the other games. This is why you pay attention to the ingame tutorials and how much the triple triad card game ties into it.
***** You do know about card mod right? I managed to get powerful spells like Flare, Tornado, Quake, and so on by just manipulating the card game and getting the spells through the GF ability system. Like take Fish Fins you can get them by killing the enemy on the beach, or you can do it the easy way that gives more in an hour of playing. Junction the magic spells you use on a regular basis is not a good idea. Regen I found was a better idea.
9:50 "Tomb of the unknown king" Sounds familiar... right? Final Fantasy Peasant was on to something when he mentioned the ring in FF8's OCCULT FAN magazine (issue III) "belonged to a royal family", and now I'm revisiting FF8 with this video and there's yet another STRIKINGLY ironic reference that may allude to Final Fantasy XV... TOMB of the unknown KING....? ...Coincidence?!
While it was not the first Final Fantasy game I ever played, it was probably, contrary to how many of my friends and others felt when it came out, my favorite. I had a lot of love for this era of JRPGs, and this was one of the ones that really cemented how I feel about the ones that came out back then. I don't really play JRPGs anymore, but I'll always have a soft spot for the old PS1 games. I did kind of forget how convoluted and weird the story gets in the second half, though, lol. Still, great game. Great recap, walked me down memory lane for a little bit.
+koushinproductions I agree with you 100%. I've tried playing titles past 10 and I just can't do it. There was something special about VII, VIII, IX, and X for me. Though, it's probably just nostalgia. Haha.
+koushinproductions Aw, that's not fair. XII may have questionable gameplay but the music was good. Hitoshi Sakimoto also scored Final Fantasy Tactics and Vagrant Story.
@@Frilleon I LOVED Chrono Trigger. :D But I was a late bloomer to the RPG genre, that with english not being my first language, and all RPGs being, well, either one of two languages I didn't speak as a kid.
I think my favorite part in the story line is that Julia is Rinoa's mother and Laguna is Squall's father. Since Laguna and Julia never got together, Squall and Rinoa do and it is like a second chance at love.
I didn't understand the story as an 11 year old.. And now as a 28 year old watching this video it's still so hard to understand.. Ahwell, still my second favourite final fantasy (behind ffix)
Excellent recap and nicely done man. Sweet high school memories. I was playing the game on PC in the middle of the night just could not stop then got scolded and had to sleep in the living room LOL ..... :) And just curious how did you make this video??
Yeah, they usually do. I work full time and spend most of my free time working on the videos. I have the equipment to record and edit, though its just me and I'm an amateur so it goes slow. I always go over the entire game, making notes along the way, then at the end I compile the notes and write up a draft, record the narration, cut snippets from the hours of footage, supplementing it with footage from elsewhere if needed (always credited in the credits), then add backing music, cut and print. I'm a one-man show so I appreciate the support and patience everyone gives me. Thanks for watching!
Thank you for the Recap. I had totally forgotten a lot of parts of the game. Man..Putting it into perspective like this, makes the game seem big and small at the same time..
Just platinum the game... This one hits home.. the first FF I played when I was in elementary school, back when life was innocent, simpler and poetic. Between all the archetypes and themes this has to be one of the greatest stories ever told and the OST just adds on to its greatness. FFVIII was alluding to time travel, quantum entanglement, the nature of consciousness as well as so many esoteric themes; a game so ahead of its time. Please Square, issue a Remake. I’ll wait twice as long as VII Remake.
my first rpg and first ff. this will always be number 1 for me. I love it so much! the characters, music, and gameplay were all great to me. wish it would get a remake as well. It does need some tweaks to the story. I would have only squall and seifer come from the orphanage and have the others with different back stories. I also would have made adel to be the final villain of disc 3 and 4. other than that, everything else is great 😉😉😉
Amazing quality and commentary! I've been wanting to re-play this game but do not have access to a PS1 or PC. Your videos allowed me to relive the amazing story. Thanks!!
i started playing it again shortly after beating ffvx royal edition that came out earlier this year. 20 years later and it still holds up. hands down my fave ff game to date
is it just me or are these graphics waaayyy better than the original... I'm playing it on my ps3 with the smoothing effect on and this still looks better
+Daniel Robinson Good eye, this is the PC version wherein they sharpened the models. It's funny because the pre-rendered backgrounds are the originals so the modern models really stick out.
Final fantasy 8 was my first game in the series. Never finished it cause I was a kid but have the remastered on my PS4 so I'll be getting back into it.
that depends. 7 = self discovery/go green(maybe?) 8 = live your life to its fullest, no regrets 9 = home is where the heart is. 10 - love the people around you, help others they all make their points and they all do it well
this is the first final fantasy i played and will forever have a special place in my heart.
+Joel Sydrich Im glad im not the only one!
+Joel Sydrich same here
+Joel Sydrich same here, still playing it on ps3
Same here too! Played this one before ff7. Loved ff7 but this one blew me away, one of the most epic endings ever. I still reload and play Ultimecias' castle , the last battle one of the most epic ever. Did you all find and beat Omega Weapon???
Paul Beykirch no... I beat ultimate weapon and got Eden though!
This is amazing, the reason I'm writing this comment is because i understand how hard must be to put all these together, you did a terrific job.
+Royner Hernández Thanks! I'm glad it helped!
I was 11 when I played this game, I had to play it with a dictionary by my side and I had literally hundreds of hours in the game because I missed the dialogs and had to talk with every npc trying to find out what to do. I didn't had internet or magazines to help me, and I played it for years like that. Eventually I reached Ultimecia's castle but never managed to defeat her.
I started a new game last month and managed to finish the game last night. I was caught by surprise with my feelings when I started to realize I never knew what happened in the end of the game. I watched the whole thing with tears in my eyes, and the credit scenes made me smile in a way I felt like I was watching a footage of old friends having fun. I was really happy about that. It sounds silly, but I had to share this. lol
It’s not silly. Those are the things that make life worth living
Gay lol.
Yeah nah I feel you man, I did the same thing back then with no internet to help etc. Was difficult. I did end up finishing it, though I didn't fully understand the story past Esther ad it became super confusing with the sorsceresses and going back in time, and when they threw Adele into the mix etc.
Was good to see a coherent refresher that explains it well.
I couldn't finish the game cause I didnt know that if you defeat the bosses in her castle you unlock your fighting abilities.
Took me a few months of trying to kill her, but i managed somehow to do it 😂😂😂
IT took me 20 long years to realize that Laguna is Squall's Dad. Laguna and Julia love that never happens, actually happens in the next generation with Rinoa and Squall
Such a beautiful aspect of the whole story.
i never realized Laguna was Squall's dad until i just watched this video. is Rinoa Julia's daughter? i beat this game back in the day on ps1, but im replaying it on steam. im only at the part where Selphie has to stop the nukes from hitting Balamb garden. i like the story. i just wish it wasnt so confusing, cause it makes me have to use a walkthru at times to figure out where to go next.
Yes, rinoa heartilly is the daughter of Julia heartilly
Wow man that's crazy! One of the main themes of the game is that you can't undo the past and Squall and Rinoa are literally getting the chance that Laguna and Julia never had.
Same and realised that Cid was probably Seifer's father too
I could never wrap my mind about how the entire game is a never-ending time loop that starts when Edea inherits Ultimecia's power. Because of that incident, she founds Garden to fight that very sorceress, which ends in her following Squall through time compression and dying, where Edea once again inherits her powers. I wonder if the number 8, being turned on it's side to represent the symbol of infinity, was a basis for the storyline.
Model Human Great question! Hopefully they remake it to bring out the game's full potential!
The game isn't a time-loop, time moves linearly in FF8 despite Squall and Co jumping into the future. It only seems confusing because of the time jumping. Everything that happens up until Lunatic Pandora and defeating Adel happens in real time in Squall's present day. Once they defeat Adel, Ultimecia then possesses Rinoa. Ellone sends the two of them into the mind of past Adel so that Ultimecia can cast Time Compression, which she does. Time compression has been cast, but Ellone cuts Ultimecia off from the spell, before it can be complete and fracture time itself, into little pieces of set time. Rinoa's mind returns to the present while Ultimecia returns to her time. Immediately Squall and his party jump to the future using the Time compression spell which has been partially cast and has weakened the barriers between past, present, and future, essentially they Ultimecia's own spell against her.
This is the really important bit -
1. The party jumped into the future to defeat Ultimecia. Therefore as far as time is concerned this fight happens wayyyyyy in the future, in Ultimecia's time period as a matter of fact which is longggggg after Squall and everyone we know is already dead.
2 For Laguna in Squall's time, because these events happened in the future, and time can only flow toward that future event, very little time would have passed at all.
3. Squall would have jumped to the future and then immediately popped back having defeated Ultimecia. Ultimecia's death happens later on in the timeline, and because events can only happen in order, Squall exists before Ultimecia does in the timeline, therefore he must return from her future longgggg before that future battle can actually take place in that same timeline.
^^ Does this make sense - He must come back first, because Ultimecia's present day, takes place long after Squall's present.
4. We the gamer got to take that jump into the future, with the party. For everyone else in his time, he would just pop back immediately having won. Time compression seeing the spell wasn't finished casting, would unravel, and the barriers between the time periods would start to start to reform and stabilize.
5. Hurray evil defeated, problem solved. The only major difference is Edea would go from having no sorceress power, to having newly gained sorceress power by time compression's end. Ultimecia gave her powers to Edea while time compression was still unraveling therefore Edea kept her sorceress power, after time compression ended. Therefore Edea and Rinoa are both sorceresses in modern day again. Unless of course the sorceress line is broken through Ultimecia giving her power to someone from a previous time period, ending their line permanently. I guess it's unknown if Edea would take it on.
6. Hurray. Everyone goes off to throw a party, the one we see in the ending movie.
7. Life goes on.
8. Centuries Later (because time is linear so we have to wait for the timeline to reach Ultimecia, which is long after the main party are dead) Ultimecia rises, comes to power, and using junction machine Ellone starts messing with the past and through this she interacts with Squall's timeline
9. Thanks to Ellone, Ultimecia manages to cast time compression.
10. In response Squall and his party jump to Ultimecia's time and kill her, this is when the huge battle and all of that stuff with time compression unraveling around them, happens. Squall wins, time compression starts to unravel and the party returns to their own time.
Despite the fact time compression was cast incomplete, the whole thing lasts for very little time at all. Just long enough for Squall and Ultimecia to wind up in the past and tell Edea to build garden, and for the sorceress power to pass on, but once Squall reaches his own time period again time would have resumed as normal.
11. So Squall and Ultimecia get lost on the way and detour by accident into the past where they meet past Edea, who Ultimecia then is forced to give her sorceress power to.
12. Ultimecia dies, Squall returns to his own time and everyone chucks that party.
So you see despite the fact that the party jumps to the future, and Squall goes to the past with Ultimecia etc, all of the events still happen in order of past, present and then the future, so it doesn't create a time loop for this reason.
but why was seed formed in the first place if not for squall?
mdb45424 Seed is formed because of Squall. He and Ultimecia end up in the past by accident where Ultimecia gives up her power, and Edea is given the idea to build Garden by these events. Therefore Squall affects the past by accident, through wandering too far in time, the important thing is the spell, the spell was unraveling when Squall made his detour, and it is reason he can affect the past. Squall creates a set moment in time, and this is why Edea in present day is aware of, and that is why garden exists in the present day. Yes he went back during time compression to create a fixed moment in time. However time at that point wasn't flowing in any direction, because past, present, and future didn't exist anymore, time was trying to correct itself and return to normal as the spell unraveled. It isn't until the barriers return to normal, that time returns to how it has always worked in ff8. Therefore Edea remembers it during the game, and Garden is still built before the main story starts, because time isn't fixed relative to where Squall is in time, when he effects the past, while being lost in time.
When the spell is over the barriers return to normal and stabilise, so time at that moment becomes fixed once more, this is what makes ff8 not a time loop, because the spell creates the opportunity to change the past, but only during that moment when time isn't fixed, and once time compression is completely undone, time continues in the ff8 world, as it did before Ultimecia ever cast the spell to disrupt the flow of time.
The only potential difference created in Squall's present day, is with Edea and whether she's a sorceress, or the sorceress line was broken by Ultimecia giving the sorceress power from her present day, to Edea who exists generations in the past. I don't know the answer to that, but the Ultimania hints that maybe Ultimecia ended the sorceress line for good at that point. I hope this comment made a bit more sense this time ^^
Have a garden that floating around is the most awesome thing
I'm just happy that there are so many people like this FF8 as much as I do
Me too brother. Me too :)
hell yeah... best one i think... well 7 and 8 are very close... i just replayed 8 for the first time in many years... was so good, i was sad to finish it.
FF 8 definitely the only game i was super sad to beat!
This FF8? There's more than one?
Dude it's clearly the best FF game free.
Does anyoen else pronounce Quistis as "Kwiss-tess"?
+Kelly Eden Yes, though I'm not sure how correct it is or not. That was driving me nuts either way.
I did😁
Yes yes yes!!! It's Quistis Trepe not Kisstes.
+Kelly Eden yes. Just yes. x.x
+Kelly Eden I used to for years as well, but then learned the literal romanji translation when researching an official pronunciation.
One marvels at how the FF8 production team could have come up with and realized such an incredibly complicated plot so quickly after FF7.
From 6 to 10 was a golden run of fantastic storytelling in gaming.
To this day, 4 - 10 are still the best Final Fantasies imo. Enix got a lot right with 12, some people love 13, but they never really succeeded in infusing their games with the charm that the original Squaresoft team did.
Not to mention craft a far more graphically advanced game in such a short time as well.
Yo seriously it was my favorite for forever but now that I'm older I finally appreciate what really happened in this game.
@@cigh7445 Yep. Totally agree. It was their prime time and gernerally one of the few brightest storytelling stars in gaming history
Also, does anyone else think that Headmaster Cid looks a bit like Robin Williams?
completely
WHat's this about Robby Willum Ha-Ho
abaolutely
I think that's a pretty common consensus, so yes.
It's also worth noting that Robin Williams was a video games fan. He named his daughter Zelda !
When the battle music came on, I remembered watching my mom play this when I was young. I couldn't understand what was going on but I helped her strategize each battle.So that took me back.
+Alix Human Reminds me of my mother watchin me doing the chocobo quest in FF9, she really liked it and tried to help me. Good old times
Alexandria Frandsen you really must play it!
Awesome how ur mom was playin this. xD. My mom doesnt game :O
Such a strange sounding comment nowadays, but back then girls played games more, I believe.
I know my sister's liked 'em.
Wholesome AF
This game was my gate to Final Fantasy world and RPG genre, I'll never forget those days as long as I breath..
Same here 😊
loved this game...my favorite🙂
omg no way, im from that same orphanage too!!!
Same.
SyntheticLTD OMG guys, me too! I member us all making memes together and watching Flapjack.
It's all coming back to me!
Me too, remember we just to fool around in the locker room? wanna hook up again?
The only thing I didn't like was when Irvine was like "Oh I knew that, I just didn't say anything cuz you seemed unsure"
My brother finished the game one time. He liked it a lot. Then he found a guide and realised that he finished the game but didn't find half the content of it. So he played again, and again, and again until he got this game with all done, cards, swords, summons, all. Conclusion: This game is addictive.
+Erick Rodríguez I remember that about the old games, especially the Final Fantasy games. As a kid hearing about all these hidden items and weapons you felt like there were all these secrets to be found.
+Daniel Ramirez Now a days it's just 'go from a to b. congratulations you win.'
+Erick Rodríguez Rip lyfe
+John Schneider I wouldn't necessarily say that but now there will be 10 videos from some TH-camr on your feed spoiling all the hidden items.
Erick Rodríguez Yes Im Guilty Of The Same Crime. Haha I Wished TH-cam Was Around Back Then .
My takeaway is that Ultamecia was ultimately (no pun intended) obsessed with the death (or the finite condition of life) and wished to control time out of fear. In her fear she never truly lived and when she was destroyed came to that realization (as per her strange final words).
For Squall he was essentially following a route where he was wasting his finite time dwelling on the past (the part of time you have the least control over) and ignoring the happiness that was (sometimes literally) poking him in the chest. Seeing Ultamecia and what she had become in her obsession with averting the inevitable shook him out of his own obsession.
For the players the story basically boils down to this: Don't waste your time in fear of the future, and being ruled by your past because "time will not wait for you, even if you cling to it, It slips away the instant you open your hands, And…"
Great summary!
today i felt nostalgic and thought about playing ff8. it was my favorite FF because of the story line. i wanted to relive the story but didnt want to spend countless hours to get the feel. then i discovered your video. thanks man. i had a rough day today but for the 30 minutes this video made it all the better. thanks!
I loved this.
This is how I stumbled on his channel & now I’m here almost nightly!
This was my first Final Fantasy, so all the love VII gets is cool but this one has my heart.
I'm the same way, honestly I think 8 is a better game anyways. But my first final fantasy will always be my favorite, 8,10 and 15 are the best. Honorable mention of FF2 and FF4 though :)
David White I stated on ff6 as the first one I played as 3 on the snes... and this is still my favorite one.
David White same here. Sigh...the memories.
Ah, Selphie...before "selfies" were a thing. lol
+Andrew W And... Ironically, Selphie is totally the type of "ditsy" girl who would be taking "selfies" all the time...
+Andrew W that's what was thinking!
coolguy32 :D
I used to want to name my daughter after her, would be an awful name though >_>
+Andrew W heyyy, your that guy from the School Days video, lol
honestly as a teenager i played this game not knowing what the hell was going on. lol I just remembered so many stuff happening. I loved the game so much because how much the story changed.
Es el problema de jugar en ingles cuando sos chico, por mas que sepas bastante te perdes gran parte de la historia jaja
My favorite Final fantasy of all time. Yeah I'm one of those guys.
A youtube podcaster who can talk without sounding like a hyper ventilating 13 year old so I can revisit these games without having to tolerate the slow ass battle system. You are a rare breed.
Played this game more than 10 years ago. Now I am a mother in age of 34 and enjoying this clip cause it put everything together amazingly💖💖💖. Wish a written text attached to the video😍
2021: there are CC that are very accurate.
@@RobMedellin Fiiiiiiithos..... Luuuuuuusec
I think there should be a prequel of this game where we play as Laguna, Kiros and Ward and it tells their story of how they went from being Galbadian soldiers to eventually overthrowing and trapping Sorceress Adel and becoming the rulers of Esthar. Seriously, why haven't they made a game about that?? It sounds very interesting. Plus, there are so many prequels and sequels to other FF games and FF8 has NONE.
final fantasy 8 was crazy colorful and fuckin amazin with the graphics for its time back then
Really? FF7's *GRAPHICS* were better? Graphic DESIGN maybe, but not graphics. FF7's graphics was weird, bulky and sectioned.
I meant FF.
Editing that now:
Ok.
Just to make sure you don't misunderstand what I meant, I meant that if we transplanted 8 style graphics over 7, and vice versa, the 8 graphics would look better.
Dude no joke, when FF8 came out it was sporting the top of the line graphics at the time.
It was the ultimate Playstation game at the time. The hype was insane. It was like, Nintenwho? There was a couple of years and games when Square just left everybody in their dust, to be honest. VII, VIII and IX were stupendous games then and are still classics. They had amazing graphics for the time but the style and attention to detail was unique. They actually had artistic flair which you have to say was pretty rare among original Playstation games.
this is a special relation i have with this game compared with other games. without hesitation i can say it is my absolute alltime favourite game ever. i grew up with this game and played it as long as i can actually really think and i dare to say that it shaped a lot my point of view and my personality ever since. still got my first 4 disks from 1999 and they work just fine, although they are almost two decades old. talk about quality~
since then i've played this game every year at least once and it never gets old to me.
I share the same sentiment with you. Still have the original discs as well. However during the scenes where you can control the character during the FMV, my ps2 struggles to load everything.
thats great!..i wish i still had my original disc, i have the greatest hits disc though...however the case, this is my favorite game ever🙂
What a convoluted story! I've watched almost all of your recap videos and I just wanted to say thanks for covering all of these entries in the FF franchise. I don't have time to go through and actually play them all but I find the stories fascinating; and you recapping them all for me has allowed me to appreciate how wonderfully crafted all of these games are. Thanks again!
Do you think the real reason Irvine was struggling with shooting the sorceress was because he recognized her as Matron? He does claim that he "always gets these jitters" even though he acts all confident. But could he have just been lying there to cover up the fact that he remembered his childhood when all the other orphans couldn't for some reason?
+Bill Sutherby Very true, I believe you are correct. Irvine is very confident with his sharp shooting abilities but he struggled to shoot Edea. He agreed to do it because that was his mission. During the lengthly cut scene in the basketball court at Trabia Garden, he even says to Quistis and Selphie that he remembered everything when they first met but didnt share it as he was surprised they didnt recognise him.
+Bill Sutherby Never thought of this one!
+Bill Sutherby wow, didnt think of that!
If i remember correctly irvine does remember or at least more than the others. He was sent to a different garden and doesn't really use GF which is the reason for everyone's memory loss.
etherealnine
Yeah, Irvine hasn't lost any memories. He knows whol Squall and all the rest are, Including Matron.
i think Final Fantasy VIII is one of the best of the series... story is great...characters amazing , guardian force system ,crafting system ...top in the series...i wish square would remake ff viii
Have played through FFVIII at least 5-6 times. It was so nice to enjoy the whole experience again with narration :) I can't imagine how long this took, but well done good sir! Subscriber earned!
Definitely one of my all-time favorite games. Loved the cast of characters, artistic direction, gameplay, atmosphere, story, and soundtrack. All were executed masterfully. This is one game I hope never gets a remake. I don't think it would be possible to make one that would meet, let alone exceed the original in terms of quality. Sure, the graphics and sound would be higher quality but the balance of all aspects of the original game was masterfully crafted by a company that was at it's peak at the time. Duplicating those conditions would be extremely difficult, if not impossible.
I've played FFVIII like five times, all when I was younger, and I didn't pick up on Squall being Laguna's son. I was such a stupid kid.
I just watched this video, and had the same reaction. I mastered this game, got literally everything and maxed everything... Yet, had no idea that Laguna was Squall's father.
That's crazy, haha. It's why the Moomba's call him Laguna when they're locked in the underground prison.
Played it multiple times, never picked up on it either when I was a kid. When the Moomba called Squall "Laguna" I was just assuming they could tell the similarities or characteristics between the two, but I never put that together. I've heard of others also just figuring it out too, and it is so funny how easily we missed this obvious fact. Haha! I love this game so much. Number 1 favorite FF title.
How clear is it? They should've made a bigger deal of it. And what relevance is it to the story?
It's pretty clear, and it's kinda important to the story since the whole idea is that Squall x Rinoa is fulfilling the unfulfilled love of Laguna and Julia (since Julia's daughter is Rinoa and Laguna's son is Squall)
Although FF8 was and still is my favorite FF game, it had one of the most complicated story imo. Thanks for explaining the story for me. I appreciate it!
First half of the game was dope, then once they got to the city that Laguna is the president of, shit started getting hard to follow.
@@eskimocheeks9911
It's not that difficult actually. To summarize in short:
Ultimecia is in the future and uses a machine to influence our present day. She needs a powerful sorceress to cast the time compression, that being Adel. Group let's her do it but stops her in between. Time and world is not messed up enough to actually get 'destroyed' but enough for the characters to pass through time, reach Ultimecia and defeat her.
FFVIII had some of the greatest characters in the series. The introductory scene is etched into my memory. Seifer was a magisterial antagonist and Ultimecia was the force driving him.
My first FF I played and most beloved romantic story...
The story would have been even better if thy would have stuck with the original story with squally being dead at the end of disc one and Ultimecia is actually Ranoia
+The Spit Dragon (Spitty) it was pretty weak but had potential
FF9 for best love story. That game is heartbreaking
Lol 6 is my favorite FF, I got it when it released on SNES originally and can't even count how many times I've gone through it. Still like Zidane/Dagger better though.
dreamerdragon me tooooo.
Someone put me in contact with the author of this story, because I need to start smoking what they got.
Will always be my absolute favorite. The music, the visuals (at the time), the story, the characters, the battles, the exploring, tuning your characters, chasing down the best weapons, gfs and abilities. Just all of it is absolutely amazing and completely unforgettable. I've completed a playthrough at least once or twice every single year since it was released. Dont see myself stopping that trend anytime soon.
Wow! Absolutely fantastic recap man! Im very impressed you managed to relay the story with ease, especially during the sorceress part with the time compression, thats when VIII does become very convoluted haha. Great job! My favourite part was the ending :)
Thanks!
This was probably my favourite final fantasy. To play and the story.
What's really a mind blowing fact in this game's story is that it ended before it actually began.
King Sora2XXX more or less the game was never played at all
My favorite game of all-time.
I was 11 years old when my older cousin bought me this game. I can actually say I still have it and will always cherish it. (im 22yr old now). I ended up buying FF7 after wards, and it did not steal my heart the way FF8 did.
You played them in the wrong order my friend I love both equally, I used to watch my dad and his friend play ff7 and was fascinated by it I was too young to even read the dialogue but I observed so much just from watching they were stuck and couldn't get past the angelic version of sephiroth (didn't realise back then how much we'd missed in the game no Internet available) anyway I beat the last boss when I was around 6 years old and was bought ff8 as a present I played believing it to be a sequel to ff7 but ended up falling in love with the whole new world and the twists in the story I only got as far as the sorceress Adele because I didn't understand the junctioning system played it again in my mid to late teens and completed it properly and is still one of my favourite games of all time behind 7 I believe you have to experience 7 first to truly appreciate how good 8 is because in 1999 we'd never seen video game graphics in cutscenes like that way ahead of its time and they simply do not make music they did for video games like they did with ff8 or ff7 anymore
@@louiiliffe6093 ff7 didnt come close to ff8. Ff7 was blocky and the story was amateur , ff8 the story is finley detailed and the world open and well detailed. Squall is an orginal not some clone😂
I think the only reason Squall is "anti-social" is because they didn't bother to translate his dialogue and left it blank, "..."
Terrakinetic 6 yea i think he related to red from pokemon
😃
The term is asocial.
Excellent job on covering everything in FF8! this must have taken a lot of time and effort to complete, so I thank you. It was quite nostalgic to revisit all the details of this game and now I understand it much more then I did back when I played it for the first time.
Also, this was never cleared up in the game. Kiros and ward said they know who squalls parents are but they never revisited that. Are Laguna and rain his parents?
+Kelly Eden I reckon it is. And that's why Squall and Ellone were close. He was left in the orphanage alone while she was protected by laguna i think
Probably
Uh, the moombas, calling squall laguna, the people remarking on their resemblance.
yep. hurts my heart to think about it. laguna fell in love initially with Rinoa's mother who ended up marrying colonel Caraway when laguna is injured in lunatic pandora and winds up in winhill. Laguna falls in love with Raine and its alluded that they have a child of their own in Squall. Even though the gang loses most of their memories from GF's Squall always remembers Ellone is his sis ;__;
@@jonathan119933 played this when I was a kid and I just learnt something new... Mind blown
Wonderfully done! This is my first and favorite FF game besides Tactics. I've read how people found this a ridiculous game but this summary really gives a streamlined version of the story that sounds easy to understand. I love it still. Thank you.
After watching Clement's retrospective on FFVIII, I found out that Ray Chase: voice of Noctis from FFXV... Likes FFV and FFVIII as his favorites.
Thanks for allowing me to relive my 8th grade year of glorious gaming
great job on this! Final Fantasy VI through X are still the pinnacle of storytelling and character development in games. I still fire up FFVIII every now and again.
The reason why this game is underrated is because it was ahead of its time. In the PS1 era, people would rather prefer "better equipment = better damage/higher level = stronger character" RPGs than learning something as complex as the junction/GF system. To truly appreciate this particular game, you need to dig deep -- talk to people, explore the game world, play card games, read the tutorials, and piece together information for the story to make sense. It's not going to spoon-feed you the entire story, but it's actually giving clues right from the very beginning (literally, when Squall was lying in the clinic and Ellone checks in on him). Casuals, particularly those who skip in-game dialogs and simply refer to cutscenes when comprehending the story, will never understand.
Complex doesn't mean better. It's just that people were smarter than to accept a flawed system. If you needed to do deep meditation just to play a game normally, it isn't well designed. Also, if mindlessly drawing countless magic spells is pretty much required to enjoy the game fully, it's TERRIBLY designed. I have played every FF and this one is literally the worst designed one by far, even more than FF2's deeply flawed system. I try year after year to get back into it, and trust me, I perfectly understand the junction system. I just can't get past it's poor, tedious, and convoluted design and execution.
@@javi9445 I hope you're just trolling right now because storyline and game play are two different things entirely. Plus the junction system isn't that hard to understand at all if you have an understanding past that of a 10 year old child that and people like you are the button mashers in fighting games and don't learn combos and techs because it's "overly complicated."
The story wasn't a secret love story between Rinoa and Squall. It's was about loss and gain and a young man turning into an adult and accepting those responsibilities as well has dealing with abandonment issues. Most final fantasy games stories are imbuguis not just final fantasy 8, so before you bash 8 please tell me how 1 (going into the past to maybe break the endless cycle) or final fantasy 10 (where the main character is a dream) or the fan favorite ff7 (where you're a clone of Zack which is never explained in the main story ) is better a less ambiguous story than 8. Final fantasy games leaves some of the story to the readers imagination, but ff8 doesn't spoon feed you everything so maybe that's why you despise it so much. Honestly I would want only one scene more with Squall and Laguna and have them bond more, but that's just me. It doesn't take away from the amazing story that ff8 was and how many young people relate to squall and the inner turmoil he was confronted with and how he overcomed them and grew as a character.
@@javi9445 the theme of FFVIII is love... just like the theme of FFVII is life. It's pretty obvious. Bad ass story, and decent fighting system. Played all ff series and they're all great. 8,7,6,9 stick out the most 10 is cool, everything after that is great but a new generation has taken over so a bit on the edge for me ☺
And the fact that in the end Laguna and the lounge singer finally hook up, their destiny fullfilled in the next generation. Squall and Rinoa.
Did they eventually hook up? The lounge singer was Rinoa's mom and Raine is Ellone's and Squall's mom.
I think the beauty here is that Laguna's first love that didn't work out transcribed into the lounge singer's daughter falling in love with Squall, his actual son. Beautiful story.
Final Fantasy VIII is always my favourite. Thanks for the video
With the FF7 remake in the works, I hope this gets a remake too eventually.
i hope not, if ff vii goes in the wrong direcction with the actual battle sistem i just want to stay with the nice memory of this game instead they do it again but from the wrong way, i hope you understand what i mean.
Rodrigo Campos Marambio I think one of the people at Square said something like "it would be a waste to stick with the turn-based battle system in the FF7 remake with the character models being so beautiful," which really broke my heart, because it suggests they're prioritizing _looks_ now, instead of function. The turn-based system from the past allowed us to strategize; the new system they have going on with the newer FFs and remakes is more action-based and more about button-mashing, to be honest...it's hard to get invested in any of it. So I agree with you.
If it does get a remake I hope Square enix adds the additional stuff that was supposed to go in, but they didn't have time to include due to rushing to get it out on time. I also hope they improve on the translation because a lot of the issues people have regarding Squall in the english version was due to lousy translation, Squall isn't meant to be a rude jerk, he's meant to be formally polite.
So, from what I understand reading last month, the intention is to be able swap settings between TBS, ABS, and RTBS.
@@kmel090389 you're absolutely right🙂
Call me a wuss but i kinda liked how this ff was a romance
Love is part of life, nothing to be a wuss about that.
Chicken Wuss.
FF8 main theme is Love. Fatherly love, sibling love, unrequited love(keep trying Fuujin), motherly love, love triangle.
This FF is my favorite exactly for this reason
@@fazbadbadri1046 Love boat.
i've played this game many many times, and i never truly understood the whole time compression thing til i watched this vid lol. i knew it was squall who gave the idea to edea about founding SEED. it makes much more sense now lol.
+Ricky Esney you're not the only one. It took me several years and several replay to understand it. LoL
This was probably the most I've ever understood wtf was going on. Thank you so much
You just took me on time-crossed journey. I went back and forth between my times as a teen playing this game (with not much thought), to now where I feel nostalgia and appreciate this game for all of its layers and beauty. Thanks for the amazing commentary, and thanks for transporting me into the past and present.
So far, FF8 is the only FF game I finished, and thus it holds a special place within me. The great soundtrack is also something I still listen to this day. HOWEVER, the things that got me really hooked to FF8 are 1) I expected Balamb Garden, a place so massive and majestic, to put up a shield or have something to destroy the nukes, but NO -- it instead uproots itself, floats and goes mobile (LOL!), and 2) the story kicks that up a notch with the Battle of the Gardens where another massive floating structure (Galbadia) rams into Balamb like two sumo wrestlers and their respective armies go to war. These were so ridiculously so badass it was epic!
...and oh, also 3) The highly addictive side quest: TRIPLE TRIAD!
i know that ff VII fans will kill me, but ithink this game (FFVIII) is a way better than ff VII
Hey man I I know this is an older video, but I really appreciate the hard work you put into each video/topic. FF8 was my first Final Fantasy so I really have a strong connection to this one. Anyway, thanks again!! ♥️🎮📡
I finally completed this game during lockdown 2020 after playing it so much as a kid and never getting to the end. What a wild ride. This is my fave final fantasy gmae
What a well made, well put together, insightful and entertaining video.
I fund myself with no time to replay these heartfelt classics, playthrough videos are too long, but recaps like this allow me to revisit special moments in special games and bring joy.
Kudos
My fave FF of all time. Thanks for this vid.
One of my favorite Final fantasy games , I finished it completely, excellent video.
Triple triad is my favorite part of this game.
Love it!
OST also kicks ass
Loved triple triad! My only wish is that every final fantasy game came with it
Hated it.Plus, same, random. Rules being transferred to other areas.
@@1881eagle You just weren't smart enough for it.
@@1881eagle Hated it too, what a bore! Especially because you had no way of avoiding it. I actually had a friend playing it for me, all I cared about was the story, didn't want to waste time with card games.
Triple triad was a good mechanic. Optional if you're choosy...I HATED BLITZ BALL!!!!! which was a card game BADLY hidden in a "sport"
TT made sense... Kinda
This game is what I still get excited when I watch videos of it. The first FF8 game I played several years ago and it has an important place in my life.
Excellent Lore, I'm looking at your views and can only say you that you deserve so much more. I liked the video and will further share your channel with others who may be interested in such. I look forward to watching many more, as a viewer I am very interested in this type of lore video. The 1 minute lore videos don't give enough information, but yours was in my opinion, flawless. I played final fantasy 7, 9 and up, but skipped 8 unfortunately so this helped a lot. Thank you so much for your dedicated effort.
Lol, "Kiss-tis" sounds so weird to me, I thought it was always pronounced "Kwis-tis"
Same here :)
Brandon Whittaker I think almost everyone called her Kwis-tis, except for him... I can only find official pronunciation for her Japanese name though not in the English one, so you never know =p
PS I've just found out her Japanese name is pronounced "Kisutisu Turipu"
+Malek Badareen Kisutisu. So the Japanese intended for her to be called Kistis in English. So he's...not wrong. o.O
lol same here
I always pronounced it Kee-stis
Still the greatest game I have ever played :'(
Play more than one
Play final fantasy 7
The was and still is epic and I wish they would remake it for xbox 360, that would be awesome since the ps1 is no longer on the market.
Since this one was my first on the series.. my mind says FF7 is the perfect game. But my heart would go with FF8.
This brought back so many fond memories of my childhood. Thank you for this!
This is my absolute favorite Final Fantasy story. Thank you for such a thorough cover. You did it justice.
my favorite rpg ever. on play through now. ive always enjoyed how it wasnt as cartoony as the others. more mature
Seriously? So much hate...
People are always like this when it comes to Final Fantasy VIII. Everyone hates it because that is the way it was introduced to them and because they had only played Final Fantasy VII before expecting the same thing or a sequel. Final Fantasy VIII is one of the most unique games of the series, makes absolutely sense for those who say that it does not and it has some huge pros along some minor cons just like every game that it is as great as it is.
To conclude, people simply have the wrong criteria when it comes to Final Fantasy VIII and simply love to hate it, do not deny it. Still (though not by far) my favorite game of the series.
Now about Final Fantasy VII that everyone so much adore and compare it to Final Fantasy VIII just to "somehow make Final Fantasy VIII look bad"...
I loved every part of Final Fantasy VII except for one and that is the reason it is not even among my three favorite games of the series. Everybody loves Sephiroth and so do I and I love how the story is Sephiroth centered too, but is that a good thing? It could have been if Sephiroth had any reason to be the bad guy. He chases after his false mother's dreams... Wait, what? Let me make a metaphor I usually make in order to explain Final Fantasy VII's story and then you tell me if I am wrong.
It is this guy called Sephiroth, son of a lady called X and a mister called Y. He finds out that mister Y was feeding X with potatoes while she was pregnant to Sephiroth. Sephiroth is born and his is life is so that he once happens to be in a library. He there reads books... Books that teach him that mankind had a terrible fight with potatoes and mankind won. After that he also finds out that his mother X was fed potatoes when he was carried. Instantly after that he decides that he is not son of X and Y, but that he is son of the potato that X was fed and sincerely what I get from it, is that he believes that he himself is a potato...
Anyway, since it is crystal clear that Sephiroth is a potato he decides to avenge his potato momma and destroy the world that once stood against his potato mom.
I really, really love Final Fantasy VII and I love Sephiroth and Cloud too, I really do, but the reasoning of the game is the worst of the series (still one of the best and most emotional adventures I have ever played!!!).
P.S. I am not one of the Aeris' death fans. I like more Zack's death (and the concept around it) and the amazing revelation of Cloud's false identity.
9hamos8 neither one of the stories make very much sense, but the thing about ff8 is the combat to me is more in depth. It takes more strategy choosing magic to use and junction, and with only 3 ability slots you have to make every character have a different role in battle, compared to ff7 junction a shitload of materia on every character and pretty much tank your way through the game. 7 is easy to pick up and play, 8 not so much. Both are great in their own respects. 8 is more unique while 7 is more traditional, but for me 8 will always be better than 7.
Visually more mature maybe. The plot is a Saturday morning cartoon of nonsense though. FFVI, VII, and IX made way more sense.
Vance Rose Found 13 to be the worst one. The Junction system in this game is actually pretty easy. It's hard if you try and gun it like the other games. This is why you pay attention to the ingame tutorials and how much the triple triad card game ties into it.
*****
You do know about card mod right? I managed to get powerful spells like Flare, Tornado, Quake, and so on by just manipulating the card game and getting the spells through the GF ability system. Like take Fish Fins you can get them by killing the enemy on the beach, or you can do it the easy way that gives more in an hour of playing.
Junction the magic spells you use on a regular basis is not a good idea. Regen I found was a better idea.
well done my friend well done .I actually watch the whole thing
9:50 "Tomb of the unknown king"
Sounds familiar... right?
Final Fantasy Peasant was on to something when he mentioned
the ring in FF8's OCCULT FAN magazine (issue III) "belonged to a royal family",
and now I'm revisiting FF8 with this video and there's yet another STRIKINGLY
ironic reference that may allude to Final Fantasy XV... TOMB of the unknown KING....?
...Coincidence?!
such a great connection!!!
0_0
I've played this beginning to end 4 times and I never knew about some of those tidbits! Thank you very much for making the story so much more clear!
While it was not the first Final Fantasy game I ever played, it was probably, contrary to how many of my friends and others felt when it came out, my favorite. I had a lot of love for this era of JRPGs, and this was one of the ones that really cemented how I feel about the ones that came out back then. I don't really play JRPGs anymore, but I'll always have a soft spot for the old PS1 games.
I did kind of forget how convoluted and weird the story gets in the second half, though, lol. Still, great game. Great recap, walked me down memory lane for a little bit.
for explaining the story of my favorite game you get a new subscriber
I don't even know you, but just for having FF8 as your favorite game I already respect you a lot :)
Nobuo Uematsu's music is what makes Final Fantasy for me. After FFX the series went to shit.
+koushinproductions I agree with you 100%. I've tried playing titles past 10 and I just can't do it. There was something special about VII, VIII, IX, and X for me. Though, it's probably just nostalgia. Haha.
you are right... but i actually enjoyed XII
+koushinproductions Aw, that's not fair. XII may have questionable gameplay but the music was good. Hitoshi Sakimoto also scored Final Fantasy Tactics and Vagrant Story.
+koushinproductions XII and XIV are great, XI and XIII are a niche pleasure but they are not shit.
+Choupetto you clearly have not paid enough attention to the newer games music
Ahhh... That ONE game that fueled my immense and insatiable passion for time travel story themes...
Keep that fire fueled, brother!
Go play Chrono Trigger if you haven’t
@@Frilleon I LOVED Chrono Trigger. :D But I was a late bloomer to the RPG genre, that with english not being my first language, and all RPGs being, well, either one of two languages I didn't speak as a kid.
I love time travel movies, I wonder if this game fueled that for me too
This is too Gooooood thank you for putting so much heart behind this channel 😁🤙🏻
this is one of the best games of all time. I've replayed this game probably around 9 times now and I'm blown away everytime.
I think my favorite part in the story line is that Julia is Rinoa's mother and Laguna is Squall's father. Since Laguna and Julia never got together, Squall and Rinoa do and it is like a second chance at love.
Best game ever.
I didn't understand the story as an 11 year old.. And now as a 28 year old watching this video it's still so hard to understand.. Ahwell, still my second favourite final fantasy (behind ffix)
Ultimecia was Rinoa in the future and Squall was GF Griever.
+gagongflip389 what ????? Explain
TexSoeGamer the squall is dead theory is so solid, that's my favourite game theory :)
WHAT???
The fact that Edea's GF's name was griever made this theory stand out... just started looking into it!!
Fantastic overview. It’s like playing the game allll over again without spending the maaaannyyy hours to do it. My 1st FF that I will always love!❤️
I just appreciate the professionalism that was shown here.
Magical game. Awesome video must have taken a while.
Excellent recap and nicely done man. Sweet high school memories. I was playing the game on PC in the middle of the night just could not stop then got scolded and had to sleep in the living room LOL ..... :)
And just curious how did you make this video??
+CARL WongTW Haha yeah, we've all been there. Did you you mean something specifically with your question?
+Oni Black Mage ya just curious how you recorded and edited the video. Did it take a long time ?
Yeah, they usually do. I work full time and spend most of my free time working on the videos. I have the equipment to record and edit, though its just me and I'm an amateur so it goes slow. I always go over the entire game, making notes along the way, then at the end I compile the notes and write up a draft, record the narration, cut snippets from the hours of footage, supplementing it with footage from elsewhere if needed (always credited in the credits), then add backing music, cut and print. I'm a one-man show so I appreciate the support and patience everyone gives me. Thanks for watching!
+Oni Black Mage Sounds like a lot of work =.= great work man nice fitting sound track too.
+Oni Black Mage What recording equipment do you use? The mic quality is pretty decent. What video editing software do you use?
This my favorite please FF8 remaster remake XD. 10/10
you got your wish 👍
Thank you for the Recap. I had totally forgotten a lot of parts of the game. Man..Putting it into perspective like this, makes the game seem big and small at the same time..
Just platinum the game... This one hits home.. the first FF I played when I was in elementary school, back when life was innocent, simpler and poetic. Between all the archetypes and themes this has to be one of the greatest stories ever told and the OST just adds on to its greatness. FFVIII was alluding to time travel, quantum entanglement, the nature of consciousness as well as so many esoteric themes; a game so ahead of its time. Please Square, issue a Remake. I’ll wait twice as long as VII Remake.
Zell finally getting hot dogs was the happiest part of the game.
You made me cry at the end
my first rpg and first ff. this will always be number 1 for me. I love it so much! the characters, music, and gameplay were all great to me. wish it would get a remake as well. It does need some tweaks to the story. I would have only squall and seifer come from the orphanage and have the others with different back stories. I also would have made adel to be the final villain of disc 3 and 4. other than that, everything else is great 😉😉😉
Amazing quality and commentary! I've been wanting to re-play this game but do not have access to a PS1 or PC. Your videos allowed me to relive the amazing story. Thanks!!
i started playing it again shortly after beating ffvx royal edition that came out earlier this year. 20 years later and it still holds up. hands down my fave ff game to date
is it just me or are these graphics waaayyy better than the original... I'm playing it on my ps3 with the smoothing effect on and this still looks better
+Daniel Robinson Good eye, this is the PC version wherein they sharpened the models. It's funny because the pre-rendered backgrounds are the originals so the modern models really stick out.
+Oni Black Mage I think it looks good
How do you activate the smoothing effect on PS3?
+manginips92 use epsxe.
+Johnny Fox Show Yeah those mods were really tricky to install. ESPXE is definitely the best route to go.
There lies my childhood
You and me both
i would still play this now..thats how much i enjoyed this one
Artem Sitouchkin on PS1 or Emulators? I'd like to play again too x) i hope there will be remake of FF VIII
well they have ps1 classics on ps3
in that orphanage too?? woah xD
BEST FF EVA!
Final fantasy 8 was my first game in the series. Never finished it cause I was a kid but have the remastered on my PS4 so I'll be getting back into it.
Thank you! Love FF8. You did an amazing job detailing the story and your delivery was easy and a joy to listen too
i hope they will remake dis game ff 8, so far dis ff8 is the best game compared to other ff games....
lol now that's funny, but lets be real that's an opinion and and not one most would agree with since FF8 doesn't hold a candle to 6, 7 and 10.
they are all different in their awesome way.. ff8 had so many memorable moments and mechanics..
that depends. 7 = self discovery/go green(maybe?)
8 = live your life to its fullest, no regrets
9 = home is where the heart is.
10 - love the people around you, help others
they all make their points and they all do it well
6: DON'T TOUCH THE STATUES.
Mako Materia 12 = freedom from oppression.
13 = Defy fate you decide your own destiny.
15 = No fighting in the jpop broband group.