Current Events > Playing Final Fantasy VIII

(+) Yeah! (+)

Unmarked spoilers as I go through the game...

I've never played this Final Fantasy before. Anything I should know before playing the game for the first time? The only information I know is the main character is named Squall, his love interest is a girl named Rinoa, and there's a guy named Seifer. Also, this Final Fantasy isn't well liked by many fans from the rankings I've seen but I'll judge it for myself. Final Fantasy VI and Final Fantasy VII are some of the best games ever made in my opinion so I'm expecting to enjoy VIII. A decent plot, good characters/party, great music, and fun gameplay is all I really ask for. I also bought IX but that may be a separate topic after I finish this game.

I'll probably start the actual game in a few hours.

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What are you playing it on?

_Rinku_ posted...

What are you playing it on?

PS4. It was on sale. Wish it was on sale for Switch, though.

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Ive attempted this game multiple times and have always gotten too bored to continue after the train mission. I dont think I like a single character in this game except best girl Selphie

And Im a guy who found the motivation to replay Megaman X7 enough times to max all three characters stats. >_>

Ill peak in on this topic to live vicariously through TC

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tag. it's a good game with flaws. I recommend you look up how to take advantage of Triple Triad tbh

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there are some parts of the ffviii universe i really enjoy. when i was younger, the concept of SeeD was so badass to me. and i like their mix of technology, it certainly has its own unique style.

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Guerrilla Soldier posted...

there are some parts of the ffviii universe i really enjoy. when i was younger, the concept of SeeD was so badass to me. and i like their mix of technology, it certainly has its own unique style.

Testing for advancement in SeeD was such a cool concept.
Then you join the military and realize it's just like real life lawl

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Well, that was quite the intro. I liked the music at least. Not sure what was really going on other than Squall and Seifer(?) fighting.

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Okay, now I understand Triple Triad. I was slightly confused at the instructions but by playing the game, it all makes sense. I think I need better cards, though. My starting decks doesnt feel too great.

Squall is about to head to Fire Cavern. Lets see this battle system.


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triple triad is fun, probably like half my playtime in that game is just playing that lol

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Just farm spell charges once in a while and things should be fine.

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OwlRammer posted...

triple triad is fun, probably like half my playtime in that game is just playing that lol

I used to have an app for playing Triple Triad. Never played FFVIII itself, but got addicted to that mini game lol

Alright so, I just beat Ifrit. This battle system is going to take a lot of getting used to for me. I dont find it to be complicated so far but theres a decent amount of information to absorb compared to previous FFs and JRPGs Ive played. It wasnt explained super well but I think I can manage with what Ive learned.

From my understanding, characters overall strength comes from the junction aspect. I junction a GF to whomever character I choose. Maybe I wasnt paying enough attention but now that I have Ifrit, can I junction him to say Quistis while keeping Shiva on her as well. We arent limited to one GF per character, right? I guess I can just try it now and see lol. Since thats the case, it would be best not to have overlapping stats when deciding who should junction a GF, correct? From there, I junction magic to stats. Depending on how many GFs are in the game, there could be loads of experimentation. Feels like this game might be easy to break if I do some min-max but Im interested so far. This battle system could become tedious fast however but I hope Im wrong on that.

Im not a fan of magic spells being consumables or having to draw them in battles every now and then. I assume we can get consumable magic through other means introduced later in the game because having to draw for each character is going to be rough. Still, I dont think consumable magic will ever grow on me. Plus, shouldnt I have as many spells as possible in order to make my stats better? Im already feeling slightly discouraged to use spells.

Havent seen enough of the characters to comment on them. The music is good.

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Yeah.

You are pretty much right on all counts.

Of course the spells you actually want to use are the hardest to find and provide the largest bonuses when junctioned.

Eventually it comes down to setting the best spells to junctions, not ever using them, casting aura and spamming limit breaks.

Still love the damn game though.

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Zell seems like the hot blooded, best friend type of character. Those are my first impressions from meeting him.

Although I havent seen SeeD in action, Im getting SOLDIER vibes.

OwlRammer posted...

triple triad is fun, probably like half my playtime in that game is just playing that lol

Its very fun. I want to play it more but I want to advance the story at the same time.

Jabodie posted...

Just farm spell charges once in a while and things should be fine.

Is that the drawing mechanic or something that hasnt been introduced yet?

Alteres posted...

Yeah.

You are pretty much right on all counts.

Of course the spells you actually want to use are the hardest to find and provide the largest bonuses when junctioned.

Eventually it comes down to setting the best spells to junctions, not ever using them, casting aura and spamming limit breaks.

Still love the damn game though.

Damn, thats unfortunate. I always liked using spells in JRPGs.

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I find FF8 to be extremely fascinating for some spoilery reasons.

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Theres a lot to like about FFVIII despite some broken mechanics and dumb plot twists. I cant really defend the game from the criticism it gets but its easy for me to look past it.

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Enemies level up with you, master the junction system and learn GF abilities

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I think ff8 is under appreciated. It's definitly my least favorite of the ps1 era games, but that was also a pretty high bar.

I get some of the criticism, and I don't think it's all unfounded. But it's still a solid jrpg with a pretty good story and characters.

Do another topic when you play through 9. It's my favorite game in the series.

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You can have as many GFs junctioned to one person as you like, but I believe they share experience. So if you have 3 GFs on one character they will gain levels slower then only having one on. That doesn't affect learning abilities though, they still all get the same AP.
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VTBM posted...

Enemies level up with you, master the junction system and learn GF abilities

Enemies level up with me as in level scaling? That sounds like a horrible idea unless the execution works somehow.

bigtiggie23 posted...

You can have as many GFs junctioned to one person as you like, but I believe they share experience. So if you have 3 GFs on one character they will gain levels slower then only having one on. That doesn't affect learning abilities though, they still all get the same AP.

Makes sense. It would probably be very overpowered if they didn't share experience.

Solid Snake07 posted...

I think ff8 is under appreciated. It's definitly my least favorite of the ps1 era games, but that was also a pretty high bar.

I get some of the criticism, and I don't think it's all unfounded. But it's still a solid jrpg with a pretty good story and characters.

Do another topic when you play through 9. It's my favorite game in the series.

Most definitely. I like how goofy the cast looks from seeing them on the front page. I'll also be doing X eventually. VIII, IX, X, and XII are the only major FF's I've never bothered to play or finish. I dropped X a few hours but don't remember why.

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I'm about to spoil the entire game for you

Squall: ...

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Dont enemies level to squall only? so if you leave him low enemies stay low?

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Damn, Selphie just joined. It's barely been one hour according to my playtime and I've already seen five party members. At least Selphie and Zell have some personality to them. Squall is just there. Seifer is an ass. I can' get a read on Quistis but she's attractive at least.

DarkRoast posted...

I'm about to spoil the entire game for you

Squall: ...

He better lighten up or something. He seems so distant from everyone so far.


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Selphie uses a nunchaku. They got a little creative with the weapon choices in this game. Not feeling the gunblade but Square gets points for creativity at least.

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FightingJester posted...

Dont enemies level to squall only? so if you leave him low enemies stay low?

Yeah but if you have a decent spell at 100 junctioned to as many stats as possible, you'll be fine throughout the game.

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If you want to break the game, don't level up. Card enemies to get AP but no XP. Refine cards for spells/items instead of drawing magic.

If your health is yellow, you can keep skipping your turn until the limit break shows up. Junctioning to raise your max HP makes this a much safer strategy.

It is possible to get Squall's best weapon before the end of disc 1 if you get the right cards (but it takes massive grinding). You don't even need the book with the actual recipe for any weapons. Just having the right items in your inventory will make it available.

And yeah, enemies leveling with you kind of sucks. Besides the raise in HP, it changes the spells they have and the drop items. I didn't realize this the first time I played, so I kept fighting in the training grounds and was annoyed that the T-Rex was still dangerous no matter how high my level was.

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I unlocked the refine ability on some of the GFs. Way better than constantly drawing. Elvoret and X-ATM092 were chumps.

loafy013 posted...

If you want to break the game, don't level up. Card enemies to get AP but no XP. Refine cards for spells/items instead of drawing magic.

If your health is yellow, you can keep skipping your turn until the limit break shows up. Junctioning to raise your max HP makes this a much safer strategy.

It is possible to get Squall's best weapon before the end of disc 1 if you get the right cards (but it takes massive grinding). You don't even need the book with the actual recipe for any weapons. Just having the right items in your inventory will make it available.

And yeah, enemies leveling with you kind of sucks. Besides the raise in HP, it changes the spells they have and the drop items. I didn't realize this the first time I played, so I kept fighting in the training grounds and was annoyed that the T-Rex was still dangerous no matter how high my level was.

I'm going to try not breaking the game first playthrough unless the gameplay becomes tedious and I just want to advance the story. Enemies leveling up with Squall makes me want to avoid battles or perhaps see if there are options where I can fight enemies and not claim experience points afterwards.

It's going to feel really silly if I return to these starting areas later on in the game and these same enemies still take several turns to defeat. No sense of progression with level scaling.

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loafy013 posted...

If you want to break the game, don't level up. Card enemies to get AP but no XP. Refine cards for spells/items instead of drawing magic.

If your health is yellow, you can keep skipping your turn until the limit break shows up. Junctioning to raise your max HP makes this a much safer strategy.

It is possible to get Squall's best weapon before the end of disc 1 if you get the right cards (but it takes massive grinding). You don't even need the book with the actual recipe for any weapons. Just having the right items in your inventory will make it available.

And yeah, enemies leveling with you kind of sucks. Besides the raise in HP, it changes the spells they have and the drop items. I didn't realize this the first time I played, so I kept fighting in the training grounds and was annoyed that the T-Rex was still dangerous no matter how high my level was.

When I first played it as a kid I broke the game, but against me. I would typically grind my party in RPGs back then and I didn't understand why no matter how strong I got enemies just kept getting harder and harder.

I know it was still beatable, but I was like 9 and not really good at rpgs(hence the grinding) and didnt really understand the junction system very well.

So I basically gave up 80% of the way thru the game because it was too hard, lol

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Squall, Zell, and Selphie got into SeeD while poor Seifer is left out. Wah wah

Is SeeD just a mercenary group composed of young adults? The party is in their early 20s, right? Quistis has to be in her late 20s in order to be the teacher at least.

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"...whatever"
".............."

Squall is lacking so far. Speaking of lacking, Rinoa is average as hell. You're telling me this is the best Square could come up with after giving us Tifa and Aerith? Huh?

That dance scene needs to be a mini game if FFVIII ever gets a remake. It would be ripe for funny moments since Squall couldn't dance at first.

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They used all their resources on Quistis. Mmmm.

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I enjoyed FF VIII (PS1), but I detest level-scaling enemies.

Were they tracking my FB fitness updates then running to their local gym to push more plates and bigger wands?
[ Also, problematic because 1) no FB in 1999, and 2) I don't FB. ]

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Quistis is only 18? Get outta here. No wonder she failed at being an instructor. No 18 year old could pull that off without years of experience. Squall and the rest must be teenagers then.

I like how she's trying to have a heart to heart moment with Squall but he blows her off. "What do you want me to say? I don't want to carry another's burden. Go talk to a wall". This dude needs to chill. Just let them vent or rant about their problems. At least be a good listener.

ApherosyLove posted...

They used all their resources on Quistis. Mmmm.

She is pretty. If Squall was a better human being, I'd say she should win the Squall bowl.

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The_Scarecrow posted...

Is SeeD just a mercenary group composed of young adults? The party is in their early 20s, right? Quistis has to be in her late 20s in order to be the teacher at least.

They're all teenagers. Quistis is 18. The rest are 17.

The_Scarecrow posted...

while poor Seifer is left out

This is the funniest thing about Seifer, he acts like hes the hotshot badass McCoolguy that everyone should take serious or be remotely intimidated by. But hes failed the SEED Exam several times, and nobody respects him except for his two groupies lol

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I want Quistis to step on me

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AlisLandale posted...

I want Quistis to step on me

She got whips. Mmmm.

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Put all your strongest junctions on zell. Keep him at low health to use his limit break which will do a ton of damage with high strength junction. Find tornado or the card to junction it. Junction curaga and life 2 to increase health. Game will be easy at that point.

And good luck explaining the course of the game. I'd love if someone can find a way to explain 8 better to me. I liked the game a lot but man the ending. Lol

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I'm not sure if it's been mentioned, but if you remember, keep checking out the computer at Squall's desk at Balamb Garden for updated entries after each story event. Same goes for Selphie's Laguna's Page after each Timber Maniacs Magazine you find. I think there's a bug though where, for whatever reason, the update doesn't happen for one of them.

https://imgur.com/PgwvKJq
And Quistis is best girl.

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The_Scarecrow posted...

Im not a fan of magic spells being consumables or having to draw them in battles every now and then. I assume we can get consumable magic through other means introduced later in the game because having to draw for each character is going to be rough. Still, I dont think consumable magic will ever grow on me. Plus, shouldnt I have as many spells as possible in order to make my stats better? Im already feeling slightly discouraged to use spells.

Refinement from cards and other items is the way to go.

But you should still have at least one character with the draw command at all times and that character should use it on every single boss along the way to make sure you get all of the GF as early as possible. If you miss them, you can later get most of them from bosses in the final dungeon, but there's really only one you should consider getting there on purpose.

Be sure you use the magical lamp instead of selling it.

The_Scarecrow posted...

Enemies leveling up with Squall makes me want to avoid battles or perhaps see if there are options where I can fight enemies and not claim experience points afterwards.

They usually scale according to the average level of your party. Diabolos has a nifty encounter none ability to help you out if you want to avoid everything but cute aliens. That said, I don't think it is worth the effort to stay a low level. Monsters do gain more from leveling up than the characters do, but strong, properly junctioned characters will utterly crush level 100 monsters regardless. I wouldn't worry about fighting battles here or there.

Later on, after you become able to explore the world, visit the Kashkabald Desert and slaughter Cactuars to learn your abilities. They give tons of AP and almost no XP. Squall will never miss them.

The_Scarecrow posted...

Damn, thats unfortunate. I always liked using spells in JRPGs.

A lot of the spells that are worth junctioning at the end of the game are also available in item form. Even if you don't want to deal with having 1% lower elemental resistance for a short time, you can often use items to do the same thing.

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Zaltera posted...

They usually scale according to the average level of your party.

Really? I'm pretty sure it's always Enemy Level = Squalls level.
Could be wrong, it's been a while

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Really. Party being the ones who will be doing the fighting.

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The_Scarecrow posted...

"...whatever"
".............."

Squall is lacking so far. Speaking of lacking, Rinoa is average as hell. You're telling me this is the best Square could come up with after giving us Tifa and Aerith? Huh?

That dance scene needs to be a mini game if FFVIII ever gets a remake. It would be ripe for funny moments since Squall couldn't dance at first.

I grew up thinking Rinoa was Asian for some reason.

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Ving_Rhames posted...

They're all teenagers. Quistis is 18. The rest are 17.

This elite mercenary group sure does like them young.

Ving_Rhames posted...

This is the funniest thing about Seifer, he acts like hes the hotshot badass McCoolguy that everyone should take serious or be remotely intimidated by. But hes failed the SEED Exam several times, and nobody respects him except for his two groupies lol

It is humorous but I'll give him props for clapping when Squall and the others made it in. Maybe he's a good guy deep down.

lilJoe457 posted...

Put all your strongest junctions on zell. Keep him at low health to use his limit break which will do a ton of damage with high strength junction. Find tornado or the card to junction it. Junction curaga and life 2 to increase health. Game will be easy at that point.

And good luck explaining the course of the game. I'd love if someone can find a way to explain 8 better to me. I liked the game a lot but man the ending. Lol

So_Hajile posted...

I'm not sure if it's been mentioned, but if you remember, keep checking out the computer at Squall's desk at Balamb Garden for updated entries after each story event. Same goes for Selphie's Laguna's Page after each Timber Maniacs Magazine you find. I think there's a bug though where, for whatever reason, the update doesn't happen for one of them.

https://imgur.com/PgwvKJq
And Quistis is best girl.

I'll keep both of that in mind. I hope the plot of the game doesn't become nonsense that involves time travel or alternate dimensions. More often than not, it feels poorly written when a plot enters that territory. If Squall is going to fall in love with Rinoa, it better be a nice buildup and not come out of nowhere. So far, this plot feels like a slow moving anime. The landing at Dollet was fine.

Zaltera posted...

Refinement from cards and other items is the way to go.

But you should still have at least one character with the draw command at all times and that character should use it on every single boss along the way to make sure you get all of the GF as early as possible. If you miss them, you can later get most of them from bosses in the final dungeon, but there's really only one you should consider getting there on purpose.

Be sure you use the magical lamp instead of selling it.

They usually scale according to the average level of your party. Diabolos has a nifty encounter none ability to help you out if you want to avoid everything but cute aliens. That said, I don't think it is worth the effort to stay a low level. Monsters do gain more from leveling up than the characters do, but strong, properly junctioned characters will utterly crush level 100 monsters regardless. I wouldn't worry about fighting battles here or there.

Later on, after you become able to explore the world, visit the Kashkabald Desert and slaughter Cactuars to learn your abilities. They give tons of AP and almost no XP. Squall will never miss them.

A lot of the spells that are worth junctioning at the end of the game are also available in item form. Even if you don't want to deal with having 1% lower elemental resistance for a short time, you can often use items to do the same thing.

Refinement seems like the way to go. Constantly drawing with each character was starting to get rough. I'll keep everything else in mind especially once I fully grasp the mechanics of the game and can explore the world freely.

gloBal enemy posted...

I grew up thinking Rinoa was Asian for some reason.

She looks like she could be so can't blame you there.

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Diablos went down like a chump. I basically kept everyone at low health and spammed limit breaks the entire fight. Zell deals out a ton of damage once you memorize his button inputs.

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I did everything 100% up to right before the time compression scene, and then just never touched the game again.

This was probably around 2000 ish?

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I assume that dream sequence with Laguna was a flashback or something? The war with Timber was still going on even though it's pretty much over when Squall and co. are in SeeD. Also, that battle music was great.

The music here in Timber is also pretty good. Soundtrack for the game has been superb so far.

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How come I get to choose names for Rinoa and the mutt but not any of the other party members? Why does Zone need to a trip to the bathroom every few minutes? Why is this rebel faction so amateurish? I sure hope Timber gains its independence soon so that SeeD can stop helping these people.

I'm going to take a gamble and say Rinoa and Seifer dated or had something going on which is why she kept asking about him. If that's true, Squall is the rebound. Oh no. Seifer had his fun then dipped while Squall is going to be the guy who stays. Quistis is starting to look even better.

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The_Scarecrow posted...

The music here in Timber is also pretty good. Soundtrack for the game has been superb so far.

Wait till you get to Deling. Best town theme imo in any game

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Good game until you get to Esthar.

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