Why Final Fantasy VIII is NOT One of the Top PS1 RPGs

FFVIII isn’t on the top of most PS1 RPG lists, but it probably should be. It’s easy to label Final Fantasy VIII as divisive when comparing it to other PS1 RPGs. Final Fantasy VIII did have the misfortune of following the ultra-popular FFVII, and it was on a system that was packed with other role-playing games.

[-Foxtrot]

I mean it is but "...whatever"

[bouzebbal]

Yes it definitely is.. It came after Ff7, which is a huge pressure and we're still talking about it in 2020

[Nu]

I didn't like the capture skill from enemies mechanic. I played 7 and 9 then tried 8. Never finished 8 either.

[IanTH]

I think it depends on the order you play 'em in. I played 8 first and really loved it. Tried playing 7 and 9 later on, and I just couldn't get into them. It was the PS2 era by the time I tried 'em, but they never did it for me the way 8 did.

[MidnightMay0r]

Ah I see what you did there lol

[BlackIceJoe]

I know I'm in the minority, but I preferred FFVIII over FFVII and with the FFVII Remake being as successful as it is, hopefully FFVIII will get a remake next.

[Spurg]

Its been confirmed by Nomura that the word remake in FF 7 remake is more than just a word. It literally means remake the timeline. I don't think that is a direction that FFVIII should be taking.

[TricksterArrow]

FF8 is, ironically, the one that would work better with timelines and parallel universes.

[got_dam]

I agree. 8 was my first playstation game. I didnt get 7 until months later. 7 didnt give me the same sense of wonder. I have to assume because it was the first gam either ever played of that size and scope. 8 and ocarina completely dominated my late middle school/ early high school time.

[Ravenkiss]

Funny how Final Fantasy VIII and Ocarina of Time did dominated my late middle school/ early high school

[-Foxtrot]

I played VII first and then VIII yet I always prefered VIII more

I think a lot of new fans who hadn't played FF before, the new fans that VII brought in, were expecting a direct sequel to VII especially after that "500 Years later" scene so when VIII popped up with a new world and new leading character who wasn't Cloud people were like "F*** that, I'm not accepting this". I even feel people went into the game with a bad mind set which made people pick up flaws, most being nit picky stuff while ignoring the fact every FF has issues here and there.

Squall being an "emo" was considered redundant by the end of the game if you saw his fantastic character development and the reasons through flashbacks which made him the cold, lone wolf we saw at the start of the game. We had the drawing magic issue despite the fact you don't have to draw unless it's for the GFs, we had the island of Heaven & Hell along with draw points and refining cards/items into magic. Another issue was people saying the junction system was far too hard, then the next thing was people saying it was easy to exploit, so was it easy or hard. The last main issue I could see a point in was the Orphanage story issue but if you talked to people and read info logs at the start of the game it did say GF's were known to cause memory issues, it was still not the best executed but are you really telling people the Cloud/Zack twist where Cloud becomes a mope or lost in VII was executed any better? They did lead up to that very well in my opinion. All FF games have these kind of moments but I feel going into VIII feeling p***** off it wasn't a direct FFVII sequel made people tear it apart more and since word travelled, especially without the internet being such a force as it is now, people just went off what other people said about it.

I personally thought the FMVs were better, the characters acted like actual teenagers, Squalls character development was amazing, the music while different was unique and was so memorable even having a vocal theme song and we had some better memorable scenes like the opening, the landing, the waltz for the moon dance scene, the garden battle and so on. Those scenes are why I want to see a VIII remake and why the game deserves it. The best thing the game can do in the remake is set up the Orphanage twist better.

[BlackIceJoe]

Well said, Foxtrot.

[got_dam]

Oh, the soundtrack is one of the best around in my opinion. Final Fantasy always has good music, but 8 is a cut above. I love the overworld theme and balamb garden. Chrono cross and xenogears are the only games I would say are even close.

[Rocketisleague]

I played 8 first, 7 is my favourite. 7 has more depth I'm gameplay, more variety, 8s junction system was so bad due to how easy it makes the game. It takes little to no grinding to complete overpower yourself.

Squall wasn't enjoyable for a decent of the game. I like ff8s orphanage twist too btw. But squall was unlikable. Sure, had a good reason for it but doesn't increase enjoyment of the first few disks.basically, yes, he's a moody kid with good reasons to be. Clouds story was much more interesting.

Anyway, the junction system is hard for some, easy for others, if you understand it, the game is broken.if you don't understand it you're in for a bumpy ride. The game relies on a complicated for yet broken system. Poor game design.

Ff7 one ups it in variety too. Characters have separate backstory and not the same one, just by chance ending up together again even edea was in the childhood lol. Again I don't mind it that much it's pretty standard jp storytelling but it IS poor writing.The gane relies too much on coincidence

Variety wise again ff7 has some random new gameplay element thrown in often, squat battle, bike battle, phoenix tower strategy game, find your way through snowy mountains, snowboarding, submarine etc etc, the list goes on and on. It keeps the game fresh whereas ff8 drags alot in the middle.

Ohh, agree with soundtrack,ff7 was great music, ff8 was the best ff soundtrack...maybe 10 ..

[Acecalibur]

You are absolutely not in the minority.

[BlackIceJoe]

That I find interesting, because all I ever hear is how VIII, sucks compared to VII and it was a huge let down.

[Tross]

With such an update I would most certainly take in those 4K visuals by spending at least 1/3 of my time playing Triple Triad.

[projectbyte]

Final Fantasy IX is still my favorite from that era of consoles.

[Knightofelemia]

FF8 is good and one of my faves its not as good as say FF7 or a game like Xenogears I don't think FF8 was suppose to be a top PS1 rpg. But being the top PS1 rpg that depends on who you ask everyone will have a different answer on what the top PS1 rpg is because the PS1 had a lot of great rpgs on it.

[RedDevils]

Just login to disagree with you :)

[Knightofelemia]

And I care how?

[gold_drake]

haha thats real petty that u went out of ur way to disagree haha.

and i absolutely agree, which game should be in the top... theres just no definite answer to that. although 7 should hahaha

[Jonaspolos]

Chrono Cross is top 1 RPG of PS1, FF8 is very good with great and interesting story. I’m so hype to try this remastered version on switch. And as you said, it’s about preferences. I personally prefer FF7 as much FF8 and then FF9. But RPG core gamers should try FF6 cause it’s the best story despite the pixelated graphics.

[RedDevils]

Wow check who replied to me. Damn you're a sensitive which is funny hahahhaa. Keep it up :)

[Elda]

Out of the 3 FF games that released on the PS1 I thought FFVIII was the best with FFVII coming in second & FFIX was just ok my least favorite out of the 3.

[Godmars290]

Loved FF8, still, it Square showing narrative discord of the worst sort.

[Father__Merrin]

Ff8 was excellent and still is. Excellent characters music and story plus it was a massive 4 disc game.

Lemme guess the author thinks FF greatness stopped with the snes iterations?

[got_dam]

I thought something along those lines too, but I gave them the click. It's actually about why they think the game is way underrated, but the title of the article is worded poorly.

[franwex]

The junction system along with the story are a mess. No matter how high production values are you can’t really get around those two major things.

There are better rpgs and better stories around that time. Maybe they didn’t look as good but they were a more enjoyable experience.

[jambola]

how was the jjuction system a mess?

[franwex]

Of course I can. It’s like saying “you cannot come here and disagree with the article”

I also purposefully avoided answering question. I don’t know you and don’t have to answer anything. Live with that.

[Rocketisleague]

Because you can easily, within an hour of trying, overpower your characters. You can get curaga or firaga or quake. There's many easy ways to abuse ff8s junction system, some are from things the gane gives you firvwinning battles like wizard stones. Some require card mod, either way it's just extremely easy, the nothing worse than beating seifer in two hits AFTER you purposely reduce your power due to how easy it is so for.

Card mod and quake is the worst offender, the only reason you could miss it if you don't know how the junctions system works

[-Foxtrot]

The story is anything but a mess

[franwex]

Guys, it’s been 21 years. At this point no one will change your mind regarding the game. If anything-confirmation bias will simply amplify arguments.

If you enjoyed the mechanics or the story-great. I’m serious. More power to you, I felt a little disappointed when I originally bought it for $40, have tried for years to get into it and the game just doesn’t resonate with me. Not just me, with a lot of people. There’s a reason why it ranks low among fans and is not as beloved as other entries to the series. It’s not a bad game like FF13, or anything. It’s just not that great of a game.

Again-It’s not a bad game, but it’s also not a good one. I still would recommend people to try it for themselves. FF12 kinda suffered the same fate. It’s not as beloved as other Final Fantasy games-and I think it’s one of the best RPGs when released (heck even now).

[jambola]

you can't come here insulting the game and then saying "more power to those who like it"
ddn't answer my question either btw

[Peeler1829]

I agree. I played VIII when I was probably too young to understand it, and it put me off for years. I’ve since played all the others, and having revisited it, it still feels messy to me. Didn’t love the plot either. Loved the setting, design etc though

[Trunkz]

because FFVI is better.

[jambola]

not ps1

[Babadook7]

Well. PS1 did get a port.

[jambola]

definitely avoiding this like the plague
all the telltale signs of clickbaity garbage

[jbrock11]

For me, FF8 is one of my top games of all time. No, it wasn't as highly regarded as FF7 which fans didn't know at the time that FF7 was a classic so anything less than that would have been seen as a disappointment. But for those who weren't expecting another FF7 like me, I really enjoyed it. The story is great, the music is on par with 7 and the tried and true gameplay of 7 is there but even expanded upon with things like Squall's Gunblade mechanic. I think if they were to remake 8 like they did 7, it'd be just as popular but maybe even moreso because 8's characters aren't quite as iconic so it'd all be new to a lot of people.

[Acecalibur]

I don't care who's list it isn't at the top of, because it's at the top of my list and thats all that matters.

[Petebloodyonion]

FFVIII is my favorite Final Fantasy game, Yes I did play 1-4-6-7 before FF8 and still find 8 the best version.
The cutscene to real-time were epics, the Draw system was interesting and the story was good.

There where lots of wow moments like

SPOILERS......

Your school is a ship!
Odin summoned at the start of Seifer battle!

[Nerdmaster]

That was a good read. The article points both good and bad points about the game, so it doesn't treat it like the second coming of Christ like most FFVIII fans do, and also not like a pile of sh*t like FFVIII detractors (me included) do. I agree with most of the points it raises.

[Babadook7]

I would say 7 > 9 > 8

[MidnightMay0r]

FF8 is definitely one of the top RPGs on PS1 this is a shit take. Best soundtrack outta all FF games and some of those set pieces/FMV movies were amazing. Tons of moments in that game get me hyped as fuck.

[Tross]

I sure liked it, but to each their own.

[gold_drake]

i can see why yes, but i think all of the ps1 Final Fantasys are in the top for the same and different reasons. they are good games, all of them. i prefer 7 over 8, 7 and 8 over 9. but thats just my own opinion and im sure other ppl see it quite differently amd thats fine :)

[monochromer]

Dumb.

[Teflon02]

FFIX was the best one out of the 3. FFVIII was straight trash. Play all of them in active mode and 8 becomes straight up trash battle wise. It still uses waiting despite being active. The battle system is a joke and would require 14 updates to fix if it came out today and would be criticised HEAVY. it just released during a time where people thought it was okay. But doesn't to me. Game was not great at all. Story is subjective as people prefer one over the other. I didn't think FFVII had a great one. Just entertaining characters and Sephiroth despite not being the real enemy of FFVII was done really well. But yeah. My issue with FFVIII is the battle system as a WHOLE. I hear ppl say FFIX is slow but put that in active mode and you'll understand it had to have the stamina bar go that slow. Since active mode with 4 ppl made that bar stay full 24/7. You were selective for 4 moves in the future at all times. Made the strategic part alot mroe enjoyable than I get from the others. BUT that's for the ppl who care for the thought process of battling. So I understand otherwise

[Loktai]

I see weird hate on FF8. It was not disliked at the time and it its flaws werent worried about by the majority of players at the time... FF7 just cast a long shadow as it was the first of that sort of big spectacle RPG and 8 was not a sequel which for fans new to the series confused them. Kind of how when Square made The Spirits Within, I saw that in the theater and like half of the people literally were asking WHERES CLOUD and shit. As if there hadnt been multiple final fantasies released since then - but they were sitting there thinking FF7 was final fantasy because of its exposure.

FF8 was actually amazing - for me. I like the whole thing better. God what a giant upgrade in asthetic. The world felt giant, it had so much going on. You basically fight a T rex with a gunblade right out of the gate . I actually think in overall impact I loved FF8 way more.

It reminds me of Chrono Trigger vs Chrono Cross. Everyone was kind of lukewarm about Chrono Cross at the time but my god its still amazing and the whole thing- asthetic, sound track, etc left an impression on me. I love that game too.

Unlimited Saga still sucks though.

[Miraak82]

I played all the final fantasies and most of they era's rpgs back in the day and IMO it's about top 10 may 15 but definitely not top 5. Replaying it this past year made me realize that . The combats kinda bland and very drawn out with the junctioning system , rarely did I ever use magic because I didn't wanna waste me time redrawing it , leveling really didn't mean anything since everything scaled to you and honestly the story isn't that great or memorable . There were just better games such as FF7,FF9, FFtactics ,Xenogears, Crono Cross, Star Ocean 2 ,Lunar ,Vagrant Story, Legend of Dragoon, Valkyrie Profile, Wild Arms 2.