Platform: PC
System requirements: Windows 95/98, Pentium 200 Mhz, 32 mb RAM, 4 mb video memory, 300 mb hard disk space, 3d card strongly recommended but not required
Tested on: Windows 98, Pentium 667 Mhz, 128 mb RAM, 32 mb video memory, Nvidia TNT2 Pro 3d card

Final Fantasy fans were probably holding their breath in anticipation of this game. The last one, Final Fantasy 7, was very different from the earlier games, essentially splitting the Final Fantasy community in two - the classic gamers on one side (who usually favour Final Fantasy 5 and 6 above all others), and the "new" players who considered 7 to be the best ever made. Now everyone knew that 8 would probably be more similar to 7 than any of the others, but what to expect?

When the game came out, the reactions were quite mixed. Reviews on all the big review sites gave completely different images of this game. Many people loved it, yet more hated it. I didn't know what to expect, but when I saw the PC version at a discount, I figured it was my time to try it.

First, a warning to PC players concerning system requirements: although the requirements on the box may not seem so steep, you will have to take them with a grain of salt. My system far exceeds the requirements at every point, and although the frame rate is very good, it is still not perfect. I can't imagine what waiting times and choppy animations await the gamer who meets the requirements barely. In other words, think before you buy, and if you can borrow a copy to see how it runs on your computer first, by all means do so. This game is very demanding on your system.

The story of Final Fantasy 8 is good, deep and twisting, something we're accustomed to by now. The main character, Squall, is remarkably similar to Cloud in Final Fantasy 7, although saying that they are exactly the same would be going too far. Like FF7, this game has a futuristic rather than a medieval setting, and features cars, guns, radio stations and other high-tech stuff that classic Final Fantasy gamers shake their heads (not to mention their fists) at. Squall himself is armed with a gunblade, a weird combination of a sword and a gun that is nevertheless original, and deadly.

The story and the combat system revolve around the existence of Guardian Forces, normally referred to as GF. These are elemental spirits whose names are familiar to those who have played previous Final Fantasy games - Shiva, Ifrit, Carbunkle, Bahamut, they're all here again. These GF can be equipped on a character (we call this "junctioning") to teach that character certain abilities. Without a GF, characters are near powerless - their attributes are low and they can only perform standard physical attacks. Once equipped with at least one GF, characters are capable of using magic, summoning the GF to unleash one powerful strike on all enemies, use an item, and do all the other stuff we generally associate with heroes. What a character can do depends entirely on which GF is currently junctioned to him.

The most important ability a GF can bestow on a character is the ability to link magic to his attributes (which, confusingly enough, is also called junctioning). For example, a character who knows Fire magic can link this magic to his Strength attribute, which essentially means he will do more damage in combat. Every attribute a character has (the usual stuff like Hit Points, Vitality, Speed, etc.) can be increased by junctioning a certain type of magic to it - assuming, of course, that the junctioned GF has the appropriate ability. If he/she doesn't, however, the ability can often be learned later in the game. Are you confused yet? Don't worry, so was I at this point.

It gets worse, though. Characters do not have any magic to begin with - they must obtain it. Every character has the ability to obtain magic by drawing it from a monster. Suppose you come across a monster that has Fire and Cure magic associated with it. Instead of attacking it in battle, you can draw these spells from him. You will then receive a few spells of the appropriate type, which the character stocks for future battles. These spells can be cast - and they will be gone - or you can junction them to an attribute to raise it. You will still be able to cast those spells then, but obviously, this means that the effect of the junction will decrease.

The good point of all this magic drawing and junctioning stuff is that you can completely customize your characters. You want Squall to be a strong physical fighter? Give him a GF that can junction magic to Strength, then draw a spell that works well with Strength, and junction that. Do you want to make him a powerful magic user instead? Junction magic to the Magic attribute to increase the impact of his spells.
Unfortunately, this system has a major disadvantage as well. It's confusing at first, and even once you fully understand it, it is a lot of work. It is not optional, either - the effect of junctioning magic to attributes is so enormous that you can't choose not to do it. You would never survive later on in the game. You are therefore forced to learn the system, master it, then put it to good use. If you don't, you will fail along the way.

The junction system in itself is interesting enough, but it hangs like a shadow over gameplay. Everything revolves around it. For example, characters cannot buy weapons or armour in this game. The only thing that determines how much damage they take in combat is their Vitality attribute, and that attribute is determined by...you guessed it, what kind of magic you have junctioned to it. For weapons, it is a little different: every character starts with a basic weapon, and you can have it upgraded at junk shops around the world. You need two things for this: first, you need to find the appropriate 'Weapons Monthly' magazine to learn of a new type of weapon, then you need to gather the necessary equipment by travelling around the world and killing the right monsters. This is a lot of work, but it is fun - you have to sweat for every weapon upgrade, so finally managing to upgrade a weapon gives you a sense of accomplishment.

Unfortunately, the effect is minimal! Suppose your character has an attack rating of 15. Upgrading your weapon to the next type might improve that to 17 or 18. Of course, junctioning a good type of magic to Attack would raise it to 40 or so. As you can see, upgrading weapons is barely worth the effort. Squall's weapon is an exception here, because new weapons also give him more special attacks to choose from, but it goes for all the other characters. You spend hours finding the appropriate equipment, and it is all barely worth it.

The storyline of Final Fantasy 8 has a few flaws as well. I will not go into detail about these (wouldn't want to spoil it for you), but I can say this: the story is as involving and complex as always in Final Fantasy games, but one important twist in particular is hopeless. Fortunately, there are enough other plot twists to keep you busy for a long time, so the overall quality of the storyline remains well above average.

Like Final Fantasy 7, 8 comes with superb graphics and great music. The graphics are far more realistic than in 7, giving the game a very different look. A superior look in my opinion, but others may miss the classic drawn style. One important improvement is in battle scenes - characters now dash forward to attack when the previous character is still withdrawing from his last attack, making a battle seem smoother and more life-like. You will barely notice that it is turn-based.

Overall, Final Fantasy 8 has good and bad points. It is unfortunate that the bad points are valid enough to put people off, because this is a solid game that certainly deserves recognition. As much as I enjoyed it, however, I'm a little worried about what Final Fantasy 9 might have in store for us. The materia system of Final Fantasy 7 was good, but the junction system in FF8 was on the fence. We can only hope FF9 will move in the right direction again, because if they are going to make it even more complicated, many gamers (me included) will turn their back on the series.

Graphics: 9.5
Music/SFX: 9
Storyline: 7.5
Gameplay: 7
Replayability: 7

Overall: 8

Difficulty analysis

Combat difficulty: Challenging
Level building: Very challenging
Puzzles/mazes: Moderate
What to do: Moderate