Overview

Final Fantasy VIII showed to gamers that there is a little more to the RPG world than shown in earlier titles. The game may not be revolutionary, but with enhanced graphics, a great score, and a new type of storyline, this game really goes places.

Body

Story - The story is immense. It immerses the player in a journey that takes the characters to many places, and does things far beyond the imaginations of normal companies. The numerous side quests are always involved with another, and each reveals a special part of the story. The storyline, unlike in most games, visits the past and future too, which is particularly futuristic, and perhaps even a perfect storyline for other RPG's to be based around, too. (10/10)

Difficulty - Great difficulty! If you don't do your junctioning, MAN are you going to have trouble! Ultima Weapon and Omega Weapon also provide a challenge for the crazier gamers. (10/10

Gameplay - There is more than enough to explore, and you'll probably spend a while junctioning. There is plenty of time to run around and the few but fun mini-games will keep you immersed. Just as much exploration as Final Fantasy VII, but not as may cool mini-games. Overall, this area is a 9/10 in my book. There isn't any replay value, but that's not what Final Fantasies are often structured on. (9/10)

Graphics - The characters have movement based on real moving people, and in the cinematic's they have real facial expressions. The field graphics are amazing, but the character graphics aren't exactly meant to impress. SquareSoft has outdone themselves again! (10/10)

Summary

Final Fantasy VIII is tremendous, and words cannot describe how awesome it truly is. It may be short of perfect, but it's impossible to notice its class. This game is a graphical leap, and reminds all of what Final Fantasy is really about. The ending is wonderful, but the final boss, however, doesn't appear until much later, and isn't really developed.

Percentage Overall Score: 96%