Square Enix Is it just me

Depending. Try doing it by not gaining as many levels as you can by a certain point. I have and still pride myself on getting Cactuar at level 11...that's three whole discs at sub 20 levels!

The Junction system is very nice, IMO, but makes the game just as breezy as FFX. And, to be honest, once a monster gains a certain level, you just breeze through them like they weren't there. Notwithstanding of course, the Islands Closest to Heaven/Hell. Again, the Junction system basically kills magic, because having more of a certain spell actually increases (or at least, CAN increase) your stats to nutty levels.

Also, don't forget to think about the Cactuar GF's abilities: Str/Def/Ag/Sp-up. Having a character at level 11 there, and leveling him/her up with Cactuar, and junctioning becomes almost moronic. Like, my Squall only has to junction 20 cures to get 9999 hp. Or, 41 or so Thunders to get 255 str.

Oh well, I guess not a lot of people like the intricacies of the game. I personally love the game myself. It's pretty big, and has some very good BGM and a very good (if not tiring to hear to now) theme song. The enemies level as you do, but not nearly fast enough...which is alright because they start whooping you on the Islands anyway. Zell cheats with his "Apocalypse Rush", Squall's Lionheart never really comes out when you NEED it too, and Rinoa is actually the STRONGEST person in the game, in almost ANY stat. Oh, and Quistis cheats too, Disintegrator kills ANY normal baddie. So, just keep her in Limit. And I have yet to see "The End"...*sigh* Sephie, why are you so hard to use!?

In other words, I LOVE the game, though not many people do. WHy? I don't know...I think it just fits my style a lot. That and having one of the BEST intros EVER also helps a bit.

 

Thanks for "Not being rude" Kenshin. But, I play my games my way. And as it is, I only own...what? 7 games for the PS/PS2? Of COURSE I try harder ways to beat things. And besides which, I'm willing to bet that the time it took me to beat the game my way is a LOT faster than it takes me to beat it leveling up all the time. 42 hours, max, for the low level game. When I level up high, it took me 60, since all the baddies wailed on me near the end of the third disc.

I don't see how you can think I DON'T have a life. I go out and such just as much as the next guy. But, I'm willing to admit that I spent a lot of time doing that sub level 20 thing. It's good that I found your comment only mildly insulting. I like the FF series, regardless if I've seen the ending or not...sometimes just PLAYING the game is worth it.

Oh, and Aoi, you are effectively a bit more than halfway through the game. Don't worry though, the other discs have enough to keep you occupied.

 

Like I said, I didn't take it TOO personally. I mean, it just sucks with the assumption...but, it takes a whole LOT to get me mad...but you just happened to have been pushing the right buttons.

In any case, I TOTALLY recommend FFVIII. I mean, again, not everyone here is a big fan of this...but I love the game. It's the most innovative (actually, tie it with FFX) menu system I've seen...especially when it comes to Junctioning and such. The story's okay..but the cinemas are very worth it. I guess a big thing that goes well with me is that I can identify with Squall. I'm a loner...though I have a life, I only have good friends (I mean GOOD friends) that I can count on a hand that has...what? 7 fingers.

FFVIII is actually a greatest hit, so hit up some store that sells overstock of PSone games, and you'll most likely find it. If not, send me about 25 bucks by mail, and I'll send it to you, if you live in the continental United States. Yeah, more expensive than a greatest hit for PS2...but there's shipping to consider...and the fact that it IS made of 4 cds actually makes a difference.

 

I think while ff8 had a unique system, it was still in poor design, and my biggest gripe with the game is that in itself. It makes for many super easy playing styles that "abuse" the way it's set up and make for a "walkthru".

The lack of challenging fights are fine at first, since the story is supposed to drive the main focus of every RPG IMHO, but after a while they do take a toll, and had ff8 been a completely straight and narrow production set up like a movie rather than an RPG **cough, cough, FFX**, I likely never would have gone through it all.

Before you sling mud, arrows, and GFs my way, let me say that I love the game. I just think it had a lot of turnoffs.

Argument # 1 - the GFs. I thought summons were cool, back in the day, when they were called forth by weakling mages who depended on them for survival, and when they ate through MP like hungry hungry hippos. FF8 broke both those boundaries, and A) Let anyone make use of a GF, and B) Made them FREE to use. All that, and you're forced to look at a C) Long-winded appearance scene.

Hoo boy, I'm ranting. Ah well, better continue then.

1A) Anyone can use anything - following in the footsteps of FF7's materia system and FF6's Espers. What can I say other than I dislike that style? I preferred when magic, skills, and summons were unique to each character - when magic was sacred and only a select few could use it. It added to their character, made them more valuable and defined in my eyes, and just generally gave me more choice when deciding parties.

Letting just anyone pick up a Guardian and cast magic took away a bit of that character, and really made it not much of a decision to choose one character over the other - I could Junction the same stuff on either.

1B) Free Summons. Hold on, why bother with "Magic" and "Attack" when I can whip out my Diablos and nail you down another 9999? I can follow that up with my powered Irift or Shiva. In fact, not only are they a free action, they get BETTER with each use, increasing your compatibility and summoning FASTER each time. You can pretty much coast through the game with these powerhouses...

1C) Long-winded Appearances. And each time you get to wait through a CG scene without any option of skipping. I admit they're very cool to watch - the first three times. Then, they become a chore to sit through. That's why I spend most of my game building my strength and magic to avoid using them except under the most dire of situations. I will admit Boost takes some of the pain away, but it's still an idea that apparently didn't have much thought put into it. Or was it a clever plan to make the game seem longer tahn it really was?

Argument # 2 - Draw. The magic system...yowza. I spent an extra 10 hours my first time thru, since I would sit in each and every fight until I drew 100 stock of a new spell. Boss fights included. Here you have access to yet another unlimited store of power (well, nearly. Name me any one battle that drains more than 100 of any spell). Removing this cap made for super-powerful characters, and an easy stroll through the game.

Leveling enemies with your level wasn't a bad idea, but I just never saw them leveling enough to present a challenge to the higher levels. I much preferred the Lunar series' approach to this tact, having every boss's stats based on your level. (i.e. HP 250 x Level, MP 25 x Level, etc). The FF8 way left a bit to be desired.

The story wasn't bad (though I prefer the medeival type rather than hi-tech), the FMVs were memorable and amazing, and the final battles actually did give me a bit of challenge (I'm no power gamer, so I didn't hunt down the best GFs or Weapons or Spells), and I have played almost twice, so I like it. But I still say it has flaws.

I'll shush now.

 

You don't NEED Odin, but I suggest going to get Tonberry. I believe he has some cool GF abilities that you can make use of. Like Haggle and Sell-high. So you can get mad cash flow.

Anyway, I agree somewhat in that characters should be set in what they are able to do. Magic users should exclusively use magic and such. But I also like the customization, so going either way is good too. I think a compromise between the two would be cool, to be honest. A fighter can only get so much magic stat points compared to his maximum strength points, and vice versa.

But, if it's gonna be like FFIV, then I'm gonna be kinda turned off. I mean, IV was REALLY good...but the end party had much to be desired. Especially since your strongest character constantly "covers" all the weaker defensive ones. *sigh* And there was no customization of party there. It's the last five people you get, that's it. That's why VI is still one of the best.

Good points though, Matt. Amen to you. And me too. Why? Cuz I feel like it.

 

The one in X can be easily taken care of by a few Quick Hits with Caladbolg and a strong Tidus. Then again, most everything except Nemesis can be taken care of as such. It's probably the most effective way to beat it too, since it's very strong against magic.

The one in VIII is a different matter. Have Rinoa only have three limits, the two she comes with and Invincible Moon. That way, you have a really good chance of actually surviving attacks. Having her and Squall at near death to satisfy limit break conditions AND casting aura helps a lot too. Okay, have the Lionheart, and keep Squall invulnerable, NO MATTER WHAT! If you feel lucky, keep using Selphie to try and get "The End" but the cycle actually only had 8 spells or so per Selphie's turn...so if you don't see it within ten minutes, you PROBABLY won't. Just try and get Squall to do his Lionheard Limit Break twice, and Ultima is as good as swiss cheese. Also notice how Ultima is carrying Cloud's sword from FFVII. Neat, huh?

Oh, for the invincibility thing, you can also use Hero's or Holy Wars...if you're lucky enough to get them Holy Wars...USE THEM! They're not important against Ultimecia, but they're almost life lines for Ultima.