I gotta agree with everything you said about 8, Ush, especially with Seifer. I thought Seifer was wasted horribly. I thought it woulda been a lot better (though maybe cliched) to have HIM become the final boss or at least a more menacing villain. Ultemicia didn't do it for me, I didn't like that there was no real buildup to the final battle, and they didn't even introduce who the actual final boss was until like disc three.
Also, the draw system, teh timesink that was watching the damn Gaurdian Forces animation every other battle, all annoyed me greatly. But I didn't hate the game, didn't think it was a bad game, still enjoyed it for it's strengths.
Anyways, another good review, Ush. Now on to 9!
Cliches are fine if you do them right. Most the things that were good about FFVII are dramatic cliches. It's all down to execution.
Of course, FFVIII fell down on its basic planning as well as its execution. It really is a plot mess of a game, inside a much better setting. It gives me a frantic urge to re-write.
Zemus/Zeromus did at least logically arise from previous events, though he was just a generic super being. I am not claiming he was a great invention but he did at least flow.
'Sorceress from the future wants to go look back int ime so she can do something that we don't know what it is so she can... well, we're not sure what she can do with it, but she's the big bad guy of this piece, honest." is way worse.
Actually, another comment there... the intro sequence for FFVIII shows a perfectly good sword fight between moody Squall and poor, underused Seifer.
Unfortunately, that kind of dramatic action is really impossible for FF to do because it is wedded to Japaense superpower syndrome, where everyone basically exhibits the power of Gods. No battle in FF ever really looks like the sort of duel between two people like Squall and Seifer that you would like it to be; instead everyone basically throws nukes at eadh other, occasionaly ressurecting.
Something like a Lightsabre duel- or the fights in the Matrix films, hyped up as they were- work a lot better. Of course, the KOTOR lightsabre fights are crap, so I guess this is a perennial gaming problem (mind you, I always thouight the fights in Zelda looked the part).
But yes, the FF fights have a blown up drama of their own, but they make the tension that should result from a Squall/Seifer stand off rather hard to swallow.
Originally posted by Ushgarak
Are you telling me there is lesbianism in it?
You are so predictable.
Many of the female characters are prone to wearing little, though 😛
Originally posted by JKozzy
Enter Final Fantasy XI.
Which I agree with you about, they shouldn't have wasted a number with it and just called with FF Online.