I know every nerd under the Sun loves to argue about which Final Fantasy is the best or worst, but I?ve noticed there is still a lot of hate with regards to the game whenever the topic arises with me and I would like to hear people?s take on these thoughts.
Before I start this, I?d just like to say I?m not a massive Final Fantasy 8 fanboy or anything. My favourites are actually 6, 4 and 15 respectively. BUT every time the topic of Final Fantasy arises I hear people hurling accusations at 8 because of a couple of things which I consider minor quibbles. Some people even claim it?s ?the worst Final Fantasy? so I find myself having to defend it. Therefore, I thought I?d make a post about it, because I actually think it?s the most interesting.
And before anyone pulls the nostalgia card on me, I played it after 6, 4 and 7. I have played all the FF games now except for the MMOs too. Also, I?m purposely talking more about story than the junctioning system in this post because, personally, I think it?s an easy gameplay mechanic that really isn?t as complicated as everyone seems to think and, to me, it?s just a case of ?getting better? or concentrating on the tutorial. I don?t see the point in arguing about this. I don?t consider myself particularly amazing at RPGs and I picked it up in no time. Plus, it actually makes the game quite easy it you know how to use it.
Shift from 7 to 8...
Anyway, we all know the series made a quantum leap in 1997 with the release of Final Fantasy 7. It took full advantage of the hardware, using 3D graphics to create a more fully realised world, and the larger storage capacity of CDs to tell a Byzantine storyline that spanned over 50 hours long. Yet for all its progress forward, the game still seemed like a hodgepodge of different styles that never amounted to a satisfying whole (in my opinion).
Its aesthetics were a blend of Tolkien-esque swords and sorcery with Japanese anime and cyberpunk dystopia, while its storyline was now half melodrama, half plot-heavy comic book with the occasional stab at social commentary -- the game contained references to genetic engineering and corporate corruption, but it never really went anywhere with these topics.
By contrast, Final Fantasy VIII knew exactly what it was trying to be: a coming-of-age story built on the metaphor that growing up is a long, dangerous journey. What's even more interesting than the game's attempts at plausible character development and thematic depth is the fact that it's part of a larger trend.
Character Studies...
If Final Fantasy 8 were merely a triumph of aesthetic design, it would make for an atmospheric videogame but a thin storyline. Instead, the game subverts the usual fantasy narrative: it starts off as an epic adventure and slowly reveals itself to be a character study.
And as much as everyone tells me they hate the orphanage scene, I felt it could be viewed as a resonant metaphor: the experience of warfare stole their childhood innocence and is slowly turning them into soldiers who have no purpose except the next battle. More than that, it?s a commentary on how the responsibilities and pressures of adulthood can cause us to forget who we once were. Anyone who has ever rediscovered a childhood memento and found old memories flooding back can sympathise with characters who are amazed at how much they?ve forgotten.
This plotline reminds me of some of the best work of Buffy the Vampire Slayer-creator Joss Whedon, who proved himself a master of using fantasy as an allegory for real-life pain (consider the unforgettable episode in which Buffy sleeps with her boyfriend and accidentally transforms him into a soulless monster). Indeed, Whedon suggested that he might be a fan of the game in a 2007 interview with The Onion?s AV Club in which he stated that his new favorite musical genre was YouTube music videos of Final Fantasy VIII.
There are other fascinating subplots, one of my favourites being a the series of strange dreams that Squall and the others keep having about a man named Laguna Loire, a journalist-turned-soldier who fought in the earlier war. Squall watches with somewhat amused detachment as Laguna flirts with a torch singer during shore leave, gets injured and recuperates in a small town, and is eventually captured by the enemy.
When the two meet face to face in the present, Squall learns that Laguna is his father, who disappeared after the war ended in order to become a political leader in a distant country. Unlike most RPGs, which pump every event and strange happening full of cosmic importance, Final Fantasy VIII keeps its focus deeply personal: in the end, the cryptic dreams are revealed to be nothing more than a son?s attempts to understand his absent father.
Conclusion...
As I said, I?m not an FF8 fanboy and I don?t think think It is proof that videogames can reach levels of high art or anything. I?m not denying there are huge flaws in the game. Its storyline is simultaneously convoluted and formulaic, and most of its 50-hour quest is spent on repetitive battles. But it?s fascinating to see how even a well-worn formula can allow for strange, beautiful environments, thrilling scenes, and even flashes of insight into human nature. And I think for all it tried to do it deserves more respect among FF fans than it seems to get.
Before I start this, I?d just like to say I?m not a massive Final Fantasy 8 fanboy or anything. My favourites are actually 6, 4 and 15 respectively. BUT every time the topic of Final Fantasy arises I hear people hurling accusations at 8 because of a couple of things which I consider minor quibbles. Some people even claim it?s ?the worst Final Fantasy? so I find myself having to defend it. Therefore, I thought I?d make a post about it, because I actually think it?s the most interesting.
And before anyone pulls the nostalgia card on me, I played it after 6, 4 and 7. I have played all the FF games now except for the MMOs too. Also, I?m purposely talking more about story than the junctioning system in this post because, personally, I think it?s an easy gameplay mechanic that really isn?t as complicated as everyone seems to think and, to me, it?s just a case of ?getting better? or concentrating on the tutorial. I don?t see the point in arguing about this. I don?t consider myself particularly amazing at RPGs and I picked it up in no time. Plus, it actually makes the game quite easy it you know how to use it.
Shift from 7 to 8...
Anyway, we all know the series made a quantum leap in 1997 with the release of Final Fantasy 7. It took full advantage of the hardware, using 3D graphics to create a more fully realised world, and the larger storage capacity of CDs to tell a Byzantine storyline that spanned over 50 hours long. Yet for all its progress forward, the game still seemed like a hodgepodge of different styles that never amounted to a satisfying whole (in my opinion).
Its aesthetics were a blend of Tolkien-esque swords and sorcery with Japanese anime and cyberpunk dystopia, while its storyline was now half melodrama, half plot-heavy comic book with the occasional stab at social commentary -- the game contained references to genetic engineering and corporate corruption, but it never really went anywhere with these topics.
By contrast, Final Fantasy VIII knew exactly what it was trying to be: a coming-of-age story built on the metaphor that growing up is a long, dangerous journey. What's even more interesting than the game's attempts at plausible character development and thematic depth is the fact that it's part of a larger trend.
Character Studies...
If Final Fantasy 8 were merely a triumph of aesthetic design, it would make for an atmospheric videogame but a thin storyline. Instead, the game subverts the usual fantasy narrative: it starts off as an epic adventure and slowly reveals itself to be a character study.
And as much as everyone tells me they hate the orphanage scene, I felt it could be viewed as a resonant metaphor: the experience of warfare stole their childhood innocence and is slowly turning them into soldiers who have no purpose except the next battle. More than that, it?s a commentary on how the responsibilities and pressures of adulthood can cause us to forget who we once were. Anyone who has ever rediscovered a childhood memento and found old memories flooding back can sympathise with characters who are amazed at how much they?ve forgotten.
This plotline reminds me of some of the best work of Buffy the Vampire Slayer-creator Joss Whedon, who proved himself a master of using fantasy as an allegory for real-life pain (consider the unforgettable episode in which Buffy sleeps with her boyfriend and accidentally transforms him into a soulless monster). Indeed, Whedon suggested that he might be a fan of the game in a 2007 interview with The Onion?s AV Club in which he stated that his new favorite musical genre was YouTube music videos of Final Fantasy VIII.
There are other fascinating subplots, one of my favourites being a the series of strange dreams that Squall and the others keep having about a man named Laguna Loire, a journalist-turned-soldier who fought in the earlier war. Squall watches with somewhat amused detachment as Laguna flirts with a torch singer during shore leave, gets injured and recuperates in a small town, and is eventually captured by the enemy.
When the two meet face to face in the present, Squall learns that Laguna is his father, who disappeared after the war ended in order to become a political leader in a distant country. Unlike most RPGs, which pump every event and strange happening full of cosmic importance, Final Fantasy VIII keeps its focus deeply personal: in the end, the cryptic dreams are revealed to be nothing more than a son?s attempts to understand his absent father.
Conclusion...
As I said, I?m not an FF8 fanboy and I don?t think think It is proof that videogames can reach levels of high art or anything. I?m not denying there are huge flaws in the game. Its storyline is simultaneously convoluted and formulaic, and most of its 50-hour quest is spent on repetitive battles. But it?s fascinating to see how even a well-worn formula can allow for strange, beautiful environments, thrilling scenes, and even flashes of insight into human nature. And I think for all it tried to do it deserves more respect among FF fans than it seems to get.