By Alan
At the forefront of a rising tide of violence brought on by Galbadia�s war declaration is a SeeD cadet named Squall Leonhart. Serious to a fault, Squall has himself the reputation of being a lone wolf. A chance encounter with the free-spirited Rinoa Heartilly, however, turns his universe upside down. Having thrived on discipline, Squall finds Rinoa�s carefree attitude fascinating. Yet, there is no time ponder these thoughts, for the job of dealing with the sorceress behind Galbadia�s irrational hostility has fallen to SeeD and Squall.
The Pros
The Story
As with all Final Fantasys, the story is just awesome. A variety of characters and interactions really bring the game to life. But FFVIII brings a new aspect to the familiar storyline. It is an epic story that is based on the theme of love, which we don�t see very often in a video game. But this may also be the reason why the game was so successful. If you were to look at the following titles, IX and X, they basically have been love stories, which I�ll admit, is kinda nice to see in an already awesome story. By throwing a love theme in the game, FFVIII makes the player sympathize with the characters more than with the other titles. Just like watching a good movie, I guess.
The Graphics
As a loyal Final Fantasy gamer, I have noticed that certain scenes or events really stand out in each of the installments. In VI, it was the opera scene. VII was Aeris�s death. And in VIII, I think it�s the ballroom scene. To this day, I am still impressed with visuals produced by this game, particularly this scene. As a new installment is produced by SquareSoft, the graphics just get better and better. But SquareSoft really outdid themselves with the impressive graphics in FFVIII.
