This was my first ff game. Changed my life. Made me a lifelong fan of the series. It has issues but I am willing to overlook them for all the stuff I love about it.

People judging Squall harshly forget that he is a literal war orphan, who lost all his friends as they got adopted, lost his sister as she got taken away and closed himself off to protect himself at a very early age. He went from an orphanage to a military school and that's it. Everyone Squall loved left him, so he didn't want any more friends and it took him a lot of time to get out of that mindset. (probably a big part was when he thought seifer was dead and thus saw his own future in that)

Love FF8, it was my first Final Fantasy. I am 54 now and still play it regularly.

Seifer looking up to squalls dad as his hero is just the best.

Something I always found interesting is Squall and Irvine are the youngest party members, but both of their character arcs are them playing at being grown men with these rough exteriors because that's what's expected (They're both the best at their respective skills and are somewhat revered by their headmasters for this skill), but when you peel that away, they're really just scared and insecure teenagers who don't know how to genuinely open up to people. And for me that makes the assassination mission so interesting in terms of their character arcs since they have this moment together where they're forced to confront this about themselves by recognizing it in one another.

Final Fantasy always feel exciting to me to replay again. Something about the set up, the school, the dorm life, the iconic music, the you're an elite force, the graphic. Idk, it has timeless appeal to it.

The Balam Garden song gets me every time. Instant soothing nostalgia waves.

I started with 7 and always said it was the best. but after replaying all of them as an adult, 8 hit me the hardest and is my favorite now.

What I really love about it, is its art style. FF7 is very real world related. FF9 is classic medieval steampunk. But FF8 isn't really classic sci-fi or something. It has elements from all three styles. It feels like a post apocalyptic world that is frozen somwhere between the ages. Which kinda fits the whole time compression narrative. Besides that the game has a lot of elements that are connected together but actually didn't make that much sense in particular. And that created a feeling that the game actually had much story to hide that actually wasn't told. For some it appeared like just bad made. For me it created a athmosphere of mysteries through the whole game, which was fed by locations like the centra ruins, shumi village, the Ragnarok and the aliens, Lunatic Pandora or the Deep Sea Research Center. Everything just felt so thrown in like whatever, which always made me thinking about who build that and what actually happened to it.

Oh my God thank youuuu!!!! That moment where Quistis pushes Squall to save Rinoa is such an underrated moment. If you think about it, Quistis has no reason to save Rinoa. She has her mission, Adel is on earth and it's her duty to stop it. Not only that, freeing Rinoa might endanger the entire world because she be possessed. Rationally, through the eyes of a SeeD or Instructor, the best move is to let her go. Rinoa's gone, and it gives Quistis the opportunity to make her romance with Squall work in the same vein as say how Laguna moved on from Julia to Raine. Right before this scene, she was jealous of Rinoa, implying she wanted to have Squall save her instead. But she still saves Rinoa. She pushes Squall to save her. Throughout the game, Quistis struggles to define herself. Is she the responsible instructor, is she the one for Squall, etc. But what Quistis wants, is the best for her friends no matter what. You see her abandon her post in the assassination mission because she felt bad for Rinoa, even after being trapped inside the house, Quistis still worries about her. When Quistis sees Squall all broken after being left by Rinoa, she's essentially reliving the moment where she decided she wants to be like a sister for Squall, wherein Squall states that he fights so that Ellone can come back. She wants to guide this kid who's lost in his life. Quistis felt family in him. She ran away from her parents because they didn't fit together. But with Squall, Edea and the others, she had a family. It's all she ever wanted. So at this moment, she finally finds herself. She isn't an instructor, she isn't Squall's lover, She's his family. She realizes who she is. She redeems herself by successfully saving Rinoa unlike the assassination mission, but also by pushing Squall to risk it all save Rinoa, just as how Ellone did much the same, encouraging Squall to risk his life to save Rinoa, showing us that Quistis really become his sis. Thank you for this! I love VIII too. This game is special to me, and I love writing about it. Here's a subscriber! You earned it!

I enjoyed the video. Just wanted to mention that Kitase has since elaborated on the Rinoa/Ultimecia theory and he took back his previous statement debunking it. I translated and uploaded a video of him talking about this topic, but the gist is: Kitase didn't write with that theory in mind but he acknowledges that there's a possibility Nojima and/or Nomura did since he knows they like inserting "hidden" details like that. He talks about how between 3 writers each of their interpretations could have been different. All he can say for certain is that the theory wasn't explicitly laid out in the final manuscript, which is why he was quick to shoot that question down when it came up to him in an interview (he said he wasn't prepared at all to receive a question like that). Another thing that was revealed was that SE has had internal debates about what to do with the whole Rinoa/Ultimecia theory for spin-off games and such. They've been aware of the theory for a long time (besides Kitase it seems 😂) and they weren't sure just how far they could go with it. But that part was probably clear given the references to it in Dissidia.

I always wonder if it was intentional that Cid looks like Robin Williams.

This game does something very unique when it comes to narrative in the form that it often shows to the player what squall's thoughts are, whilst never letting those complicated inner monologues out for the othyer characters to comment upon. You get such a fantastic painting of squall's - and only his - characterization through these frequent thought bubbles, it made him one of the most relatable ff protagonists to me. At the same time this is both 100% the way to go and something no other entry should consider, since it makes this game's special parallel narratives so unique and interesting

The Princess Edea assassination mission, was and still is, one of the most epic experiences I ever had in gaming. My 10 year old self was absolutely blown away back when the game launched. Also, I remember the disc change happened right before or after.. so I thought the game crashed and I went through a existential crisis 😂 EDIT- EASILY the goat soundtrack of the series.

This was my first FF. I must have asked for 7 and by the time Xmas came around 8 was out. I loved it, I always remember that it's my favourite. Any time a vid or article crosses my path I'll devour it and swear that I'm going to actually get round to starting my second playthrough. But the thing is, I barely remember any of the actual plot or systems, all I've got is vibes. And the memory of a scratch on disc 4 crashing the game during the final cutscene. It's like a wild dream that I woke up from just a moment too soon.

Fantastic video there fella. Honestly, I could have easily listened to another hour of your commentary. The T-Rexaur example of using battle to teach battle/system mechanics is one of the more astute observations I've seen. You even got me invested in the R is U theory which I was always super dismissive of previously. It's still not something I subscribe to; however, your enthusiasm for it and the enjoyment it helps you derive from the game put a smile on my face.

One of the best. 7-8 and 9 were incredible. Even ff10 was awesome, so many amazing memories, back to back amazing titles. What a golden era for gamers

FF8 was my first in the franchise and I love it. FF8 has a huge soft spot in my heart forever. I bought so many copies of this game as a kid cause I wore out the disks (or it just stopped working). I wish a real remake would happen for FF8.

Damn this is a great analysis vid. Loved that you mentioned about Squall being the “quiet type” which allows the player to project, start from scratch and relate easily. Which is also a good launchpad for what’s about to come character development-wise. I’ve never thought of that before til you mentioned it. FF8 is def my fave of all time cos of the story. Gameplay is frustrating but the story and time compression mindfuck is what made me come back for more. It’s been years but the story stays with me. Would love to play this again!!

1:35 I’m old now, but first played VIII as it released as a teenager. This trailer, along with the intro CG was mindbreaking (I remember pre-YT, people even ripped and shared the cutscenes on Limewire). I don’t think I was more blown away by a Final Fantasy trailer until the first “Versus XIII” trailer, when that game was supposed to release on PS3.

FF8 was my first FF game as well. Before I even played it, a friend in my neighborhood had the strategy guide. We would play in his backyard with the book being our guide. Using sticks to fight trees and level up characters from the book... collecting broken safety glass and putting it in pouches for "gil" to purchase items. Pretty nerdy and weird looking back but it was honestly so fun. I was already hooked on the game before I even owned the discs lol. It holds a special place in my heart for sure.

Laguna has, and always will be my fav character in this installment, and his battle music was solid too!

I just finished this game for the first time and I absolutely loved it. That final fight with Ultimecia had me so hyped and stressed (because my build was so unoptimized).

I think, I really liked Squall as I had cancer at a really young age and watched a lot of my friends die who also had cancer at the time. Then around 8 years old my biological mother was cut out of my life (she was physically abusive to my sister and I). In my younger teenage years my father became alcoholic and was verbally abusive and on occasions physically abusive. I really withdrew from the social part of life. I did not want to be at home and was hesitant at making new friends. I was cold and short with responses to others. All to protect myself from future pain. As for romantic relationships I have always been with women that have "forced" their way into my life due to my shell of self protection.

You hit the nail on the head with Squall. This is still my favorite RPG of all time, and I loved it as a kid (5th grade first playthrough) more than 7 (7th grade first playthrough), and as I've gotten older it's only deepened. The game had such a deep pool of adult life you don't realize it as a kid. It's amazing.

Im playing through 8 for the first time rn!!! Its fucking amazing dude the vibe it gives is unlike any other ff ive ever played pretty amazing so far

Final Fantasy 8 is literal a Multigenerational Love story involving the parents of the protagonists, Great video my friend I loved every moment of it. I would love to see it get the Remake treatment the way 7 is....oh well what can ya do.

Thank you for this video. I saw the length and almost wrote it off instantly, but you kept me in the whole way through cause I realized your takes on FF VIII were many I shared as well. It was also my first Final Fantasy and I replay it every couple years.

Ff8 is the game that defined me. It was so formative and I took so much from its world that looked like my own on a warm summer day. From the (for the time) amazing graphics and music, to the characters I grew to love. Through Squall's adventures I was able to learn how to turn from an introvert into someone who can be brave, kind, mindful to other viewpoints, loyal, and even passionate. He is a fantastic character and I see why many people didn't like him - but he's closed off by design.

I’m still one of the original FF8 fans, never hated in it. It’s hilarious to me whenever I see videos like this because the context of it coming out (early internet) meant that most of us were over-leveled, over-using junctioned magic, over-abusing GF summons. It was still earth shattering when it came out, I had friends come over and we’d do nothing but play Triple Triad for hours.

FF8 is by far my favourite game. I adored the world, the characters were relatable and actually grew. The music is Nobuo’s best and the story is a genuine mystery to unravel each time you play. I’m looking forward to my next play through.

Loved your video. Really resonated with my first time experience. And yes, no doubt Rinoa IS Ultimecia. Thank you for this. Also. This long video wasn't boring in the slightest.

I also though Rinoa was Ultimicia, there was just too many similarities. Ultimicia is the opposite reflection of Rinoa,Ultimecia is wearing red dress, Rinoa is in blue, Ultimecia has white hair, Rinoa has black, devil wings vs angel wings .....Griever was the ultimate hint because after Rinoa lost her self, this was the only painful memory of her past and of her lost love. I believe that Angelo was actually her GF and after all the time and grief she experienced, she transformed into Ultimecia and Angelo became Griever (Cat looking GF). Ultimecia was in a trap, she wanted time compression to escape from it. After we killed Ultimecia, Rinoa was lost in the time space, but this time she knew what promise they have made with Squal and both of them met. Ironically this was Ultimecia wish as well. If Rinoa finds Squal and he is alive Ultimecia (Rinoa from the future) does not exist.

Ff8 was my first game on ps1, first rpg, and first ff. It will always be my top favorite and is a treasure to me ❤️

What a beautiful video, I love how after so many years people is still talking about this game. I don't think I could have said things better, you nailed everything that is awesome and not so awesome about this game. Thank you for taking your time in creating this video.

Amazing review. I have replayed FF VIII countless times as a child and teenager and i was obsessed to uncover every unseen corner. It was obvious to me then that the story implied that Ultimecia somehow was connected to Squall and my impression (before internet theories) was that she was Rinoa far into a future that she forgot the specifics but clinged on to feelings. The GF losing memories subplot makes no sense otherwise.

This was awesome, thank you for putting this together. This is the first pro FF8 video i have seen that actually understands and addresses the criticisms that I personally had for this game. Most pro FF8 videos just gloss over all troublesome aspects. I’ve been meaning to give FF8 another shot, especially since in my first play through i checked out of the story and completely ignored the crafting mechanic.

This was my first FF as a 9-10 yr old this game captivated me, I’ve also played through it multiple times as I got older something about this game gives me a warm joyous feeling I love the nostalgia.

I put in 75+ hours on my first play through. The battle system, triple triad side game kept me grinding and exploring the extra stuff. Great experience! Currently playing FF 13 for the first time and loving that as well. This series has always brought me joy 😊

This was my first ff game and my favourite, have played through it more than 10 times and this video somehow managed to show me aspects of the game that I didn't knew! Amazing video, the best I've seen about ff8! Congrats!

The way you paced the video felt very fluid and relatively easy to consume despite its length. I really enjoyed this video even though I have never even seen gameplay of FF8 before today. Willing to give it a shot after this! Hopefully you'll make more videos of this nature in the future.

The characters, the worlds and the music. FF7, FF8 and FF9 really made my childhood along with other rpgs like the suikoden games, legend of legaia and mana, chrono cross, tales of eternia and so many others. They just don't do rpgs like they used to anymore.

I don't normally comment on videos, but I had to drop a comment and a subscribe on a year old video after the SeeD name reasoning! FF8 was my first FF and therefore my favorite - thanks for the in depth share of your experience, homie!

If i remember correctly, Basch was supposed to be the main character of 12, but then they changed it late in development to penelo and vaan to make it appeal more to a teen audience

I think it's worth noting the game's incredible direction. Like, the composition of the cutscenes and FMVs. I think it has the best direction in the series by far. I don't know what it is, but they seem to always find great shot composition and frame the FMVs in the most exciting ways. I think that is high praise considering it is surrounded by 7, 9, and 10. But it beats them all in this department. 8 also has my favorite bestiary in the series. Its monster designs are incredible and its redesigns are just as good.

I loved 8, mostly. If it didnt have level scaling itd easily be one my top 3

I love love FF8 too and all the mysteries in it, and the Rinoa theory is very compelling. The story is just so complex and convoluted that it's hard to absorb in one play of the game, which could easily be construed as a negative - and maybe it is - but at the same time, you can discover new things and nuances years later that can totally reshape the story as a whole. Few games do something like this.

Hi I’ve been recently trying to figure out if I wanted to bother playing this game for the first time but this video convinced me, you talking about the plot and characters got me so invested

This game is my favorite game of all time period. This game was my everything for years and it will always hold a very special place in my ❤

20:20 Something worth noting is that the T-Rexuar is extremely vulnerable to blind as well. I did not know it was weak to sleep, but when I was younger I always cast blind or whatever it was and he would always miss.

I haven't been one to subscribe/buy into fan theories, but the Rinoa is Ultimecia one makes a lot of sense when listening to it rather than reading. I really like the thought that Ultimecia is the version of Rinoa that failed to find/save Squall and became the villain of the game. It made a lot more sense when explained here than just reading it and I will stick to that theory now. Love this video and how it shows the same way I feel about Final Fantasy 8

Thank you for this, your video came up in my recommend, so I’m just getting to see it now! FF8 is my favourite Final Fantasy game and you have highlighted every reason why. The junction system and the draw system are always reason people give me for not liking it, but beneath that is something crazy and beautiful. Everyone should give it a chance, and now I’m going to start up a new save and enjoy the weirdness. ❤

My biggest problem with the Junction system was the limitation of 9 spells per draw, making it take way too long to steal 100 of a spell from an enemy.

I got into FF because of the FF8 demo that came with brave fencer musashi. The cinematic of the dollet sequence, especially quistis gunning down the spider robot was the coolest shit I'd ever seen as a kid and I just had to play it. Played it, loved it and started playing the other games from there

Dude!!!! You had me squalling in laughter by your summary and your narrative skills!!! Bro, you're badass im subscribing!!!

"why would an Sorceress need Guardian Forces?" Ultimecia actually uses multiple Guardian Forces during the story, on Disk 1, she uses Carbuncle to Animate and give Auto-Reflect to the Iguions that attack Rinoa, and on Edea's final Fight, she is junctioned with Alexander, and in Tiamat's description, its stated that Tiamat is a Guardian Force as well. i like to assume all bosses on Ultimecia castle are actually her Guardian Forces that she uses to seal YOUR guardian forces powers. i also like to think that Griever was actually created during the final fight, by Ultimecia using a old trick your party has been using the entire game: Drawing GFs from your enemies, but that is a stretch.

This is a really nice video, honestly! I've been having a hard time getting into Final Fantasy VIII, and hearing about why people who love something love it so much can really help me appreciate it. I look forward to trying it once again, and seeing if I can't reach a better understanding of it!

Definitely hit on the issue with junctioning and leveling. On their own, I don’t mind either mechanic, paired together, they work against one another. Had they forgone the level scaling and just had areas with monsters that were harder to fight, I think it would have lead to a more organic play through. Though I won’t lie, I did enjoy figuring out how to break the game on my own as a kid.

God, I was obsessed with "Eyes on Me" song and it's a big part of the reason this is one of my favorites. And also Laguna's battle theme like you said. I enjoyed some aspects of the Junction system and if they ever remade it I would love to see them refine it.

Squall literally took the phrase "I love you to the moon and back" to the heart.

This video has just blown me away. There are a lot of videos dissecting this game on KZfaq, but yours is perhaps the most convincing. You've done an outstanding job balancing your nostalgia with valid critiques. Final Fantasy VIII isn't my favourite "game" per se, but it is the most fascinating that I've ever played. There is so much to like, and every shortcoming is just a step away from brilliance. Thank you for putting all of this into words. In particular, your Rinoa=Ultimecia explanation made me shiver. I've always been compelled by this theory, and your explanation has become a head canon that I find deeply satisfying. I'll be taking that thank you. Sidenote: the first time you said "goblins" I thought you'd just misspoken "gauntlets", but the second time you said it I was convinced you really said goblins. Which was it? 😆

Thanks for this. FF8 was my first as well and I still love the art and cinematography. The FMVs that let you move around are a nice touch as well. It took me years to fully play through this and appreciate it. One thing about the story that hits me is that they're all just kids. Most of the recurring characters essentially grew up together and now find themselves at war. It was really touching, and I found the ending to be extremely satisfying even without any words. I also found Squall relatable for the reasons you describe.

Lowkey everything blends with the music on every fight. Squalls L1 trigger for the attack GF summons Draw Selecting commands Item usage sounds Etc. Everything in the command menu just harmonizes perfectly in the background. Thats why the every battle is so satisfying 👌🏻

I love that your favorite OST is crystal chronicles! That's such an unusual choice and it's a great soundtrack!

FF8 is my favourite and changed my gaming life forever. The graphics at the time made FF7 look like it was a SNES game. It was a spectacle and truly epic.

Rinoa is definitely Ultimecia. Square will never admit it, but it's for sure the intended twist. And when you learn just how messy the development of FF8 was, you can easily see this being an intended twist that was cut because it's simply too dark.

Growing up, I shared video game consoles with my brother who is 4 years older than me. We shared cost and use, so while we didnt always get to play WHEN we wanted, we got to play WHAT we wanted, since the money we earned doing chores, neighborhood work and got for christmas and birthdays went farther than if we had to buy 2 consoles, an extra tv, duplicates of games we both loved, plus when we asked our parents if we both had our own consoles if we could keep them in our rooms, they said no. Most of the time things were amicable, he was a musician, i read a lot and tinkered with electronics, so we each had plenty to do when it wasnt our turn. We had fun together with most multiplayer games and left eachother alone for RPGs to avoid spoilers and such, preserve the experience for the other out of respect. This arrangement saw an NES, Genesis, SNES, N64, PS1 and PS2. Sure we fought and argued over turns, but we fought and argued over many things, and we knew if we made too big a fuss over whose turn it was, the rents would declare "giess what? Its nobodys turn now!" Or "if you cant agree on whose turn it is, then its my turn...for the next week....and for my turn it goes in my closet" so motivation to compromise was pretty high. Then came FF7, things got tense, save points were spread out, cut scenes were long, turns had to be negotiated on a case by case basis, often throwing the hour-to-hour system out for a split day or even day-to-day turn duration. It wasnt our first rodeo, FF4 (US 2) had a similar yet less pronounced negotiation, and we got through both games well enough alive. Ocarina of Time was no picnic either, but A Link to the Past also set us up for that one. ALttP of course COULD have worked on our typical hour-to-hour system, but it was too stressful and we decided 2 hour blocks was best for that one same as FF4(2) and other SNES Final Fantasy games. So FF7 goes by, things cool off, then FF8 comes around and everything goes out the window. He gets the first day, I peek in a little, try not to be a bother, but for some reason, watching him play doesnt interest me. Next day, I jump on, i get an hour in, somethings wrong, I'm not feeling it, I stare at the screen for a minute, then just turn it off. I walk to my brothers room "I...you can play today, I'm going to go read or something. He looks at me as if I had just told him there was a giant purple unicorn blowing bubbles in the front yard. "Are you sure? I dont want to get 20 minutes in and you change your mind" "no, if I do, I'll stand by it, go ahead" so he shrugs gladly jumps in the game. The next day, I turn it on, load my game, play for about 10 minutes and just....ponder why I don't want to play the game. Im only barely into the intro, so I figure I must have missed something, I'm truly baffled, I delete my save and start over, there's no way after my absolutely consuming love for FF7 that I just...don't like this game, it's not even a thought in my head, I'm only entertaining notions that fault is mine, the only conceivable thought is I've done or not done something something that put me in this dead end, and again little nore than an hour later, I'm right back in the same place....just staring at it as I realize the impossible truth: I dont want to play the latest Final Fantasy. I'm not mad, not disappointed, just confused. Could it be bad? No, my brother loves it. Is something wrong with me? No, other games are as fun as ever. Im not any more or less depressed than usual, my social life hasnt changed, its just....this game....I just....dont want to play it. Whats worse is I still want to know what happens. I go to my brother again, hes sees my troubled face like before "whats wrong, you dont like it?" "I dont know, I dont think so....can I just watch you play for a bit? I'll stay quiet, I just....I dont know" he says "sure, if it means I get to play more, you can always change your mind once you see whats down the line" but I never did. I have never played FF8 past the first hour and Ive beaten every other one from 1 to 10. I watched my brother play for a couple hours and even lost interest in that. To this day I have no idea what happens save for a few odd bits here and there, mostly when people compare it to other FF games. Today, I'll finally change that, see what I missed. Today I will complete my 90s FF experience, if only by watching. Maybe it will finally inspire me to play it through for myself some 25 years later. If not, at least I'll know what happened.

I wonder how many people, who played FF8 Actualy know that, Laguna and Raine were Squall's actual biological parents, and that Eleone was Squall adopted sister. That's why Squall called her Sis when they were kids in the orphanage...

"Final Fantasy VIII's story is very weird" I think this deserves an award for understatement.

The game of FFVIII was the first game I ever had of the series. Only vaguely heard of 7 at the time. I remember going to a Sam’s Club and seeing it on the shelf that was packaged with a tips guide in a combo. My dad bought it for me. I played the game for years there after because of the fact that Squall seemed to resonate with my character at the time. (We were around the same age.) I slowly began to see the benefits of each character and how to use them. And yes… I also did not use magic unless absolutely necessary. But I remember many memories of this title and how I grew up with a fondness of it. A series and game I only barely heard of, and blindly fell into. I like FF7, but FF8 will also be the one I prefer simply because of the history of having this title and getting everything that the game has to offer. Thank you for sharing this wonderful title and the breakdown thereof.

I’ve played this game more times than I can count over 20+ years. I’ve never, EVER seen Irvine make that shot at Trabia Garden. What the hell.

I’ve always loved FF8 - it was one of the first games I ever played and it blew my mind. Definitely not the best in the series but it’s undeniably unique.

Loved the half of the video I watched. Sorry for only watching half you’re video, but you have inspired me to try the game myself.

@29:35 Irvine is not a SeeD. Yes he is a military student but not a SeeD. Also, I'm glad you mentioned how you like to use magic in this game these days. Magic can be powerful when used right. Double and Triple casted magic can deal great damage when hitting weaknesses and such. I don't know why 95% of players even veteran ones can't see it this way.

KZfaq recommendations can sometimes be on point and this was definitely one of them ! Still in the process of watching this but so far stellar work ! Looking forward to more videos from you and planning to back to your FFXIV video after this, keep up the amazing work !

Hey Sean, Greg from Atlus here. Congrats on another excellent video! I appreciate your discussion and use of the "death of the author" way of thinking. Personally I agree that the interpretation by the viewer of a work of art, of which video games are, are just as valid as the creator's interpretation. Speaking of "death of the author," we think you'd really enjoy Persona 4: Arena Ultimax. We've got a staggering roster of fighters from the Persona series that we can't wait for you to see.

FFVIII is my first and favorite Final Fantasy game! Thank you for making this video! You brought back so much nostalgia and a reason for me to replay the game! Liked and subscribed!

I'm now 100% dreaming of a FF8 Remake where Enix actually deppens and fleshes out the story+characters and fully commits to the Rinoa is Ultimecia story

I love when people like you make 1 hour long detail packed mega documentary style retrospective analysis of my favourite games! I watch these like movies coming home from work and allowing me to relax after a CHOCOBO bath. God bless you sir and thank you for the LONG and tangential look at 0ne of my favourite games. I could never beat this because I didn't understand the game and just escaped every battle until I got to odin 😂

"Final Fantasy 8 is better than 7 because it has Laguna. Bye-bye!" An excellent agreement, take my like and my sub. The fact that there's no spin off game starring just Laguna and crew is a crime!

Rinoa = Ultimecia adds a level of tragedy that makes the story much deeper.

I love FF8. FF7 was my first experience, and it stands out to me in terms of art style and theme. None of them have been as dark or industrial since. But FF8 managed to be NOTHING like it's predecessor, and yet is just as epic in every way. Also, FF7 always flirted around the love-story angle while never bringing it to the forefront, and FF8 makes it central. Rinoa's in real danger at one point, and you end up in space to save her. While in space you get what approximates a "date" on the Ragnarok. I also love how alien Esthar is, and I love the 3 gardens. The Galbadia vs. Balaamb garden battle is a great analog to Weapon attacking Junon/Midgar scenes. Also the monsters flooding from the moon, and the Sorceress angles are strange an interesting. The time-warping & Ultimecia/orphanage story was a bit of a turn, and I think that's the analog for the identity crisis of Cloud in FF7. Sometimes I think FF8 might be better than FF7, but they're so different and equally epic. The Junction system really screwed me up as a kid. I fumbled through Materia at age 10 or 11, and Junction really confused me. By the way, I'm working on a documentary about the legacy of the first PlayStation, and I've been re-writing and re-recording my dialogues soooo much. I feel your pain and appreciate the amount of work that goes into a video like this. People who haven't tried to make content like this just have no idea how much work it is or how difficult it can be to bring yourself to stick with or even start it back up.

26:08 I agree. The main problem though is the Laguna sections that usually wont let you exchange junctions before hitting those sections, and can leave either Kyros and/or Ward weak.

This has to be one of the best reviews of FF game I've ever seen. Really like your style and how you narrate.

FF8 was my first and favorite game as well, I still have the disks! Really good video, thanks for making it. On a side note, has anyone made a mod that may rebalance the level scaling?

ff8 was my first ff game and remains my most favorite for a multitude of reasons. it is also the game that turned me on to jrpgs and resource management games at a very young age which inadvertently set me on my life path of becoming a programmer and thus has provided me and my little family with a comfortable life. i owe this all to my best friend's mother who saw ff8 at the store, picked it up, turned it around, read the whole thing and thought "oh... neat...let me get this for the kids". love you marion

About Ultimecia being Rinoa, there's also a strong possibility that nobody ever seems to consider: the sorceress from the future could easily be Squall and Rinoa's daughter/direct descendant. That would make the whole story of the game the most cursed and tragic love story of all time. 😅 I mean... Laguna falls in love with a girl called Julia but he's injured during a mission and ends up living in a small mountain town, never seeing that girl ever again. Then, he meets there another woman called Raine which already have a daughter named Ellone who's a potential witch that gets taken away by Sorceress Adel's minions at some point. Laguna leaves to bring the kid back while Raine is pregnant with there child, Squall (all that part of the story is not exactly theory since it's heavily implied in the game). Roughly seventeen to eighteen years later, Squall and Julia's daughter meet and they end up falling in love after being through a lot together, thus fulfilling the love story described in the "Eyes on me" song (a song about Laguna that was written by Julia... which is kinda creepy since it's about stalking people lol). Everything's fine and love triumphs. Except it clearly doesn't. You have two intertwined timelines for most of the game: the past and the present. But then a third one (the future) appears out of nowhere and seems disconnected from the two previous generations of characters, so what I'm saying is just that having three generations of the same bloodline fighting in a loophole because of a failed romance could also be a quite logical scenario.🤔

Fun fact about Ashe and Bosch's story. They were supposed to be the main characters of XII, but the director got put to task by the higher ups to put in Vaan and probably his friend too because the director's last game Vagrant Story had a gruff older protagonist (the Bosch analogue) and the higher ups said that one didn't do so hot so play to market expectations.

This video kicked ass. I was sad to see you don’t have much content. Totally sold on the Rinoa x Ultamecia theory solely off of what you stated.

Thank you for this! My introduction to Final Fantasy was through VIII, and I loved it from the beginning. It was the first game I'd ever played that had an open world for exploring, secrets to discover (or borrow a friends strategy guide to find), and a story that kept me engaged. For that, it's always felt special to me. After playing FFVII, X, XII, and I think XIV I still think this one and X are my favorite. I actually REALLY loved the junction system and thought pairing status effects with attacks alone was very cool. I also thought the fear of losing stats when using power was an interesting decision. I remember playing FFX and loving the story, the look, the music, the handball game...but really missing the Junction system. Put balls in circles on a pretty much linear path...y a y. The only thing I think we differ on is the whole Laguna story. I hated it the first few play throughs. It was only on later replays that it went from me hating it to thinking it was fine. Glad it's there, but I always groaned a bit when starting one.

Honestly, if nothing else, the music from this title makes it an instant classic. This was the 2nd FF game i started, shortly after beginning ffx, literally only because i knew Squall by name. Although I love FFX and simultaneously have yet to finish 8, it holds this place in my mind where there's this little pocket of endless warmth bliss. Hearing the song just outside of Balamb garden, spending FAR too long trying to get a complete understanding of the junction system and grind for fish fins - the track just puts me at peace. Also Laguna's battle theme is seriously TOO good

It’s the soundtrack that really ties it all together for me. Also breaking the junction system within the first 2 hours always makes it a fun playthrough

I like the theory that in the original timeline, after Ultimecia dies and Squall ends up trapped in that empty desert-like place, Rinoa never finds him, and he ends up lost forever. Then, after much time and grieving has passed, Rinoa slowly becomes more and more corrupted by her powers because her knight is long gone, and she eventually becomes Ultimecia. Then, the cycle repeats itself over and over until YOU complete this game. Then, this time around, Rinoa finds you and saves you from that bleak place. That breaks the cycle, and Rinoa keeps her knight and true love and doesn't become Ultimecia, thus changing the future for the better. That's my favorite theory because it means that even if the Rinoa=Ultimecia theory is true, there is still a happy ending. However, even if Ultimecia is not Rinoa, she still has a plausible motive for wanting to achieve time compression, even though it's never said in-game. Aside from wanting to escape death, I believe that in Ultimecia's time period, all SeeD members in the world are extremely ruthless witch hunters, and I mean they destroy sorceresses with extreme prejudice. That would explain why Seifer believed that Squall and the others were the bad guys... because Ultimecia most likely told him everything about her time period.

One thing I loved and did not catch for several play throughs is that the failed romance of Laguna and Julia (as I did not realize that Rinoa was Julia's daughter) is passed on to Squall and Rinoa. Also the spell that became my goto OP spell is Aura.... easy limit breaks for days. I decided to do a no Aura run and dramatically changed the difficulty level for myself.

This is my favorite Final Fantasy game even to this day. It meant so much to me when it first came out & I just replayed through it with my wife. Seeing all the things that impacted me as well as the connections I have with Squall's arc helped us understand each other more. I love this game so much & I really enjoyed your analysis. Thank you.

I honestly loved the Edea/ Ultamecia plot twist a lot. A future sorceress possessing a past sorceress to prevent her death.

Very good video. This truly has taken me back to my high school years.

26:12 I just love how you mentioned splitting squads and mentioning how little you might use some characters and showing Kimahri in 10. As is part of tradition, I never use Kimahri in any of my playthroughs just because of how much I hated him in my first. There was that once scene when he has to fight his brothers, but fortunately, teh fight was scaled with his level, otherwise it would make progression impossible.

I love your intro! 😂 Honestly, the true biggest singular flaw of FF8 was unavoidable no matter what they would have done. Anything being tasked with following FF7 was destined to be handed a hate grenade. That being true aside; FF8 was a really great game in its own right in all aspects.

I remember being so enthralled with this game. Thinking more and more as I progressed through the game that it would actually outdo ff7’s amazing story line. Then disc 3 happened.