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Final Fantasy VII Review
Noel Brady
00/12/0000
Final Fantasy VIII
As in the rest of the world, the Irish were enchanted by Final Fantasy VIII on the PlayStation. Indeed, Game-Ireland was moved enough to give it quite a high score. Now it returns on PC with the advertising bulk of Eidos Interactive behind it and a better graphics engine. Aside from even better looks though, Final Fantasy VIII on the PC is a faithful facsimile of the PlayStation original albeit with some little tweaks.
It\'s so faithful, in fact, that there doesn\'t seem to be any way to quit from it short of At-Tabbing out. And, irksomely, there\'s still no option to quit the Guardian Force attack cut-scenes, which are breathtaking to watch the first time, and the ssecond too, but soon get tiresome. No matter, though, because the game is every bit as engrossing on PC as it was on PlayStation. It works on so many levels, rather like a slice of delicious gateau.
On the surface-- the topping, if you like-- you\'ve got those splended graphics. These use a combination of techniques. Most of the time finely detailed polygonal characters wander around against equally lovely static backgrounds. Should a pack of monsters attack you, or a bit of story-telling be required, you\'ll find yourself watching cut-scenes using the game engine. And then, when a really major event in the story occurs, you\'ll get a terrific cinema-quality sequence. This might all sound like a bit of a mish-mash on a machine that has blended narrative and action seamlessly in games like Half-Life, but it works.
Then, underpinning the graphics, you\'ve got a genuinely diverting story. The main character you control is Squall Leonhart. He\'s a spiky-haired trainee soldier at the SeeD Academy, and as the game progresses it transpires-- through flashbacks and dream sequences-- that his life is somehow weirdly linked to that of Laguna Loire, an ex-soldier turned journalist. Basically it\'s an excuse to form a troop of characters and go and duff up some monsters, but it\'s also intriguing enough to hold your attention throughout the five CDs.
And then, holding it all together, there\'s the more-bewildering-than-ever Final Fantasy magic system. In contrast to the rest of the game, the magic department looks like something from the dark ages of computing-- page after page of bewildering stats, acronyms and abbreviations. By fumbling through these screens using their clunky PlayStation-derived interface, manual on your lap, you must grapple with the mysteris of Elemental Junction Abilities and Renzokuken attacks, and the differences between Str, Spd and Spr.
But don\'t be put off, because while it might look about as interesting as a railway timetable, it\'s this magic and combat stuff that really makes Final Fantasy VIII tick. And as you slowly get your head round it all you\'ll find it means you can play the game in just about any way you like. You could, for example, concentrate on your characters\' hand-to-hand fighting abilities. Squall wields a Gunblade, a sword-cum-pistol, which can gradually be upgraded, while the fisticuffs-favouring Zell can pull off a selection of various beat-\'em-up styles. Or you can focus your attention to enemies, which can be drawn from enemies and then cast as spells during battles. Magic can also be \'\'junctioned\'\' to your team\'s stats, improving their skills.
Or you could place your faith in your Guardian Forces. These are demons who, once defeated in battle, can be trained up Pokemon-fashion and summoned to provide back-up. Those cut-scenes may prove more than you can bear, however. Or you can come up with a cunning combination of all these techniques, perhaps developing one character who\'s good at combat, another who weighs in with his Guardian Force, and a third who\'s a whizz-kid at spells.
Mind you, you\'re more likely so start out by switching everything to \'\'auto\'\' and playing Final Fantasy VIII as an adventure game, running away from danger. But you\'ll come up a cropper when the big enemies show up. This is a game you need to work at, then. But it\'s one that\'ll reward your efforts many times over with its twist-riddled storyline and glorious cinematic sequences. The sense of achievement when you can finally defeat one of the really enormous boss-type monsters can\'t be understated.
Anonymous
Date Added:Sat 18th Nov 2006 11:50