any other people rank it as their favorite FF?
maybe I am biased, but I just love the graphics and atmosphere...
Squall is awesome and I relate to him a lot, and the characters in general are very deep.
Plus I love the music.
anyway, I am on disc two currently, during the part when Balamb town is under the control of Galbadia. So, I am stuck in Balamb, and basically I have to fight Raijin... and I read that I need Mug, which Diablos has not learned yet. Can I get out of Balamb to learn Mug, or is there another way to defeat Raijin?
sorry, nvm
I probably should have done more research... but I will be alright,
I figured out how to finish the fight.
Mug is a support skill that allows you to steal while normally attacking (you can then have some other ability in place of steal). It's required so you can get good/rare items from enemies without hassle.
If you Mug from bosses, they will not drop an item when you win the battle. So make sure to check what the boss drops and what you can steal and make sure you get which ever is better.
Thats being said, Final Fantasy VIII is in the top 3 on my list. Tactics being #1 and IV being second favorite.
I try to play VIII at least once a year.
FFVIII is probably tied for first place with FFVI in my heart. Although if I had to break the tie, I think it'd be in VI's favor (just because of the more lenghty story and number of characters and character subplots).
The atmosphere & world design are awesome, and the characters are indeed deep in VIII. My only disappointment was the abrupt end, and the fact that towns become inaccessible in the last part (that sucked big time). But I won't spoil anything.
Also, it has two of the greatest love stories of the history of videogames. And that's not nothing.
I sighed when I beat Ultima weapon... I was expecting something a bit more evil.
If you level up Squall to 99 at the very beginning, the game becomes very easy.
That doesn't make any sense. The game levels up with you. also, how the hell would you level up to 99 at the beginning?
Two Methods:
1: Cheating
2: A fucking shitload of patience.
thanks for your responses
i love VI too
Its very easy to level up to 99 at the beginning, as the monster level up with you. It'll take awhile in the beginning, but once you get to around 50+, you'll probably get a level per battle if you fight the right monsters. Also whoever strikes the finishing blow gets more experience, which, if you want to micro manage, can be used to hyper level.
Maybe it is too late to ask for more advice, but I am in the Deep Sea Research Lab. I got into the Deposit fine, and the monsters are not that much of a challenge.
However, every once and a while, I get down to the fourth floor with Ruby Dragons and they use Breath which does 9999 to everyone. Odin has not shown up for a while and as you may know, Ruby Dragons are certainly not the weakest monsters. Squall and Irvine have 9999 HP, but wtf, how am I supposed to survive a three-way 9999 attack? That is instant Game over...
The only way I can think to survive is to have someone summoning a GF, and let the GF die to protect yourself. But how do you know when the dragon is going to use Breath?
I have the RSP figured out and a strategy for the Ultima Weapon, but how can get to the Weapon without dying? I am doing this just to get Eden, and I do not want to just draw it from whatever boss in Ultimecia's castle, I might as well try to beat Ultima.
Any advice would be appreciated :).
>>6
Actually, the game is WAY easier (read: spoiled) if you DON'T level. Junctions will do the job, especially through Card Mod (Quetzacoatl ability). Win some Abyss Worm cards, mod to Tornado, Junction to STR (Snow Lions will do the trick for another stat too), and hammer away at whatever the games throws at you. You can get Squall to do 1K+ per hit easily before you even go to Dollet that way... Also, after Dollet and when you have Siren, learn the Life Mod ability, Card Mod some Mesmerize cards, refine into Regen, and get 3000 HP. That means around 800HP, you're on limit break. No need to say that when you're lvl 15~20, this situation makes the game seem VERY broken.
>>12
There are multiple ways to deal with this. You can have one of your members down for the whole travel - they only use Breath if all your members are alive. Just remember to revive him when you get to the Weapon. Another way is to have a member with Initiative and Sleep(100) junctioned to S-Atk. Put the bad guy to sleep. Then either spam limits at him; or try to kill him with an insta-kill skill or spell (Degenerator, The End...). Doomtrain works fine too. He's weak against Ice and Holy, btw.
>>13
Thank you very much, I greatly appreciate your advice :).
Whether you level up or not, the game is still easy.
Also the card game is incredibly boring, so I wouldn't hae the patience to get the cards you mentioned. I'd rather just level incredibly high.
I read somewhere that if you're level 99 or 100 Ultimecia gets another 50k hp, but when your Renzokuken does 9999 every hit, thats just one more limit you have to use.
I thought when you had the RSP right you don't fight any monsters down there. I may be wrong as I haven't played the game in like forever.
>>14
You're welcome. You could also use items to make your party or one character invincible if you have some to spare, btw.
>>15
There are some fixed encounters, but I think the random do disappear. And yeah, this game is easy when you know what you're doing. I screwed massively on my first play, not knowing that ending CD3 was basically finishing the game, not allowing you to do most of the interesting things.
Getting the cards is quick with the Diff rule (takes 2 or 3 hours or so, and that is for 100 Tornado/100 Blizzaga on 3 characters), but I agree the basic game is a little annoying. It's more interesting with the Same/Plus rules, and with random decks, but then it gets tricky.
>>16
I only have one Hero as of now... any idea where I might find another? I can refine a Trial, but that is kinda lame...
>>17
You can refine 100 from Laguna Card I think, but if you're short on them, you can also try a trick, but it'll require some luck. Less reliable but free... Equip Rinoa with Initiative and get her to limit. You could also add Auto-Haste just in case. Then right when battle starts launch a Limit Break and pray for Invincible Moon.
Oh, and you can also refine 10 trials into a pure one.
How do you boost GF while summoning? Do you just repeatedly press X during the animation?
not so much repeatedly, but mash it while the icon in the corner doesn't have an X. if you keep mashing, when it turns to the X, it will throw your boost down to 0 again. Also, to boost a summon, you have to have it learn the ability.
VIII is one of my favorites too, but I think that is because it was the first FF I played. At the time, I was quite sympathetic with Squall too. Fun game. Interesting set with the junctioning thing too.
>>18
SPOILER
Of course, this only works in the first part of the game. If you want to increase your odds, then don't make the dog learn any limit skills BUT invincible moon.
Do the same with squall, don't bother getting any break limit but his ultimate one (can't recall its name)
>>23
not that much of a spoiler
You can use Rinoa's first limit even after she acquires the second, ya know?
And I think Squall's Lionheart (that's the name of the gunblade and of the final limit) gets you all the limits anyway. I might be wrong because I always get the other ones for completion's sake (and coolness factor, obviously, because Cutting Trigger and Twin Lance look so god damn cool.
And so, >>12, how's the Ruby Dragon killing going?
By the way I just remembered, OP, do the big bad rascal miniquest to get out of Balamb while on lockdown.
The only thing that pissed me off about the Lionheart was that you did get all the Limits. And the fact that everytime I used Renzokuken I always got Blasting Zone instead of Lionheart. Watching Blasting Zone over and over gets boring, especially since its a longer Finishing Move than Fated Circle or Rough Divide, and all three did the same damage...
>>24
Well, didn't remember that Rinoa retains her old LB, but 'm sure that Squall doesn't all the limit breaks along with the Lionheart. I mean, when i played it, i only got the Lionheart, and i spammed it like a madman. I can't recall getting the other limit breaks. 0_0
You just got lucky. You get all the other Limits with the Lionheart, at least in the PS version. I dunno about the PC version.
>>27
Same in the PC version. >>26 either got lucky or spammed his Renzokuken while in high crisis levels and/or intense use of Aura.
As for Rinoa's limit You go Attack>Combine and when you have the second limit you get to pick which one you want (which makes some sense, given you've had the opportunity to select which one you wanted all along even when you only had one).
Hmm, I always kept myself high in HP and used Aura, so I guess if you have like 1 HP left Lionheart might come up more...
Sorry for the late response, >>24.
The Ruby Dragon killing went fine, except I found the side room where you could refill the reserve steam pressure, so I could get down the deposit without Zell punching the doors open, hence not having to fight all those scripted battles. :P
And thanks for the advice on Balamb, but lol, I am at Ultimecia Castle now, preparing for Omega.
>>29
Well, that's actually how i used to keep poor old Squall; 1 hp most of the time. If he got killed, weel, he was to be reived with as little hp as possible. I guess i gave preference to strenght, and then speed.
Hey guys, OP here again.
I finished the game yesterday, now my life is complete :).
I started this thread to see if anyone else liked the game (obviously you do), and to get advice as I played it. Well, now I am done with it, but that is no reason to stop this thread. This game is still very relevant.
So, who were some of your favorite characters? Some of your favorite scenes or battles? Favorite weapons? Favorite limits? Et cetera...
Basically, let us keep this thread alive :).
I'll answer all of this later, but now you've finished the game, you can take a look at the FFVIII LP, which is quite hilarious :)
http://lparchive.org/LetsPlay/FF8/
Some chapters had me in tears of laughter, really.
My favourite character was the meganekko dominatrix =D
Damn, sometimes i wish FFVII would have been a date sim so I could have just dumped that Rinoa b*** and go for Quistis. = /
I am surprised this hasn't popped up.
http://www.spoonyexperiment.com/category/final-fantasy-viii/
Yeah, I have seen that.
It is the lamest review ever, how can you review a game by psychoanalyzing the negative points? Big deal he is too dumb to figure out the junction system and he has ADD so he cannot sit through the GF sequences. Whatever though, I think he made it to get fanboys mad and/or to cry :P.
>>38
I like how readily you assume that there must be something psychologically wrong with someone who doesn't have the patience to sit through an overblown cinematic EVERY SINGLE TIME he casts a particular spell.
Honestly, there are actually people who actually used the GF?*
(I always thought that the long animations were useful if you were boosting the damage.)
GF are seriously overrated though.
GFs are there so I can junction magic. I think the only time I really used them was on the Tonberry's to avoid getting Everyone's Grudge'd over and over again.
I alwasys get Eden just to say I did it, and then maybe use Eden once just to watch the animation and complain about how long it is. And then promptly never use it again.
If you have to use GFs to finish the game, your seriously doing something wrong.
Favorite characters: Quistis and Irvine. Zell's gay, and Selphie just pisses the hell out of me. Rinoa's meh, she's just there for the love interest slot.
Spoony's review actually made me pick up the game and play it all over again and I must say I enjoyed it almost as I did so many years ago, but now I'm laughing along with some of the gaping plot holes and cheesy dialogue.
And yeah...GFs are...meh. Anyone who relies on them (mostly first timers) to deal damage are in for a rude shock during the Sorceress Adel boss fight.
>>35 I assume you mean FFVIII? Anyway, i read somewhere that originally the spotlight for the female characters was supposed to be more divided, like it was in FFVII, but the game's creators decided to focus more on Rinoa because they liked her character design so much.
>>37 Am i the only one who thinks Spoony is overrated?
>>34 This was pretty entertaining though, thanks for the link.
I didn't level up until I got all stat stat+ abilities and the Ragnarok. Then over several days I built my characters into gods. I beat ultimecia without any junctions and cried myself to sleep.