Spotlight on Fandoms - Final Fantasy VIII
You know what? I was wrong. Head and eyes are still killing me. So today's posting of what was supposed to be yesterday's spotlight will be mostly a cut+paste from Squall's introductory infodump.
So how can it be FINAL Fantasy if there's another one that came after it?
Who knows? Not important. The thing to know is that all the various Final Fantasy games share any number of similarities, but are set in completely different worlds, with different characters, different plots, and similar-but-different combat systems. Final Fantasy VIII is unique in that it introduced the really REALLY annoying junction system. But more on that later. It's also unique in that its design is deliberately done in more of a European style than a Japanese one -- which is why Squall looks vaguely German. The important thing to know is that the world is fairly technically advanced -- just about present-day -- but there's also magic.
How is this plot different from all other plots?
What happens in FFVIII? Well, a loner kid with a big-ass sword sets out to do something totally random and winds up saving the world instead. And making friends. And a guy named Cid flew an airship. And two guys named Biggs and Wedge made a (Star Wars shout-out) guest appearance. And the person trying to take over the world, who you thought was the big bad, was defeated in the middle of the game, which revealed that there was someone ELSE, bigger and badder, trying to DESTROY the world. And there were chocobos and cactuars and tonberrys.
Uh. No, wait, that's EVERY Final Fantasy. Let's start over.
Squall and his friends are students at Balamb Garden (a military-type school), who at the beginning of the game are just about to pass their final practical test and become SeeDs, trained mercenaries-for-hire. Said "practical test" being "go stop the Galbadian army from invading that town over there". Anyway, so they do, and they become SeeDs. Except for their teacher, Quistis, who already was a SeeD. And totally has the hots for Squall. Except she doesn't. BUT ANYWAY.
Their first real mission is to go help a resistance movement liberate a town from Galbadian rule, and the leader of the resistance turns out to be Rinoa Loveinterest Heartlily. Who is pretty cool, but VERY immature. And they fail. But they get new orders -- to go to Galbadia and assasinate the evil sorceress who's actually in control of the country. And they fail. But only because she's a sorceress and magic and stuff!
So they get captured and stuck in prison. And then manage to escape. But they find out that the sorceress has taken over Galbadia Garden and is about to fire missles at Balamb Garden (home base, remember?) and Trabia Garden. So they rush off to stop the missles from being fired. And they fail.
But, hey, look! When they get to Balamb Garden to warn everybody to leave, Headmaster Cid (remember that name? Scroll up and look!) tells them about a secret defense system in the bowels of the building's basement. So they go find it and turn it on AND THE SCHOOL TURNS INTO AN AIRSHIP AND FLIES AWAY FROM THE MISSILES. *headdesk* Also, Cid decides Squall should be promoted to leader of all the SeeDs, just because.
And then you get a dramatic reveal -- EVERYONE in your party, except for Rinoa, were at an orphanage together when they were small. And the nice, kind, wonderful matron in charge -- who also happens to be married to Cid -- is the SORCERESS THEY'RE FIGHTING.
And then they go find her and defeat her, and it turns out that she wasn't actually evil, she was just being possessed by an evil sorceress from the future. And that she and Cid set up Garden in order to stop the sorceress. And there's all sorts of other stuff including flashbacks to 17 years ago, a super-high-tech country that's got a WALL AROUND IT THAT MAKES THE ENTIRE COUNTRY INVISIBLE, a freaky scientist wearing a ruff that's wider than some people are tall, a trip to space, and MONSTERS FALLING TO EARTH FROM THE MOON. And then time compression, which lets them go to the future and fight the sorceress. And they do. And they win. Huzzah!
Why should I play it?
Because it's a Final Fantasy game. Seriously. If that's not enough for you, then you don't know what you're missing. ...But other than that, eh, I dunno. It's not as good as VII or X, and if you haven't played any FFs, I'd reccommend starting with one of those first. Also, the junction system is REALLY ANNOYING. More annoying than the sphere grid and license board COMBINED. But the plot is good, and the characters are badass-awesome, and Squall. Did I mention Squall?
Where can I find it?
At this point? Not very many places. I'd try a used video game place, like GameStop, or CD Warehouse, or The Exchange. Or maybe eBay.
So how can it be FINAL Fantasy if there's another one that came after it?
Who knows? Not important. The thing to know is that all the various Final Fantasy games share any number of similarities, but are set in completely different worlds, with different characters, different plots, and similar-but-different combat systems. Final Fantasy VIII is unique in that it introduced the really REALLY annoying junction system. But more on that later. It's also unique in that its design is deliberately done in more of a European style than a Japanese one -- which is why Squall looks vaguely German. The important thing to know is that the world is fairly technically advanced -- just about present-day -- but there's also magic.
How is this plot different from all other plots?
What happens in FFVIII? Well, a loner kid with a big-ass sword sets out to do something totally random and winds up saving the world instead. And making friends. And a guy named Cid flew an airship. And two guys named Biggs and Wedge made a (Star Wars shout-out) guest appearance. And the person trying to take over the world, who you thought was the big bad, was defeated in the middle of the game, which revealed that there was someone ELSE, bigger and badder, trying to DESTROY the world. And there were chocobos and cactuars and tonberrys.
Uh. No, wait, that's EVERY Final Fantasy. Let's start over.
Squall and his friends are students at Balamb Garden (a military-type school), who at the beginning of the game are just about to pass their final practical test and become SeeDs, trained mercenaries-for-hire. Said "practical test" being "go stop the Galbadian army from invading that town over there". Anyway, so they do, and they become SeeDs. Except for their teacher, Quistis, who already was a SeeD. And totally has the hots for Squall. Except she doesn't. BUT ANYWAY.
Their first real mission is to go help a resistance movement liberate a town from Galbadian rule, and the leader of the resistance turns out to be Rinoa Loveinterest Heartlily. Who is pretty cool, but VERY immature. And they fail. But they get new orders -- to go to Galbadia and assasinate the evil sorceress who's actually in control of the country. And they fail. But only because she's a sorceress and magic and stuff!
So they get captured and stuck in prison. And then manage to escape. But they find out that the sorceress has taken over Galbadia Garden and is about to fire missles at Balamb Garden (home base, remember?) and Trabia Garden. So they rush off to stop the missles from being fired. And they fail.
But, hey, look! When they get to Balamb Garden to warn everybody to leave, Headmaster Cid (remember that name? Scroll up and look!) tells them about a secret defense system in the bowels of the building's basement. So they go find it and turn it on AND THE SCHOOL TURNS INTO AN AIRSHIP AND FLIES AWAY FROM THE MISSILES. *headdesk* Also, Cid decides Squall should be promoted to leader of all the SeeDs, just because.
And then you get a dramatic reveal -- EVERYONE in your party, except for Rinoa, were at an orphanage together when they were small. And the nice, kind, wonderful matron in charge -- who also happens to be married to Cid -- is the SORCERESS THEY'RE FIGHTING.
And then they go find her and defeat her, and it turns out that she wasn't actually evil, she was just being possessed by an evil sorceress from the future. And that she and Cid set up Garden in order to stop the sorceress. And there's all sorts of other stuff including flashbacks to 17 years ago, a super-high-tech country that's got a WALL AROUND IT THAT MAKES THE ENTIRE COUNTRY INVISIBLE, a freaky scientist wearing a ruff that's wider than some people are tall, a trip to space, and MONSTERS FALLING TO EARTH FROM THE MOON. And then time compression, which lets them go to the future and fight the sorceress. And they do. And they win. Huzzah!
Why should I play it?
Because it's a Final Fantasy game. Seriously. If that's not enough for you, then you don't know what you're missing. ...But other than that, eh, I dunno. It's not as good as VII or X, and if you haven't played any FFs, I'd reccommend starting with one of those first. Also, the junction system is REALLY ANNOYING. More annoying than the sphere grid and license board COMBINED. But the plot is good, and the characters are badass-awesome, and Squall. Did I mention Squall?
Where can I find it?
At this point? Not very many places. I'd try a used video game place, like GameStop, or CD Warehouse, or The Exchange. Or maybe eBay.