How is Final Fantasy VIII, cause I just ordered it

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akatsuki0wn3d

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#1 akatsuki0wn3d
Member since 2006 • 1151 Posts

it was 20 bucks (shipping included), sealed and still in the black case for PS1. I was a sucker for the Yuna & Tidus relationship in FFX, and I heard that the relationship in FFVIII is even better. People say FFVIII is bad, while others praise it highly.

How is it really?

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zeppelin_64

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#2 zeppelin_64
Member since 2006 • 3924 Posts
It's really good and that's a great deal. I got it sealed Greatest Hits for $25 at EB Games.
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zoradude

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#3 zoradude
Member since 2004 • 1073 Posts
People either seem to REALY hate the game or REALLY love it... Personally I am not a large fan of it for a lot of reasons.
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Saruman1719

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#4 Saruman1719
Member since 2003 • 12466 Posts

Well personally, it is my favorite Final Fantasy game. I can see why others are not fond of it, but I have always loved it. The opening FMV draws you right in, the music is fantastic, the story is very good and the relationship between Rinoa and Squall is touching. I like the Junction system and drawing magic was a different, yet good idea in my opinion. The summons were spectacular to watch and overall, I just like how the game felt more "human" in a way.

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TheSystemLord1

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#5 TheSystemLord1
Member since 2006 • 7786 Posts
Squall and Rinoa's relationship will make you want to scream at parts during the game. Scream at Squall mostly...but scream nonetheless. The ending was fantastic though, I mean bloody fantastic, best ending in the Final Fantasy series IMO.
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akatsuki0wn3d

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#6 akatsuki0wn3d
Member since 2006 • 1151 Posts
It's really good and that's a great deal. I got it sealed Greatest Hits for $25 at EB Games.zeppelin_64
I was quite shocked when I looked it up on ebay quite honestly. FF VII is insane in value, and VIII and IX are cheap. I was actually thinking the game would cost me a minimum of 50, but I was pleasantly surprised.
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Solid_Cobra

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#7 Solid_Cobra
Member since 2006 • 757 Posts
That was definitely one of my favorites. Some people hated the character building and leveling system, but I loved it. If you know what you are doing, you can make your characters strong without hours of fighting and leveling up. Since the enemies level up as you do, the key to the game is good strategy and clever junctioning.
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acidBURN1942

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#8 acidBURN1942
Member since 2002 • 4816 Posts
FF8 is my favorite Final Fantasy of all time.
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190586385885857957282413308806

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#9 190586385885857957282413308806
Member since 2002 • 13084 Posts
It was the game that made me stop playing Final Fantasies.
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AtomicTangerine

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#10 AtomicTangerine
Member since 2005 • 4413 Posts

It was the game that made me stop playing Final Fantasies.smerlus

Yes, 8 was emo before any of us even knew what emo was.

But about the price... I think the problem is that people actually think Final Fantasy 7 is a rare game and actually pay high prices for it. In reality, it sold millions and millions of copies and is very common. Advent Children and all the rest of the FF7 trash Square pumps out might have sparked interest in the game or something, but all I know is that game shot up from being like $15 to whatever insane price it is now within the last two years.

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deactivated-5b19c359a3789

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#11 deactivated-5b19c359a3789
Member since 2002 • 7785 Posts
mm, the magic system was mostly terrible, but I felt like it had one of the better plots.
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MarcusAntonius

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#12 MarcusAntonius
Member since 2004 • 15667 Posts

[QUOTE="smerlus"]It was the game that made me stop playing Final Fantasies.AtomicTangerine

Yes, 8 was emo before any of us even knew what emo was.

Wait, so there wasn't any emo in Cloud Strife? Riiiiiiiiiight.

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MarcusAntonius

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#13 MarcusAntonius
Member since 2004 • 15667 Posts
Depends on who you ask. I would classify VIII as great, second only to VI in the series.
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Xjner

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#14 Xjner
Member since 2008 • 409 Posts

It's really good and that's a great deal. I got it sealed Greatest Hits for $25 at EB Games.zeppelin_64

You think that was lucky i went to a out of the way ebgames that noone goes to and i asked the guy if they had FF VII (stupid to ask i know becausew of how much its worth) but the guy went in the back and came out with 2 sealed (non greatest hits) for $20 each.

now you tell me thats not lucky..

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silky_smooth8

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#15 silky_smooth8
Member since 2003 • 3659 Posts
it's the best final fantasy game imo
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gamingqueen

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#16 gamingqueen
Member since 2004 • 31076 Posts
It's my favourite final fantasy because it had a a romantic story and the best cut-scenes I've ever seen because they're timeless and awesome! I also like the junction system and the characters were the best because each one of them had a story of their own. *how many times did I say that:P* The theme was one of the best in the entire FF games and so was the soundtrack.
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FoodThing00

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#17 FoodThing00
Member since 2006 • 695 Posts

it was 20 bucks (shipping included), sealed and still in the black case for PS1. I was a sucker for the Yuna & Tidus relationship in FFX, and I heard that the relationship in FFVIII is even better. People say FFVIII is bad, while others praise it highly.

How is it really?

akatsuki0wn3d


Ahh...Isn't this the sort of thing you should ask BEFORE you order the game?
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AzelKosMos

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#18 AzelKosMos
Member since 2005 • 34194 Posts

it was 20 bucks (shipping included), sealed and still in the black case for PS1. I was a sucker for the Yuna & Tidus relationship in FFX, and I heard that the relationship in FFVIII is even better. People say FFVIII is bad, while others praise it highly.

How is it really?

akatsuki0wn3d
I thought it was the best game in the series. It's a fantastic game with awesome style, the best characters and world. Not to mention the best mini game ever! I hope you enjoy it.
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Robio_basic

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#19 Robio_basic
Member since 2002 • 7059 Posts

I always thought that FFVIII was very impressive in that it put together an entire cast of completely unlikeably characters. There wasn't one character in that game that I wouldn't have liked to have seen killed within the first hour of the game. It was the first Final Fantasy game that I just quit playing mid-game because I had such a bad time with the game. Ultimately the only thing I really liked about it was the card game.

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ASK_Story

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#20 ASK_Story
Member since 2006 • 11455 Posts

I hope you enjoy the game more than I did. This is just my opinion, but to be honest, I was sorely disappointed with FFVIII. It could've been better. But you could play worse.

I think, with the exception of FFXII, FF went downhill since FFVIII. FFIX was kind of cool thought.

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Alaris83

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#21 Alaris83
Member since 2004 • 1620 Posts
I found the game to be enjoyable for the first disc and then it started to go downhill. Eventually you get to a real WTF moment where the wheels fall completely off the bus. Also the game has level scalilng, which is THE DEVIL. Overall it has its highlights and it is at least worth playing part of the way through, but by no means a classic.
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chibi_steph

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#22 chibi_steph
Member since 2008 • 25 Posts
Final Fantasy VIII is my favorite Final Fantasy game of all time thus far. I love the story, I love the romance, I love the drama...It's all great, and I wish everyone loved it. :)
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GodModeEnabled

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#23 GodModeEnabled
Member since 2005 • 15314 Posts
To be honest I lked it a lot, but the card game I loved! That damn card game kept me playing for soo many hours... it was damn hard to get all those cards!
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ASK_Story

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#24 ASK_Story
Member since 2006 • 11455 Posts

Eventually you get to a real WTF moment where the wheels fall completely off the bus.Alaris83

You just explained and summarized EVERY Final Fantasy and JRPG that ever came out! :D

Well, except for Suikoden II & III.

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edgewalker16

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#25 edgewalker16
Member since 2005 • 2286 Posts

it was 20 bucks (shipping included), sealed and still in the black case for PS1. I was a sucker for the Yuna & Tidus relationship in FFX, and I heard that the relationship in FFVIII is even better. People say FFVIII is bad, while others praise it highly.

How is it really?

akatsuki0wn3d

It really depends on your RPG tastes. I played FFVII before VIII (naturally), and the combat system/summon system/story was way too different for me. I won't try to stay non-biased here...because I'm really not, but all I'm saying is that change can make or break a game. For me, it broke VIII.

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deactivated-5f89ab8e63049

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#26 deactivated-5f89ab8e63049
Member since 2007 • 3182 Posts
I didn't like VIII. The junction system felt far too dull, Balamb bored me and the plot was hardly riveting. It's better than FFXII though, and Rinoa and Squall's love story is one of the best FF romance plots. I also like the card game which popped up in FFVIII. It's a pity they dropped it for X and XII.
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JustPlainLucas

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#27 JustPlainLucas
Member since 2002 • 80441 Posts
I'm pretty sure most people have already said you're either going to love it or hate it. To me, it's my most favorite of the post-FFVII Final Fantasies. Yes, the junction system does take a bit getting used to, but once you know what you're doing, the battles are awesome, and it has one helluva story, with unbelievable cutscenes. I hope you enjoy it. :)
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The_Big_Cheeze

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#28 The_Big_Cheeze
Member since 2008 • 39 Posts
yeah its a great game one of the best in the Final Fantasy series.
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Lothenon

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#29 Lothenon
Member since 2003 • 1177 Posts

I love Final Fantasy VIII, but it really isn't hard to see why so many people don't.

1. The main character embodies almost everything that today would be called emo. He's a dark, broody, leave-me-alone teenager who doesn't really know what he wants. Personally, I found this character and how he was used in telling the story awesome and well-crafted, but I can see why some people may be turned off by it.

2. The romance. The further you proceed in the game, the more heavily emphasized it will get; there is the occasional hour of game time that revolves entirely around rinoa and squall. Now, good love stories that cut down on the cheesyness and make you actually feel for the characters are rare, but Final Fantasy VIII pulls it off very good. If you cannot imagine enjoying to be told a good love story, you will be annoyed by FFVIII, but if you can appreciate any story if it is well written, you won't have a problem with Rinoa and Squall. It's definatly the best executed romance story in any game that I know of.

3. The junction system. Some call of bland, some call it overly difficult, some call it genius. It can be all of those, depending of how you play. It's incredibly easy to get along with if you don't want to spend many hours in the menu, but you still have to draw spells, and then it can get annoying. It can be very difficult though if you do not pay attention in the beginning, never try things out, and if you're not inerested in how all those numbers affect your combat. However. Once fully understood and made use of, the junction system is a powerful tool with hundreds of possibilites that are extremely fun to discover and utilize. I had fun spending hours just collecting and junctioning spells, and Im usually not into grinding and that sort of stuff. But the junction system lets you do great things without throwing them in your face. You have to spend time with it, otherwise it will distract and annoy you, though it never lets you fail and beating the game without ever really understanding all the finer qualities of the system. The junction system is where the whole issue of "love it or hate it" arises.

4. The characters. They're all teenagers, and some of them are quite underdeveloped. They are not so very different from one another, similar to XIIs characters, they aren't comics, they are humans. Some people don't like it when there isn't at least one "badass" somewhere around, so.. yea. The characters are an issue sometimes.

Liking VIII isn't hard, but hating it isn't, either. I don't understand people who say it's a bad game though, which it isn't by any standards. The story focuses on romance and time travel which is always a bit off, but it is brilliantly executed, well written (as opposed to VII) and the pacing is top notch. It offers a great deal of diversity, awesome dungeons, the graphics are undoubtedly one of the best (for their time) as well the soundtrack, there's a lot of content, humor, memorable characters and a satisfying ending. It all blends together extremely well. I say it's one of the best Final Fantasies, but it has some ambivalent elements people tend to disagree alot about.

It's impossible to predict wether you or any one else will like the game or not.

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erawsd

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#30 erawsd
Member since 2002 • 6930 Posts

People either seem to REALY hate the game or REALLY love it... Personally I am not a large fan of it for a lot of reasons.zoradude

Yeah. It really is the epitome of a "love it, or hate it" game. Personally, I thought it was the worst of the PS1 FF games.

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ElPersonaVII

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#31 ElPersonaVII
Member since 2008 • 1668 Posts
i needs to get this game...
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ninjavelmor

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#32 ninjavelmor
Member since 2004 • 1053 Posts
its pretty good, not my favorite FF game, but a decent one. The GF system is foind annoying, but the story really good.
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VMan

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#33 VMan
Member since 2003 • 4940 Posts
Not to sound rude or anything. But you've just bought, just find out for yourself. Only you can truly determine how your experience with the game will be. Nothing beats first-hand experience.
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MLBknights58

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#34 MLBknights58
Member since 2006 • 5016 Posts

This might have been the only game i gave away free at a garage sale. Its just me, but i am really not into romantic video game plots, and the junction and leveling system was really dumb IMO. To me it is probably the worst FF. Hope you have a better time than i did.

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jack_michael

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#35 jack_michael
Member since 2007 • 1162 Posts
drawing magic; it sends shivers down my spine thinking about it, good game but that mechanic was just bad - just be prepared to be doing it for a couple of hours.
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MarcusAntonius

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#36 MarcusAntonius
Member since 2004 • 15667 Posts

drawing magic; it sends shivers down my spine thinking about it, good game but that mechanic was just bad - just be prepared to be doing it for a couple of hours.jack_michael

Its not so bad, you acquire more magic and get level grinding out of the way while doing it thereby killing two birds with one stone.

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deactivated-583e460ca986b

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#37 deactivated-583e460ca986b
Member since 2004 • 7240 Posts
I think FF VII got really slow at times. I think FF VIII had better pacing, music, and story. I didnt really know what was really going on until I played crisis core and played through FF VII again. FF VIII is the best.
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Canvas_Of_Flesh

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#38 Canvas_Of_Flesh
Member since 2007 • 4052 Posts

Good story, good battle system, junctioning was deep and awesome, characters were great, and an absolutely epic last battle. The only parts I dislike were the music and having to draw magic.

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Oilers99

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#39 Oilers99
Member since 2002 • 28844 Posts
The best advice I can offer is to take your time with Final Fantasy VIII; it's not a game that rewards you for rushing through. The gameplay is very complicated and multifaceted, and it takes time to figure out how everything fits together. For example, the card game can actually turn into an excellent source of spells, one you have an understanding of GF abilities and item conversion. But it's not immediately intuitive. The biggest gameplay flaw of Final Fantasy VIII is probably its counter-intuitive user interface.

The same principle of taking your time applies to the story. There are some events that you won't see unless you poke around purposefully, but more importantly, you need to take the time to read into the subtext of the characters. It's easy to get a misperception on Squall, and easy to misunderstand the central love story, if you don't look underneath the words and actions of the characters.
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Alaris83

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#40 Alaris83
Member since 2004 • 1620 Posts

Its not so bad, you acquire more magic and get level grinding out of the way while doing it thereby killing two birds with one stone.

MarcusAntonius

Level grinding for what purpose? The enemies were scaled to your level in that game, if I recall correctly.

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Blommen

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#41 Blommen
Member since 2003 • 1337 Posts
My favorite FF, mostly because of nostalgia I guess but I recommend it nonetheless.
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ninjabeaver1

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#42 ninjabeaver1
Member since 2005 • 926 Posts

I'm in the 'it's the best FF' bandwagon as well. Besides FF6 & FF4. One of the best soundtracks of all time. Interesting to see games that are understandably loved & hated by both sides of the parties.

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BoG_

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#43 BoG_
Member since 2003 • 2155 Posts
Disc one of FFVIII has got to be one of the most amazing experiences in gaming. Throughout the first disc, I was positive the game would be my favorite of all time. The character development was unique, interesting, and unmatched by many other forms of media. squall in particular surprised, I thought he would be just some soulless main hero meant to be tough, but he was an incredibly deep character. The story I found compelling, and gripping. The music was catchy, and I loved each piece. The universe was fresh, and well, I just loved it.

*SPOILERS AHOY*

Then came Disc 2. I fought NORG. ok, that was wierd, I'll get over it.

Then came the scene about the GFs making them forget the memories, and it turns out that every character with any important role actually had known eachother forever, and grown up in the same house. They just... forgot. :S (except poor Rinoa, of course.) after this, I was so baffled, and was so dissapointed, I stopped for a while

The next time I played, it was only downhill. Eventually, when I realized the connection between Squall and Laguna, which I had once thought could be a really cool part of the story, I was really dissapointed. Laguna's portions had been highlights, and I hoped the connection would blow my mind, and I just thought it was stupid.

To make a long story short, I felt that by disc 2, they were just making it up as they went. So many stupid plot twists... and as it all went, I liked the characters more and more.

On the gameplay side, it was really, really easy. I got my main party to level 100 in a matter of hours.

I eventually beat it, and Ultimecia was the least satisfying final boss in the series.

All that negative stuff said though, from a gameplay, character, and considering every aspect besides story, I liked the game. Not my favorite, but a game you need to experience. The soundtrack is among my favorites in any game, and Squall was a fascinating character.

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nopalversion

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#44 nopalversion
Member since 2005 • 4757 Posts
Not as good as VII, but better than IX in my opinion. I liked the junction system, it led to really powerful characters, while offering enough freedom to the player. The summons are a bit tedious and you tend to depend on them a lot in the beginning. This all changes towards the end.