I grew up on the Final Fantasy series, I remember playing the first one when I was a mere sprog and the excitement that came with each subsequent release.
By the time eight came out I was a man but my love for the franchise was as strong as ever, I perhaps wasn't ready for the epic that I was about the undertake.
At that point as good as all the previous games were nothing had come close to this masterpiece. And yes I know most people fawn all over seven, but not this guy.
The characters were so varied, so original. The plot was captivating, gripping and nothing short of an epic. The score was the best yet, it took each scene and enhanced it with memorable tracks that really helped you get into the drama before you.
The game itself, I've heard a lot of criticism. Many people say that the combat system is too simple and that using certain junctions you can become rather overpowered. Truth be told, this is kind of right but not to a game breaking point.
The combat is fluid and turn based (The way the franchise should have stayed). The enemies are plentiful as are the incredible boss encounters. The amount of side content is insane, from the excellent card game through to the additional guardian forces there are hundreds of hours of enjoyment to be had.
It has to be said I adore Final Fantasy eight and since this only one FF game has beaten it in my eyes. Gripping, powerful and near flawless it's the benchmark for rpgs that so very few come close to competing with.
The Good:
Looks great
Perfect score
Powerful story
Incredible characters
The Bad:
You can get overpowered rather easily
Very grindy in places especially for side content rewards
Acquiring 100% of cards requires some silly methods you'd never know about without a guide
Things I Learnt From This Game:
Squall > Cloud
Rinoa > Aerith
The fact that every other Final Fantasy has been re-released/remastered except eight is evidence that the world is a sentient being and ruddy hates me
