My favorite game, but awful remaster
For me, Final Fantasy VIII is the greatest game of all time and the best Final Fantasy game. It does basically everything right (there are some cons but they are a minority). It has an unique and till this day still one of the best JRPG role-playing system which allows players to put magic into the characters' statistics. This system is very open, flexible and provides tons of "builds" that can be created. However we are talking about a JRPG here so do not expect classes.
The story is phenomenal. A military school drama with a heavy emphasis on love and friendship. Yeah, sometimes it is a bit naive, but it must be as the main characters are just high school students. The story is twisted, there are a lot of surprises and unexpected revelations, etc etc. This just from the golden era of JRPG so expect a breathtaking narrative.
We have a great story, great characters and great RPG system. So lets talk about the best mini game ever made for a video game - Triple Triad. This card game is easy to learn but hard to master. It is so intuitive but yet so deep it even got its own version in Final Fantasy XIV Online. There are different rules of the minigame that are spread throughout the regions of the world and you can directly influence their spreading to other regions. The card can be used to create items, magic, etc however first you need a special skill to do it. Such skills can be unlocked via GF, huge summoning beings that can also level up and even bond with them. The closer bond, the faster you can summon them in battle.
Graphics-wise (PS1 version) the game is basically the most beautiful game on the system. Amazingly looking spells, breathtakingly detailed backgrounds, grandiose GF animations. A perfection. The soundtrack is one of the most experimental by Uematsu and altogether one of his best. Tons of unforgettable melodies, amazing compositions and lovely tunes.
But all of this above applies on the PS1 version. The remaster is horrible. First of all, the original prerendered backgrounds only were "enhanced" with a Gaussian blur. Here they are completely blurry and lost the vast majority of details. Next, the framerate remains the same which means that outside battles it is 30 fps, during battles 15 fps. Yes, 15 fps! There is no mouse support. Yes, the OG PC version did not support mouse either, but this is a remaster, so I really expected it.
The graphics are bad, the framerate is bad. The worst crime is the change of the main characters faces - Squall and Rinoa. Instead of making them based on the FMVs or various renders you have certainly seen somewhere, they based them on their appearance in Dissidia Final Fantasy. Why? No idea. All the main characters have their models and faces remade, but except Squall and Rinoa their changes were based on the FMVs. But when it comes to Squall and Rinoa, the most important characters in the entire game, they just - for no reason - decided to change their faces completely so they look totally different compared to FMVs that often appear during the game.
Why? Why? I do not understand. What a garbage.
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