You ever watch Spoony's review of Final Fantasy VIII on ThatGuyWithTheGlasses.Com?

[The Fat Bioware Nerd]

Spoony tears this game a new one. I hate to admit it but Noah Antwiler a.k.a. The Spoony One is right, while I do like the fact that Squall is this quiet guy who has all of this interal monologue, and Selphie is this perky little girl who wants to be everybody's best friend, this game as a whole just sucks ass.

If you haven't heard it yet, you really should listen to Noah Antwiler picking apart every aspect of this game's story and gameplay. I'm not gonna beat a dead horse by repeating what Noah just said, if you disagree with Antwiler's opinion or if you can't notice this game's flaws on your own, I don't know what to tell you.

Final Fantasy VIII might not be the worst game in the world but it certainly isn't "the masterpiece" every fanboy says it is.

[Hot Shot]

Dude, that's quite old. He's currently doing an FFX review which is funnier IMO.

[Mo-Nercy]

FF8 has it's flaws, but it's not as horrible as a game he makes it to be. Certainly, Drawing magic is boring and repetitive, but is it really worth a 20 minute rant? There are other ways to get magic anyway (though he doesn't like Triple Triad either).

Anyway, I've always liked FF8. His review didn't change my opinions about it at all. I already knew about everything he spoke of. I guess I was just able to tolerate more of it. But even though I like FF8, I still liked the review. It's one of those "it's funny because it's true" type things. And I don't really mind him calling me an idiot. xD

[The Fat Bioware Nerd]

FF8 has it's flaws, but it's not as horrible as a game he makes it to be. Certainly, Drawing magic is boring and repetitive, but is it really worth a 20 minute rant? There are other ways to get magic anyway (though he doesn't like Triple Triad either).

Anyway, I've always liked FF8. His review didn't change my opinions about it at all. I already knew about everything he spoke of. I guess I was just able to tolerate more of it. But even though I like FF8, I still liked the review. It's one of those "it's funny because it's true" type things. And I don't really mind him calling me an idiot. xD

Noah Antwiler made his FF8 review for satirical purposes obviously, but I think there is a grain of truth to it. The only aspects of this game fanboys have a right to admire are the visuals (a.k.a. the cinematic cutscenes), the music and maybe some of the characters. But the story and the gameplay themselves leave much to be desired especially considering this game came hot off the heels of a killer app called Final Fantasy 7.

When you make a very popular killer app like Final Fantasy 7 and you follow it up with a mediocre sequel like Final Fantasy 8, I'm sorry but you fail, you fail big time. You're an epic failure. It's like making a Batman Forever style sequel to The Dark Knight, it just doesn't cut the mustard.

Final Fantasy 8 is a prime example of why Western RPGs are so much better than JRPGs. Western RPGs (role-playing games that usually come from America's hat, Canada) generally have more epic storylines and the storylines are much more open-ended. The epic scope and the open-endedness are why linear Japanese RPGs are a thing of the past.

[McLovin']

Going through FF8's storyline head on without analyzing every little damn thing actually makes for a fun game! The world was pretty cool and the music helped with that. Saving Balamb Garden from the missiles was epic and fun. The Dollet Field Exam was an interesting start to the game. It's a game; it's meant to be fun and it accomplishes that. I don't care about how ridiculous it sounds to have a sorceress from the future doing some :bou::bou::bou::bou: in the past.

[champagne supernova]

I don't care about how ridiculous it sounds to have a sorceress from the future doing some :bou::bou::bou::bou: in the past.

And, if you look at VII, there's a guy who was injected with alien cells in the womb, and now he fell into a giant mass of green stuff, reappeared on the other side of the world, and is now controlling the minds of other people injected with these alien cells (but they're less hectic, because their injection came after birth). And he also controls the alien creature, and has made it shape-shift to look like him. Then, he's going to go blow up the entire world to become a God. Hmmmm. Still love VII, but Final Fantasy's aren't really known for their realism.

But yeah, this review is quite funny. I don't think he believes it himself, but some of the things he points out are quite funny. I still like VIII, and might think it is my best FF, but that review is still funny.

[Mo-Nercy]

Anal Cannon! Before watching the review, I hadn't known about the endless fun one could have with renaming Angelo.

[BG-57]

He has his own website as well. Well worth a look (http://spoonyexperiment.com/). As for FFVIII, it's my favorite FF game, but most of his points are valid and hilariously made. So I'm not offended. I happen to love Triple Triad and drawing and grinding didn't bother me at all.

I freely admit some of the plot is downright silly (collective amnesia anyone?), but the game is satisfying on an emotional level, so the fridge logic moments don't bother me as much.

On my next playthrough I want to rename Diablos TEH SATAN. :radred:

[Clo]

Nobody really seems to call FFVIII a masterpiece - I only ever see it get buttloads of hate.

While I really love it. It's one of my favorites, and though it has its tedious parts, I find them bearable. And I really enjoy Triple Triad, and though most of the characters are grossly boring, I actually like Squall and Rinoa.

This guy has some valid points, but they just don't bother me that much I guess.

[BarelySeeAtAll]

I've played a tiny tiny tiny amount of FFVIII but tbh I didn't find it that enthralling. I did watch a few of his vids but I found them tedious in themselves to watch, and admittedly it did kind of put me off the game. Hated the gameplay graphics (yessss BarelySee is picky about graphics blahblahblah), hated the monotony, and didn't find that many characters particularly enjoyable. What ever I did know about the plot didn't particularly thrill me either. =/ I guess some FF games just don't appeal as well to others :D

[Fynn]

I really liked FFVIII - its story, interesting gameplay, the cast could have been more interesting but overall, I consider it a very solid game. And I still find Spoony's review very amusing :D

[LowCaloriePie]

[QUOTE=Mo-Nercy;2871213]Final Fantasy 8 is a prime example of why Western RPGs are so much better than JRPGs. Western RPGs (role-playing games that usually come from America's hat, Canada) generally have more epic storylines and the storylines are much more open-ended. The epic scope and the open-endedness are why linear Japanese RPGs are a thing of the past.

Biased opinion is biased. :tongue:

[Mo-Nercy]

Final Fantasy 8 is a prime example of why Western RPGs are so much better than JRPGs. Western RPGs (role-playing games that usually come from America's hat, Canada) generally have more epic storylines and the storylines are much more open-ended. The epic scope and the open-endedness are why linear Japanese RPGs are a thing of the past.

Biased opinion is biased. :tongue:
Yeah, well, I didn't say that. :roll2


Final Fantasy 8 is a prime example of why Western RPGs are so much better than JRPGs. Western RPGs (role-playing games that usually come from America's hat, Canada) generally have more epic storylines and the storylines are much more open-ended. The epic scope and the open-endedness are why linear Japanese RPGs are a thing of the past.
Fixed. xD

[Future Esthar]

The amnesia thing is silly?
What about the intro of the game?
You call that training?I tell ya,neither Squall nor Seifer seemed like they were training.
And the placed is nowhere in Balamb.At least I don´t recognise a place in Balamb that fits the graphics.

It also looks like Edea and Rinoa taked a part on the "training" with Rinoa using her pendant to save Squall.

Unless you think Squall was dreaming about the training AFTER the training.

[MJN SEIFER]

I'm a bit wary of it, because I know its going to either slate a) the story b) Squall/Rinoa c) the amnesia or d) ALL OF THE ABOVE.

I personally thought each of these were brilliant.




The amnesia thing is silly?

What about the intro of the game?
Did you like the amnesia thing aswell FE? I can't believe it's still so underated.



You call that training?I tell ya,neither Squall nor Seifer seemed like they were training.
And the placed is nowhere in Balamb.At least I don´t recognise a place in Balamb that fits the graphics.

It also looks like Edea and Rinoa taked a part on the "training" with Rinoa using her pendant to save Squall.

Unless you think Squall was dreaming about the training AFTER the training.

I think that the training thing was just something between Squall and Seifer, since they know eachother and are rivals in a sense - I figured maybe Seifer challenged Squall to some special "training" to see who was better at Gunblades and Squall accepted because of his background. And Seifer took things too far or something. Although Quistis mentions something about Seifer "Not being careful" while training, so...

I think the Rinoa Edea thing is just promotional stuff - but it could be foreshadowing the ending.

[BG-57]

Amnesia in itself is not silly, but the way it was implemented in the story it came off as more contrived than dramatic.

[Future Esthar]

Did you like the amnesia thing aswell FE

It is just the best plot twist I ever saw on my life.So unexpected and I actually think they made a good work on the melodrama part.

Still wonder how that can be hated at all.
Maybe because it´s so open ended(which is it´s best quality for me).

You see,that part makes one wonder what deep secret lies beneath.
There must be a secret so deep,extraordinary and unbelievable hidden just there.
Being "silly" only means a simple answer is not enough.Which is fantastic.

Not seen in many FF´s these days.

[Crop]

Did you like the amnesia thing aswell FE

It is just the best plot twist I ever saw on my life.So unexpected and I actually think they made a good work on the melodrama part.

Still wonder how that can be hated at all.


Plot twist? More like a cop-out
It was almost as bad as the classic "and they woke up and it was all a dream".

[Future Esthar]

This case is different because a dream would not require a hard explanation but the amnesia thing must have a purpose in the game.Explaining what is responsible for it is not enough.You must ask "why they introduce this concept here?"
"This is important for what?" and not just "how".

The GF thing answers only the "how".

The lack of explanation to the other questions is what made people angry.

However it must have an explanation and not being explicit only makes me happier.
As long as they left clues through the game.

The more dificulty I have on finding the answers the more deep they are and the more happy I become.

[Mo-Nercy]

I think Spoony's issue with the GF-induced amnesia plot twist wasn't the fact that it was amnesia, but more question of why didn't Irvine say anything if he knew from the start? He hinted at it with his reluctance to shoot Edea, but at that point of the game, the player had no idea that the party all grew up together. It hadn't even been hinted yet, so we're all led to think he's just a big pussy.

I think that would've been the ideal moment to drop a few hints about the amnesia. Irvine could've said something like "I can't do it... not her. She's my.. no, our.." and then Squall loses patience and jumps off the carousel. After that, Squall fights Seifer and Edea and gets impaled by an icicle. Disc One ends and so many questions! That's how it should've happened, dammit!

The writing of the amnesia revelation could've been better.

[Jessweeee♪]

I started to, but then I got bored. It wasn't anything I haven't read here on EoFF P:

[MJN SEIFER]

Did you like the amnesia thing aswell FE

It is just the best plot twist I ever saw on my life.So unexpected and I actually think they made a good work on the melodrama part.


I completly agree with you, I love how it was handled.



I think Spoony's issue with the GF-induced amnesia plot twist wasn't the fact that it was amnesia, but more question of why didn't Irvine say anything if he knew from the start? He hinted at it with his reluctance to shoot Edea, but at that point of the game, the player had no idea that the party all grew up together. It hadn't even been hinted yet, so we're all led to think he's just a big pussy.

The writing of the amnesia revelation could've been better.

One day, I'll finish that damn article...

Irvine's reason are explained. And there where far more hints than just him not shooting Edea

This will be explained better in the article, but the types of foreshadowing used in FFVIII (and most FFs) was the kind that you don't notice until after you know what it's for. I admit, I kinda cheated the first time I played VIII and used an Xpolosion to give myself full stats, so the game was dead easy - but I loved the storyline so much I promptly played again, and again I cheated.

This meant I still had the orphanage stuff fresh in my mind, and I noticed a lot more things - I already fugured about the assasination during the actual scene (the amnesia one), but I noticed other things as well. For example, notice how Irvine acts on the train - his first words after he sees Selphie is "I guess it's fate..." - at the time we think he's just saying "It's fate I met another girl", but once we know the truth we realize he means seeing everyone again, also notice he seams to be "expecting" everyone to act the way they do, like he knows them - have a look at his expressions during the group shots.

Also am I the only one who notices the Squall recognised Edea's name? I seriously think that I'm the only one who reads Squall's thoughts - It helps with the Squall/Rinoa thing too, but here it is a direct hint.

I really want to get this article finished so I can explain it better - it is up there with the LifeStream in FFVII (a very similar scene, in my opinion), and I really want people to understand my apreciation of it better.

[Future Esthar]

That´s interesting.
It´s like how they know the chandelier would fall on Ulti´s Castle.
It´s like they know a team had to hold the lever in place.
They probably only use the chandelier to reach there faster.

MJN Seifer,post a link to that article please.

[aquatius]

I know that you can't expect all video games to have great stories, but they could've at least told you what Ultemecia's motives were :/

[BG-57]

Gamefaqs.com has a well reasoned Unjust Persecution Theory, which very basically states that because the foreknowledge of Ultimecia's rise to power created a climate of mistreatment and persecution to any and all witches, Ultimecia included. So Ultimecia was in a sense doomed to be created due to the fear of her. I raises the same philosphical question covered in Minority Report: if you can see into the future, can a person be guilty of the crimes before they committed them?

That being said, some specifics would have been nice.

[MJN SEIFER]

MJN Seifer,post a link to that article please.

It isn't complete yet - hopefully I will continue it soon.

[Future Esthar]

But where you posted it?

[Eaglegun]

I don't know if this has been mentioned on here before, but has anyone ever considered that perhaps Cid decided to use GF specifically to make them forget. That way they could fight the sorceress without having to go through he pain of knowing that she raised them, and the resulting hesitation. I mean he did go out of his way to get them all back together to fight her, so this seems likely. With that said, the whole "I knew you guys all along, but I forgot" thing doesn't seem that far-fetched to me.

[McLovin']

Cid did give Squall the devil before he left. Another GF to further erase Squalls memory! Ar!

[MJN SEIFER]

But where you posted it?

It's not online yet. It will be once I get things sorted.

[Future Esthar]

Very clever Eaglegun.

[Forsaken Lover]

*on the topic of Ultimecia/Edea seducing Seifer*
"Seriously, are we supposed to buy this? Who's going to believe that a hero, young and reckless though he may be, is simply going to abandon his entire life and his career in a prestigious, respected order of warrior knights just because some evil wizard challenges his feelings of powerlessness and impotence and offers him the chance at power and respect he feels he's been denied?"
*cuts to footage of Anakin Skywalker*
Spoony: .......

But yeah, Spoony is a very funny man. Smart too.
That doesn't mean you have to agree with him. I still like FF8 and I always will. That doesn't mean I can't enjoy him ripping it an asshole.

He's also very much spot-on about a few things....

*on the topic of Selphie in the missile base*

Spoony: Stop hitting buttons you crazy bitch, you'll kills us all!
No, don't fuck with the error ratio! Now you'll be spraying nukes all over the country!
THINK OF THE INNOCENT PEOPLE!!!!

[marvelous_lie]

This has to be one of the funniest reviews he's ever done. A lot of his points are spot on.

Has anyone seen his review of the Deadliest Warrior Game? On his site, there's a follow up where he actually received an email from Spike Games calling him delusional for not liking it and the show.

[BG-57]

His reaction to first duel is priceless. :D

I think those two videos have garnered more comments than any other he's posted.

You should check out on Youtube his appearance at a gaming convention shot by someone in the audience. He talks about how FFVIII really got him noticed. He also answers questions from the audience. My favorite is when he goes on record as to his gaming experience with FFX-2.

[Mo-Nercy]

You should check out on Youtube his appearance at a gaming convention shot by someone in the audience. He talks about how FFVIII really got him noticed. He also answers questions from the audience. My favorite is when he goes on record as to his gaming experience with FFX-2.
I loved the death threat from the FF8 fanboy that he shared with the audience - "You motherfucker, I hope you die getting hit by a truck full of cancer."

:D

[BG-57]

He mentions it in an interview at E3 as well. :D

[Nice]

I've read many reviews about FF games over the years. Having played every single one of the main series games (except XIII --couldn't finish it) I have come to appreciate certain reviewers point of views.

I love FF VIII, its a game that has a lot going for it. For instance, the mood of the game is consistent (melancholy vs upbeat). The characters are enjoyable and memorable. I loved the idea of the different academies training students for combat. And I can go on and on. Yet this game also has a lot of problems too. The plot is poorly written, executed and has too many problematic issues that are conveniently wrapped up before the game's end. But it was imaginative in some regards and for me there is a certain level of nostalgia that I have when I play this game. So that doesn't hurt it at all.

[Jessweeee♪]

I always worry about Balamb when setting the error ratio. I mean, realistically speaking they're not going to get away completely unscathed, with Garden so close by, but setting the error ratio up so high is just going to make it much more likely for them to take a direct hit :onoes:

[AntagonistGB]

For quite a while, I based my hatred of the game solely on his reviews. Then, thankfully, when the game was released on PSN, I was basically like "Eh, sure, I want to at least say I beat it." since my hard copy had basically :bou::bou::bou::bou: the bed years before. I was VERY pleasantly surprised with how much I liked it. Still rather low on my list of favorites in the series, but definitely eleven bucks well spent.

[Roto13]

I can see why someone might not like the story, but I maintain that anyone who doesn't like the gameplay simply doesn't know how to play it. You can go through the whole thing without actually drawing any spells from monsters and still have more than enough to get through the game.

[silentenigma]

SpoonyOne's review is some serious quality entertainment.

[Elskidor]

Maybe not a masterpiece but still a fun game. Hell, just about anything Final Fantasy is fun game play EVEN FFX-2. I'd put VIII in my top 5.

[DMKA]

I'm not nearly enough of a nerd to find his stuff funny, apparently.

Seriously, that review made me cringe. Even Yahtzee or whatever is name is is easier to stomach than Spoony. He's like, the epitome of anti-funny to me. It feels like watching one of those "MOVIE" movies.

Perhaps I'm just getting old? Eh.

[Mad Clown]

an interesting review by spoony. and i happen to agree with most of his issues...except i thought triple triad was actually enjoyable. that actually saved the gameplay from purely failing in my book. overall though, i don't think the game is quite as terrible as he makes it out to be. to me, it's a pure "C" rated RPG...not epically bad, but not terribly excellent either.

[MJN SEIFER]

The main "joke" however is that he likes FFVIII.

So I may give the review ago one day, knowing it's in good humor, maybe it will be like "The Power of Cheese" for FFVIII? (I doubt it though, since TPoC was pretty much unbeatable in terms of humor :cool:)

[Raven Riley]

It is funny at times and he makes a couple of good points. Still love FFVIII though! :love:

[Aerisfanatic]

I don't really care what he says. Although I agree with some things he has to say, he's by far the most overrated reviewer on the site, and not to mention really annoying.

[biosaber]

yea actually it is. FF8 is not for final fantasy fans cuz its so different than the other FF's, like 12 & 13. Seems like spoony is the only FF8 hater that actually has a life (he gets paid for doing it). normal ppl wouldnt take the time to say how bad they "think" it is other than for comedy, which i laughed my ass off

[Vyk]

I hated 8 long before watching Spoony. And though he's a bit more critical than I am, (embellished for humor's sake, surely) he brought to light everything that bothered me as well. Not that I had any difficulty with acquiring magic, junctioning, or playing the card mini-game. They were just annoying. I do love me some Spoony. And thoroughly enjoying his rip on FFX. A game that I also hated right out of the gate. And he's making good (and embellished) light of those complaints too. I think me and Spoony would get along great. He's very popular, though I don't think he's over-rated. He just has a style that a lot of people love, and some can't get into. He's very well versed in the world of the nerd though. I rarely watch his vlogs, but the few times I've watched more than just his reviews I've learned some interesting things from the nerd-sphere

[MJN SEIFER]

yea actually it is. FF8 is not for final fantasy fans cuz its so different than the other FF'f

If FFVIII is "so different" than so's Final Fantasy VII, because I find those games to be similar. The only thing I find different to other FFs is the color of the border (minor), the fact it doesn't use MP (minor, and not that different), the fact that enemies level up (a good thing), and that you can take control more (another good thing). I am a massive fan of the FF series, and FFVIII is my second favorite. I really identifiedwith it.


I hated 8 long before watching Spoony. And though he's a bit more critical than I am.

Yeah, that's your opinion Vyk, but you do know Spoony's a fan of FFVIII right?

[Vyk]

Well it honestly doesn't matter to me, because its his rip on it that I agree with. Though I've never heard him say that, I've only seen people say it here. But again, it really doesn't matter, because even if that is the case, I still hate it. And he would obviously understand why. There's lots of games I love that I understand why other people hate

[MJN SEIFER]

That's okay. I love it, but I understand why people hate it I guess. People just like/hate different things.

I DO hate it when people insist that "a true fan of FF is not allowed to like FFVIII" though. (YOU didn't say that, I know, but someone else did).

[NeoCracker]

yea actually it is. FF8 is not for final fantasy fans cuz its so different than the other FF'f

If FFVIII is "so different" than so's Final Fantasy VII, because I find those games to be similar. The only thing I find different to other FFs is the color of the border (minor), the fact it doesn't use MP (minor, and not that different), the fact that enemies level up (a good thing), and that you can take control more (another good thing). I am a massive fan of the FF series, and FFVIII is my second favorite. I really identifiedwith it.


I hated 8 long before watching Spoony. And though he's a bit more critical than I am.

Yeah, that's your opinion Vyk, but you do know Spoony's a fan of FFVIII right?

Only if you disbelieve everything he's said in any of his videos or commentries about it. :p

Even when Thatguywiththeglasses did the charity drive he was asked by someone calling in what he really thought of the game, and he most definitely hated it.

I really have no Idea where the Idea he actually likes the game came from.

[MJN SEIFER]

I was searching through some stuff for a project, and I saw a site where he admited to liking it deep down. It was like, "I like you, but I enjoy making fun of you" type of stuff, I'll try to locate the site if I can.

[Elskidor]

I DO hate it when people insist that "a true fan of FF is not allowed to like FFVIII" though.

LOL. I don't even see how that could be said with out cracking up. It's changes WERE all minor. Hell, it had it's differences, but no greater than 3,5 10, 12 and 13 when it came to trying new techniques to see if they were going to be popular changes. It has a slew of problems, but I've always enjoyed it for the most part. Love him or Hate him, Squall was one of the only characters you got a chance to really know what he was thinking throughout the entire story, and I wish they would use that character development technique again.

[Vyk]

Tidus had plenty of inner and/or narrative monologues x_x; Why those two? lol

[NeoCracker]

I was searching through some stuff for a project, and I saw a site where he admited to liking it deep down. It was like, "I like you, but I enjoy making fun of you" type of stuff, I'll try to locate the site if I can.

On neither his site nor Thatguywiththeglasses has he stated that, so I'd doubt any legitimacy to that claim.

[bl800]

I was searching through some stuff for a project, and I saw a site where he admited to liking it deep down. It was like, "I like you, but I enjoy making fun of you" type of stuff, I'll try to locate the site if I can.

On neither his site nor Thatguywiththeglasses has he stated that, so I'd doubt any legitimacy to that claim.

Well, if you take a look at the last episode of his FF8 review you can see he has Final Fantasy 8 figurines and cards. Not to mention the Squall clone, which was spoony, was wearing Sqauall's jacket while wielding a life size gunblade. And finally, just watch the ending credits and ask yourself: is this made by a FF8 fan or FF8 hater?

[mashowasho]

I think a lot of Spoony's criticism is indeed for the sake of it being funny. I think Yahtzee (Zero Punctuation guy) once said something along the lines of "nobody wants to watch me say how great a game is, that's no fun" in one of his reviews. This is probably much the same. I've always thought FFVIII was the weakest of the PS1 trio, personally. Never could figure out that junctioning system and whatnot. But I'd still say I enjoyed what I did manage to play of it.

As for Spoony.... meh, his FF reviews were great, as were a -couple- of other game reviews, but most of the rest of the stuff he does is so obscure that I don't watch him that often.

[Darth Cid]

I watched all of it as it was being released, it was a flawless bit of reviewism.