Where did it fall apart for you?

[Slothy]

Okay, slightly inflammatory title I guess so I apologize for the fans. There are actually many aspects of this game that I do like despite my frequent harsh criticism. But I'm just curious for those who feel the game was lacking in some way, where did it jump the shark for you? And for those who are devout fans of the game, what did you like the least about it, or had the most trouble swallowing?

Was it the orphanage twist? Did junctioning get your goat? Did the time travel plot give you headaches and make the Star Trek fan in you want to scream?

For me I'd say it's probably the orphanage scene and amnesia revelation. Before that there were strange happenings, and unexplained behaviour from the characters, but I could probably forgive it if it was just an accident of poor writing. But then they tried to explain it. Using a plot twist and a butt load of coincidence which I couldn't remember even being hinted at earlier.

I wouldn't say it ruined the game for me as I already felt it wasn't as strong as earlier entries anyway, but it was a tough pill to swallow and certainly cemented it as one of my least favourite entries in the series. I've certainly played worse though.

So what's your take EOFF? Have a similar moment? The same moment? Just want to call me crazy? Have at it.

[Jiro]

I don't think the orphanage scene had the same impact on me as was intended. Hell, I'm not really sure what it was meant to do. Sure it explained some things but it really seemed kind of unimportant. I just wanted to get on with it. Singling Rinoa out against the rest of the cast made me feel like she should have had way way way more importance. I mean, sure she's a main character and plays a vital role but it should've been bigger to be almost flanked by her own personal SeeDs.

I don't think FFVIII fell apart for me so much as didn't take off to the same heights it could have. I still think it was pretty damn fine though, and I enjoyed the game thoroughly. Certain segments appeal to my sense of adventure quite strongly, and there are some emotional moments but I don't know if it all pieced together quite well enough.

[ReloadPsi]

I just always got the impression this game's plot was made up as they went along. To that end I really had to give it one hell of a second chance to decide if I liked it or not. Thankfully I like how it plays, even if it is obscenely easy to break, so I'm just grateful for the existence of a turbo function on some controllers so I can rattle off the dialogue scenes as a slight inconvenience.

[krissy]

the amnesia scene was pretty much it

like

'oh we forgot'

thanks writers good job

[Slothy]

Did the writers even bother to hint at it before that? I honestly don't remember any mention of GF's causing memory loss before that but it's been a while since I played it. Maybe a passing reference somewhere? Although even then, it doesn't explain why Squall and Zell and Seifer don't really seem to remember living together their entire lives, or why they'd make no mention of it before getting GF's, or why no one ever stopped and thought it was weird that their memory of most of their childhood was gone. It just seems like a silly twist that makes everything before it make less sense to me.

[Shorty]

I could deal with the time-traveling. I could deal with the sorceresses possessing other sorceresses to release certain sorceresses from prisons. I could deal with the surprise that they all coincidentally grew up together in the same orphanage and that they were besties. I could not deal with the amnesia revelation. It could have perhaps been somewhat viable had they not immediately blamed the GFs for the memory loss. If anything, a more interesting plot twist would have been perhaps some sort of quest or route in the story leading them to find what exactly caused their memory loss and OH tit GFs, REALLY? But the way it was all pretty much instantly decided after realizing they had lost their memories felt like a cop-out.

A better way to make it more plausible would have been to even mention little things about memory loss earlier in the games, like when reading through the tutorials and computers in the Garden - maybe articles about students complaining about memory loss or students mentioning it when you stop to speak to them in the halls once in a while. Jumped the shark there, indeed.

[Slothy]

A better way to make it more plausible would have been to even mention little things about memory loss earlier in the games, like when reading through the tutorials and computers in the Garden - maybe articles about students complaining about memory loss or students mentioning it when you stop to speak to them in the halls once in a while. Jumped the shark there, indeed.

That's not a bad idea. In fact, I could imagine a few ways to subtly do this throughout the game and have it work really well. You could have students you met early in the game forget who you are later on to set up a subtle indication something's wrong. But I think the ultimate mind fuck could have been to have the other characters start mentioning things which happened since the start of the game which the Squall was supposedly there for but which the player never experiences. Obviously their initial reaction would be "what the fuck are they talking about? That never happened." Then have Squall react in much the same way and have them search for the answer to why their memories have gaps, and maybe then have the revelation that they lived together as children as they try and literally piece their lives back together.

Good call Shorty.

[Shorty]

Oooh, I like that bit about Squall. And thank you, sir! I just remember going, "say what now, they want me to actually believe this?" because it was so sudden and unrealistic at that point.

[milliegoesbeep]

I am a devout fan of the game but I thought the whole Orphanage "Oh my stars, we know each other!" was far too cliché, un-needed and definitely unnecessary. The game was brilliant in itself and had a pretty solid story going on, even when the wibbly wobbly timey-wimey thing started going to your brain. I just remember thinking what on earth they were scripting that in for. As for junctioning, originally I hated it because it was so confusing but now that I've wrapped my head around it, I really enjoy it.

[Slothy]

even when the wibbly wobbly timey-wimey thing started going to your brain.

Completely off topic but you're my favourite new member for that Doctor Who reference.

[Sephex]

I have ALWAYS felt that the orphanage twist was very lame and out of left field. The sad part is that they could have made it work if they included a scene or two that shows how the GFs screw with memory. Yes, I know the game does hint at it, but it's very vague and optional.

Years later I also noticed a glaring continuity error near the end of disc one. Then the party traps Edea's float in between the gates, it is facing away from where Irvine takes his shot. They actually show her deflect the bullet! Plus, when Squall drives up to the float, it's CLEARLY facing away from him and he obviously has to go around to the front to meet up with Seifer and Edea!

[Goldenboko]

To me this is a game that started well out of the gate, but then stumbled, fell over, and died at about the 20% mark. The game had a butt-load of potential, assassination, mercenaries, countries at war - oh my! But at about when you break out of that prison and you are trying to warn Balamb about the incoming missiles, is where the game stops making sense and the plot seems to unfold in a way that is 100% scripted and completely unnatural.

Squall is made leader of the Garden, why? Because he's the main character, only reason I can think of, his "natural born leadership" hadn't won them a single battle. Surely there had to be someone of higher experience and merit to lead an army of trained mercenaries, then someone greener than grass.

After that everyone just starts knowing each other, it's like they were afraid to introduce more characters to the plot, Seifer becomes Edea/Utli's handmaiden, Cid becomes Edea's lover, Edea becomes 90% of the casts mother figure that they convenient-plot-reason forgot, Rinoa become a Sorceress. The characters roles completely transformed as they were given new plot devices without any sense of naturally gained maturity. Even the Laguna, the only character who does appear to go through a maturity through the plot, becomes Squall's father. It's like the game was afraid to establish a diverse cast. It'd be like if in Final Fantasy IX they made Beatrix Garnet's mother!

[Jiro]

To be fair, GF and memory loss is mentioned on Squall's console somewhere.

[Slothy]

To be fair, GF and memory loss is mentioned on Squall's console somewhere.

I believe that makes you the only person to read Squall's console. Ever.

[Iceglow]

My biggest gripe with the entire game of FFVIII was the amnesia plot line. SeeD knew that GF use could cause Amnesia, it's why they are the only military force in the world using it. It's also why by the age of like 21 you're done, you're out get gone. It's why the Gabaldian Garden is the biggest supplier of recruits to the G-army. (though that doesn't explain why the G-army is such a bunch of push overs, studies to become SeeD, graduates, gets killed in one hit by a SeeD Cadet) Now imho; if you have a known force of magic what causes memory loss wouldn't you enforce your cadets to make diaries/journals so they didn't lose anything important like "I grew up in an orphanage with all my fellow students" seriously?

I am still however a huge FFVIII fan. It was my first FF game and whilst it was not my last and it certainly has got some plot points I would appreciate explained in more detail or expanded upon if there was ever a HD remake it was a relatively great game, it still scored above 90% for most gaming magazines and this is in the days prior to anything with FF in the title automatically scoring 90+ in the UK.

[Jiro]

To be fair, GF and memory loss is mentioned on Squall's console somewhere.

I believe that makes you the only person to read Squall's console. Ever.

Until like my third playthrough, I thought you had to access the console to get your starting GFs so I just read everything. There's some foreshadowing of Seifer becoming the Sorceress's Knight in there too.

[Sephex]

To be fair, GF and memory loss is mentioned on Squall's console somewhere.

Jiro, that's what I mean. It is something that is optional. For small plot points or something that could be expanded upon, that's fine.

For a major plot point like that, I feel that a scene like that should be set up properly. It comes off as a cop out every time I play through FFVIII because it just seems like it was a last minute panic thing the writers did.

[Jiro]

Oh I agree. There definitely should have been more foreshadowing for something big like that.