this game is awesome! i love it!

[asukaevaunit02]

i finished playin the game a week ago, and i think it is great! i dont know why ppl say it was soo crap or anythin like that the junctioning system was great and really useful, the story was a little bit on the down side but still was ok, and the characters were great especially Selphie so funny and cute! lol many great memories, i think its slightly better that ff9, but after playin ff8 i wanted to play ff9 again 4 some reason? anyways this game rules my fave ff to date

[ThroneofDravaris]

You managed to say all of that in one sentence…

I agree with you on most of your points though. FFVIII certainly gets more crap than it deserves.

EDIT:Wait, I missed the exclamation marks. My bad.

[Xzirox]

3 sentences actually.


1:

i finished playin the game a week ago, and i think it is great! i dont know why ppl say it was soo crap or anythin like that the junctioning system was great and really useful, the story was a little bit on the down side but still was ok, and the characters were great especially Selphie so funny and cute!

2:

lol many great memories, i think its slightly better that ff9, but after playin ff8 i wanted to play ff9 again 4 some reason?

3:

anyways this game rules my fave ff to date




And yes, FF8 gets alot of crap for nothing :[

[Jiro]

i like 8 but never had the patience to finish after my brother ruined my 3 best files before disk 4.

[Primus Inter Pares]

Well, VIII was certainly a lot better than VII.

[Shaun]

Not sure if I can agree with you there, PiP, but it was still fantastic.

[Kamrusepas]

FFVIII is my fave too :)

[Remix]

yea FFVIII would probably be my second fav. My fav right now is FFIX. :p

[Cubster]

Yeah, its my favorite too though I have competition when it comes to FFVI and VII which are also my favorites. FFVIII I considered to be one of the most daring and experimental of the series and I looked at it that Square wanted to create another Final Fantasy but not to put all the same things from previous games in it. It was more fresh and they wanted to know players reaction to these things instead of boring us with the same thing over and over. When FFXII comes out, it may take the same experimental form that FFVIII gave us (especially the different battle system).

FFVIII has excellent graphics, a good ending, decent story, and great music. I would love to see a remake or sequal (movie?) for it though it may be difficult.

[Winter Nights]

Well, VIII was certainly a lot better than VII.
Agreed. FFVII was decent, but FFVIII was what got me hooked on Final Fantasy.

[Ultima_Weapon]

Agreed. FFVII was decent, but FFVIII was what got me hooked on Final Fantasy.


Agreed final fantasy 8 is probably the best RPG out there and I don't think there ever be any game better or anything like it....

[Yuffie514]

i finished playin the game a week ago, and i think it is great!

did you know, EIGHT rhymes with GREAT, :eyebrow: ?

[Zeromus_X]

FFVIII has excellent graphics, a good ending, decent story, and great music. I would love to see a remake or sequal (movie?) for it though it may be difficult.
yeah, i always wonder why there isnt all this sequel stuff for ffVIII, youd think thered be. (just look at all the stuff for ffvii!)

but yes, i think ffViii, and ffii, get far too much smack talked about them. (especially by people that havent beaten them.)

my friend absolutely hates it, but he probably doesnt have the mental capacity to understand the junction system:D (or how awesome it is!)

go VIII!

[nik0tine]

I believe FF8 came out before along came polly. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, though.

[ThroneofDravaris]

yeah, i always wonder why there isnt all this sequel stuff for ffVIII, youd think thered be.


FFVIII was only the 3rd most popular FF game, behind FFX and FFVII. So in other words FFVIII SHOULD be next in line for a few spin off titles, but it won't get them, because people are idiots and would rather get ports of old FF games for the rest of their lives...


yeah 8 rymes with great 7 rymes with heaven
I hated eight because what is the point of leveling up if the monsters do it with you?
I have no ambition to pwn
So I just...got to level 20 at the end of disk 4 :lol:

You're not supposed to level up in FFVIII, that's what junctioning is for. It's a good thing that you got to the end of Disk 4 at level 20.


the story is hardly amazing as well...I mean it's very cliche
Pansy man meets outgoing girl she changes him
Hello "Along came polly" anyone?


Yeah...except it FFVIII came out several years before "Along Came Polly". Not only that, there is a BIG difference between how Polly changes Reuben and how Rinoa changes Squall...

EDIT: Damn you Nik0tine!

[Markus. D]

Tis the best FF game created :)

[Slade]

Well, VIII was certainly a lot better than VII.
Agreed

did you know, EIGHT rhymes with GREAT, ?
Agreed also

Agreed. FFVII was decent, but FFVIII was what got me hooked on Final Fantasy.
Agrees with the agreed

[Aurora_sword]

3 sentences actually.


1:

i finished playin the game a week ago, and i think it is great! i dont know why ppl say it was soo crap or anythin like that the junctioning system was great and really useful, the story was a little bit on the down side but still was ok, and the characters were great especially Selphie so funny and cute!

2:

lol many great memories, i think its slightly better that ff9, but after playin ff8 i wanted to play ff9 again 4 some reason?

3:

anyways this game rules my fave ff to date




And yes, FF8 gets alot of crap for nothing :[
4 sentences actually

[Rocket Edge]

i understand that people all have their own opinions but i cant help but feel angry at people who dont think VIII is the best. It has no close rivals, it was a complete game, i never enjoyed a game as much and got involved in the story+characters as much. a close rival would be 5 or 10.

[XxkieranxX]

i dont have a fav FF, but there are some points in the game which i really enjoyed such as the war part where they clash the airships, and there are the downsides which later makes the game abit crazy, but yea ff8 is good, if i didnt have a choice i would say this was my second favourite game.

[w2hunter]

i agree with rocket edge 9 sucked every one loved 7 not sure why 10 the mane charecter did nothing but wine and good ol 8 the checters deep a history of a world far better than i could every imagen a story that was never dull the only way 8 could have been better would be to re make it on ps2 better graphics maby the chaecters could talk to better show the emoustions (confuesed, pissed) and talking in the FMV would rock!

[Christmas]

http://www.trimpe.org/jr/pictures/awesome.jpg

But I prefer VI.

[Tohru]

I love FFVIII but as I first begun to play it on my PS it froze and wouldn't continue no matter what that was really really really bad! *cries in a corner*

[Mittopotahis]

My final disk doesn't work. So annoying :(

[a nirvana fan]

Well yeah this game is really good..Final Fantasy VII only just beats it, yeah I really like the junctioning system, and yeah overall it's probably one of thee all time greatest RPG games to be made

[w2hunter]

:D i got my fisrt ff8 set when it came out for my b day and the second disk didnt work no biggy i had a mod chip coped a new one and got it to work then my 3rd disk so i bought a hole new set
i think some how i now have 3 sets of fully workin ff8 discs but i wouldnt sell any of them hahahaha:D

[HowlingMonkey]

Ok. Why FFVIII sucks:

1. The graphics are reasonable but nothing special. Perhaps I was spoilt by playing IX before VIII, but they just don't look exceptional. However, for those of us who aren't graphics whores (which includes me) this is irrelevant.

2. Squall. A whiny self-obsessed brat. One of the most unsympathetic and annoying games characters of all time. Yes, he rocks in battle with Renzokuken, but he absolutely sucks in terms of plot.

3. The other major characters are completely ignored. It's ALL about Squall and Rinoa. Everyone else is there to make up the numbers. A good RPG should have focus on all of the party (see FFVI, or to a lesser extent FFIX), but VIII never gives the others anything. Quistis has 1 moment in the Training Centre and then never gets any real emotional moments or story. Irvine has his moment in Deling City. Selphie has Trabia Garden. Zell gets slightly more, but is still woefully underused.

4. Ultimecia. Worst. Villain. Ever. She has no character at all and is just generically evil. Seifer, too, is largely underdeveloped and could have been so much better.

5. The plot is on the verge of incomprehensible at times. Say what you want about IX, but at least you knew what Garland and Kuja were trying to do. In VIII, much of it is explained poorly, especially when you get to disc 3, where things become a fuzzy mess. And there's never any depth to the plot. They just go through the basic things and never really develop characters or ideas fully. For an RPG, characters and story are what make a good game, and FFVIII fails on both fronts.

6. Magic. Or more speficially drawing magic. Sitting through a Bite Bug fight for 30 minutes to get 100 fire spells is one of the stupidest ideas ever.

7. It has no sense of humour. V, VII, IX and X are all very funny, but VIII takes itself far too seriously.

This is not to say FFVIII is an awful game. In comparison to other FFs it sucks, but it's better than most RPGs and it does have its moments. The battle of the Gardens. Triple Triad. The GFs. Limit Breaks. But in the end, those just can't make up for the overall poorness of the story.

[Soul of Tarsis]

Ok. Why FFVIII sucks:

1. The graphics are reasonable but nothing special. Perhaps I was spoilt by playing IX before VIII, but they just don't look exceptional. However, for those of us who aren't graphics whores (which includes me) this is irrelevant.

If you don’t care about graphics, then why bring it up? There is no denying though that FFVIII’s graphics were a massive step up from FFVII.



2. Squall. A whiny self-obsessed brat. One of the most unsympathetic and annoying games characters of all time. Yes, he rocks in battle with Renzokuken, but he absolutely sucks in terms of plot.
Squall doesn’t whine. At all. You may be thinking of Tidus here. He is, however, a rather cold and malicious character. You either like that or you don’t I guess…


3. The other major characters are completely ignored. It's ALL about Squall and Rinoa. Everyone else is there to make up the numbers. A good RPG should have focus on all of the party (see FFVI, or to a lesser extent FFIX), but VIII never gives the others anything. Quistis has 1 moment in the Training Centre and then never gets any real emotional moments or story. Irvine has his moment in Deling City. Selphie has Trabia Garden. Zell gets slightly more, but is still woefully underused.
True, but most FF games before FFVIII didn’t do much better in this department. The only reason a larger amount of characters received development in FFVI was because there was simply more characters to develop. FFVIII develops 2/6 of its characters to a large degree, FFVI develops 4/14 (Locke, Terra, Celes and Cyan) to about the same degree. All other pre FFVIII games save FFVII (and possibly FFIV) were a joke when it came to character development.


4. Ultimecia. Worst. Villain. Ever. She has no character at all and is just generically evil. Seifer, too, is largely underdeveloped and could have been so much better.
Don’t really disagree with you here, although this is hardly a failing exclusively in FFVIII. Chaos/Garland, Cloud of Darkness, Zemus and Neo X-Death receive no development yet are never scrutinised to the same level as Ultimecia. Besides, with villains such as Shuyin out there, I don’t really see how you could call Ultimecia the ‘worst’.



5. The plot is on the verge of incomprehensible at times. Say what you want about IX, but at least you knew what Garland and Kuja were trying to do. In VIII, much of it is explained poorly, especially when you get to disc 3, where things become a fuzzy mess. And there's never any depth to the plot. They just go through the basic things and never really develop characters or ideas fully. For an RPG, characters and story are what make a good game, and FFVIII fails on both fronts.

The plot really isn’t that hard to figure out when you think about it; even Time Compression is a rather simply concept to grasp on a superficial level. FFVIII is a game that doesn’t go out of its way to spoon-feed people information. It’s not that the depth isn’t there, it's just that you have to read between the lines to pick up on some of the finer points of the story (specifically, the character relationships).


6. Magic. Or more speficially drawing magic. Sitting through a Bite Bug fight for 30 minutes to get 100 fire spells is one of the stupidest ideas ever.
With the refinery abilities and secret draw points, drawing magic from enemies become obsolete by the end of the game, It’s only in the beginning when you have to spend some time drawing magic, and I would say it’s more like 5-10 minutes per battle, not 30.


7. It has no sense of humour. V, VII, IX and X are all very funny, but VIII takes itself far too seriously.
If you truly think this then you didn’t pay much attention. Most of the Laguna sequences were pure comedy.

Anyway, Final fantasy VIII has a few issues (namely its lack of playable characters) but it is still one of the best games in the series. Most of the time, the issues that people have with this game aren’t so much due to ‘flaws’ in the game, but personal expectations as to what a FF game should be. Many people don’t like it because it has a completely different style to the earlier FF games, others don’t like it because it isn’t FFVII. Everyone can have there own opinion, but I really do feel that most of the time people try to pass off POVish views as fact when it comes to the ‘failings’ in this game. Then again, that’s nothing new either…

[HowlingMonkey]

If you don’t care about graphics, then why bring it up? There is no denying though that FFVIII’s graphics were amassive step up from FFVII.

Cause some people are graphics whores. I was trying to give general reasons as well as personal ones.


Squall doesn’t whine. At all. You may be thinking of Tidus here. He is, however, a rather cold and malicious character. You either like that or you don’t I guess…

He whines to himself. His thoughts rather than his dialogues.


True, but most FF games before FFVIII didn’t do much better in this department. The only reason a larger amount of characters received development in FFVI was because there was simply more characters to develop. FFVIII develops 2/6 of its characters to a large degree, FFVI develops 4/14 (Locke, Terra, Celes and Cyan) to about the same degree. All other pre FFVIII games save FFVII (and possibly FFIV) were a joke when it came to character development.

I can't really say about VI, given I've only just started playing it. I used that example cause I've often heard people saying it has 14 characters and they all get pretty much equal coverage. Games I-III used generic characters, IV had great character development for all of them (cept FuSoYa), V has done well so far (still only half way through), and the post-VIII games are all better at characterisation. Even X-2.


Don’t really disagree with you here, although this is hardly a failing exclusively in FFVIII. Chaos/Garland, Cloud of Darkness, Zemus and Neo X-Death receive no development yet are never scrutinised to the same level as Ultimecia. Besides, with villains such as Shuyin out there, I don’t really see how you could call Ultimecia the ‘worst’.

Shuyin was way more developed than Ultimecia. He had the big love for Lenne and lost her. Ok, it was hardly Shakespeare but it's more than what Ultimecia got.


The plot really isn’t that hard to figure out when you think about it; even Time Compression is a rather simply concept to grasp on a superficial level. FFVIII is a game that doesn’t go out of its way to spoon-feed people information. It’s not that the depth isn’t there, it's just that you have to read between the lines to pick up on some of the finer points of the story (specifically, the character relationships).

We shouldn't have to read between the lines. Certainly not for the main characters. Selphie and Irvine's relationship should have been explicit and given screen time, because they're main party members. If it was someone like Zone and Fujin getting together, reading between the lines would be fine, but the main characters all deserve emotional moments, not just Squall and Rinoa. Time Compression was a nonsensical mess, but VII wasn't much better on this matter.


With the refinery abilities and secret draw points, drawing magic from enemies become obsolete by the end of the game, It’s only in the beginning when you have to spend some time drawing magic, and I would say it’s more like 5-10 minutes per battle, not 30.

An average gamer will still be having to draw magic at the end of disc 3. That's about 80% of the game where they'll be doing so.


If you truly think this then you didn’t pay much attention. Most of the Laguna sequences were pure comedy.

They were trying to be funny. And failing miserably, for the most part. There was the occasional chuckle, but nothing that was hugely funny.


Anyway, Final fantasy VIII has a few issues (namely its lack of playable characters) but it is still one of the best games in the series. Most of the time, the issues that people have with this game aren’t so much due to ‘flaws’ in the game, but personal expectations as to what a FF game should be. Many people don’t like it because it has a completely different style to the earlier FF games, others don’t like it because it isn’t FFVII. Everyone can have there own opinion, but I really do feel that most of the time people try to pass off POVish views as fact when it comes to the ‘failings’ in this game. Then again, that’s nothing new either…

I don't like it cause it has a poor battle system in comparison to other games (and FFs don't have one strict style of battle system, as each game is different) and the plot was underdeveloped, confusing and quite dull.

And I know that's just my opinion and not fact. After all, I enjoyed FFX-2 :P

[Soul of Tarsis]

I can't really say about VI, given I've only just started playing it. I used that example cause I've often heard people saying it has 14 characters and they all get pretty much equal coverage.

Lol, I'm afraid you're going to be a little disappointed. There are at least 3 characters that received no development at all. Apart from that, no other characters get the same development as Celes, Terra, Locke and Cyan.

[Primus Inter Pares]

Lol, I'm afraid you're going to be a little disappointed. There are at least 3 characters that received no development at all.
Wow, this statement does really belong to the X-2 forum.

FFVIII was pretty good.

[TurkSlayer]

Sorry, but I don't see what's so appealing about this game. Junction system ruined this game for me from the beginning. That and uninteresting characters and plot.

Seriously though, who came up with that fucking junction system? I spent my first two playthroughs using GF in EVERY SINGLE BATTLE because i couldn't get the hang of that damned thing. (I never beat either playthrough) Well, having to build weapons by finding magazines and material probably helped that problem a bit.

[Qurange]

FFVIII is my favorite of the series, so I obviously don't have much trouble in seeing why someone might enjoy it. I mean, there's the general idea that happen I like pretty much the entire thing, but there are some more specific reasons, too.

The character animations were excellently done; the characters actually moved like people. They spoke the same way. I don't see how in the world there are complaints about the graphics; they were stellar, and they were good enough that they still hold up, even discounting the FMVs (which, in large part, have yet to be matched.)

Every character has a clear and distinct personality--even counting a lot of the minor NPCs. Those who don't see this simply must not be paying attention. No, no one was given as much focus as Squall and Rinoa, but considering that their story was one of the major plot points, that makes sense. The other characters had development; you simply had to watch for it.

The setting was one of the best-defined and best-developed of the series, if not the best. Every location had a unique feel to it, and, more to the point, every location felt like it was a part of the same world--and many of the locations were given some history. The Tomb of the Unknown King, for example, gave a lot of insight into the Galbadia Region as a whole. More than that, the Information files in the tutorial were extensive--basically, everything that might have been confusing was explained, usually in more than one place--and for the most part, even the orphanage plot twist was foreshadowed. (The Trabia Garden scene is another post, but it wasn't as unreasonable as you'd think. The memory losss caused by the GFs was hinted in numerous places, and it only makes sense that a bunch of orphans would end up meeting at schools established primarily for orphans, especially given that they were in the founder's orphanage.) Again, you just had to be paying attention. If you breezed through the game and didn't pay any attention to the story, you were going to be lost. While Ultimecia herself wasn't given much development (that I admit), she was at least present throughought the game--and it can be interesting to have a villain who basically seems to be nuts. The characters didn't know their motivations, and, as they'd said earlier, they didn't need to. They're SeeDs (mostly); they did their job. If you want more, write fanfiction.

Triple Triad is its own reward, but even aside from that addicting card game, the cards were exceptionally useful.

As for the Junction system, I loved it. It wasn't hard for me to understand, and with just a bit of practice, it became, for me, the best system of the series.

But, to be fair, I'm a clear FFVIII fan, so your opinions may vary. I simply see no weight to the complaints against the game.

[Shin Gouken]

Sorry, but I don't see what's so appealing about this game. Junction system ruined this game for me from the beginning. That and uninteresting characters and plot.

Seriously though, who came up with that smurfing junction system? I spent my first two playthroughs using GF in EVERY SINGLE BATTLE because i couldn't get the hang of that damned thing. (I never beat either playthrough) Well, having to build weapons by finding magazines and material probably helped that problem a bit.



no offense (actually take offence if you wish) but your stupid. a) the junction system is very simple and b) it fucking explains it in pathetic detail for people like you

[HowlingMonkey]

no offense (actually take offence if you wish) but your stupid. a) the junction system is very simple and b) it smurfing explains it in pathetic detail for people like you

a) No, it's not.

b) No, they don't. The tutorials the game gives on the junction system are awful.

Obviously, for FFVIII fans who've played it over and over again it seems simple, but for the newbie it's not. However, it can be learnt after a bit of messing about with, and it ends up becoming simple once you've experimented a bit. My main issue with the junction system is not its difficulty but the extreme way it can unbalance the game.

[w2hunter]

the story is WAY more deep than you think every thing has a conections. The only way to find some of these things out tho you have to do side missions and after you do the story progresses more if you look into you tutorial infromation about charecters and locations.

personly i didnt think squall whined. he was a dick and mostly said this to him self "....." i remeber seeing that in his words more than any thing

9 was a joke i didnt find much about that game like able cept for dager.
you said 8's story was shady what abuot 10 i thought that was wacked out but eh

[Qurange]

Obviously, for FFVIII fans who've played it over and over again it seems simple, but for the newbie it's not. However, it can be learnt after a bit of messing about with, and it ends up becoming simple once you've experimented a bit. My main issue with the junction system is not its difficulty but the extreme way it can unbalance the game.

Okay, that's fair. I won't touch the comment about the junction system right now, but it's true that I've spent a lot of time thinking about FFVIII and how everything connects; the newbie will probably not see all that on a first runthrough unless they're really paying attention. Part of what I like about FFVIII, though, is simply the fact that it's all there if you look.

EDIT: It occurs to me that you probably mean just the Junction system, and now I feel silly. I didn't have any trouble learning the Junction system my first time through, though. The Tutorials, while slow, are a good start for experimentation. I don't see that as much problem, though of course you'll get better at it the more you play.

[Shin Gouken]

a) No, it's not.

b) No, they don't. The tutorials the game gives on the junction system are awful.

Obviously, for FFVIII fans who've played it over and over again it seems simple, but for the newbie it's not. However, it can be learnt after a bit of messing about with, and it ends up becoming simple once you've experimented a bit. My main issue with the junction system is not its difficulty but the extreme way it can unbalance the game.


ive only played the game once through. put some magic on your stats how simple is that!!!! besides it has an auto function where it does it for you.

[Kyuu]

FFVIII is the first FF I've played, so my opinions may be biased. However, there are some things that I agree and disagree with the previous posts.

Squall is MEANT to be cold..and somehow, childish. He doesn't recognize himself very well, and he, apparently doesn't like his certain feelings as well. Though I wouldn't say he's whining...more to ranting to himself most of the times..which I find funny, because he's sorta cold and quiet, but he keeps talking to himself. :D

Though I must agree the other characters should have been given more development...but then, I do think it's suffice.

[Omnislash07]

Okay the junction system was extremely simple, when the game came out i was only 11 years old and i got it perfectly my first playthrough.

I didnt like the draw system because it took forever to draw magic from enemies and if you tried to stock up on 100 of a spell from one of those hidden draw points it would take even longer.

The only use for magic other than the Cures and Aura was Junctioning because i never used offensive magic and rarely summoned the GFs. Course that is the norm for me in all FF, im more of a physical attack kind of guy.

The graphics were awesome for their time, ecspecially the FMVs.

The story was great.

All in all an awesome game. Second in my favorite FF list topped only by 7.



You're not supposed to level up in FFVIII, that's what junctioning is for. It's a good thing that you got to the end of Disk 4 at level 20.

wtf, why arent you supposed to level up? The enemies leveled up with you so the game would be more chalenging (not that it worked cause the game is pretty easy) not because you werent supposed to. I finished all my games at level 100 but that could be because i also do all the sidequests and i always make it a point to get Lionheart before the end of Disc 2, which takes a lot of work.

[Heero Yuy NWZC]

Same here. I always do all the sidequests and get everything i can. I try to get & do everything possible before beating the game.

[IpwnUthisMuch|------|]

The junctioning system was a lot of fun it allowed you to customize your characters. It was simple i was 10 when i first played the game and i had the junctioning down after an hour of gameplay.

The GFs that could teach you abilities were a step up from summon materia of 7.
Drawing was a pain in the neck sometimes.
Offensive spells were basically useless and usually found myself only using haste, aura, curaga, full-life, and the one good offensive spell that was METEOR!!!
The limit break system was much better as you could control them not just after time it would build up.
Leveling wasnt meant to play as big of a part as in the other FF's due to its lack of increase on your stats.
You were meant to junction and make combos that worked and fit your play style.
No it wasnt funny but its an RPG not Family Guy. Go watch Comedy Central if you want to laugh... play FF VIII if you want to have fun.

Thats all i have to say... it was not the best but it was good.

[~SapphireStar~]

As Ive explained many times before on this forum FF8 was my very first FF and it also introduced me to the RPG genre. I cant find fault with this game at all, I cant! People moan about the battle system or the characters, but I love every last thing about it.

It is my all-time favourite game.

[IpwnUthisMuch|------|]

it was my first too but i find fault in the lack of use for offensive magic and GFs other than eden and doomtrain

[w2hunter]

there was an auto smurfing junction button how hard is that? it made it more tactical. for each boss you could swich up ur juctions and becom strogner to its attacks or make your guys hit harder. u could give custimize ur charecters to high health and vit or str and mag. helped you defend aggenst stats effects also which was my fav. i hate in the other ff's that u have to find armor and crap that gives you these effects. with 8 you could actully have a high DEF. with a poisin sleep blind defens also instead of have some crap armor with a posin d or a high with no status d. the only thing i didnt like was if you had all your kool magic junction you couldnt use it.:mad2: the time it took to junction didnt bother me i loved it. its like a chess game you can beat any thing at any time in the game if you just junction right!

[Heero Yuy NWZC]

well, there really was no need for magic if u had everyone to the best they could be. That's why there are so many sidequests. It takes u away from the main story a bit so u can make ur ppl better, get more GF's, and items.