Where to begin...
First, build better backstories for everyone...
Quistis' infatuation with Squall should have been dragged out a bit longer. She got dissed and drops it about a few hours into the plot and yet she brings it up again at the end? She really needs to stand up and show us the "child prodigy" the game tries to make her out to be. We need more scenes of her taking charge and kicking ass like the Dollet invasion.
Selphie could have matured a bit more as the story progressed, I also wish they had done more with her "relationship" with Irvine.
Zell, good lord... First, I would have actually done something with the tidbit of information that was released about him on the offical site, waaaay back before it came out. They mention Zell became a SeeD and studied martial arts because of his close relationship with his late grandfather. I think the game briefly mentions him when you go to Zell's house but nothing more. This information here has a wealth of potential to show off a better less annoying side of his character.
Irvine, didn't bother me too much. I wish he had done more hinting of the stupid "orphanage" twist instead of laying it out there like it came out of left field:rolleyes2 I also would have liked to see him mature as a soldier as well.
Rinoa, needs something to make her standout more. As much story as they put into her, I still feel she was rather forgettable. I probably would have completely dropped her relationship with her father cause it makes her seem more childish than likable. I think I would have made her more of an opposite to Squall than she really was. She should have had a zest for life and been more optimistic. You know, the way she appears to be when she first showed up at the dance. It would have made her sorcerous plot twist more compelling. Everyone's worried and here she is being "Miss Positive" and assuring them she's alright even though you know it's "not going to be alright".
Seifer, is probably the greatest disappointment of FFVIII. He has such potential to be a wonderful character and gets relegated to "thug" status. "Thug" status belongs to little bitches like Raijin and Fuijin, not guys like Seifer. First, Seifer should have played a larger role in the overall story. Pushed the whole rivalry, maybe let Edea/Ultemacia give him some real power so he can put up a fight. Second, we should have made the love triangle something real; instead of mentioning that one could start and never talking about it again... Show the softer more lovable side of Seifer, the one that wanted to become a "knight" to protect his "queen". It would have made for a compelling relationship between him and Squall as well as add to Squall relationship with Rinoa.
Ultemacia needs a better motive. She wants to become a god but why? To destoy SeeDs? She already accomplished that in her own time line. The least they could have done is said that being hunted by SeeD all her life made her mind snap, so she decided to compress time and become a god to eliminate all SeeD's from history. It's still a lousy motive but at least it's better than just showing up and saying you wanted to be a god even though time compression looked like something that was going to erase the existence of all life to accomplish anyway...
Plot elements that needed to be touched up...
The orphanage twist. I wouldn't get rid of it completely. I would have ran with it cause it created an interesting element in the story, which was completely dropped after it was mentioned. I would first have Irvine hint more to his knowledge of everyone and Edea. I also would have made Selphie be similiar since she's the next SeeD member that has had the least GF contamination. I liked the idea of the GF's stealing the parties memories in exchange for power. It could have created an interesting moral dilemna. Watching Squall and the others lose their memories as the story goes along. The love story could have been made even better by having a point late in the game, where Squall is trying to remember what he's trying to protect and all you can see from his memory is a fuzzy image of Rinoa. It all could have been so intersting and create a really compelling story but no we decide to make the story focus on time travel :rolleyes2
I wish we could have had an explanation of how Ellone got her powers. I would have liked to see the party remember more about their pasts as the story went along. I also would have appreciated a little more info on the GF's and their relationship to the world.
These touch ups and FFVIII could actually live up to it's potential. BTW as harsh as I seem, I actually like FFVIII. It's not my favorite but I don't necessarily feel it's the worse game in the series either. I just saw a game with a lot of potential and I just wanted to see it live up to it. That's all
