Final Fantasy X vs. Final Fantasy VIII

[Forsaken Lover]

Years ago I did X-2 vs. VIII because they are both deeply reviled games generally speaking.

But ya know, even X isn't a universally popular game. There are some dissidents who question these truths that VIII is total garbage and X is a good game and they are traitors.

So let's shove them in a pool and just hope they give up and drown.

Or we could do this I guess. It's about as pointless.

Which game do you like more - Final Fantasy 10 or 8? To some I'm sure this is kinda like discussing whether you'd rather be punched in the nuts or kicked in the nuts. But maybe there will be some people who actually like one or both of these games and they have to seriously contemplate which is superior.

I'll start by saying this:
I recently replayed FFVIII a few months ago. I got up to Disk 3. I then sold it to get better games.
However during this replay I noticed something that makes FFVIII stand out above every other JRPG I've ever played. That unique characteristic is the fact you have to literally do everything in your power to NOT break teh game. I wanted to enjoy the awesome boss fights with Seifer and Edea but I couldn't because I actually used junctioning a teensy bit. Oh and if you throw in the Stat+ stuff? Forget about it.
i wasn't even really making full use of the Junction system either. I was only allowing each party member to junction to one or maybe two stats. That way I'd have a Warrior, a Mage and whatever else. No two characters had Attack Junctions or Defense Junctions.

Final Fantasy VIII is by far the most ridiculously easy thing I have ever played.

[Jinx]

I actually really enjoy FFX.


FFVIII is garbage.

[Karifean]

IMHO, both are great games, but FFX wins. I find VIII simply fun to play, X immersing.

Edit: Forgot to mention, I think that VIII has the best musical score in the entire series.Shuffle or Boogie, Under Her Control, The Landing, Force Your Way, The Man With the Machine Gun, The Oath, Movin, The Winner, SeeD, Slide Show - Part 2, Overture, A Sacrifice, The Castle, The Legendary Beast, Maybe I'm a Lion, The Extreme, Mods de Chocobo, Ride On, Ami, ...

[NeoCracker]

X wins over VIII by virtue of not having Squall.

Not havign Squall is a pretty big plus.

True, it loses points for Tidus, but that's why it's also a pretty troutty game.

So really I'm the polar opposite of Karifean here.

[charliepanayi]

FFX is very good, and I really enjoy the idea of having a religion that has become rotten at the core as part of the storyline. FFVIII is my favourite FF game of all and I love pretty much everything about it, especially its opening and ending. And the music. And the characters. And Ultimecia's Castle. And the fact it's just brilliant. OK, maybe not the Junctioning system, but I'm perfectly fine with that to be honest. It's not a universally reviled FF game but it might be the most divisive.

[Fynn]

FFX has dellusions of grandure. It's a fun game, if you don't think too much about it, yet people seem to think it's the deepest thing ever J/k, it's all just opinion (though I disagree )

FFVIII, while flawed, provides IMHO a much more satisfying experience, with Squall's conflicting dialogue and inner monologue really giving much depth into his character.

[Laddy]

VIII and X are not amongst my favorites. However, FFX's battle system and music are amongst the best in the series so I feel it edges it out.

[Futan]

FFX's battle system is probably my favorite of all of the FFs. While VIII's my most hated. So in that regard X wins easily. I liked VIII's setting more and I liked it's story more until the huge plot twists that even disrupt your suspension of disbelief. Characters is a slight win for X. Laguna being the only reason it's close. lol. So overall, X wins for me.

EDIT: Actually, even with the unbelievable plot twists. VIII's story is better. But X still wins overall.

[charliepanayi]

Frankly I don't think FFVIII's plot twists are any more outlandish and convoluted than the ones you get in FFVII and FFX. Maybe I'm just a sucker for plot twists.

[Futan]

Frankly I don't think FFVIII's plot twists are any more outlandish and convoluted than the ones you get in FFVII and FFX. Maybe I'm just a sucker for plot twists.

I think how outlandish they were in combination of the frequency of them. I don't know. Really haven't played it in awhile but I just remember my first play through when I was like 12 or some such going "Oh, this is such bulltrout." after the orphanage bit. lol XD

[Formalhaut]

Final Fantasy X seems like a good game, but it's really nothing special. It was a good game sure, but that's really all it was. Meanwhile VIII was just plain complicated. Junctioning took years getting used to, and the characters got zero development sans Squall / Rinoa.

[Shiny]

FFX stills holds as a good game to me that I would replay. FFVIII was a good game at the time. I've been spoiled by amazing graphics, and non-cliche storytelling. I'm not in to the whole damsel in distress thing, the traditional love story, or anti-hero that VIII presents.

[maybee]

I like both, screw all you haters.

[Wolf Kanno]

VIII wins over X by virtue of not having Yuna.

Not having Yuna is a pretty big plus.

True, it loses points for Rinoa, but it's still a pretty good game.

[kotora]

Looking back, FF8 seems completely ridiculous. The plot, setting and characters seem to consist of a bunch of random elements that have been smashed together by a completely desperate development team. But somehow, it works. I think it's the score that does the trick of holding the whole thing together, but I'm not sure about it. It's more like a feeling. It's very hard to tell the mood of the FF8 score as a whole - the musical shifts are all over the place.

FFX? I loved it at the time. Name me one game that conveys the feeling of 'summer and sea' better, because to me that's what defines FFX. The setting is absolutely brilliant. They didn't go overboard with the random crap blending together like with FF8 and the characters fit right in, especially Yuna and Tidus who each seem to embody a separate part of Spira - Yuna the more quiet, traditional and magical part and Tidus the urban and technologically sophisticated part. It just works, but as opposed to FF8, the score just doesn't have that special mystique about it - it goes very well with the world, but that's all.