Board 8 > Why is FF8s writing so poor compared to its generational siblings

(+) Yeah! (+)

Admittedly I haven't played FF7 since I was a teen so I might be off on that, but I've recently replayed FF9 on the switch and am currently playing FF8 for the first time on the Switch, and wow, is it a stark difference from the quality of FF9. FF8 seems like they will just jump from segment to segment with no clear ending point and the plot doesn't feel like a conjoined story, but a series of vignettes loosely related that lacks any semblance of flow. I just got to disc 3 so maybe it gets better? But it feels less like a game and more like some James Joyce mad dream.

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_stingers_ posted...

I just got to disc 3 so maybe it gets better?

yeah if you didn't like discs 1 and 2 I wouldn't hold your breath that disc 3 will change your mind

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_stingers_ posted...

Admittedly I haven't played FF7 since I was a teen

Probably should do that before making this topic.

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TheRock1525 posted...

Probably should do that before making this topic.

the point of the thread remains the same regardless

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1997-2001 is still the golden age of Final Fantasy with 5 top tier games in 5 years

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It doesn't have poor writing? The fuck are you smoking

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Not that it looks like you are even criticizing the writing...you just don't like that the pacing isn't a more typical adventure story like IX.

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pjbasis posted...

Not that it looks like you are even criticizing the writing...you just don't like that the pacing isn't a more typical adventure story like IX.

You're not wrong that the plot is more focused on the romance and coming of age aspects than the adventure, but I'd say if you dont like those (or Squall and Rinoa) the game comes across as badly written.

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If disc one didn't make sense, disc three sure isn't. There's a reason why the Squall is dead theory is popular.
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Mewtwo59 posted...

If disc one didn't make sense, disc three sure isn't. There's a reason why the Squall is dead theory is popular.

because people are dumb

that isn't FFVIII's fault

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FF8 has pretty good writing. Especially when you consider the limitations of the time.

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HeroDelTiempo17 posted...

but I'd say if you dont like those (or Squall and Rinoa) the game comes across as badly written.

I think that's just a different thing than saying the writing is bad. I think people just don't know what "writing" is and just think that if they don't like the story then it must be that.


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LeonhartFour posted...

because people are dumb

that isn't FFVIII's fault

The characters randomly happened to grow up in the same orphanage but somehow all of them just forgot about it?!?!
Yeah, no, the story in FF8 is a tirefire... The music is fantastic and the card game isn't bad, but the rest of the game is pretty garbage.

it's not "somehow"

the game explains it and foreshadows it pretty early on

one of FFVIII's shortcomings is that it hides a lot of pertinent information in completely optional areas that a casual player might never find

but the point is that I don't blame a game for dumb fan theories just like I don't give a game credit for good ones

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FF8's plot twist makes perfect sense.

SeeD is an organization that literally raises child soldiers. And the head of SeeD? The guy who ran said orphanage. They forget because of the Guardian Forces that they equip, which are assigned by Garden/SeeD.


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Ok fine, it's an explanation on the level that the story in The Happening is "explained". It existing doesn't make it any less contrived and/or silly.

I mean you can hate the twist and think it's dumb but it's not like the game didn't explain it or lay the groundwork for it ahead of time

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LeonhartFour posted...

because people are dumb

that isn't FFVIII's fault

As a LOST fan I empathize with this very specific frustration!

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I think they needed to bake in GFs having other side effects better into the plot. They even had to bend over a little bit and say Selphie found a random GF as a kid and then lost it for some reason so it would make sense.

But still one weak plot point doesn't invalidate the whole story. It's not even that important.

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You literally HAVE to read about the GFs memory impairing factors on the console before they'll give you Shiva and Quezecotyl so I hate when people say it comes out of nowhere.

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I like how stingers just said that he's playing FF8 for the first time and people are rampantly posting spoilers all over his topic

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MariaTaylor posted...

I like how stingers just said that he's playing FF8 for the first time and people are rampantly posting spoilers all over his topic

spoilers from a part of the game he's already played yes

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FF8 great game

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yeah i havent been spoiled yet in this thread. i already knew some spoilers anyway cuz the games so old. like the whole orphanage thing

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FFDragon posted...

You literally HAVE to read about the GFs memory impairing factors on the console before they'll give you Shiva and Quezecotyl so I hate when people say it comes out of nowhere.

You can completely ignore the console and Quistis will give them to you when you leave to go to the fire cavern.

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Yeah, you can ignore it but the game urges you to check it so you have to deliberately ignore what the game tells you to do to miss them. It was years before I realized you didn't have to get them from there.

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Djungelurban posted...

Ok fine, it's an explanation on the level that the story in The Happening is "explained". It existing doesn't make it any less contrived and/or silly.

I mean it sounds like you just didn't understand it so

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Selphie also forgot about the orphanage, even though Trabia doesn't use GFs. I want to say there's some missable text explaining that she junctioned a GF at one point before coming to Balamb, so it's addressed, but it still feels rather contrived.
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It's not missable at all. She says it during the orphanage scene itself to explain why she's forgotten so much even though she technically shouldn't have yet.

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Leonhart4 posted...

It was years before I realized you didn't have to get them from there.

I literally just learned this now, 20 years later. But yeah you'd have to be willingly trying to ignore things at that point.

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so how's it coming along

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im invading some big floating thing the galbadians brought back from the sea or something

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rinoa and squall hugged in space

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that scene was actually pretty emotional and i enjoyed it but really besides that this is my least favorite ff

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Eyes On Me scene is so good

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Wow you're flying through it for something you don't like!

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well with 3x speed its not hard lol. ive got like 23 hours or something the game says

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Mewtwo59 posted...

If disc one didn't make sense, disc three sure isn't. There's a reason why the Squall is dead theory is popular.

Wtf never heard this before
.

Count yourself lucky

Although if you've ever read "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" then you've got the gist of the theory

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Is it based around when He takes a Blizzaga through the upper torso at the end of Disk 1?

ffmasterjose posted...

Is it based around when He takes a Blizzaga through the upper torso at the end of Disk 1?

yep basically

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Ok I just beat it
The ending was that he created the whole situation to begin with by going too far back in time. But then how did it start to begin with? Classic time paradox. Good stuff square

Ultimately I don't feel like the story was well told at all, the romance felt more forced than anything and the game never really went in depth into anything, instead tried to tell too much without backing anything up to feel believable. Pretty disappointed overall, but there were some highlights like the space scene I mentioned earlier. Prolly a 5/10 game overall. But I do imagine they learned from their mistakes because ff9 drastically reduced the scope of their plot in order to tell a more cohesive story, and it's my favorite to date. So I appreciate you for that, 8

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FFVIII best game

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I never got the idea that the romance was forced. Rinoa walking up to Squall in the dance sequence pretty much sealed their fates. Approaching the insecure guy with a scar on his face, and telling him he's the best looking guy there? It was a done deal.

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well one of FFVIII's issues is that the game gives you the option to be mean to Rinoa repeatedly without consequence so that can make it seem forced if you chose to go that route because you don't like her

it really shouldn't make a lot of their bonding moments optional but the game does plenty to show you ahead of time that Squall has feelings for Rinoa even if he won't admit it to anyone, including himself

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This guy are sick.

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LeonhartFour posted...

1997-2001 is still the golden age of Final Fantasy with 5 top tier games in 5 years

This. It saddens me that nothing in the past 18 years has come close.

Also, FF8 has a great story. Absolutely thrilling plot with the best character arc in the series (Squall's).

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You had me at "stark difference from the quality of FF9".

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Junctioning is the best

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LeonhartFour posted...

well one of FFVIII's issues is that the game gives you the option to be mean to Rinoa repeatedly without consequence so that can make it seem forced if you chose to go that route because you don't like her

it me

Ashethan posted...

I never got the idea that the romance was forced. Rinoa walking up to Squall in the dance sequence pretty much sealed their fates. Approaching the insecure guy with a scar on his face, and telling him he's the best looking guy there? It was a done deal.

Honestly, I never got the impression that Squall was socially insecure in the way you're talking about. He had various insecurities (see: his Ellone complex) but not "I am shy at parties" - he just didn't like parties and liked being alone.

Admittedly I'm projecting but if I were standing alone at a party because I didn't feel like socializing, and someone got all up in my face and insisted I dance (even if she complimented me) I would stay far away from that. I'll do what I want, thanks.
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