In this weeks Retro Replay,  we take a look back at one of the most divisive Final Fantasy games ever, FFVIII. Not only did it have to follow up one the most popular RPGs ever, it also tried to introduce new thematic elements to the genre. Was it successful? Read on to find out.
 
Final Fantasy VIII had a lot against it at the time of its release. Of course, the most significant thing was that it was put in the unenviable position of following the blockbuster that was FFVII. Worst still, the game took the series in a new direction, …read more

If you ever come to my house (and you’re welcome any time–I have lemonade), you’ll notice from the stench that I don’t tend to get rid of things. Nope, I keeps ‘em around.
That means I have a lot of games just sitting here and collecting spider webs. I never returned games I didn’t like—well, back when we were allowed to return games we didn’t like.
Only once have I ever tried to get my money back for a game I detested, and that was Final Fantasy VIII.

GamesRadar has put together a curious something: The RPG Emo-Off. Which JRPG character is the fruitiest? Do any of your favourites make the final cut?
I have to say people sling around the word “emo” without giving much thought as to what it means. I won’t deny that JRPGs have problems, but I don’t know if CRAAAAAWLING IN THEIR SKIIIIIN really summarises them. JRPGs have a lot of angst and some self-pity, but I’d say the real problem at hand is pretention. Well, consider the first half of Final Fantasy VIII’s ending:

What we have here is Square pounding on the CG …read more