Anniversary Final Fantasy VIII Is 25 Years Old

Honestly wasn't a big fan of this one. I still have my copy but I don't think I got more than a handful of hours into it. The game just didn't grab me like FF7 did.

I really loved this game. It was by no means perfect, and the junction system was kind of jarring at first, but all in all a fun game with great characters and a good storyline.
Unfortunately for VIII though, it had the daunting task of having to follow FF VI and FFVII.

Absolutely love Final Fantasy VIII. I still remember getting home and booting it up. What an intro.

i was hyped for the followup to 7, but this is the beginning of the "haunted mannequin" look that has dominated FF (sans 9) and the rest of the "AAA" videogame world ever since. I found it somehow embarrassing at the time, and i still do.

EDIT - as "impressive" as the cgi was, i felt that cgi was a bit passe, and much much preferred the seamless "real time" approach of MGS, ocarina, and dreamcast titles i was looking forward to at that time.

This game was my first entry into the FF series. It was on the Pizza Hut demo disc, and I just remember as a kid my jaw dropping at how gorgeous and lifelike the FMV cutscene looked with the bombastic soundtrack (the demo took place when they went on their SeeD test in Dollet). Seeing these cool-looking teenagers fighting in the military... It definitely shaped my preferred version of fantasy where it's a mix of magic, sci-fi future, and contemporary setting to where you could place yourself in the world somewhere.

Then when I played the real game, the intro cutscene screamed epic story. But like many, the junction system went over my head as a kid and I had trouble playing it for years before I buckled down and strategized before going the route of making everyone OP with manipulating the system.

I remember playing this round my friend's house when it came out. He had a PS1, I had a 64. It was solid, but I do remember finding the story and setting less encapsulating than FF7 - but FF7 had all the rose tinted benefits of being first.

Still my favourite game of all time, although 7 remake came pretty close. I loved everything: The intro, the characters, the story. I get why people don't enjoy the junction system but I thought it did the job, although not as good as the materia system

I enjoyed this even more than FFVII and it remains my favourite in the series. The junction system whilst easy to exploit, was a lot of fun and allowed for great customisation and I've probably spent more time playing triple triad than many full releases

I was in 9th grade and super excited for the system’s next FF. I had mixed feelings but i accepted it at the time. Don’t think I made it far into it and never went back since

My first Final Fantasy and also my favorite, until today I beat it once a year to remember my childhood days. The soundtrack, the story, everything is just amazing. I dare to say it's the game of my life.

And I feel old again with these game anniversaries…thanks for the reminder.

I have two memories of this game. The first was firing it up for the first time with my sister’s boyfriend. He was older than me, but was seriously disappointed, angry even, that you had to read the conversations and it wasn’t voiced. He then just walked out of my room. I can only surmise he couldn’t read.

The second is that I definitely didn’t enjoy it as much as FF7.

I literally can’t remember anything else about this game. I can’t even remember how far I got into it or even if I finished it. I’d like to replay it one day, but knowing how much time it takes up and what little I have these days to play, I doubt it will ever happen.

The one thing I lived for in this game was the super addictive card-game. Some monsters could only be turned into cards once, but man, was it an awesome experience. I really want to replay this game sometime soon on my Twitch channel.

I see a lot of love for this game online which contrasts to how it was received by the online community i was part of back when it released (#GF_Tavern).
I didn’t hate it then(i kinda do now after replaying it a couple of years ago) , but had to keep my positive opinions to myself lest i be flamed to a cinder.
I think the story is fun, the music is excellent as well as the art, and the characters are goofy, but i just despise the junction system with all my heart.
I think VII is the only 3d FF i can stand playing through anymore.