Few games received as much fanfare last year as FINAL FANTASY VII, in no small part due to its over-the-top visual
presentation. While its story is a subject of much debate (some players argue the story
could've been better), both fans and critics alike eagerly await the next installment,
hoping that Squaresoft will improve on the phenomenon that was FF7.
 While the
release of the actual game is a while off yet (tentatively set for Dec 1998), players can
feast their senses on the recently released preview. Bundled as a demo disc with Brave
Fencer Musashiden, the FINAL FANTASY VIII demo offers
a tantalizing glimpse at Squaresoft's next epic saga.
The story
begins with a group of assault boats storming an enemy beach. The first thing you notice
is the extremely realistic appearance of the main character, Squall Leonhart, as he looks
at the battle plan and narrows his eyes at the carnage ahead. As the assault boats land on
the beach, the FMV segues seamlessly into the
game—Squall and his fellow party members disembark from the boat and battle their way
to the enemy's communications tower. Whereas FF7 had
its moments of humor and comic relief, the story as shown in the FF8
demo so far seems almost devoid of humor and dead serious.
If the
visuals in FF7 were considered a quantum leap over FF6, the improvements made in FF8
are better described as refinements. Characters are no longer SD,
but fully proportioned and texture-mapped à la PARASITE EVE.
The use of motion capture makes the portrayal of human characters more lifelike, both
during gameplay and in the cut-scenes. Also, party members get equal representation during
gameplay, as opposed to just having the main character appear on the map.
Aside from
these improvements, the visuals aren't terribly different from FF7,
which is to say still very good. Cinematic sequences have the same dramatic flair (the OP and ED sequences of the
demo are quite impressive), while the backgrounds are prerendered and gorgeous.
The gameplay
itself has undergone some significant changes, most notably in the use of magic. Spells
are no longer learned with jobs or found in the form of Materia. Rather, the player
extracts magic spells from the opponent via the "Draw" command, at which point
it can either be stockpiled for later use or used against the opponent on the spot. It
remains to be seen how this "extraction" system (which doesn't consume MP, or magic points) will affect the dynamics of magic use during
battle.
Other
gameplay changes are more subtle. Limit breaks are no longer determined by how much damage
the characters have received, but rather by how many attacks the player has carried out.
Summon monsters are now known as "Guardian Forces." Once summoned, a Guardian
Force takes a while to charge, during which any battle damage to the character will be
absorbed by the Guardian. As with the FF7 demo, only
Leviathan is made available for preview, but the added graphical refinements and some
cinematic panache makes this FF stalwart look even
more formidable and impressive than before.
One
disappointing aspect of this demo is in the music, which is clearly recognizable as MIDI. The use of MIDI music
supposedly helps with the deft segues between FMV and
actual gameplay, and the composition of the themes in itself isn't bad per se. The use of MIDI instruments also saves on space: for example, the soundtrack
for FF7 spans 4 CDs
while the game itself occupies only 3 discs. But technical reasons aside, this reviewer
felt that the music lacked the oomph and quality to go along with the more breathtaking
visuals.
An even
bigger source of gripe, however, is the menu system used during battles. Where previous FF games set aside a nice and large display for your party status
and commands, FF8 compacts most of it into a series
of sub-menus. While the attempt to free up more "screen-estate" for the action
is laudable, the navigation of the numerous small sub-menus becomes hectic and frustrating
in the heat of battle. (Oh $#&*, wrong sub-menu! Which item was I supposed to select
again? Drats, my character took another blow!)
In the end,
it's the story that makes or breaks any FINAL FANTASY
game, and trying to gauge that from the demo would be like judging a book by its cover.
But some quirks aside, the FINAL FANTASY VIII demo
serves its purpose, and offers just enough to whet the gamer's appetite. This reviewer
will most likely be standing in line for his own copy this coming winter. |
FINAL FANTASY VIII DEMO
Copyright © Squaresoft, Inc.
Sony PlayStation, 1 player
RPG
Dual Shock compatible
Available now as demo disc pack-in with BRAVE FENCER MUSASHIDEN
|
