Final Fantasy VIII Remastered

 PlayStation 4
User Score
7.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 178 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 117 out of 178
  2. Mixed: 26 out of 178
  3. Negative: 35 out of 178

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  1. Prrgangsta
    Sep 9, 2019
    7
    So after so many years of pleading from fans, Square finally released a remaster of their classic ps1 title. This one usually split the fandom. Some either loved it or hated it. I myself am on the fence. It isn't a bad game but it isn't great either.

    Drawing magic is tedious and the idea that magic is more like an item bugged me. Basic enemies scale to your level making grinding kind of    So after so many years of pleading from fans, Square finally released a remaster of their classic ps1 title. This one usually split the fandom. Some either loved it or hated it. I myself am on the fence. It isn't a bad game but it isn't great either.

    Drawing magic is tedious and the idea that magic is more like an item bugged me. Basic enemies scale to your level making grinding kind of pointless.

    Luckily Square gave the ability to break the game in literally the beginning hours of disc 1. You can break it so hard that you can get Squall's final and best weapon by the end of disc 1, as well as spells that won't be available til disc 3 without drawing them and you can junction said spells to give level 10 characters level 40-50 stats.

    I always wondered if they were aware how easily their game could be broken.

    The characters were never too interesting to me. Squall was the emo guy who never shared his feelings, Quistis was the know-it-all teenage instructor, Zell was the annoying loud mouth, Selphie's character is that she has none, Rinoa is the ditzy daughter of a general, and Irvine is the wannabe sharp shooter that hits on every pretty lady he sees. They aren't bad but they have moments that will make you question their actions as well as their character.

    Also hated it when the game changed its pace when I went to the dream world to, for some reason, follow the story of Laguna and company. I understand it is important to the plot but it could have been done in a better way.

    In my opinion FF VIII is a solid title, just not one I see myself playing as much as I have played VII or IX    … Expand
  2. ArtickWarspite
    Sep 10, 2019
    7
    If you played the original Final Fantasy VIII back in the late 90's then you will take a trip down nostalgia lane as the game has exactly the same story, junction system and tedious and unrewarding draw system as the original PS1 version.

    As this is a remaster, there are a couple of noticeable differences as the characters and GF's are much sharper and have been completely redone. There    If you played the original Final Fantasy VIII back in the late 90's then you will take a trip down nostalgia lane as the game has exactly the same story, junction system and tedious and unrewarding draw system as the original PS1 version.

    As this is a remaster, there are a couple of noticeable differences as the characters and GF's are much sharper and have been completely redone. There is a x3 speed function which is useful for long battles when trying to draw magic and a boost function which restores all HP, and enables consistent limit breaks.

    There is an option for no encounters as well. This is probably a good thing as there seem to be more random encounters (but that could just be me)..

    However there are some features which has split opinion on the quality of this remaster. Namely the pre rendered backgrounds which are exactly the same, but they are now much more pixelated & blurry and in their original format. (no widescreen option) As a result there are instances where your new sharp looking characters are standing next to blurred and out of focus ones which are part of the original background.

    There is some unnecessary censorship happening- not that I have a big issue with it, but the freedom of imagination for character designs is dying a slow 'death by 1000 paper cuts'.

    The audio sometimes changes from the original to a more basic version at times (Dollet mission)

    The controller vibration is no longer an option. Playing the original, I became pretty good at Squalls limit break by feeling the rumble of the controller. Can't do that anymore.

    The characters only run- they don't walk anymore.

    Being able to play FFVIII again is fantastic, and if you enjoyed the game all those years ago, then you will look past the glaring omissions and inconsistencies and enjoy the game for what it is.
    If you're looking to play a Final Fantasy game for the first time- then wait for the FFVII remake next year.    … Expand
  3. OwtDaft
    Sep 6, 2019
    5
    + The PS1 version is the best game ever made, this isn't the PS1 version though.
    + Will make you love the PS1 more and make you wish you was playing it on that instead.
    - Cheats are added to the push of the analogue sticks which are easy to turn on by mistake. - Character models are not all faithful to the original, Squall for example looking more anime. - Menus in battle are laggy at    + The PS1 version is the best game ever made, this isn't the PS1 version though.
    + Will make you love the PS1 more and make you wish you was playing it on that instead.
    - Cheats are added to the push of the analogue sticks which are easy to turn on by mistake.
    - Character models are not all faithful to the original, Squall for example looking more anime.
    - Menus in battle are laggy at times.
    - Looks worse on PS4 as the pixelated look on PS1 made it look more detailed.
    - Textures don't line up right anymore and the roads textures are broken.
    - Pre-rendered backgrounds have lost detail in the smoothing process.
    - At one of the best points in the game it oddly uses the music from the PC version.
    - Analogue controls don't function correctly.
    - Rumble is removed.
    - The low score seems harsh, but this is supposed to be a remaster.
    - SquareEnix have a track record for remasters that are inferior to the originals.    … Expand
  4. maure88devil
    Sep 17, 2019
    6
    ffvii was during my childhood my favorite ff then i reconsidered ix.anyway I was so excited to play this remastered waiting something bigger and better realized,instead it's the exact same game with just hd graphics and to a big prize.
  5. RuriGokou
    Sep 17, 2019
    5
    This remaster is honestly not worth the amount I paid. The character graphics look good, but then the background looks all blurry. It really doesn't match at all.

    This game honestly isn't my favorite Final Fantasy. It's lumped in with FF13, X-2 and all those other ones. I didn't like 8 back in 1999 and I don't like it even now. The speed up makes the stupid gameplay mechanics A LOT more    This remaster is honestly not worth the amount I paid. The character graphics look good, but then the background looks all blurry. It really doesn't match at all.

    This game honestly isn't my favorite Final Fantasy. It's lumped in with FF13, X-2 and all those other ones. I didn't like 8 back in 1999 and I don't like it even now. The speed up makes the stupid gameplay mechanics A LOT more tolerable though. Hate that they took out the rumble feature when using Squall's gunblade. I never realized how easy that made it.

    Hate the junction system and how the game randomly unjunctions your entire party at times. So if you're not paying attention, you might go into a boss battle with no one junctioned to a GF or magic. I think I had this problem on the PS1 version as well.

    The character and plot read like a cringy 90s teen anime. None of the characters are all that likable except Laguna and his bros.

    The only real good thing is the music, but I'd say this is one of Nobuo Uematsu's weaker soundtracks.

    All and all I wouldn't buy it if you've already played it. I bought it mostly because I want to support more of these kinds of remasters and it has a very easy platinum. Otherwise just play the original version. But then you don't have the speed up and have to sit through the countless drawing of magic from enemies. That's a tough decision.    … Expand
  6. Shenandoah
    Jul 21, 2020
    5
    This rating just applies to the remaster update, not the base game itself. FF7 is my top favourite game of all the time. But the remaster version is just a copy of the original game, which makes me sad. The cash cow was milked a far too much in this case.
  7. Nathandrake240
    Oct 4, 2020
    6
    Story was good till disk 2 where everything goes into surreal bs with potholes and contradictions. The combat is solid but the draw system is both tedious and Broken like the junction system itself. The characters are decent but little to no character development outside Squall and the main villain has no depth in her backstory or the reason for her motives.
  8. Gamepro3093
    Oct 15, 2021
    7
    Final Fantasy 8 is a game only fans of the Final Fantasy series can appreciate. It’s a wild story featuring a group of friends who are journeying to stop a time warping sorceress. The storyline isn’t cohesively presented like the better games of the series like 10,9, and 7 buit sees te tropes Of the series cranked up to 11. It’s the kind of game that would turn off a Final Fantasy newcomerFinal Fantasy 8 is a game only fans of the Final Fantasy series can appreciate. It’s a wild story featuring a group of friends who are journeying to stop a time warping sorceress. The storyline isn’t cohesively presented like the better games of the series like 10,9, and 7 buit sees te tropes Of the series cranked up to 11. It’s the kind of game that would turn off a Final Fantasy newcomer since it’s storyline is baffling and confusing and the gameplay isn’t as cohesive as the better games.… Expand
  9. Solidwisdom
    Feb 6, 2021
    7
    Original Final fantasy 8 is one of my favorite games of all time but this remaster just mostly felt like a port to ps4. I love the new character design and detailes they added but i was really hoping for a better remaster. the environments was literally not upgraded at all and looks dated. Its just such a shame this game didnt get enough love and care like ff7 did. In only giving it aOriginal Final fantasy 8 is one of my favorite games of all time but this remaster just mostly felt like a port to ps4. I love the new character design and detailes they added but i was really hoping for a better remaster. the environments was literally not upgraded at all and looks dated. Its just such a shame this game didnt get enough love and care like ff7 did. In only giving it a lower score cuz it couldev been a much better remaster if they spend more time on it but playing it in this condition in 2021 just looks too outdated and it didnt get enough modernized. Overall i still enjoyed playing it again and the nostalgia i got out of it. And I recommend it to any ff fans but don’t expect to be blown away by it because it’s mostly a port it looks like.… Expand
  10. YannySp101
    May 7, 2021
    6
    To be honest, I wasn't very interested in playing Final Fantasy VIII Remastered. Fortunately though, it got me hooked after a while and I stayed till the end.
    Final Fantasy VIII's story is convoluted and it gets quite nonsensical at times but it's intriguing for the most part even if the writing is inconsistent.
    The combat system is similar to Final Fantasy IX's but a bit more responsive,    To be honest, I wasn't very interested in playing Final Fantasy VIII Remastered. Fortunately though, it got me hooked after a while and I stayed till the end.
    Final Fantasy VIII's story is convoluted and it gets quite nonsensical at times but it's intriguing for the most part even if the writing is inconsistent.
    The combat system is similar to Final Fantasy IX's but a bit more responsive, nothing special.
    The characters are likable and I liked some of them more than I expected, however, most of them lack depth.
    Also, the music is good and the visuals are significantly better than the visuals in older Final Fantasy games.
    As you've seen so far, Final Fantasy VIII is quite flawed, but the thing is... I haven't mentioned the biggest flaws of the game yet.
    The Junction System brings some interesting ideas on paper but the execution falls short. Overall, it's kinda boring, but it's unique and I can see why some people like it.
    Upgrading weapons by picking up random maganizes and grinding for materials is a slog.
    Lastly, the game does have some outdated elements.

    Pros:
    + Engaging plot
    + Serviceable characters
    + Interesting mechanics
    + Nice music
    + Vastly improved graphics from previous Final Fantasy games

    Cons:
    - Weak narrative
    - Characters lack depth
    - Junction System is poorly designed
    - Upgrading weapons is tedious
    - Outdated minor elements

    Narrative: 4/10
    Gameplay: 2/10
    Content: ?/10
    Characters: 6/10
    Music: 7/10
    Graphics/Audio: ?/10

    Final Rating: 6/10
    - Decent -
    On one hand, Final Fantasy VIII is a decent, traditional Final Fantasy experience, but on the other hand, it's filled with flaws and it's one of my least favorite games in the series.

    Do I recommend it?:
    I would recommend it mostly to those who want to get deeper into the series.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

48
#48 Best PS4 Game of 2019
73
#73 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 34 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 34
  3. Negative: 0 out of 34
  1. Cubed3
    Oct 28, 2019
    70
    Overall, it's not a bad remaster, it's mediocre. The game itself, however, is great. Pick it up.
    Read full review
  2. Gamer.nl
    Oct 23, 2019
    80
    Improved 3D models and an acceleration option make Final Fantasy 8 Remastered the best way to play the original game again - but that requires you have to like this old, somewhat polarizing game.
    Read full review
  3. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Oct 22, 2019
    80
    The remastering has been handled sloppily, and accessibility additions are flawed, but the game underneath still stands proud. A good jumping-on point for new players. [Issue#168, p.87]
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