Final Fantasy VIII
Developer(s)	Square
Publisher(s)	JP Square NA Square Electronic Arts PAL SCE Europe (PlayStation) EU Eidos Interactive (Windows)
Designer(s)	Hironobu Sakaguchi (executive producer) Shinji Hashimoto (producer) Yoshinori Kitase (director) Yoshitaka Amano (image illustrator, title logo designer) Tetsuya Nomura (character designer) Kazushige Nojima (scenario writer) Nobuo Uematsu (composer) Yusuke Naora (art director)
Series	Final Fantasy
Platform(s)	PlayStation, Microsoft Windows
Release date	PlayStation JP February 11, 1999 NA September 7, 1999[1] PAL October 27, 1999 Windows NA January 25, 2000 EU February 18, 2000 JP March 23, 2000
Genre(s)	Console role-playing game
Mode(s)	Single-player
Rating(s)	CERO: B (12+) ELSPA: 11+ ESRB: T (Teen) OFLC: M15+ USK: 12+
Media	PlayStation 4 CD-ROMs Windows 5 CD-ROMs
System requirements	Windows 266 MHz Intel Pentium II CPU, 64 MB RAM, video card with 4 MB RAM, 8X CD-ROM drive, 300MB free hard disk space , DirectX 6. A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual that creates Video games A developer may specialize in a certain video was a Japanese Video game company founded in September 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. was a Japanese Video game company founded in September 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto. was a Japanese Video game company founded in September 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto. The PAL region is a Video game publication territory which covers Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and varying European countries ( SCEI) is a Japanese Video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry mostly in Video game consoles and is a full Eidos Interactive is a publisher of video and Computer games with its parent company based in England. A "game designer" is a person who designs Video games or one who designs traditional games such as Board games Video Games Designer A video game designer (born November 25, 1962) is a Japanese Game designer, Game director and Game producer. Motion Pictures An executive producer of a Motion picture is typically a producer who is sometimes involved in creative or technical aspects of production Shinji Hashimoto (born October 6, 1968 in Kyoto, Japan) is a Japanese Game producer. A game producer is the person in charge of overseeing development of a Video game. is a Japanese Game producer, Scenario writer and a former Game director working for Square Enix (previously Square) A game director is a person who is in charge of significant creative aspects of a Video game. (born July 28 1952) is a Japanese Artist known for his illustrations for Vampire Hunter D and for his character designs image illustrations (born October 8, 1970) is a Japanese video game director and character designer working for Square Enix (formerly Square) UserScottandrewhutchins: http//enwikipediaorg/w/indexphp?title=Characterization&diff=next&oldid=157919139 --> Characterization is a process of conveying is a Japanese game Scenario writer and is the founder of Stellavista Ltd A scenario (from Italian, that which is pinned to the scenery) is a synthetic description of an event or series of actions and events is a Japanese Video game music Composer and Musician, best known for scoring numerous Final Fantasy titles A composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance Yusuke Naora (直良 有祐 Naora Yūsuke) (born January 9, 1971) is a Japanese Video game Art director, art supervisor The term art director is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in Advertising, Publishing, film and Television, the Internet In Computing, a platform describes some sort of Hardware architecture or Software framework (including Application frameworks, that allows The PlayStation (abbreviated PS, PSone, PS1, or informally as PSX) is a 32-bit fifth generation Video game console Microsoft Windows is a series of Software Operating systems and Graphical user interfaces produced by Microsoft. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Events 660 BC - Traditional founding date of Japan by Emperor Jimmu. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Events 1251 BC - A Solar eclipse on this date might mark the birth of legendary Heracles at Thebes Greece. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) The PAL region is a Video game publication territory which covers Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and varying European countries Events 312 - Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Events 41 - After a night of negotiation Claudius is accepted as Roman Emperor by the Senate 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Events 3102 BC - Epoch (origin of the Kali Yuga. 1229 - The Sixth Crusade: Frederick II Holy 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Events 1174 - Jocelin, Abbot of Melrose, is elected Bishop of Glasgow. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. See also [[Game classification]] Video games are categorized into Genres based on their Gameplay interaction A console role-playing game is a video game genre that has its origin rooted in Video game consoles and includes game mechanics and frequently settings derived In video gaming, single-player refers to the variant of a particular game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session A video game content rating system is a system used for the classification of Video games into suitability-related groups The ( CERO) is the Organization that rates video games and Computer Software in Japan with levels of rating that informs the customer The Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association ( ELSPA) is an Organisation set up in 1989 by British Software publishers It The Entertainment Software Rating Board ( ESRB) is a self-regulatory organization that applies and enforces ratings, Advertising guidelines and The Office of Film and Literature Classification is a Statutory Censorship and classification body which provides day to day administrative support for the Classification USK redirects here For the Usinsk airport see Usinsk Airport. Digital media (as opposed to analog media) usually refers to Electronic media that work on digital Codes. CD-ROM (an initialism of "Compact Disc Read-Only Memory " is a pre-pressed Compact Disc that contains data accessible to but not writable The hertz (symbol Hz) is a measure of Frequency, informally defined as the number of events occurring per Second. The Pentium II brand refers to Intel 's sixth-generation Microarchitecture (" Intel P6 " and x86 -compatible Microprocessors A megabyte is a unit of Information or Computer storage equal to either 106 (1000000 Bytes or 220 (1048576 bytes depending on A video card, also known as a graphics accelerator card, display adapter, or graphics card, is a hardware component whose function is to Microsoft DirectX is a collection of Application programming interfaces (APIs for handling tasks related to Multimedia, especially Game programming and 1, Windows 95 operating system or above
Input methods	Controller, keyboard, mouse

Final Fantasy VIII (ファイナルファンタジーVIII, Fainaru Fantajī Eito^?) is a 1999 console role-playing game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) for Sony's PlayStation and Microsoft's Windows-based personal computers as a part of the Final Fantasy series. Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented Graphical user interface -based Operating system. A game controller is an Input device used to control a Video game. In Computing, a keyboard is an Input device partially modelled after the typewriter keyboard which uses an arrangement of buttons or keys In Computing, a mouse (plural mice, mouse devices, or mouses) Events BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts hosts the 2nd annual BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards March – A console role-playing game is a video game genre that has its origin rooted in Video game consoles and includes game mechanics and frequently settings derived was a Japanese Video game company founded in September 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto. is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its Console role-playing game franchises which include the Final Fantasy series the Dragon ( SCEI) is a Japanese Video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry mostly in Video game consoles and is a full The PlayStation (abbreviated PS, PSone, PS1, or informally as PSX) is a 32-bit fifth generation Video game console Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational Computer technology Corporation, which rose to dominate the Home computer Microsoft Windows is a series of Software Operating systems and Graphical user interfaces produced by Microsoft. A personal computer ( PC) is any Computer whose original sales price size and capabilities make it useful for individuals and which is intended to be operated The game's story focuses on a group of young mercenaries who are drawn into an international conflict, and seek to protect the world from a sorceress manipulating the war for her own purposes.

Thirteen weeks after its release, Final Fantasy VIII had earned more than US$50 million in sales,^[2][3] making it the fastest selling Final Fantasy title. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been Additionally, Final Fantasy VIII was voted the 22nd-best game of all time by readers of the Japanese magazine Famitsu. (formerly Famicom Tsushin) is a Japanese Video game magazine published by Enterbrain Inc ^[4]

Final Fantasy VIII is a departure from many traditional standards of the Final Fantasy series. It is the first game in the series to consistently use realistically proportioned characters, the first to feature a vocal piece as its theme music, and one of the only titles to deviate from the series' traditional means of increasing a character's power. Vocal music is Music performed by one or more Singers with or without non-vocal instrumental accompaniment The phrase theme music usually refers to that of a radio program, Television program, or Movie. In addition, it does not have a Magic Point-based system for spellcasting. Magic points ( MP; also called mana) are units of magical power that are used in many role-playing, computer role-playing and similar games

Gameplay

An example of navigation on the field map

Like Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII consists of three main modes of play: the world map, the field map, and the battle screen. is a Console role-playing game developed by Square (now Square Enix) and published by Sony Computer Entertainment as the seventh installment in the The world map is a 3D display in which the player may navigate freely across a small-scale rendering of the game world. 3D computer graphics (in contrast to 2D computer graphics) are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer Characters travel across the world map in a variety of ways, including by foot, car, Chocobo, train, and airship. A is a fictional large and normally flightless galliforme / Ratite Bird capable of being ridden Though each Final Fantasy story is independent many themes and elements of gameplay recur throughout the series The field map consists of controllable 3D characters overlaid on one or more 2D pre-rendered backgrounds, which represent environmental locations such as towns or forests. 2D computer graphics is the Computer -based generation of Digital images mdashmostly from two-dimensional models (such as 2D geometric models text and digital The battle screen is a 3D model of a location such as a street or room, where turn-based fights between playable characters and CPU-controlled enemies take place. The interface is menu-driven, as in previous titles, but with the typical weapon and armor systems removed and new features present, such as the Junction system. Also featured is a collectible card-based minigame called "Triple Triad". A minigame (also spelled mini-game or mini game) sometimes called a subgame, is a short Video game often contained within another The popular Video game franchise has become known for its inclusion of one or more Minigames as part of its core gameplay beginning mainly with Final Fantasy ^[5]

Junction system

This new system designed by battle designer Hiroyuki Ito revolves around "summonable" monsters, called "Guardian Forces" ("GF"). is a Japanese Game director, Scenario writer sound effects artist and Game designer for Square Enix, and is most known for his work in the A character must have a GF assigned ("junctioned") to them before he or she can do anything in battle besides "Attack" with their weapon, such as "Magic", "GF" (summoning the GF to perform an action), and "Item". While previous Final Fantasy titles provided each character with a limited pool of Magic Points (MP) that were consumed by each spell, in Final Fantasy VIII, spells are obtained ("drawn") from enemies, Draw Points distributed throughout the game's environments, and usable items. Spells are then stocked on characters as quantified inventory (up to 100 at a time) and are consumed one by one when used. Guardian Forces allow characters to "junction" these spells to their own statistics—such as Strength, Vitality, Evade, and Luck—for various bonuses. An attribute is a piece of data (a “ statistic ” that describes to what extent a Fictional character in a Role-playing game possesses a specific ^[6]

A battle with an early boss, X-ATM092; to summon Shiva, Zell's ATB gauge is replaced by a blue bar which triggers the summon when it is depleted. A boss is a computer-controlled opponent which is found in Video games Their purpose is to test the skills that the player has accumulated over the course of a game

The flexibility of this system makes it possible to build a powerful party early in the game. This alternative use of such summoned creatures was a significant departure for the Final Fantasy series, as they were previously used almost exclusively to deliver a single devastating attack during battles. Furthermore, the system replaced the equipment system of previous games with a permanent, specialized weapon for each character; each weapon can be upgraded several times, which increases its power and alters its appearance. For example, Squall begins with a gunblade called the Revolver, but after fully upgrading it, it becomes the Lion Heart. ^[7]

Limit Breaks

As in Final Fantasy VII, each character has unique special attacks called "Limit Breaks" ("Special Arts" in the original Japanese version). Though each Final Fantasy story is independent many themes and elements of gameplay recur throughout the series Whereas Limit Breaks in Final Fantasy VII are triggered by filling the Limit meter through taking damage, in Final Fantasy VIII, they are randomly available every turn when the character's health (Hit Points, or HP) is below 32% of its current maximum, and influenced also by the negative status effects the character is afflicted with. This system is similar to the Desperation Attacks from Final Fantasy VI, which are triggered on rare occasions when a character is near death. Though each Final Fantasy story is independent many themes and elements of gameplay recur throughout the series also known as Final Fantasy III for English audiences when it was first released is a Console role-playing game developed and published by Square (now The magic spell Aura increases the probability of Limit Breaks appearing, regardless of a character's remaining Hit Points. ^[8]

Another change is that most of the main characters' special techniques feature interactive elements, ranging from a slot machine design to fighting game-style button inputs. A slot machine ( American) fruit machine ( British) or poker machine ( Australian) is a Casino gambling machine with three A fighting game (also referred as a versus fighting game, competitive fighting game, tournament fighting game or head-to-head fighting game) These elements, which are dependent on the character and the nature of the Limit Break, can be used to increase the potency of the attack. ^[9]

Experience levels

Experience points are awarded following successful battles against randomly encountered enemies. When a character accumulates a certain amount of experience points, he or she gains a "level", which increases that character's base statistics. Unlike previous Final Fantasy games, however, randomly encountered enemies have no set level—their levels increase alongside those of the playable characters. Higher-level enemies are capable of inflicting and withstanding significantly more damage, and may have additional special attacks. Statistic increases from "leveling up" are minuscule compared with those that are available through the Junction system.

In addition to gaining levels, Guardian Forces earn Ability Points (AP) after battles, which are allocated to special abilities that Guardian Forces can learn. When a Guardian Force has learned an ability, that ability becomes available for any character—and, in some cases, the entire character party—to use. Through learned abilities, they can receive attack enhancements in battle, refine magical spells from items, provide bonuses to characters when leveling up, provide access to shops, and add battle commands. ^[10][7]

Plot

A map of the world of Final Fantasy VIII, displaying some of the major locations

Setting

Main article: World of Final Fantasy VIII

Most of Final Fantasy VIII is set on an unnamed fantasy world with one moon. Most of Square Co 's 1999 bestselling Console role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII is set on a large unnamed fictional planet The planet comprises five major landmasses, with Esthar, the largest, covering most of the eastern portion of the map. ^[11] Galbadia, the second largest continent, lies to the west,^[11] and contains many of the game's locations. The northernmost landmass is Trabia, an Arctic region. Positioned roughly in the middle of the world map lies Balamb, the smallest continent,^[11] the island on which the game begins. The remaining two landmasses are smaller and mostly desolate, riddled with rough, rocky terrain caused by the impact of a "Lunar Cry", an event where monsters from the moon fall to the planet. ^[12][13] The southernmost landmass includes an archipelago of broken sections of land that have drifted apart. An archipelago (ɑrkəˈpɛləgoʊ is a chain or cluster of Islands The word archipelago literally means "chief Sea " from Italian Islands and marine structures flesh out the rest of the game world, and a handful of off-world locations round out the game's playable areas.

As part of a theme desired by director Yoshinori Kitase to give the game a foreign atmosphere, various designs were given to its locations using the style of internationally familiar places, while also maintaining a fantasy atmosphere. is a Japanese Game producer, Scenario writer and a former Game director working for Square Enix (previously Square) Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting Inspiration ranged from ancient Egyptian and Greek architecture, to the city of Paris, France, to an idealized futuristic European society. Ancient Egypt was an Ancient Civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. ^[14]

Characters

Main article: Characters of Final Fantasy VIII

The six main playable characters in Final Fantasy VIII are Squall Leonhart, a loner who keeps his focus on his duty to avoid vulnerability; Rinoa Heartilly, an outspoken and passionate young woman who follows her heart in all situations; Quistis Trepe, an instructor with a serious, patient attitude; Zell Dincht, a martial artist with a passion for martial arts and hot dogs; Selphie Tilmitt, a cheerful girl who loves trains and pilots the spacecraft Ragnarok; and Irvine Kinneas, a marksman and consummate ladies' man. Square 's 1999 best-selling Console role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII deals with an elite group of mercenaries called " is the main Protagonist of Squaresoft 's (now Square Enix) role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII. is the female lead of Square 's (now Square Enix) Final Fantasy VIII. Square 's 1999 best-selling Console role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII deals with an elite group of mercenaries called " Square 's 1999 best-selling Console role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII deals with an elite group of mercenaries called " Martial arts are systems of codified practices and traditions of training for Combat. Square 's 1999 best-selling Console role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII deals with an elite group of mercenaries called " A spacecraft is a Vehicle or machine designed for Spaceflight. Though each Final Fantasy story is independent many themes and elements of gameplay recur throughout the series Square 's 1999 best-selling Console role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII deals with an elite group of mercenaries called " A marksman is a person that is skilled in Precision shooting, using projectile weapons such as with a Rifle but most commonly with a Sniper rifle, ^[5] Playable supporting characters include Laguna Loire, Kiros Seagill and Ward Zabac, who appear in "flashback" sequences, and antagonists Seifer Almasy and Edea Kramer. Square 's 1999 best-selling Console role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII deals with an elite group of mercenaries called " Square 's 1999 best-selling Console role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII deals with an elite group of mercenaries called " Square 's 1999 best-selling Console role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII deals with an elite group of mercenaries called " Square 's 1999 best-selling Console role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII deals with an elite group of mercenaries called " Square 's 1999 best-selling Console role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII deals with an elite group of mercenaries called "

During the game's pre-production, character designer Tetsuya Nomura suggested the game be given a "school days" feel. (born October 8, 1970) is a Japanese video game director and character designer working for Square Enix (formerly Square) Scenario writer Kazushige Nojima already had a story in mind in which the main characters were the same age; their ideas meshed, taking form as the "Garden" military academies. is a Japanese game Scenario writer and is the founder of Stellavista Ltd Nojima planned that the two playable parties featured in the game (Squall's present day group and Laguna Loire's group from the past) would be highly contrasted with one another. This idea was conveyed through the age and experience of Laguna's group, versus the youth and naïveté of Squall's group. ^[14]

Squall's gunblade "Revolver", as seen in the game's opening credits

To maintain the game's theme of a foreign atmosphere, the characters were designed to have predominantly European appearances. The first Final Fantasy VIII character designed was Squall. Desiring to add a unique angle to Squall's appearance and emphasize his role as the central character, Nomura gave him a scar across his brow and the bridge of his nose. As there was not yet a detailed history conceived for the character, Nomura left the explanation for Squall's scar to Nojima. Squall was given a gunblade, a fictional revolver–sword hybrid that functions primarily as a sword, with an added damaging vibration feature activated by use of its gun mechanism,^[15] similar to a vibroblade. rEVOLVEr is the fourth studio album by Swedish metal band The Haunted. ^[16] His character design was complemented by a fur ruff along the collar of his jacket, incorporated by Nomura as a challenge for the game's full motion video designers. Full motion video based games, usually abbreviated as FMV-based games, are Video games that rely upon pre-recorded TV -quality movie or ^[14]

With Final Fantasy VIII came the inclusion of some designs Nomura had previously drawn, but had not yet used in a Final Fantasy game. These were the designs of Edea, Fujin and Raijin. Square 's 1999 best-selling Console role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII deals with an elite group of mercenaries called " Square 's 1999 best-selling Console role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII deals with an elite group of mercenaries called " The latter two had originally been designed for use in Final Fantasy VII, but with the inclusion of the Turks characters in that game, it was felt that Fujin and Raijin were unnecessary. Square 's Final Fantasy VII was one of the first major Console role-playing games released for the Sony PlayStation and was Square's largest game Nomura had designed Edea before the development of Final Fantasy VII, based on the style of Yoshitaka Amano. (born July 28 1952) is a Japanese Artist known for his illustrations for Vampire Hunter D and for his character designs image illustrations ^[14]

Story

Final Fantasy VIII begins as Squall duels with Seifer in a training session outside the military academy known as "Garden". The two cadets scar one another's faces and are returned to Garden for treatment. ^[17] Meanwhile, the Galbadian regime invades the Dollet Dukedom, forcing Dollet to hire assistance from the Balamb Garden branch of "SeeD", Garden's elite mercenary force. SeeD uses the mission as a final examination for its cadets;^[18] with the help of his instructor, Quistis, Squall passes its prerequisite and is grouped with Seifer and Zell. Seifer disobeys orders and abandons his team halfway through the mission, forcing Selphie to accompany Squall and Zell for the duration. After the mission, SeeD halts the Galbadian advance; Squall, Zell, and Selphie graduate to SeeD status; and Seifer is disciplined for his disobedience. ^[19]

During the graduation party, Squall meets Rinoa, whose personality is apparently the opposite of his own. ^[20] When assigned with Zell and Selphie to help her Galbadian resistance, Squall learns that a sorceress named Edea is behind Galbadia's hostilities. Square 's 1999 best-selling Console role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII deals with an elite group of mercenaries called " Magic, sometimes known as sorcery, is a Conceptual system that asserts human ability to control the natural world (including events objects people and Under orders from the Galbadia and Balamb Gardens, Squall and his comrades—now joined by Rinoa, Quistis, and sharpshooter Irvine—attempt to assassinate Edea. ^[21] Despite a nearly flawless execution of the plan, the party is detained. Squall's party also learns that Seifer has left Garden to become Edea's second-in-command. ^[22]

Students from Balamb Garden battle Galbadian soldiers

After the team escapes, Galbadian missiles destroy Trabia Garden. Fearing that Balamb Garden is the next target of Edea's campaign for revenge, the team splits into two units: Squall's group returns to Garden to warn of the attack, but must first stop an internal conflict incited by NORG,^[23] SeeD's financial supporter; Selphie's team fails to stop the missile launch. Square 's 1999 best-selling Console role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII deals with an elite group of mercenaries called " Squall turns Balamb Garden into a mobile fortress to evade the missiles; however, he loses control of the Garden, and it collides with the docks at Fisherman's Horizon. ^[24] While local technicians repair the Garden, Galbadia invades in search of a girl named "Ellone",^[25] who had been staying at the Garden until recently. Square 's 1999 best-selling Console role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII deals with an elite group of mercenaries called " Ellone eventually escapes to Esthar, the game's technological superpower.

Throughout the game, Ellone sends Squall and his allies into a series of flashbacks set seventeen years in the past. ^[26] The scenes center on Laguna and his two friends, Kiros and Ward. During the flashbacks, Laguna changes from Galbadian soldier to the self-appointed defender of a country village, and then from the leader of a resistance movement against Sorceress Adel to the president of Esthar. Square 's 1999 best-selling Console role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII deals with an elite group of mercenaries called " ^[27]

Meanwhile, Squall deals with personal conflicts fueled by ongoing developments,^[28] such as Headmaster Cid appointing him as SeeD's new leader,^[29] and his increasing love for Rinoa. Square 's 1999 best-selling Console role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII deals with an elite group of mercenaries called " During an investigation of Trabia Garden's ruins, Squall and his comrades learn that—with the exception of Rinoa—they were raised with Seifer and Ellone in an orphanage run by Edea; they later developed amnesia due to their use of Guardian Forces. ^[30] It is also revealed that Cid and Edea had established Garden and SeeD primarily to defeat corrupt sorceresses. ^[31] After these revelations, the forces of Balamb Garden and the Galbadian army, led by Squall and Seifer respectively, engage in battle above the orphanage. After Balamb defeats Galbadia, the player learns that Edea is merely an unwilling tool for "Ultimecia",^[32] a powerful sorceress from the future who wishes to compress time into a single moment; it is for this reason she has sought Ellone. Square 's 1999 best-selling Console role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII deals with an elite group of mercenaries called " ^[33] A conclusive battle with Edea forces Ultimecia to transfer her powers to Rinoa; Edea survives, but Rinoa enters a coma. Squall becomes obsessed with waking her and seeks the help of Dr. Odine, a renowned scientist from Esthar. Square 's 1999 best-selling Console role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII deals with an elite group of mercenaries called " ^[34]

Squall and Rinoa embrace after he frees her from confinement in Esthar

While Rinoa is being treated on Esthar's space station, Ultimecia uses her to free Sorceress Adel from her orbital prison. Ultimecia then orders Seifer to activate the Lunatic Pandora facility, inciting a rain of creatures from the moon that sends Adel's containment device to the planet. ^[35][36] Having selected Adel as her next host, Ultimecia abandons Rinoa in outer space. Squall rescues her, and they return to the planet on a derelict starship. Upon their landing, delegates from Esthar isolate Rinoa for fear of her sorceress abilities,^[37] forcing Squall to rescue her. Laguna apologizes for the incident and announces Dr. Odine's plan to let Ultimecia possess Rinoa and use Ellone's power to compress time, as it would allow Squall's group to confront Ultimecia in her era. ^[38] To do this, Squall's team infiltrates Lunatic Pandora, defeats Seifer and Adel, and has Rinoa inherit Adel's sorceress powers. ^[39] Time Compression is thus initiated; Squall and his allies travel to Ultimecia's era and defeat her.

With Ultimecia defeated, the universe begins returning to normal; however, Squall is nearly lost in the flow of time as he witnesses the origins of the game's story. When a dying Ultimecia travels back in time to pass her powers to Edea, Squall informs Edea of the concepts of Garden and SeeD that she will create. ^[40] Afterward, he is warped back into the time stream and is rescued by Rinoa. At the end of the game, Squall kisses Rinoa during SeeD's victory celebration.

Development

Tetsuya Nomura's conceptual art for the character of Sorceress Edea

Development of Final Fantasy VIII began in 1997 during the English language translation of Final Fantasy VII. Events October 4 &mdash Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997 dies after a double Car accident English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States ^[41] As with much of Final Fantasy VII's production, series creator and veteran Hironobu Sakaguchi served as the executive producer, working primarily on the development of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within and leaving direction of Final Fantasy VIII to Yoshinori Kitase. (born November 25, 1962) is a Japanese Game designer, Game director and Game producer. Motion Pictures An executive producer of a Motion picture is typically a producer who is sometimes involved in creative or technical aspects of production Final Fantasy The Spirits Within is a Science fiction film by Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of the Final Fantasy series of ^[42] Shinji Hashimoto was assigned to be the producer in Sakaguchi's place.

From the beginning, Kitase knew he wanted a thematic combination of fantasy and realism. To this end, he aimed to include a cast of characters who appeared to be ordinary people. Character designer and battle visual director Tetsuya Nomura and art director Yusuke Naora strove to achieve this impression through the inclusion of realistically proportioned characters—a departure from the super deformed designs used in the previous installment. Yusuke Naora (直良 有祐 Naora Yūsuke) (born January 9, 1971) is a Japanese Video game Art director, art supervisor Super deformed or SD is a specific style of Japanese Caricature where characters are drawn in an exaggerated way typically small and chubby with stubby limbs and Additionally, Naora attempted to enhance the realism of the world through predominantly bright lighting effects with shadows distributed as appropriate. Other measures taken included implementing rental cars for travel in-game,^[41] and the use of motion capture technology to give the game's characters lifelike movements in the game's FMV sequences. Motion capture, motion tracking, or mocap are terms used to describe the process of recording movement and translating the movement onto a digital model ^[43]

Scenario writer Kazushige Nojima has expressed that the dynamic of players' relationships with the protagonist is important to him. Both Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII feature reserved, quiet protagonists in the form of Cloud Strife and Squall Leonhart. is the main Protagonist in Square 's (now Square Enix 's role-playing game Final Fantasy VII and several of its sequels and spin-offs With Final Fantasy VIII, however, Nojima worked to give players actual insight into what the character was thinking; a direct contrast with his handling of Final Fantasy VII's script, which encouraged the player to speculate. ^[44] This approach to Final Fantasy VIII is reflected by the frequent use of dialogue that takes place solely within Squall's mind, allowing the player to read his thoughts and understand what he is thinking or feeling even when he keeps those thoughts to himself.

In 1999, the ballroom dance scene of Final Fantasy VIII was featured as a technical demo for the PlayStation 2. A tech demo (technology demonstration is a prototype rough example or an otherwise incomplete version of a product put together with the primary purpose of showcasing the idea performance ^[45] The 2000, a PC version was ported to Windows. Events May 11 - 13 &mdash 6th annual E³ (Electronic Entertainment Expo the 3rd annual Game Critics Awards for the Best of A personal computer ( PC) is any Computer whose original sales price size and capabilities make it useful for individuals and which is intended to be operated See also Software portability In Computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created This rerelease featured smoother graphics, enhanced audio, and the inclusion of Chocobo World, a minigame starring Boko, a Chocobo featured in one of Final Fantasy VIII's side-quests. The popular Video game franchise has become known for its inclusion of one or more Minigames as part of its core gameplay beginning mainly with Final Fantasy A minigame (also spelled mini-game or mini game) sometimes called a subgame, is a short Video game often contained within another A quest in Role playing games, including Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs is a Task that a player-controlled character ^[46][47] For most North American and European players, the PC version of the game was the only means of playing Chocobo World, as the game was originally designed to be played via the PocketStation, a handheld console never released outside Japan. The PocketStation is a miniature Personal digital assistant created by Sony as a Peripheral for the PlayStation. ^[47][48][49]

Audio

Main article: Music of Final Fantasy VIII

Regular series composer Nobuo Uematsu wrote and directed the soundtrack for Final Fantasy VIII, which was released on four Compact Discs by DigiCube in Japan, and by Square EA in North America. is a Japanese Video game music Composer and Musician, best known for scoring numerous Final Fantasy titles A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio DigiCube Co Ltd (株式会社デジキューブ Kabushiki-gaisha Dejikyūbu) was a Japanese company established as a subsidiary of Software developer was a Japanese Video game company founded in September 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto. Additionally, a special orchestral arrangement of selected tracks from the game—arranged by Shiro Hamaguchi—was released under the title FITHOS LUSEC WECOS VINOSEC, and a collection of piano arrangements—performed by Shinko Ogata—was released under the title Piano Collections: Final Fantasy VIII. An orchestra is an instrumental ensemble, usually fairly large with string brass woodwind sections and possibly a percussion section as well In Music, an arrangement refers either to a rewriting of a piece of existing Music with additional new material or to a fleshing-out of a compositional sketch such is a Japanese Composer. He worked on various Anime and arranger of songs from various games in the Final Fantasy video game series The piano is a Musical instrument played by means of a keyboard that produces sound by striking steel strings with Felt covered hammers

The score is best known for two songs: "Liberi Fatali", a Latin choral piece that is played during the introduction to the game, and "Eyes On Me", a pop song serving as the game's theme, performed by Chinese singer Faye Wong. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. For the musical composition see Chorale. A choir, chorale, or chorus is a Musical ensemble of Singers Popular music is Music belonging to any of a number of musical styles that are accessible to the general public and are disseminated by one or more China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Faye Wong (born August 8 1969) is a Chinese Singer, Songwriter, Actress and model. The latter song was released as a CD single in Japan and sold over 400,000 copies,^[50] placing it as the best-selling video game music disc ever released in that country until the release of "Hikari" by Utada Hikaru for Kingdom Hearts. A CD single (abbreviated to CDS) is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single Video game music is any of the musical pieces or Soundtracks found in Video games History Early video game technology and computer chip music is Utada Hikaru 's 10th Japanese-language single (12th overall and is also her 3rd single on the Deep River album also known by her fans as, is a Singer-songwriter, Arranger and Record producer in Japan. is an Action role-playing game developed and published by Squaresoft (now Square Enix) in 2002 for the PlayStation 2 Video game console "Liberi Fatali" was played during the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens during the women's synchronized swimming event. The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was an International Multi-sport event which was celebrated Athens (ˈæθənz Αθήνα Athina,) the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery as one of the world's ^[51][52]

Reception and criticism

Within two days of its North American release on September 9, 1999, Final Fantasy VIII became the top-selling video game in the United States, a position it held for more than three weeks. Events 1000 - Battle of Svolder, Viking Age. 1379 - Treaty of Neuberg, splitting the Austrian Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) ^[54] Aside from grossing a total of more than US$50 million within the first 13 weeks to follow,^[2][3] in Japan, it sold roughly 2. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been 5 million units within the first four days of release,^[55] and during 2006 was voted by readers of Japanese magazine Famitsu as the twenty-second best game of all time. (formerly Famicom Tsushin) is a Japanese Video game magazine published by Enterbrain Inc ^[4] More than six million units were sold in total by the end of 1999. ^[56]

Reviews of the gameplay have been mixed. Multimedia news website IGN felt that it was the weakest aspect of the game, citing its Guardian Force attack sequences as "incredibly cinematic" but tedious,^[57] sentiments echoed by Electronic Gaming Monthly. IGN (abbreviated and formerly known as I magine G ames N etwork is a multimedia news and reviews Website that focuses heavily on Video Electronic Gaming Monthly (often abbreviated to EGM) is an American Video game magazine. ^[58] They also regarded the battle system as intensely complicated, yet refreshingly innovative and something that "RPG fanatics love to obsess over". ^[57] Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine claims that the game's Junction system is a major flaw due to repetitive stocking of spells,^[59] while the UK-based video game magazine Edge commented that the battle system consists of a "bewildering" number of intricate options and techniques that "most gamers will . The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Video game journalism is a branch of Journalism concerned with the reporting and discussion of Video games. Edge is a multi-format Computer and video game magazine published by Future Publishing in the United Kingdom. . . relish". ^[60] GameSpot praised the game's battle system, commenting that the "possibilities for customization [with the Junction system] are immense". GameSpot is a video gaming Website that provides News, Reviews Previews Downloads and other information ^[61]

Critics have compared the other aspects of the game to previous Final Fantasy installments. Gaming Age cited the storyline and graphics as two major improvements over Final Fantasy VII, while considering the music "hardly a step up. . . ". ^[62] Though questioning the game's lack of voice overs for its characters, Game Revolution praised its storyline and ending. ^[63] For their part, Edge labeled Final Fantasy VIII ". . . a far more accomplished game than FFVII". On the other hand, the magazine also felt that the game's length left its story unable to "offer consistently strong dialogue and sub-plots". Additionally, it found some of the story's plot twists "not . . . suitably manipulated and prepared", leaving it "hard not to greet such. . . moments with anything but indifference". Overall, Edge considered Final Fantasy VIII to be "yet another outstanding edition of SquareSoft's far-from-final fantasies", summarizing it as "aesthetically astonishing, rarely less than compelling, and near peerless in scope and execution. . . ". ^[60] Electronic Gaming Monthly offered similar comments, stating that the game's character development "is the best of any RPG's" and that "Final Fantasy VIII is the pinnacle of its genre". ^[58]

Merchandise

In the month of Final Fantasy VIII's Japanese release (February 11, 1999), a beginners' guide and a postcard collection were released. Events 660 BC - Traditional founding date of Japan by Emperor Jimmu. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) A postcard or post card is a rectangular piece of thick Paper or thin cardboard intended for writing and mailing without an Envelope and These were followed in March by Final Fantasy VIII Ultimania, a book that features an in-depth guide to Final Fantasy VIII and interviews with the developers. A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual that creates Video games A developer may specialize in a certain video A sticker album (Final Fantasy VIII Seal Book) and a pictorial transcript of the game (Final Fantasy VIII Memorial Album) were released in June and September respectively. A sticker album is a book where a person collects Stickers to stick in the book on designated sections An origami book was released on November 19, 1999. (from oru meaning "folding" and kami meaning "paper" is the ancient Japanese Art of Paper folding. Events 1095 - The Council of Clermont, called by Pope Urban II to discuss sending the First Crusade to the Holy Land Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar)

On September 22, 1999, a CD-ROM titled Final Fantasy VIII Desktop Accessories was released. Events 66 - Emperor Nero creates the Legion I Italica. 1236 - The Lithuanians Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) CD-ROM (an initialism of "Compact Disc Read-Only Memory " is a pre-pressed Compact Disc that contains data accessible to but not writable It contains desktop icons, computer wallpapers, screensavers, and an e-mail application. On Computer displays, a computer icon is a small Pictogram. Icons have been used to supplement the normal alphanumerics of the computer The terms wallpaper and desktop picture refer to an image used as a background on a computer screen usually for the desktop of a Graphical user interface A screensaver is a type of computer program initially designed to prevent " Phosphor burn-in " on CRT and plasma Computer Electronic mail, often abbreviated to e-mail, email, or originally eMail, is a Store-and-forward method of writing sending receiving Additionally, Final Fantasy VIII Desktop Accessories features an edition of the Triple Triad minigame from Final Fantasy VIII, creating the ability to play against opponents via a local area network. The popular Video game franchise has become known for its inclusion of one or more Minigames as part of its core gameplay beginning mainly with Final Fantasy A minigame (also spelled mini-game or mini game) sometimes called a subgame, is a short Video game often contained within another ^[64]

The European release of Final Fantasy VIII saw a relatively large amount of merchandise being packaged together with the game for an initial run special release at no extra cost. These were all sold in a large rectangular box which contained a Final Fantasy VIII t-shirt, a PlayStation memory card and a selection of Final Fantasy VIII stickers - designed for adhering to the PlayStation memory card. The PlayStation (abbreviated PS, PSone, PS1, or informally as PSX) is a 32-bit fifth generation Video game console A memory card or flash memory card is a solid-state electronic Flash memory Data storage device used with Digital The PlayStation (abbreviated PS, PSone, PS1, or informally as PSX) is a 32-bit fifth generation Video game console A memory card or flash memory card is a solid-state electronic Flash memory Data storage device used with Digital

References

External links

• Official Final Fantasy VIII website
• Official European Final Fantasy VIII website
• Final Fantasy VIII at Wikia; incorporates information originally found on Wikipedia