Rinoa, dressed for the ball.

Squall, missing the bus.

FF8 was one of the most anticipated games to be released for the PlayStation, and I think the games media as a whole went off when it was released, before re-thinking sometime later and becoming slightly more lukewarm to the game. I had the opposite reaction: initally feeling a bit let down, after going back to the game for the second time falling in love with it. Well, maybe not quite that dramatic ^-^

Rinoa at the SeeD Ball

Rinoa points at shooting star.. also at the Ball.

Gorgeous cinemas; good battle engine; world map improved over FF7.

Some great music, some only so-so; some sound effects can become grating.

Junction system adds an extraordinary amount of depth to the game; Card game a nice distraction; Can't fault the classic battle system.

Card game adds replayability; several optional GFs to collect; some truly wacky sidequests; Chocobos as always...

Large borders; noticeable speed loss

Great storyline; characters you can care about; Junction system is fantastic!

Button bashing 'Boost' system; poor PAL conversion.