FFVIII Community Playthrough

[Ami]

How do you like controlling Laguna compared to Squall?

I like it. When you're getting a bit bored of Squall and the gang, it's a nice refreshing change to drift off into the "dreamworld" and see what Laguna's up to.

Did you ask about Julia?

Oh yes. We all know Laguna's THAT soldier. Bless him when he finds out she got married to General Caraway. Maybe in another lifetime, eh?

Did you stand up for the Moomba?

I always do and I did this time, too. That little guy didn't deserve it.

How did you have Squall handle the interrogation?

Well, I've always imagined Squall being loyal and faithful to Garden to the end, so I just have him choose the "die" option. He didn't understand the question and wasn't willing to give up any information, regardless. Also, the dialogue option is hilarious if you choose it.

Did you get your Battle Meter upgraded with the Character Report? Did you acquire anything else you found interesting in the prison?

I did. I always end up roaming around the prison cells out of boredom and end up paying thousands of Gil to play cards. I also acquired new rare cards and left hundreds of bodies in my wake.

Who did you pick to send to the Missile Base?

Selphie obviously goes. But I chose Quistis and Irvine to go with her. I've mostly picked this team throughout my other playthroughs, anyway. Whilst Selphie is determined, Quistis brings maturity and Irvine the willingness to go through with it. It's a perfect balance.

And then obviously, Zell and Rinoa go with Squall to Garden. Squall's the leader, whilst Zell is a fellow student and Rinoa ... well, it felt just right to have her go with them.

Did you head straight to the Missile Base or do a little wandering first?

I was tempted to, but I only went to General Caraway for the Rinoa card. Like an idiot, I thought HE had the Ifrit card after I surrendered it. Turns out he loses it to Martine, who you can meet pretty soon. But after half an hour of playing, I realised this and headed off to blow shit up.

What time limit did you select in the base? Did you gain a SeeD rank? How many?

40 minutes. I normally go for 20-30, but I was unsure if this team in particular could handle it, as I hadn't really spent a lot of time developing them. Turns out they could more than handle it and I got the whole thing down with 23 minutes left to spare. Not bad!

Did you get the Rinoa card?

See above. Duh, I did.

What are your thoughts on these developments in the story?

You can see no matter how childish Selphie acts for her determination to go to the Missile Base, you know she HAS to do it for not just Trabia, but Balamb Garden. I like this development, as she's more than just the pretty face with the upbeat attitude. Her going through with this actually makes her more grownup.

We start to see Squall acting more human, too, even if he's still a bit cold. He's actually worrying about the others and it's the first step to actually letting people in again. As well as Selphie, he's taking serious responsibility.

Also, isn't it cute how Rinoa just kicks Irvine down the stairs when they're rescuing everyone?
​

 

[Claymore]

Also, isn't it cute how Rinoa just kicks Irvine down the stairs when they're rescuing everyone?

That part always has me in hysterics.

 

[Ami]

That part always has me in hysterics.

It's why I love Rinoa and rate her highly as one of my favourite females in the series. She does crazy stuff like that and it's entertaining. Plus, Irvine had it coming showing off.

 

[Farron]

Chapter Two: Duty & Dreams​

What were your exam scores? How do you feel about your performance?

Can't remember because this was done so quickly to try and catch up, but I'm SeeD level 4

[*]

Did you get the Battle Meter?​

Of course !

[*]

Any trouble finding the "secret area" in the Training Center?​

Nope

[*]

Did you get the Magical Lamp? Did you use it?​

Yes and the GF is Junctioned at the moment to Squall.

[*]

What rare cards have you gotten so far?​

Quistis Trepe Card

[*]

Did you give the Card Queen the MiniMog card?​

No I'm not doing the Card Queen challenge thing

no

no

no

no

no

[*]

Did Laguna fall asleep while talking to Julia or just talk too much?​

Chatted too much, think he got drunk due to his nerves, so cute.

[*]

Did you perform the train mission flawlessly or have to do anything over?​

I always get so nervous during this and I usually do it flawlessly or fuck up so many times the computer feels empathy for me and has to give me advice,
this time I fucked up so much, I failed about 3 times.

So annoyed because I was hoping this would upgrade me to SeeD level 5

lol no

[*]

Did you take the cheap way out for the Gerogero boss fight?​

What's the cheap way out ? Summoning ? If so, then yes ? Don't understand this question but, think so.

[*]

Did you visit Dollet again? What did you do there?​

No, I usually go there later about after Timber and start collecting some more cards.

[*]

Did you get the Girl Next Door magazine?​

YES THANK GOODNESS

ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT IT

I was fooling around, and managed to score it by mistake.

[*]

What were your overall impressions of this chapter?​

[/LIST][/QUOTE]

It's alright, better than the first part because you can have a bit more freedom to explore around, which is what today's Final Fantasy games seem to be missing a little bit, like FF 13, so it felt refreshing.

3/5

It's why I love Rinoa and rate her highly as one of my favourite females in the series. She does crazy stuff like that and it's entertaining. Plus, Irvine had it coming showing off.

SOMEBODY ELSE WHO LOVES THIS GIRL

I thought that I was the only who liked Rinoa Heartilly to be honest, because she seems to be either called obnoxious by fans, or torn apart because of her damsel in distressing, but most of the time it's not her to blame and she's not child-army trained like the rest and yes, she's entertaining.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

I'm getting caught up pretty rapidly now. I'm almost finished with Chapter 4, but for now, here's my results for Chapter 3:

During the dream sequence, did you fiddle with any of the levers? The detonator? The boulder? Did you find the Old Keys?

Yep, did all of that, and in the proper order.

How is your card collection coming along? Have you come across any card rules you don't like in the card game?

It's coming along very well for me. I have all of Levels 1-6 (except PuPu, obviously, who isn't available yet), a few Level 7s (from rare card mods of some monsters), and all of the GF and Character cards currently available, except for Kiros since I'm saving the Queen of Cards quest for later.

What do you think of Galbadia Garden as comapred to Balamb Garden?

The first thing I always notice about it when I get here -- aside from the infinitely less relaxing music -- is just how uninviting it is.

Whereas the entrance to Balamb Garden simply requires you walk right up to it however you wish, the entrance to Galbadia Garden forces you to go left or right around a large, completely unnecessary obstacle. It just seems like a deliberate design aesthetic to reinforce just how different the atmospheres are at these two schools.

Fortunately, girls still look good in short skirts wherever you go, and the lads here are still lucky motherfuckers.

One other thing that stands out to me about Galbadia Garden that I've never seen anyone comment on is the similar attitudes to Squall we see from a couple of the male students here:

That one kid literally says nothing but "Whatever!" XD

I can't help but think the developers had to be poking some fun at Squall here since he said he liked the atmosphere of this school.

What do you think of Irvine?

Love him. Just absolutely love him.

Though I can see why a girl might find him creepy too.

What city/town is your favorite out of those you've visited so far? What do you like about it?

Balamb. It's so peaceful. I could happily live there the rest of my life. I feel really relaxed listening to its music and sounds.

Did you solve the puzzle of the Tomb of the Unknown King? What do you think of its design?

I did. Took just a few minutes with Enc-None junctioned.

Much better than the first time I went there, which ended up taking a few hours. The maze is one of those things that makes perfect sense and becomes extremely easy once you actually know what to do.

Anyway, took the Brothers down easily enough even with having three characters draw 100 Life spells.

Did you acquire the GF Carbuncle?

You bet your ass I did.

Did you find it difficult navigating the sewers?

Not this time. I was in and out in less than two minutes. The first time, though? Yeah, a couple hours.

What do you think of the story so far?

I've always loved this part of the game. It's really exciting to me being part of/controlling the SeeDs' assassination mission. XD

 

[Telcontar]

I'm so slow compared to you guys I just got to the ballroom dance with Rinoa.

Seifer seems like a nice guy.

The magic system is a mess. I find the idea of drawing magic from monsters or those purple stuff around the game, to be unnecessarily complex. I "ran out" of cure's while fighting/fleeing from the spider-robot-thing and barely made it with only Squall; having 80hp left. Why Square? Just... why?

I get Elemental attack/defence now. It seems separate from the Junction system... which is why I get it now.

The Junction system is still confusing but I'm slowly... VERY slowly, making sense of it.

 

[Claymore]

CHAPTER FIVE​

Did you junction any Fire spells to your attack in the MD level, like Squall talked about?

I was already walking around with Fira junctioned to my characters but I had actually forgotten about it so it was a nice reminder!

Did you get the GF Leviathan?

Yes.

Did you meet the Master Fisherman and perform his errand? Listen to his story?

Hhm. Must have missed this!

Were you surprised by what we learned about a certain member of Garden's staff?

Not this time around.

Were you surprised by what happened after the boss fight in FH?

Even during my original play-through I remember not being surprised, since I recognised that vehicle right off the bat. What was shocking was why the vehicle (and those inside) were attacking the others. Was rather odd and unexplained.

Have you already acquired the materials needed to make the Lion Heart?

No.

Did you reunite the Cafateria Lady with her son?

Afraid not.

How did the concert go?

The concert was a nice little diversion and went great. For some reason I get an immense amount of pleasure seeing Quistis 'tap'. Was great to see the gang all working together to try and 'crack' Squall's facade. It also cracks me up when Rinoa mimics him frowning and he false swipes at her, lol. Between her and Quistis, they have Squall down to the letter!

How's that card collection coming?

Absolutely nowhere since I'm avoiding it like the plague!

Thoughts on the story?

I remember thinking 'WTF?' when I originally uncovered the Garden Master, who and what he was, and his attempts to side with the Sorceress in order to protect the Garden. Though this scenario does give Cid some great development and sets up Squall as the new Commander.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

Still need to do the current chapter, but I'm more or less caught up. Here's Chapter 4:

How do you like controlling Laguna compared to Squall?

It's a nice change of pace. And the pacing in general is good in terms of the frequency of Squall-based portions vs. Laguna-based portions.​

Obviously, I miss having the R1 effect when controlling Laguna instead, though.​

Did you ask about Julia?

Indeed, I did. If you don't, the "Eyes On Me" entry doesn't appear under "Information."​

Did you stand up for the Moomba?

Of course!​

How did you have Squall handle the interrogation?

Defiant to the end.​

Did you get your Battle Meter upgraded with the Character Report?

I did.​

Did you acquire anything else you found interesting in the prison?

I don't know -- are four Rosetta Stones (teaches GF Ability x4) interesting? They're certainly going to be once I control the mobile Balamb Garden and start leveling everyone up with Str Bonus, Mag Bonus, Vit Bonus and Spr Bonus.​

I used the infinite Rosetta Stone trick with the guy who charges 200 gil per card game.​

Really, I only needed one of them for the purpose described above, and three to make sure everyone can have four support abilities at any given time, but I like to get one extra of most stuff, just in case. Particularly when it's easy to get like this.​

Oh, and there was also that Str Up I found in the prison, which I used on Zell right away.

Who did you pick to send to the Missile Base?

Selphie, Quistis and Irvine. I typically keep Squall, Rinoa and Irvine together, but I'm trying to branch out a little bit this playthrough. I also want to make sure I get all the scenes involving Zell with the Pigtail Girl.

Did you head straight to the Missile Base or do a little wandering first?

Went to Deling City first.​

What time limit did you select in the base? Did you gain a SeeD rank? How many?

Ten minutes, yes and two.​

Did you get the Rinoa card?

Yep.​

What are your thoughts on these developments in the story?

The prison can be a chore. One of the only parts of the game that drags on to me. Particularly coming right after the Laguna Winhill sequence as it does, it feels like you really have been locked up for a long time since you haven't been able to access the world map in what seems like forever. You appreciate the daylight once Squall and co. see it.

I love the Missile Base portion, though. Selphie is surprisingly resourceful, and it's fun messing with the soldiers.

By the way, I find it disturbing that the prison's torture room is actually labeled as such.

 

[ForceStealer]

Chapter 4

How do you like controlling Laguna compared to Squall?

There's little balance in the main protagonists. Whereas Squall has almost zero levity, Laguna's almost completely devoid of seriousness. I guess that was intentional, but it is neat how the Laguna sections cover a much larger portion of his life.

Did you ask about Julia?

Yes. I'm not sure I remember the relevance besides confirming the time frame.

Did you stand up for the Moomba?

Of course.

How did you have Squall handle the interrogation?

He kept quiet. One of the times his complete lack of social skills works to his advantage.

Did you get your Battle Meter upgraded with the Character Report? Did you acquire anything else you found interesting in the prison?

I did, still haven't looked at the thing though. Um...I think I got everything, the Thundaga draw point was nice.

Who did you pick to send to the Missile Base?

Selphie, Irvine, and Rinoa. While sending Rinoa to the military base didn't make a TON of sense, I thought Squall, Quistis, and Zell should all go back to Balamb. Besides, I'm sure Irvine was pleased with the arrangement.

Did you head straight to the Missile Base or do a little wandering first?

I headed back to the Tomb of the Unknown King to finally get the last component for Squall's Flame Saber. Then headed back to Deling to get it, as well as the laughably efficient spending all your money on Tents -> Refine them all into Mega Potions -> Sell them back for a profit -> Repeat.
I did that til I was over 100,000 gil, then loaded up on Tents one more time to get everyone 100 Curagas to boost HP to the point that having the HP I would have had otherwise gets me Limit Breaks, lol.

What time limit did you select in the base? Did you gain a SeeD rank? How many?

10 minutes...I didn't notice that I had. But I am being paid for rank 9 now, so I guess so.

Did you get the Rinoa card?

No.


Chapter 5

Did you junction any Fire spells to your attack in the MD level, like Squall talked about?

Yes, the boss was still kinda tough though, actually. I ended up using Mad Rush for the first time, which is kinda fun, actually. Haha.

Did you get the GF Leviathan?

Yes, pretty sure I missed that the last time I played this game, but I always knew the Leviathan animation because of the demo back in the day.

Did you meet the Master Fisherman and perform his errand? Listen to his story?

Yes, man it's a pain to get to him, it's hard to get at just the right spot for Squall to grab the ladder. The sequence is a little sluggish but it does give you some nice backstory for Fishermans Horizon - much more than we've had for any other location so far. Also, the Mayor in the hologram when he's wearing what I assume is his Esthar garb looks exactly like a Yevon monk.

Were you surprised by what we learned about a certain member of Garden's staff?

Obviously I knew it, but I did forget exactly how it was revealed. And it was pretty surprising the first time I learned. Definitely one of the games more interesting twists, though he's still not very forthcoming about it.

Were you surprised by what happened after the boss fight in FH?

Assuming I know what you're talking about, not especially, considering what the boss fight was against.

Have you already acquired the materials needed to make the Lion Heart?

Nearly, actually. I need 3 more Dragon Fangs...which are, of course, the most difficult component to come by.

Did you reunite the Cafateria Lady with her son?

Yes.

How did the concert go?

Fine, I put together the Irish jig song, which admittedly didn't fit the scene as well as the other. But I'm not in any rush to hear Eyes On Me

How's that card collection coming?

It isn't. I did finally win like two games these chapters. And the second one was still a draw, it just happened to be Sudden Death rules.

Thoughts on the story?

Starting with when Squall arrives back in Balamb with all the chaos going on is where FF8 really starts to pull me in. It's intense and mysterious, and the dumber moments are kept to a minimum or at least glossed over by general coolness. Squall finally starts to be a little more open (to the player, at least, but he talks a bit more to the cast too), and I like how Rinoa tries to convince him to stop being such a spoiled sport about everything. The rest of the characters, as well, also start to have a bit more meat on them. Zell, I noticed, has started to be more of a person than the wacky monkey we was up til now. Selphie's still insane though.

FFs aren't really known for their world-building, but FF8 seems particularly loathe to cough up details about the world. You get odd little drops here and there regarding things like the 17 years of radio silence, Cid's creation of the Garden and the history with Edea, mentions of Esthar, and so on. But no one elaborates on any of these things. As I said, the Master Fisherman's explanation of Fishermans Horizon is the most we've gotten about a location. It's fine to be tight-lipped about some things, such as Ellone, but I don't know why other things are so cryptic. I've been trying to talk to most NPCs but I haven't really learned too much from them.
Part of it I think is the mission structure the game has of just sending you somewhere and then coming back. VII systematically sends you across the entire world in very short order after leaving Midgar (which itself was given a lot of depth), IX takes time to introduce you to the cultures of each of the three major powers. X and XII easily have the best world-building in the series (outside MMOs).

Anyway, just an observation I had. Overall, like I said, Chapter 5 is where the game really starts to pick up for me, and in the past, has kept me invested until about the end of the disc 3. But part of what made me lose interest before was my complete lack of Drawing finally catching up with me. I'm in a MUCH better position this time.

 

[Lex]

I agree about the world building thing. I've always been fascinated by the world in VIII but I never know whether that's because there's no information or what.

I know there's a story somewhere in the game that explains that weird shiny dippy spot on the Centra continent (is it the excavation site of the Lunatic Pandora or the site of the first lunar cry or something? I can't remember, but of course, Tres will know )

I genuinely want to know more about the world though. Various whole towns are entirely optional - Shuni Village, Winhill in the present day, Dollet when its not overrun by Galbadia.

And not just that, but the world map in this game is weird for a few reasons. It's incredibly vast and filled with varied terrain but also feels sparse and devoid of life, Esthar seems to contain about 90% of the world's whole population, and somehow there's no settlement on Centra at all aside from the you-know-what and an ancient tomb containing Odin and Tonberry. Matron must have had a hell of a speedboat is all I'm saying.

And the chocobo sidequest is weird. So is the Obel lake one. And the Pupu one. They're just flat out bizarre and so much of this game is ridiculously hidden it's just odd. But not in a bad way. Just in an odd way. It feels like the b-side world map equivalent of every other FF. The indie cousin world map. It needs more story. Story that's no doubt tucked away in an ultimania somewhere.

Well? *points finger at Tres*

 

[Claymore]

Ok, jumping ahead a little bit here, but I just had to get this off my chest as this sequence of events simply annoys the heck out of me, even to this day. I understand the need for the group to keep pushing Squall and forcing him to open up more and more, in fact, this is what I absolutely love about the surrounding characters. If it wasn't for them and their interference, Squall would forever be locked in his own world, devoid of any real empathy for those around him. This is echoed in the the way that Quistis and Rinoa have his exact mannerisms - and even how he will answer a difficult question - spot on. It shows us how well they know him and just why they need him to open up with them all.

What they are attempting to do is extremely important. I get that, however, for goodness sake ... to pester the poor guy in the middle of a freaking warzone is simply irresponsible and downright stupid! The Garden, your home, is under attack; comrades who you have grown up with and trained with for most of your life, including the junior class-men, are either directly under threat or dying all around you; everything you've known is hanging in the balance; the enemy force is about to completely overwhelm you, and yet, you're spending crucial time match-making?! Practically wasting lives by pestering Squall to hand over his ring so you can give it to Rinoa?! I mean, come on guys!!! There's a time and a place for everything and that was just not it.


Ahem. Anyway, on a more positive note, did anyone else download the new Steam version? I've been dabbling into Chocobo World every now and again and was quite shocked to get a Rosetta Stone the other day!

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

Lex: http://thelifestream.net/final-fantasy-viii-ultimania/



But, really, that's all there is. I don't think it's necessarily less than what VII has, in all honesty, nor even IX. It's just different.

Spoiler

I won't disagree that some things remain plenty mysterious (Deep Sea Research Center, I'm looking at you), but to no greater degree than with VII. It was really only with X that the world building became obscenely thorough, and I would still argue that VIII presents us with an extremely vivid portrayal of how its world is, even if not an extremely vivid portrayal of how all of it came to be.

For God's sake, people are still walking around sharing a creation myth about Hyne creating humans to move a mountain for him while he took a nap. I don't think even these people know everything about their history, lost to wars and legends as it is.

Really, they have the shakiest grasp on the whole thing. On the surface of things, technology and modernity rules all -- GFs (elemental arcane beings) are stored in a computer terminal, a floating facility that can control the flood of monsters from the moon exists, technology that simulates the real magic of witches is ubiquitous, "the legendary GF" Bahamut has long been captive in a research lab, dinosaurs are kept in captivity as training practice for child soldiers, missiles can hit a target from half a world away with utmost precision, and the great and powerful witch who plunged the world into chaos 20 years earlier sits suspended in space like a trophy under the ever-present watch of the world's most advanced civilization (itself a city bigger than most countries).

And then it all gets turned on its head. Most of it in very short order.

In a matter of days, almost every settlement on the planet has been sacked, occupied, burned or otherwise imperiled. One of the world's leading political figures is assassinated in front of his capital city's people, then immediately replaced by his killer. The usurper is deposed soon after. The next replacement abandons his position not long after that. The advanced civilization that cut itself off from the world for 17 years has come forward again, and nearly been destroyed itself. The "trophy" out in space returned, but was killed.

And on top of it all: that research center where Bahamut's been kept cooped up? It discovered something it shouldn't have. A force as beyond the world's technology as the magic of witches is beyond the facsimiles carried around by average soldiers.

Real magic, the great mysterious, the mystical -- it still prevails. People don't have nearly the hold on things it appeared they did.

There's your identity for FFVIII's world. One in which the ancient wonders have been lost or forgotten, replaced with modern technology most times, subduing it for a while at others, but ultimately still kneeling to it when it returns.

Yeah, I really have to say that I genuinely feel we get a solid picture of what FFVIII's world is like. Some things remain unexplained, but I'm okay with that.

Also, I have to say I love all the little secrets the world map holds.

 

[Shademp]

I always liked the database and the little secrets of the world map in FFVIII. Some bits add to the main plot, other bits just flesh out the mythos, but most importantly they do so without throwing it in your face and stalling the main story. While I do dislike FFVIII on a lot of points, I moderately enjoy both the world and its history.

 

[Selphie Tilmitt]

@ Claymore I blame Rinoa Might be wrong since haven't seen those scenes in a while but wasn't she the one that wanted the ring?, and you know what Rinoa's like when she doesn't get/is wanting her own way

 

[Ami]

I'm going to attempt to play the latest chapter later on this afternoon/evening and then I'll be finally up to date with everything. I kind of rushed two or three chapters in a space of a few days either this or last week.

It's because of the playthrough I have another "perfect" file.

 

[Selphie Tilmitt]

WHOO HOO! All caught up now Two days breathing space

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

Yeah, I'm nearly all caught up now myself. I'm about to meet NORG.

 

[Sprites]

Tres, I'm a bit confused about your question about a certain member of Garden Staff in the FH chapter because there's two staff members that question could apply to, couldn't you just say which staff member you're referring to you're not really spoiling anything by mentioning a name but I'm not sure which one to respond about.

I'm also surprised there's no question about Irvine in there considering you can control him for a bit and there's a couple of things you can do with him

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

Feel free to talk about the Irv all you'd like.

And I meant Cid, but I was trying to keep it vague. Guess NORG would apply too.

 

[Sprites]

Thanks, I wasn't having a go or anything, I was just genuinely confused on who to talk about and cause it was only on my last play through I realised you could have a good walk around with Irvine, so I thought it might have been worth a mention as it's a very easy thing to miss with him

 

[Lex]

Isn't it bizarre the number of things that can happen in FH specific to Irvine though? In that tiny timeframe. FF8 is so weird sometimes.

 

[Sprites]

It's pretty cool though, it actually makes more sense that Flo has his card because there's a lot that you can do there specifically just with him.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

This game really rewards you for exploring. There are so many little things you could miss because you aren't prompted to do them.

Back before the proliferation of Ye Olde Internets, I was sure I would even find a way back into

Spoiler

the Time Compressed towns if I looked long enough. Of course, I know now that the town data isn't even there on Disc 4.

 

[Sprites]

Did you junction any Fire spells to your attack in the MD level, like Squall talked about?

Yup, Irvine also plus fire Ammo and Shot limit break is the business against them Oilboyles I'm telling ya.

Did you get the GF Leviathan?

Yeah, interesting tidbit is that Norg can't cast water anymore once you draw Leviathan from him, makes sense though it's strange that he can cast magic using the pod like device, I guess Shumis also have their own brand of magic. I stole a circlet from him and a STR up and MAG up from the pod lights. also having Leviathan now means that my 3 characters now have a full set of HP, STR, VIT, MAG and SPR juntions.

Did you meet the Master Fisherman and perform his errand? Listen to his story?

I met him and checked on his student which incidently is a hilarious scene, that poor shop owner lol. I did listen to his story and got my hands on the Occult Fan magazine

Were you surprised by what we learned about a certain member of Garden's staff?

yeah it is quite surprising the first time, but Cid explains it in part quite well as to how they became separated physically from eachother.

Were you surprised by what happened after the boss fight in FH?

More about Squall's attitude than Quisits, Zell and Selphie turning back up, the fact that they stay on your party menu kinda indicated you're not done with them yet whereas when Seifer left the party during the misson he disappeared off the menu all together so you kinda knew you were done with him and it's the fact it's not a canon party that goes, you get to pick who goes on each party...anyway Squall's attitude, yeah Rinoa's right, it's the first time you really see him glad that everyone's alright, I mean Squall doesn't strike me as the kind of person who isn't that heartless that he wouldn't care if he found out they'd died or anything but he's not vocal about it, so it's nice to see him let his guard down, he let's his guard down a few times in this chapter actually

Have you already acquired the materials needed to make the Lion Heart?

I should be very soon actually, I've steadily been playing card games and doing really well so I'm just gonna keep playing for Fury Fragments and now that Garden is mobile I can just go and fight some Blue Dragons around the Trabia region for Dragon Fangs

Did you reunite the Cafateria Lady with her son?

Nope, I never actually knew you could do that!

How did the concert go?

Fine, I prefer the 'Irish jig' as it's called because I like the conversation better between Squall and Rinoa, I think it's supposed to be the 'canon' selection anyways.

How's that card collection coming?

It's actually coming on really well now, I dunno I seem to be powering through, I've got quite a few boss card, I also got Seifer and I won my Ifrit Card back from Martine so I'm doing well, I'm gonna try and do some of the CC quest now that I've been invited to try it.

Thoughts on the story?

Alright first of all let me just talk about all the stuff I did with Irvine because there's some interesting stuff you can do in the time you can control him.
Get into a fight with a soldier...well technically Grease Monkey beats the shit out of him but then Irvine can rob him and get some AP Ammo, Fast Ammo and PULSE AMMO, I think you can get 5 from him cause I had 15 and now have 20 so anyone needing some extra pulse ammo, there ya go
When you talk to the guy who has the attitude about Seed, I actually like Irvine's response to him, he really sticks up for the others and at first I thought he was being dramatic talking about being a loner but then he says some really nice stuff about the others and how he seems them as his friends, it's really nice and this is why I like Irvine, he's much more complex than people make him out to be.
I heard you can hit on all the girls in Garden with him but when I talked to them there wasn't really too much a different response...it's kinda funny though when CC Joker talks to you and tells you he's ready for a challenge, he refers to you as Squall
Speaking of Squall, Irvine creeping on sleeping Squall is kinda funny .
One last thing either my game got stuck or the developers just forgot to put a climbing scenario in FH for Irvine but I couldn't get down the ladder to talk to the Master Fisherman with Irvine...weird.
On a side note I think FH looks like a Tentacruel when it's got all the wires sticking into it

In terms of the story itself.
So the reason the Faculty members kept interrupting Cid everytime it looked like he wanted to say something really important becomes clear, the more SeeD focus on their main mission, the less mercenary missons they take on and the less money Garden gets for greedy NORG.
Squall had a lot of character development here, I feel sorry for him because all of this leader stuff just gets pushed on him, he never asked for it and he feels vulnerable about it, he's not used to having others depend on him and I think he's genuinely scared about that, he's so used to doing things on his own, it;s no wonder he loses his cool at Cid.
The Squall/Rinoa relationship is beginning to develop properly, I think the FH incident is the first time Rinoa sees Squall as something more than just her comrade, I don't like the way she behaves around Squall like getting him to show her around and expecting a lot out of him up until the concert. I like her attidue to Squall there, the way she shows him they're all there for him to help him and not push him, she really makes him consider his attitude and how he acts around everybody.
So we finally become aware that it's the past Squall and co. are viewing and not just some realistic dream. Ellone is so mysterious now, she's so different to the little girl we saw earlier with Laguna, she seems so sad, and you really want to know how she ended up in Garden, she's obviously not a normal student in any sense, that much is obvious.
I guess I don't have much more to say so far

Edit: I actually like that you don't get too much prompting on where to go in FF8 outside of the main story in terms of exploration, you could spend hours finding things to do outside the main storyline in one playthrough and then realise in another there's actually more you've missed out on

 

[Farron]

Chapter 3

During the dream sequence, did you fiddle with any of the levers? The detonator? The boulder? Did you find the Old Keys?

No because I really dislike the second Laguna dream. Imo it plays during the most annoying time if you've played played the game before, and just want to head to the big end of CD 1 drama that occurs next.

So I skipped all that, sorry.


Plus behind, so rush, rush.

How is your card collection coming along? Have you come across any card rules you don't like in the card game?

I lost most of my cards from Zell's mum in Balamb, I need to get them back.



I was trying to get cards for Squall's Lionhart early, lol.

What do you think of Galbadia Garden as comapred to Balamb Garden?

I love it so much more compared to Balamb, it feels bigger and more developed. Though it would suck to become a Solider instead of SeeD.

So Balamb gets my points because of that.

What do you think of Irvine?

Irvine oh Irvine. I hated him at first and thought that he was just going to be a greasy and very creepy ladies man and try and spent most of the game trying to get into the women characters pants, like some kind of horny dog in heat.

But actually, during the Parade it was revealed that it's just all a act to try and impress others and try and look cool in front of his peers.

He's always in my party with Rinoa and Squall.

What city/town is your favorite out of those you've visited so far? What do you like about it?

None so far, though most towns do look pretty impressive for it's time.

Maybe Dollet so far, because the music is fantastic.

Did you solve the puzzle of the Tomb of the Unknown King? What do you think of its design?

Yes, got the GFs.

And bloody terrible, though it can be less frustrating if you know the trick to always go straight ahead or something, idk, there's a trick to the dungeon.

I wrote it down in my notes, but I can't find it. But yeah, once you know the tricks of the trade, the dungeon is piss.

Did you acquire the GF Carbuncle?

yes, how can you not ? One of the most cutest summons in Final Fantasy.

Did you find it difficult navigating the sewers?

Not at all, then again when I was like 12 I had this part of the game saved and each night before bed on Saturdays, used to re-play this part.

Character Dramas, plus big parade, always good.

What do you think of the story so far?

Much better, much, much better.