FFVII vs. FFVIII

recently, i decided that FF7 is awesome and that i should play through it yet again even though i’ve done practically everything there is to do in this game. 7 is probably the most sheerly fun rpg there is to play. i dont even know why. i noticed however on this most recent playing of it that a lot of the time as i play FF7 i think of FF8 and realize what a wonderful idea this or that part of the game was. its sort of hard to explain, however this realizations gave way to an urge to begin a new game, urges which eventually became so strong that i put down the controller in the middle of the battle arena and began a new game of 8. im interested to hear how these two very fine games compare amoungst you people.

VII beats out VIII easily.

VIII really wasn’t as good as many people thought it would be. The main theme is stupid. The cast of characters sounds more like a therapy session. All the characters were the same. The drawing magic thing was retarded.

I’m not saying VII is flawless. VII did have it’s flaws. The plot wasn’t all that big and bad. It lacked challenge, mostly near the end. I mean, jesus, Sephiroth acts like a big badass in the game, but when you get to fight him, he’s nothing but a wuss. Like Kefka, but Kefka really is a badass.

Thus begins Fanwars.

I like them both equally.

final fantasy 7 and 8 are very similar because they’re both set in the present/not so distant future.
7 & 8 are probably my 2 favourite final fantasy games because if i played one them them right now it would bring back a lot of memories.

havn’t played 7 yet, but 8 looked alot more intersting to me (therefore i first bought 8, 7 will come next)

Fool! Saying such a thing draws the wrath of BOTH sides of the argument.

And I liked VII better.

7 was indeed a heck of a lot more fun to play than 8, and no, I don’t know why either.

They’re both awsome.

VIII really wasn’t as good as many people thought it would be. The main theme is stupid. The cast of characters sounds more like a therapy session. All the characters were the same. The drawing magic thing was retarded.
Huhuh, you’re a really insightful guy for pointing this out. Oh wait, no you’re not. You’re just repeating the same old broken record opinion you’ve heard from everyone else.

How is the main theme “stupid?” There are only two themes in FFVIII:

  1. Saving the world and beating the fuck out of anyone who tries to stop you. Every game in existance does this.
  2. Friendship, and making sacrifices for your friends. Almost every RPG does this.

Both of these seem pretty noble and important to me.

How were all the characters the same? Squall didn’t act like a super happy funshine hippie like Selphie did. Irvine didn’t obsess over hotdogs like Zell did. Rinoa didn’t obsess over trains or shoot a witch from a clock tower. She’s not even a SeeD.

If you’re talking about all the characters having the same opportunities and abilities in battles, let me direct you to this list of games:

  1. Final Fantasies I, II, III, V, VI, VII, X.
  2. Suikoden I and II.
  3. Chrono Cross
  4. Dozens of other games that turned out to be some of the greatest ever created in spite of having characters with almost identical fighting abilities.

The characters sounded like a therapy session, apparently. Between Squall and Zell enthusiactically beating the shit out of everything, flying academies crashing into each other, invisible cities spontaneously appearing in the middle of a wasteland, and the entire space-time continuum compressnig into a single moment, it’s probably the most intense damn therapy session I’ve ever been to.

All I can say about drawing magic being retarded, is that I’d rather draw it than buy it, or “learn it” from hitting enemies with a metal rod, somehow.

FFVIII did have flaws, but if you’re gonna make a post about it can you at least put a little thought into it instead of blindly repeating review summaries? Thanks.

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Now, back to the original topic: Yes, FFVII and FFVIII are both awesome :stuck_out_tongue: Some of the things I think make them similar are the pace, the nations, the HUGE amount of potential customization, and the amount of detail put into every aspect of them, especially the relevance of what NPCs say concerning the stories.

The pace is about the same. It’s fast without being too fast. The battles don’t put you to sleep (unless you’re uberleveling) like they would in a slow game like FFIX, and on their fastest setting the bar fills almost instantly. I like playing this way, instead of waiting 30 seconds for it to fill up while the enemies hammer you, especially if the bar stops every time they make an action like it did in Chrono Trigger.

The nations aren’t TOO similar, but there are quite a few parallels between Shinra and Galbadia, just as an example. Their purpose is the same: a neutral corporation that actually isn’t the main antagonist of the game. I think this adds depth to the stories of both games, and creates an excuse for the pasts of people like Sephiroth, Cloud, and Laguna, without being the center of conflict within the games.

Customization doesn’t need much of an explanation. You have stuff like Added Effect and Elemental Materia, with it’s FFVIII equivalents, the status attack/defense and elemental attack/defense abilities. I think VII wins over VIII in this aspect, only because VIII doesn’t have any equipable armor or accessories that can give you HUGE bonuses like in VII.

The NPCs actually say more than “Durr my kid went out to play in the grass.” They give you hints about the story and tell you how to defeat certain enemies sometimes. I also like how it’s NECESSARY to talk to them in order to progress in both games. In a lot of games they’re just there to look pretty.

Now, for DIFFERENCES:

Obviously the setting. FFVIII takes place in a futuristic psedo-utopian world with classic cars, fast trains, flashy lights, and beautiful scenery. Most of the towns you visit in FFVII are grungy, polluted, run down, or filled with prostitutes and drug dealers. lol :stuck_out_tongue: I think FFVII’s setting is something more of us can relate to, but I think FFVIII’s is something more of us actually WANT to relate to. I can’t say which I like better. There was a hell of a lot of thought put into both.

Music. FFVIII wins hands down. FFVII has some great tracks like Crazy Motorcycle, Judgement Day, March, and some others. But it can’t compare to jumping out of a sub and attacking a city while The Landing booms in the background. The Salt Flats, Silence and Motion, and Liberi Fatali are also probably some of the best songs I’ve heard in ANY game. And of course, Eyes on Me. FFVII just doesn’t have anything to compare with these.

I’m tired of typing now. I might post more later :stuck_out_tongue:

You forgot the other main theme Hades- looooove.

I intended for “Friendship” to encompass that >>; But yeah love is important too.

I/m the exact opposite. I thought FF8’s music was great, but could in no way compare to FF7. FF7’s tracks, to me, seemed exclusive to the setting; gave depth to the background. Compared to that, FF8’s music just sounded like filler music, to me. A lot of it was great, but FF7’s music just blew it out of the water for me.

FF8? Filler? :open_mouth: :open_mouth: :open_mouth: I think you don’t know what you’re talking about :open_mouth: :open_mouth: I don’t think either game’s music was filler, and what you said about FF7’s applies to FF8’s even more. Well, some of them in both games were kind of filler-y, but sometimes that’s desired.

All the PSX games have music that’s more ambient than actual tracks. There are some really great tracks in FF8, but I have to agree that I found the music much more lacklustre than FF7’s. For one thing, they overused one theme way too much, and said theme wasn’t even all that good to begin with.

XD Go Hades. I liked FFVIII more - it remains my favourite Final Fantasy to date. Why? I don’t know. But I liked FFVII too. The two aren’t mutually exclusive, y’know. It’s possible to like one and not think the other is ‘retarded’.

Also, I get sick of hearing people’s opinions on these games stated as fact. They’re opinions. There is no true answer. It’s all about personal preference. And, honestly? I’d rather be sided with the slash-fic’ing FFVIII fangirls than the FFVII adolescent fanboys :wink:

Personally I like them both equally. Since FF7 was the first one I ever played, so it has a special place in my heart. But there is just som much about FF8, that I love.

And way to Hades. Nice way to put that PeTeRL90 in his place. Since there is a lot more to FF8, then many people have been told to believe, by the harsh reviews it has got.

Don’t say I put him in his place. Then he’ll be spiteful and try to argue my points >>; And I’m really not in the mood to do that right now.

Close, FF7 battles where faster but…

Languna Battle Tune: The man with the Machine gun. Tipped the Balance to put FF8 in the lead.

So, Both Great Games, I have changed change favuate game 4 times in a day. So FF8 wins by a nose. (Uk Horse Racing Talk, for very Close)

Big Nutter

FF7’s battles weren’t faster. You’ve never played FF8 on it’s fastest setting with haste on and a maxed speed attribute have you? The guage fills in a tenth of a second.