Day 53

Game - Final Fantasy 8, Day 53
Hours Played/Hours Total - 4-1/2 hrs / 4-1/2 hrs
Starting Point - Beginning of Final Fantasy 8.
Current Goal - Start Final Fantasy 8. Beat Final Fantasy 8.

What Happened - And thus I continue the journey...through Final Fantasy! I've arrived at another beginning, and let us hope it goes well. You see, I've attempted to play through Final Fantasy 8 about 3 times now. My last attempt almost got me to the end, but something happened and caused me to quit. This time I really plan to see it through, so without further ado...let's do it!
     The game opens up with a couple minute cutscene. During the cutscene, it shows of three different people: two men and a woman. I'm going to be honest...this just starts up a list of questions! This is even before the game actually starts. The two men are sword fighting, but it all ends when they come to a clash after scarring one another. Now here is where the game begins. One of those men wakes up to find himself in an infirmary. The doctor there talks to him, asks if he is okay, and reveals him as the first and main character...Squall.

Ladies love a good scar!

Before I go any further, the first big thing to notice here is...this game looks a LOT better. Seriously, Final Fantasy 8 looks insanely impressive if you compare it to Final Fantasy 8. The people...look like people! For its time, it looked pretty good, and I was told by a friend that it kind of shaped how the rest of the series looked. I wasn't sure what to think of that at first, but then it's pretty obvious that it was true. This title started what is the basic look for the rest of the series (the more realistic-ish looking characters and such). Let's move on.
     She scolds him for fighting and getting hurt. She proceeds to walk away and call his instructor named Quistis. The game sits there for a moment, but then a small cutscene plays showing a woman walking into the infirmary and into Squall's room. I'm going to go ahead and partially ruin it by revealing this to be the next character in line...Quistis!

Imagine her with glasses for the sexy librarian look! 

She says that she figures it was either him or Seifer (obviously the other guy in the opening video). She grabs him up and tells him they need to get to class. Along the way, Quistis teases Squall and gives us a small insight into his character. He's not the biggest people person...for sure. While heading that way, I get a small view of this building I'm in. Apparently, it is some form of academy (has students in uniforms and such). In the classroom, Quistis talks about some sort of exam that the group will be taking. She also tells Seifer that he needs to be careful with his practice partner in the future. (The game then shows Seifer being all angry-like in the back of the class. He's sitting next to Squall, and I might as well throw his image in now!)

"Look at me! I'm Seifer! I think I'm sooo great!"

     As soon as the class ends, Quistis asks to talk with Squall really quick. Upon approaching, she asks Squall about the exam coming up. It's some sort of mission for something called SeeD (I'll get back to what it is). However, he hasn't done the prerequisite so that he can take the SeeD exam. With that said, Quistis asked me to meet her at the Front Gate. Before that, she suggested I look over the information at Squall's desk terminal. So I went ahead and looked it over. The machine contained a lot of information about the game and my current surroundings. The current place is something called a Garden. It's a university of sorts that helps people from age 10 to 20 learn about things and such. However, some people end up staying there (after they graduate and/or leave) to become school mercenaries of sorts (aka the SeeD thing). Members of Seed go out and perform services or missions for the school or people that hire them. There are three Gardens in the game, and the current one I'm at is called Balamb Garden. The headmaster here is a man named Cid (Woo! Welcome back Cid!). Apart from that information about the Garden, I also learned about the gameplay system.
     Now we come to the biggest chunk of Final Fantasy 8....the Junction System. It's probably the most interesting thing about FF8, but it's a bit harder to grasp than the previous systems. Basically, each character can equip (known as Juction) a Guardian Force. Guardian Force (known as GF) is like the summons of the previous titles, but they play a MUCH bigger part this time. By equipping a GF, a character is able to summon the GF, but more importantly, the GF allows them to gain certain abilities and actions. The GF's have their own set of levels that they can gain! As they level up and grow, they learn more and better abilities. Aside from that, they also allow you to Junction magic to a character's attributes.
     In this title, Magic works more like items. However, you gain magic by "drawing" it from enemies. When you draw magic from an enemy, it can either be stocked on that character or immediately cast for its effect. By collecting magic, you can junction it to a character's stats to improve them. The Junction System also serves as a character's main form of status growth. Without a GF, a character won't gain much as far as stats go, and you honestly can't accomplish a lot without the GFs giving you your abilities. To put it simple, you can't even use items or magic without having a GF equipped. There are lots of different abilities and things that go into making the Junction and GF system as it is, but overall, it's a fairly interesting way of doing things. I hope that more or less explains it. It's not as complicated as I acted like it was, but it is nothing like anything that has been done before (or even done since).
     This is probably the first (and only big) complaint about this title. I spend so much time in my battles trying to draw magic off enemies. It takes a lot of time out of the overall game and can make it somewhat boring at times. Sure, I could just limit how much magic I draw off an enemy, but some magic/enemies are harder and rare to find. Therefore, I try to get what I can while I can. Again, this is probably one of the few complaints I have about the title for this time. Once you get past drawing, it's a really enjoyable game and system...Let's get back to the post!
     After absorbing the knowledge from the terminal, I was given my first two GF's, Quetzalcoatl and Shiva. Quetzalcoatl is the electric replacement for Ramuh in this title. With those in hand, it was time to meet Quistis. However, before getting too far, a girl bumped into Squall and asked him to show her around. (It gave me the choice, and I chose yes.) While helping her out, a guy gave me a set of cards, so I now had the ability to play the in-game card game. I'll get to that later. Going downstairs, Squall showed off terminal and talked about all the different locations in the Garden. After that, I had some time before meeting Quistis near the front gate. Technically, I could meet her at any time, but I didn't really have anything I could do in here...besides the card game.
     Final Fantasy 8 features a fairly well done and addictive card game known as Triple Triad. It's fairly simple yet it offers a lot of challenge and fun! There are a large assortment of cards based on monsters, characters, and GFs. Each card has 4 number values (arranged in a + pattern). You then place the cards on a 3 by 3 grid. When placed down, the card flips over any card with a smaller number and converts it to your color. The end goal is to have more cards than the opponent. There are also other variables like a card's element or rules that vary by continent and location. Depending on where you play, you can win/lose a single card per battle or multiple cards! Overall, it's pretty fun to play, and there are a lot of benefits to playing. You can refine cards into different items, but I won't be able to do that for a while. I challenged a couple different people to a game or two and managed to earn some cards. I also lost one here and there, but I still got some good cards out of it. After doing enough card battles, it was time for the prerequisite test!
     As I was leaving the Garden, I spotted my first Draw Point. Draw Points are visible and hidden points in locations and on the World Map where you can draw out a specific magic (based on preset types). This Draw Point contained the Cure spell. I drained it and left the Garden. On the outside, Quistis joined up with me and pointed me north to a cave. (She also gave me a tutorial...which I JUST covered in the damn classroom!) I left the Garden and explored a bit...which ran me into my first battle! Before anything happened, Quistis mentioned that I could use R1 to pull the trigger. (Keep reading!) You see, Squall's weapon of choice is a Gunblade. It's exactly how it sounds...a blade with a gun! In this case, the handle of it resembles a revolver while the barrel of the gone lengthens out into a large blade. If you time your shooting of the gun right, you can do quite a bit of extra damage. It's pretty awesome actually. Aside from that, the game uses the basic ATB (Active Time Battle) system. Limits are a bit different though, but I'll talk about that when I actually use one.
     Before heading towards the cave, I spent some time drawing some magic for myself. This used up around an hour of time. Minus the time wasting, it's still a really well done system and game. After taking too much time for Drawing magic, I decided to make my way to the cave. Once there, Quistis gave me ANOTHER tutorial, and this time it was over Junctioning magic..which I already learned in the classroom! (THANK YOU QUISTIS.) From here, I approached the cave and talked with some of the Garden personal. Quistis had come along as my support (a requirement for this), and we entered the cave. I was given a choice of 4 time options to get complete the task in the cave. A little insight and knowledge of this part told me that ten minutes was more than enough for this part (the other options were 20, 30, and 40). I entered the Fire Cavern and proceeded to the center. The test was for me to make it to the center and defeat the Guardian Force Ifrit. It wasn't a very long walk, and thanks to the training earlier, I didn't have any trouble with the enemies here. I approached the middle, Ifrit jumped out, and I began my very first BOSS BATTLE TIME for Final Fantasy 8!
     For my very first boss battle, I was to face off with the dastardly fire monster known as Ifrit! He was a formidable foe. There wasn't really too much strategy to do here though. The biggest thing I had to do was just constantly cast Blizzard on him. I did summon Shiva one time, and that worked very well. The more interesting part about Shiva was that after I used it, Ifrit commented on it! (He said "You have SHIVA?!) The battle did take some time though, and I came in REALLY close under the mark. I managed to beat Ifrit with less than a minute on the clock! After his defeat, he surrendered his power to me, and I had a new GF on the team. With Ifrit defeated, the test was officially done. I was allowed to walk and look around the cave at my leisure. Of course, this was fairly pointless since there wasn't anything to do. I did get in a few battles and gain extra experience, but that wasn't really worth much. I did make use of my newly obtained Card skill though! It allows me to convert an enemy into a card. Of course, I have to weaken them first, but I gained a few new cards this way. After that, I left the cave and returned to Balamb Garden.
     Once I was back at Balamb, it was time to prepare for the SeeD test! Quistis told me to change into my SeeD uniform and return to the front. I ran around for a bit and played a few card games, but then it was business time! I ran to the dorm, changed my outfit, and went back out. Once there, I was informed that the test was being taken as part of a team. Besides Squall, there was two other members. The first one that was introduced is the next character in the main crew lineup...Zell! (LOOK BELOW!)

Did you see my tattoo? It goes great with my hair! DID YOU SEE MY HAIR!?

That's Zell all right...that guy. Look at his smile and the tattoo! And the hair that is somehow standing straight up all like that...Square sure loves them some spiked-up hair. Anyways, Zell is a hand-to-hand fighter. He's loud, proud, and easy to anger! He introduces himself and tries to shake Squall's hand, but Squall...denies. Yeah, I'm already seeing that Squall is going to be Mr. Not-Social. After Zell, I'm introduced to the team leader of our little group. Unfortunately for us, it's Seifer. He shows up along with his little posse of punks. It doesn't introduce them direction, but it's a man and a woman named Raijin and Fujin (hope I spelled that right). They take off in their own direction, and our group is greeted by the headmaster.
     Headmaster Cid talks with the group and gives a brief speech. There will be four squads of three. We'll be thrown into a real battlefield where danger is a possibility. He also states that there are 9 SeeD members going out into the field to complete the job in case we fail. He wishes us luck, and then we all take off. Using the garden's car, we head to the nearby town of Balamb. From there, we jump aboard some sort of gunboat  and head towards our mission. As we are travelling, a girl named Xu explained the mission to us.
     We were hired by the country/city of Dollet. They were under attack by Galbadian forces. They had tried to fight back, but they ended up retreating into the nearby mountains to regroup. The G-Army (as the game calls it) is wiping out the remaining Dollet forces in the mountains. Our goal, if we choose to receive (technically have to), is to go in and wipe out the remaining G-Army forces in the city. After liberating the city, SeeD members will intercept any remaining forces that try to make their way into the city from the mountain range. The group talked a bit, and then I was given a brief cutscene as we were reaching the land. It was pretty action-y. It showed our boats shooting towards the beach and landing down. Once landed, we were ordered to secure the Central Square. Along the way, we fought off several Galbadian soldiers while making our way to the Square. Once there, we were to wait around and simple keep it secure. Of course, the three guys weren't quite satisfied with this and started to feel bored.
     While waiting around, a large group of soldiers made their way out of town and into the mountains towards an old communications tower. Seifer decided the group should chase after them and figure out what they were up to. Zell disagreed with this action, but Squall was going to follow the group leader's orders. In all reality, the group was just bored of the current situation and looking forward to some action. I made my way out of the town and up into the mountains. The first thing we came across were some defeated Dollet soldiers. One of them warned me about the monsters on the mountain...as he was being dragged off! SOMEWHAT BOSS BATTLE TIME! I really only say that because it was somewhat presented as a boss although it really wasn't. It was a giant snake monster, and it was quite menacing...looking. I cast Scan on it for a weakness, and then let loose with what Blizzard magic I could! At the beginning of the battle, Seifer demanded I let him have the last hit...so I did. With this battle finished, I was able to proceed through the mountain.
     Once on the other side, we spotted the soldiers going into the tower. Seifer ran further down the path and after them. Squall and Zell went to go after him, but they were distracted by someone else entering the scene. The girl from earlier was chasing us down with a message for the Squad Leader (Mr. Seifer who just ran off). She also gave her name...Selphie, the next character in the FF8 lineup!

MY HAIR IS ALL LIKE UUUUUU

She joined with the group as we made chase after Seifer. She was determined to give him the message. I followed around and into the Communications Tower. Once there, Seifer popped out briefly as he was chasing off more soldiers. I entered the tower and used the elevator to reach the top. Once there, I came face to face with a certain memorable duo...It was Biggs and Wedge! They return once again in Final Fantasy to play the parts of two Galbadian soldiers. The group had caught them off guard for BOSS BATTLE TIME!
     The battle began with me only fighting against Wedge. As for the party, Seifer wasn't part of it, so I was currently featuring Squall, Zell, and Selphie. Wedge wasn't too much trouble though, and I actually spent most of this part drawing Esuna magic off of him. After taking so much damage, Biggs showed back up and was helping him out. I fought with the duo for a bit, but it didn't end with them. Just as victory seemed to be coming in, the two of them got blown away by a giant bat-demon looking monster named Elvoret. Before getting too far, I immediately used Draw to grab the Guardian Force Siren off of him. I'm really hoping that there aren't a lot of GFs attached to bosses. After that, I wasted some time trying to draw the Double spell off of him. The Double spell (once cast on a character) allows them to cast TWO spells in a round as opposed to just one! Seeing as this was the first sign of the spell (and assuming it is rare), I began to draw as much of it off him as I could manage. Of course, this was starting to become a hindrance as he wasn't going to just sit there and let me do it. I had to start attacking with my group. I cast Double on a couple of them to allow myself to heal easier. With that done, I just threw anything I could at him. I avoided spells since he didn't have any major weaknesses though. I mostly kept to physical strikes while using a GF summon or two. It took longer than I thought it would, but he did finally fall in the end. VICTORY FOR ME!
     With Elvoret defeated, the mission seemed to be finished. Although...we never did see what they were doing here. They got the tower activated, but we didn't see what happened after that. There wasn't any time to figure it out either. After the battle finished, Selphie approached Seifer and delivered her message. The order to Withdraw had been given, and they would be leaving there at 1800 hours. According to the group in-game, they only had thirty minutes to make it back! Therefore, I only had THIRTY MINUTES to make it back! Seifer took off immediately, and the rest of the group had to follow swiftly. The trip back wouldn't have taken a fraction of that, but then..bad things happened. Just as we were about to leave the tower, Wedge had sent a little gift after us. It was a gigantic robot spider! It wasn't about to let us go without a fight either! BOSS BATTLE TIME!...sort of.
     I added "sort of" because it wasn't a boss battle that I had to finish. You see, after doing so much damage to him, I was forced to run away and keep making my way back to the beach. There really wasn't any good way to defeat the spider, and on top of that, we were quickly running out of time. I sped on through the next couple of areas while doing my best to avoid the damn thing. Thanks to a little luck and some tips from a guide, I managed to make it back to Dollet without any trouble. However, the robot spider wasn't about to let us get away that easily! I quickly ran ahead of it through town as it crashed its way through. It was destroying just about everything as it chased after us. Things were looking bad as we got to the beach. It then cut to a small scene. Squall was doing his best to get away, but the robot was still on his tail. Just as it started to look bad, Quistis used the mounted gun on the boat and unleashed upon the robot spider. She managed to hold it off long enough for Squall to get on the boat. The boat then shot off and made its way back to Balamb. Once there, Quistis congratulated us on a job well done and told us to head back to Balamb Garden to hear the results. We would have taken the car, but Seifer (being a stupid prick) took off with the Garden Car, so we had to walk back. Quistis said we could take our time heading back since the evening would mostly be our free time.
     I took this opportunity to...close up the post here. Seeing as I have more than enough for my first post, I went to the nearby inn, healed up, and saved the game there. There's not a lot of time or story so far, but I've got more than enough here to satisfy my post needs. I'm making small but meaningful strides in beginning FF8. Let me tell you...I like what I've played so far, and I greatly look forward to playing it some more! Stay tuned for another post hopefully in a couple of days.~

Ending Point - Balamb Hotel in...Balamb.
Current Party -

• Squall - Level 10
• Zell - Level 9
• Selphie - Level 8

Goals Accomplished - Started Final Fantasy 8. Gained my first two Guardian Forces: Shiva and Quetzalcoatl. Finished the prerequisite for the SeeD exam and gained the GF Ifrit. Completed the SeeD mission/exam. Played card games and such.
Next Goals - Return to Balamb Garden and hear the results of the SeeD exam.

~May the Crystals Guide Me~