Last week, we looked at one of my favorite, and one of the internet's least favorite, video games of all time, Final Fantasy VIII. I'm not going to say that all the criticism of the game is unfounded, but a lot of it is and I want to explore why, or at least why I think that's the case. Be prepared for some nerd rage, because I may get a little more testy than I usually. The hate spewed at this game is often very vitriolic, far more so than any other title I've ever seen, and I may end up paying some of that back in kind.
First, let's go back to my post on unfairly hated games. Let's run down the list of common factors and see how many of them FFVIII checks:
-It was released unfinished - actually, a little bit, though I don't think it was a major factor in all the hate. The game was released with support for the Pocket PlayStation, with some items and a Chocobo minigame exclusive to the peripheral. The problem here? The Pocket PlayStation was never released in the U.S.
-It vacillates between overrated and underrated - FFVIII was definitely a critical and commercial success when it came out. It always had its detractors in gaming mags, but the true hate didn't begin until the internet age.
-It's too popular - Definitely. Remember JRPGs were a big deal in the late 90's and one from the most popular franchise during peak years was destined to generate some level of hate. VI and IX are indie darlings, despite being big name titles. VII has tons of very passionate detractors...and just as many very passionate defenders. But VIII kind of got the worst of both worlds in this regard.
-It's different from what was promised - Not to a huge extent, but it definitely lacks a lot of the "destined warrior saves the world" stuff that the earlier FFs had, and I don't think people were expecting that.
- It's too different from other games in the series - also definitely, for the reasons outlined above, last week and dozens more.
- Outside factors impacted its reputation - not really, I think we're clear here.
- People didn't "get it" - I think this is the biggest reason why.
I've said it before and I will say it again: the majority of Final Fantasy VIII's critics totally and completely miss the point of what this game is about, who and what it's speaking to and what you are supposed to learn from its characters. We are going to deal heavily with plot, storyline and meaning here, but I want to first talk a little bit about the gameplay. It's not as big a disconnect, but a large section of FFVIII haters don't really "get" the game mechanics any more than they get the plot.
This is backed up by the sheer number of critics that despise the game for polar opposite reasons. It's too easy! It's too hard! The junction system is too easy to break! The junction system is too hard to figure out! There's too much grinding! You don't even have to fight enemies to beat the game! I could go on, but the bottom line is there's no consensus as to why the game is bad, just screeching into a void that the game is bad without an attempt to understand how it works and play it as intended. I get this to a point, because FFVIII doesn't hold your hand when it comes to strategy. Sure, there's a tutorial, but that's just the basics. One of the great things about FFVIII is that there are multiple ways to skin a cat in every situation, but the game doesn't always do a great job of gently nudging you into some of the strategies it wants you to employ.
So, I am going to help you out. You, over there, complaining that there is too much grinding: if you are grinding in FFVIII you are doing it wrong and if you complain about the grinding here and not in older FFs, you are delusional. Do you feel you are spending too much time drawing magic? Well, let me ask you this: did you look at the very obvious, not-at-all hidden or secret abilities that your GFs have? The ones where they turn items into magic? Use those instead. In fact, you should almost never draw from enemies in combat unless they have a really great spell or GF. Did you think the game is too easy? Maybe, just maybe, try limiting yourself by not grinding for hours to exploit the game's mechanics? Though, I will say, it's still a bit too easy even without doing that. Is the junction system too hard to figure out? Just call the GFs Espers and you will totally get it! Basically, it's not the mechanics that are the problem, it's you. And if me telling you suck at the game hurts your feelings, think about that the next time you tell someone to "git gud" at whatever Soulsborn game it is you are aroused about right now.
But that's not where most of the hate comes in. Most of that is more targeted at the plot, story and characters. I talked about some of the fair criticism about these aspects in the previous post, the bad plot twist, the boss switcharoo, etc. I guess, at the end of the day, all criticism is fair. If you don't like something, you don't like it. If you are just criticizing a game, some of the more attacking statements I have made and will make aren't directed at you, though the call to re-examine FFVIII through a different lens still stands. The most common complaints I see about FFVIII are that the writing is bad, it's too ridiculous and over the top, Squall is "Emo," and that it's just a stupid love story. I'm not going to go too deep on the first one, that's largely a matter of opinion and makes no consideration for localization (which is relatively good in FFVIII). If you want to think the writing in Chrono Trigger is on par with some artsy fartsy indie film, that's your prerogative. I personally think this attack is largely a cop out haters use when they can't really think of anything else to say or when someone dares criticize one of their sacred cow games. I've already touched on the second one a bit and yeah, the plot and story are a bit crazy. But they aren't really in comparison to other games in the series. Remember, these critics are the same people that consider a game where a non-descript being traveling with your party because its hungry while an energy being in a man-thong genocides the rat people to be sacrosanct.
As for Squall being emo...Squall is decidedly "emo" at the start of the game. His constant "whatever"'s, his brooding complaints about not needing anyone, his imploring Quistis to talk to a wall if she needs someone to listen, all of it is behavior you'd find from a moody teenager. But that's why Squall is a good character, he is just so real. He acts like a moody teenager...because he's supposed to be a moody teenager (I think the manual says he's 17). What makes him a great character is how he grows up as the story continues. It starts slowly but surely, with him taking on a leadership roll in his squad. He leads them in following Rinoa's orders, even though she drives him insane, as well as in their mission to stop the sorceress. Along the way, he starts to genuinely care for these people, especially Rinoa. He starts to slowly show it, re-assuring Selphie about the garden festival, supporting Irvine when he chokes during the attempted assassination of Edea, letting Zell borrow his ring. But he truly starts to come into his own when he is placed in charge of the entirety of Balamb Garden. His speech to the garden before a major battle against their Galbadian rivals is where he truly comes out of his shell (at least if you do it the correct way).
It's no secret that at times, the plot feels like it's secondary to Squall and Rinoa's romance. It takes some time to get the brooding, dour Squall to open up, but once he does the two of them become the primary focal point of the game. I'm not going to say that's not true, but it completely misses the point of what this game is actually about. A lot of gamers have difficulty relating to Squall and it only recently hit me as to why...because they didn't "get" what FF VIII is about at its core. When you strip any piece of media down to its bare bones, you will be left with a core message, one single takeaway that media is attempting to have you understand. When you distill FF VIII down to its essence, it isn't really a game about a bunch of military school kids. It's not a game about sorceresses traveling through space and time. Hell, it's not even a love story. Final Fantasy VIII is a game about growing up, putting aside your youthful insecurities and taking responsibility for yourself and those who depend on you. Gamers find it hard to empathize with Squall because doing so asks them to look somewhere most video games won't...the mirror.
It's hard to empathize with a character that makes you reflect on the worst parts of yourself, which is what Squall as a character is supposed to do. Critics of his character and FFVIII as a whole refuse to see themselves in Squall, either now or in their past. They are above characters like that. "I was never that way." "I've always been assured and confident, a step ahead of everyone my age." "I was too smart to have such a bad attitude." "It's just not a character I can relate to," is a big one, usually followed by a list of characters they can relate to. Solid Snake (Metal Gear), Nathan Drake (Uncharted), Master Chief (Halo) and John Marsden (Red Dead Redemption) are some common ones I see, with Zidane or Cecil the most common among other FF characters. I hate to break it to you, but if you are into Final Fantasy enough to be reading this article, you were far more like Squall at 17 then you were like any of those other characters. I have zero problem admitting that I was. In fact, I'm probably more like him now than I am like any of those other characters, because while they are iconic, most of them are perfect characters with no real flaws to speak of (Snake being the exception from that group). People are going to find it easier to relate to perfect characters because doing so doesn't require confronting personal shortcomings. Relating to Squall requires an examination of one's personal growth process and a re-examination of what it took, and what it continues to take, to grow up. I don't know exactly what that is, but I can tell you definitively it has nothing to do with how many IPAs you drink or how many rounds of golf you play, nor does it involve giving up your childhood interests in favor of a more socially accepted hobby. None of this is to say you should never have perfect characters, not every piece of media has to result in a reexamining of one's flaws. But that doesn't necessarily mean the characters that ask you to do that searching are bad.
But again, we have to look at where a lot of this criticism is coming from. I see it quite a bit on "listicle" sites, most of which just parrot what they feel is the general consensus of the internet. You can tell by these writeups that most of the authors have never played the game before, this isn't a phenomenon that's unique to FFVIII but it's one of their favorite targets. When some 20-year-old hipster starts pontificating from their 10x10 box in Park Slope about why Final Fantasy IX is the best in the series because it's a throwback to the old games, it should give you some pause. They weren't even born when the "old games" came out. They just repeat the same talking points over and over. IX is the much better Final Fantasy title and there is no room for argument. It's just so charming! It has Vivi! It's a return to the series' roots that they weren't old enough to actually experience! It has Vivi! For the few that did actually play IX, of course they are going to relate more to a story about finding yourself (which is essentially what IX is at its core) than to one about growing up and learning to take responsibility. It's all about me and my superior knowledge, right? These folks don't know it, but they are what they despise about FFVIII and its cast. I'm not just picking on FFIX, it's a great game in its own right, just giving an example of one of many games that are often elevated above VIII without good reason (though there are plenty of good reasons to like IX better). What's the point of that? To gain internet cool points, what else?
Why not pick on an easy target? Who cares why they became easy targets in the first place? As long as everyone hating anonymously on the internet agrees with me, that's all that matters. I always found it odd that a group that is so dead set against enjoying anything popular has so little tolerance for dissent from popular opinion. FF VIII has always been something of a punching bag for these people and that has snowballed into the modern online discourse. As we all know, said discourse isn't always friendly. A lot of criticism nowadays just goes straight to personal, "you are bad if you like something different from me." I find this to be especially bad in the gaming community, especially when it comes to the aforementioned sacred cows. I might do a post on these later because I've been thinking quite a bit about this topic quite a bit. But to keep it short, if you criticize Chrono Trigger, Resident Evil 4, Final Fantasy VI or any From Software or Zelda game, you are a horrible person. That cuts both ways, certain games are bad because the internet said so and there's little to no argument allowed. FFVIII isn't without its vocal defenders, but they are few and far between and I think this is another major factor as to why.
Again, I'm not going to say that FFVIII is above reproach, because it isn't. No video game is perfect, and no video game will ever be perfect. It's really more misunderstood, I know I didn't quite get it either when I was younger. I will also reiterate that no one should be forced to like something they don't. But the outright hate, sarcastic barbs and utter dismissiveness of FFVIII is ridiculous. While some of it has to do with the gameplay, I still believe much of it comes from the lack of understanding of, or outright refusal to listen to, its core message. I would advise anyone to replay this game through a different lens, especially those of you that dismiss the opinions of anyone that doesn't consider Chrono Trigger the greatest RPG of all time as invalid. You may actually learn something.
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