The Curious Case of Final Fantasy VIII-2

[@samsoncooper1]

My favourite quote from the game is "I had a dream, too. It wasn't nice, though... I dreamt I was a moron"

[@xbrthrhdx]

Funny thing is Laguna is actually a genius in the way he set everything up for Squall.

[@Pauly0705]

Haha yes! Laguna was a special guy.

[@possessedslig]

Squall cracked me up, I don't know why he got so much hate

[@stviz87]

Loved the dialogue

[@MatthewBester]

I remember that haha.

[@ZanderWarren]

That's interesting to hear about the influence of Wizard of Oz on FF8. I'm surprised I never noticed it before. Laguna is the Wizard of Oz, becoming the leader of the Emerald City of Esther. Rinoa is Dorothy, complete with her dog Angelo as Toto. Squall with his Greiver necklace might seem like a stand-in for the cowardly lion, but his character is more like the Tin Man, being seemingly cold and emotionless, and needing to find his heart. Zell is more like the cowardly Lion, full of bluster but unsure of himself. And the scarecrow might be Selfie, who acts like a ditz, despite being the brains of the group. There's even a scene where the characters fall asleep in a forest, like Oz's deadly poppy field, and the Shumi Village is reminiscent of the land of the Munchkins. Oh and the reveal of master Norg in the garden basement is very like the man behind the curtain...

[@aztrozee]

Yes! The reveal of Norg in the garden basement always gave me a weird feeling of deja vu. It's almost like the man behind the curtain was the scary big face of the Wizard of Oz which freaked me out so much as a child.

[@jahithber1430]

Wow thank you for this, I think I need to watch the movie now

[@newtypecyber]

Who's Quistis then?

[@ZanderWarren]

@@newtypecyber I don't think it's a full-on 1-to-1 retelling of the Wizard of Oz. I thought about characters like Quistis and Irvine, or Ward and Kiros, but couldn't really find a analogs in the Wizard of Oz. The again, I've only ever read the original book and seen a few of the Oz movies. There's a whole series of Oz books that might have provided further inspiration.

[@newtypecyber]

@@ZanderWarren still fun to think about that stuff and find parallel storytelling elements. Oz would have been crazy with a Train-napping or parade sniper scene lol

[@jonbourgoin182]

As a kid I was at Toys R Us playing in a Pokemon card game tournament, and after I lost and was waiting for my mom to pick me up, I promptly took my Christmas card money and purchased my copy of FFVIII. I brought it home, booted it up, and immediately forgot all about the sting of my elimination from the tournament.

[@aarons.2323]

That is one of the most circa 2000 paragraphs I've ever read. I love it. 👍

[@raielle]

Ironically, I found out about 8 from an abandoned Manual on the ground. The one you get with the disc. Played it off and on for 10 years

[@lookhowshegobbledthat]

That Balamb Garden tune is so calming. It was a nice change of pace for me after all the sneaking around and claustrophobia of Metal Gear Solid.

[@straydogfreedom7795]

Nice, that's good stuff

[@freddiefibbs]

Better times right there

[@rosaheartlily]

FFVIII is the game that made me a gamer. I was so excited when the remaster was released. I would love a prequel telling Laguna's story. I would love a sequel that explores the lives of the characters post-main game. I would love a full remake that did or did not incorporate either or both.

[@dootytood2643]

Watching the story of Laguna having to give Squall up to the orphanage would hit the feels hard.

[@jamesmerkel1932]

Laguna wasn't even there for that, Raine died while he was away searching for Ellone, and it was during that time the game suggests Squall was born. However, given his connection with Edea, it would hit hard him visiting the orphanage to deliver Ellone for her safety and meeting his son for the first time, and knowing he couldn't care for him with his responsibility of keeping Adel imprisoned.

[@TH3DUDE0075]

It was the first FF I played. It was a random block buster rental. After getting into it I bought it and finished it, then bought and beat FF7, pre-ordered FF9, and then started playing the older games using Nesticle and ZSNES roms. FF8 will always be super super special for me.

[@BurnoutsAndBourbon]

8 is one of my favorites out of the whole series!!!

[@skippy-the-destroyer]

It's so good and catches so much hate over its junction system.

[@Kuunpoika]

Mine too! 🥇

[@robadams1512]

Its a great game but the last part is terrible, storywise

[@TheCatsofVanRaptor]

It’s my absolute favorite!

[@TheCatsofVanRaptor]

@@robadams1512did you talk to everyone?

[@Maelael]

If Laguna's half of the story had been there, FFVIII *might've* had 8 disks!

[@lightfm90]

@@brandonsteele2826 Even more? Final Fantasy 8 is the fourth best sold PS1 game of all time only behind Gran Turismo 2 and Final Fantasy 7

[@-na-nomad6247]

@@brandonsteele2826 & @lightfm90 Why do you speak like Dupond et Dupont (Thomson and Thompson)

[@williammiller3277]

​@lightfm90 doesnt that make it 3rd . . .

[@lightfm90]

@@williammiller3277 Sorry I meant both Gran Turismos, 1 is the best selling of all time then FF7 and GT2 and then FF8.

[@-na-nomad6247]

@@Maelael from what I remember, FF8 was barely marketted in EU and MENA. However both GT and FF7 were.

[@kanae1345]

Final Fantasy 8 had that peak y2k fashion aesthetic that still gives me so much inspo! I'm wildly thankful for it!

[@lookhowshegobbledthat]

This, they need to go back to that I fear. It's so nostalgic.

[@joshuamorillo1694]

Yesssssssss. It captured that surreal feeling so well!

[@Mikey_chillin]

Same it was the coolest

[@second_second_]

yeah, i still remember it. it's like a historical moment. and with that first final fantasy movie.. forgot the name. at that time, 3D was still very new and FF8 has great 3D characters

[@moogle890]

Whenever the subject of what game to "remake" after the FF7R trilogy is done comes up, I'm always in the camp of giving FF8 some more love. I feel like a remake that allows the devs to show off more of the world (not just the Laguna parts) would be very cool.

[@AmandineClaireDubois]

I wouldn't mind it, and would buy it, but I would want to see IV or VI remade more. Those are my favorites though.

[@carlobighouse5434]

8 is my next favorite after 7 and I can't even imagine how incredible it would be with a FF7R level remake. Really cool story, interesting characters and a unique world compared to many others in the series

[@ZG0002]

They have enough beloved content in 7,8&9 to set sales up for decades. Would be mad not to follow up the success of 7 remake with something similar for 8 imo. 7 was my top pick but 8 was very very close behind.

[@TomSir79]

FF VIII Remake is and will ALWAYS be one of my biggest Dreams! Give me that i cry for a Week!

[@paperz6580]

Totally understand that man, for me it was Final Fantasy 9. I heard rumor the remake was in process but when it was announce for real i am gonna cry like baby

[@akiinmoonlight79]

I love FF7R to death but all the alternate timeline stuff would be perfectly suited for a FF8 Remake

[@custos3249]

Seeing what they've don't with 7, god no

[@nesoukkefka1741]

If they could do a Remake and do what was planned and expand on Laguna's journey, that would be amazing.

[@JohnDoe-cj3cl]

Same here!

[@Venusdollartreedress]

I remember playing this game in Puerto Rico on my cousins PlayStation and he was too dumb to figure out anything. I was about 7 or 8 and I started progressing his gameplay. The rest of my trip with my family consisted of us only getting to disc 2 by the time I left. I went home and saved my birthday money to buy this game. Years later it’s the only nostalgia game I go back to and play it through. ❤❤

[@kuman309]

I had a friend like that, he let me borrow ff7 because he thought it was dumb and impossible. I ended up getting to disc 2 and all of a sudden he wanted his 'property back'. He really just wanted to show he wasn't dumb and try the game again.

[@nadiiia94]

It's so hard to watch your videos without getting distracted by that nostalgic soundtrack in the background😂 ff8 soundtrack has always been my favorite🥹

[@MagicPoseidon12]

I swear FF8 has one of the greatest soundtracks out of the entire series

[@DragonNexus]

Hoo boy it's interesting reading that interview with the quote "Of course. A Final Fantasy without a world map isn't a Final Fantasy game"

[@mr.m1785]

Wow. Considering they did away with world maps entirely just two games later...

[@yuantheblue]

I am very intrigued by the original parallel time plot that was was originally envisioned. That would have been neat. Also, that little detail on the entry of the moombas makes the whole 'Laguna! Laguna!' thing (which I never knew before) certainly helps fills in how to natively figure it out along the way :) And yes, I would absolutely love a Laguna themed game.

[@tigerwarrior1787]

*Man with the Machine Gun INTENSIFIES*

[@BuryTheLight-tds]

The parallel time plot would certainly fit a remake of 8 than what SE did with 7, funny how things turned out

[@allenfitness3895]

Ff8 was so criminally underrated. Nice video

[@phutureproof]

by who? everyone likes this game

[@halfpint11101]

@@phutureproofshockingly, there are people who actually don’t like VIII. Some of former friends used to say that it was the worst and weakest in the franchise and then they played XII and recanted their opinions.

[@axlefoley6330]

8 is my favourite of all Final Fantasy games. It was the first one I ever played and got my hooked on the series. I would love to see a remake and another game in the series both, and while I do like the Laguna sequences, I don't know if that's the way to go, but it would certainly be interesting to explore. But I know that I will probably never see either as much as I would like to.

[@Aloysius10]

If they did, they would also have to give 8 new concepts to make it stand out. Seven rebirth took triple card triad from 8.

[@virtualbunksie5117]

Ff8 actually feels like a modern final fantasy, yet also feels very fantastical and almost perfect in the way the story palmed out.

[@VandalHeart26]

the game was way ahead of its time in my opinion. Too bad a lot of people of issues with it.

[@JackSparrow-ct4mh]

this game was light years ahead of time!! still my favorite of them all

[@VandalHeart26]

@@JackSparrow-ct4mh mine as well, being my very first FF experience :)

[@JackSparrow-ct4mh]

@@VandalHeart26 did u play it on og ps1?

[@VandalHeart26]

@@JackSparrow-ct4mh I played the PC version back in 2000 or so. After that I played the PS1 game on my newly bought PS2, along with 9 and 10. I didn't own a PS1 back then

[@horrorkesh2]

I'm partial to 8 because that is the final fantasy I first played to completion

[@thealpha2549]

Same! It was my first FF, and I remember having a corrupted memory card and had to restart disc 1 like 2 times 😆

[@irapuff1924]

same for me too!! Watched my older brother play ff7 (still a HUGE ff7 fan) so when I got my own ps1and ff8 felt for my bday beating it made ff8 even more memorable for me.

[@irapuff1924]

@@thealpha2549 I ran into cinematics skipping and stopping problems because of the discs were getting scratched so I had to buy disc 2 a couple times lol

[@corruptcircuit]

And.....That ending, was so freaking epic

[@I.hate.it.here-]

@@thealpha2549was it a madkatz memory card? 😂😂😂 mine did the same but on disk 2.

[@jaykeke]

I discovered FF8 as a child because of a librarian at my local public library who recommended it to me from their extremely limited selection of PS1 games. I wish I could thank him for changing my life

[@georgehouliaras7239]

Ultimecia stole her plan from Garland. Chaos!

[@JeffWasNotHere]

Nobody: Absolute nobody: Jack: CHAOS?!?!?!?!?

[@sweatygoblin2335]

KURSE ALL SEED.

[@adolcristin3526]

Swarming like Lokust Akross generation you disgust me.

[@discgolfwes]

that music immediately takes me back

[@rootbeer_666]

Balamb Garden’s theme is always in my head when I go on walks through the quieter parts of town

[@iain1541]

I always loved FF8 more than any of the other titles, it just resenated with more more at that time of life. The story and characters are all incredible. I desperately want a remake in the style of the new FF7 games, I really hope SquareEnix can do this from the success of the remake trilogy.

[@fattiger6957]

I feel like FF8 definitely appealed very strongly to the late-90s teens and preteens. It certainly did for me since the game released when I was 13.

[@straydogfreedom7795]

@@fattiger6957 Very much so. As a socially awkward kid, Squall was very relatable and Rinoa was incredibly appealing.

[@minmogrovingstrongandhealthy]

If you would love the OG as you state you do then you would never ask for ANY remake. Use a remaster mod for the PC version or just move on with your life. Stop asking for moneygrab garbage remakes. Remakes are basically watered down pointless spinoffs that next to no one sane asks for ... Most of you "oh I love this and that give me a remake" make me sick ... You love NOTHING and have a slight clue wtf you are even talking about.

[@iain1541]

@minmogrovingstrongandhealthy What a bizarre thing to get angry about. Not everyone has access to or can afford multiple consoles or PC's so that isn't always an option. There have been many fantastic remakes that lots of people have absolutely asked for and asking for them does not mean you do not love the original but that you simply want to bring forward to a new generation looking as good as it possibly can. I wont be devested if a remake never happens there as there are so many games out there to play but there is nothing wrong with wanting it and it doesnt mean i am betraying the original like i am cheating on it or something.

[@MamawSukona]

​@@fattiger6957agreed I was born in 90 and Ff8 was my second FF to play and I loved the game so much, squall is my hero at that time. 😊😊

[@rolling-roadkill]

I actually like FF8 more than 7. The Gardens are some of my favourite game places to wander around in. The music and ambience is spectacular. 😍

[@timothyfoster6132]

Daryl! Thank you for this! Your level of research in every video is outstanding. 8 is one of my favourites and I never knew this! It’s great to let my mind wander with possibilities - such a nostalgic feeling. Thank you thank you thank you

[@syndehpua5069]

I might be because of the fact 8 was my first FF game, but I loved it soo much and it hit me at just the right age for me to really connect with it. Plus it got me into playing all the other FF games. For SE to release a new title related to 8, would be a small dream come true!

[@IronCodyAlan]

god what i wouldn't give for an 8-2 or an 8 remake

[@buufan9544]

I'd hate to see what woke broke crap a remake would turn into. As a person that was born before the NES was even released.... the7 remake. just.. ffs.

[@aeroevans9987]

@@buufan9544 Squall was -dead- gay the whole time!

[@Fakekas]

What was woke about FF 7 Remake?​@@buufan9544

[@thembill8246]

​@@buufan9544 WTF are you actually talking about?

[@Cacophaton]

@@thembill8246 He's just angry because Tifa has enormous tits, and not gigantic tits.

[@roguedr0id]

I would LOVE to see an expansion showing more of Laguna’s life. So much potential here.

[@desiladygamer2076]

Timber never got liberated and that sucks.

[@DarkFrozenDepths]

Final Fantasy VIII-2: The Liberation of Timber Now that I made that joke, I kinda want to see it actually happen

[@jonbourgoin182]

That's because the train model was too shabby looking

[@WillBlacksilver]

Looks like Squall, Balamb Garden and Cid are still bound by Rinoa's open ended contract then! LMAO

[@raielle]

Atleast the owls are still around.

[@TheRealSephiroth]

​@zell2626also theres the fact that they were controlled by edea who was controlled by ultimecia and once they were gone they would likely have stopped.

[@derrickwilliams2326]

Final Fantasy VIII was my very first rpg game and, ultimately, the reason why I love rpgs so much today

[@zakirstocks9514]

I Absolutely Love *Final Fantasy VIII* SO much from my Childhood Years! Squall Leonhart and Ultimecia and the characters of this Game are all Super Epic and Amazing!

[@phutureproof]

I love random Capital letters

[@Shawn-h4m]

I love the way you had to link the spells you draw from mobs or the spots on the ground to increase your stats in this game

[@aphelion_parallax]

FF8 needs more love. A remake would be awesome. Maybe they could test the waters by making a prequel mainly featuring Laguna first, and if reception is good, move forward with an 8 remake? That would be great!

[@televisionhero475]

I’d be down for a prequel I’ll even though out my idea for a name for such a title Final Fantasy VIII - Memories in the Wind

[@ewh88]

.....Someone promote this man

[@fattiger6957]

For some reason, Square seems much less proud of FF8 than they should. Maybe they listened too much to all the (way too loud) haters who act like it is the worst game ever.

[@laurencefraser]

@@fattiger6957 I mean, mechanically it was weird, and it's a timetravel plot that's actually executed fairly well, so that's a massive chunk of the audience just checking out right off the bat because they can't be bothered using their brain... and a TONNE of people hate Rinoa for... being the love interest, so far as I can tell... It was deserving of some criticism for the mechanical weirdness (seriously, the optimal stratagy was to draw the best magic you could get, shove it in your stats, and just use attack/limit breaks and healing items and pretty much Nothing Else in combat, so far as I could ever tell, but there was a lot of room to do all sorts of other crazy things if you wanted), but the other critisms say a lot more about the person making them than the game... though it must be admitted that the basketball court scene/reveal/whatever was a bit rough.

[@michaelkarlsson5966]

They could do without Laguna in my opinion. The game would be even better with a Laguna-free content.

[@JMShearer]

It's been awhile since I've played FF8 seriously, but I do remember the Laguna bits being high on my list of favorites from the game. I like the idea of doing more with those characters. One interesting idea that comes to me on that front is doing kind of a mirror image of the original, where Laguna, Ward and Kiros are the main characters for most of the game and wind up doing interludes as Squall and other members of that party. From the sounds of things, that may have been part of the original idea for the game we actually got.

[@inuboy2005]

I always thought the designs of the sorceresses were SO COOL. So, I've always wanted them to show up again in any way possible. A sequel, prequel, or remake would make that possible 😆

[@shermhart7617]

Check out the TCG game have some awesome artwork of her. Last one that dropped and a few other ones from series before

[@JackSparrow-ct4mh]

its not much but there are some cross world spin offs with ff8 characters like dissidia, kingdom hearts, ff mobious...

[@paulaguilera2268]

Ultimecia should get her own game, her plans were extreme and convoluted and I would love to know her story leading up to time compression.

[@le_petit_calimero]

I love this game so much, my favorite of the whole series! So many memories. I really need a remake! This game deserves it! Thanks for this video!

[@nighty8617]

Love FF8. Played it several hundred hours as a child and would love to see a remake of some sort. Cheers

[@diegoplanes7183]

Amazing video It is by far my favorite episode of the serie.

[@Emi_Alvarez]

I would personally crowfund a VIII-2 if there was the slightest chance of seeing it happening

[@Molotov_Milkshake]

Directed by Nomura with multiverses and alternate timelines etc 🤣

[@bumpotato1922]

would be better to remake the whole thing instead

[@brandynkoogler4500]

​@bumpotato1922 as long as they don't change the combat system. I hate the open combat like the remake of 7 and later installments. Turn based gameplay is what set FF apart from other games. It's part of what makes FF, FF.

[@slayer1156]

​@@Molotov_Milkshakeit would fit FF8 like a glove tbqh

[@sefrinmaulana9155]

@@slayer1156 yes, but leave nomura out of it lol

[@Nova7o9]

I am one who never picked up that Laguna was Squall’s dad when I played. It wasn’t until I saw some Final Fantasy Father - Son fan art many years later, then I just 🤯!! I remember calling my sister and telling her, it was awesome.

[@MatthewKing-Alexander]

A special story about Laguna as a follow up to Final Fantasy VIII would be interesting.

[@facundomorera9762]

I will hope for more FFVIII until the day i die. This was my first one when i was a kid and holds a special place in my heart.

[@Sacrengard]

A sequel for FF8 would work if focused on the origins of Ultimecia, she is still a mystery and a game about FF8 world in a post-apocalyptic future sounds fun. Because even if the game ended nicely, Ultimecia will eventually exist either way in the future... We could even see the origins of the the Eden GF!

[@NiiRubra]

I think Ultimecia is both great as she is now and also needing some expanding, as you said. I actually enjoy how she is a secretive mastermind who's really not unveiled until the very end, I think that makes her "realistic", in the sense that such a character would simply hide away and plot in secret until it's too late to stop them, and it very nearly is too late to stop her, she really is good at achieving her goals. But as the villain from a story, it really is a shame that we understand so little about her, the mystery is appealing, but it would be nice to have a bit more insight into who she is and what she is doing.

[@Sacrengard]

@@NiiRubra and that is exactly what I think. The mystery is ok in the main game, and the best way to go about it is in a side story

[@michaelkarlsson5966]

or a prequel about Quistis :)

[@cuppapablo]

FFVIII was the first actual FF game I owned. The story and characters were great, and would benefit for an expanded in game universe. There are so many side stories in the game, not just Laguna's journey, but all the different cities. I'd sell some vital organs if needed to buy any new VIII games.

[@Kuunpoika]

I can't tell enough HOW much FF8 meant to me when it was released! My first FF and I still play this game through every year!

[@HubertMM]

FFVIII was my first final fantasy and has always had a special place in my heart. It's the one I've played the most and always a comfort game for me. I would give anything for a sequel of some sort or remake.

[@BelaCeleste]

FFVIII is my personal favorite game of the series. I would want a full blown remake with 2 separate games. One from Squalls PoV and the other from Laguna's PoV. Ideally released at the same time but that's probably asking too much.

[@JustFaithless]

I will never ever forget playing final fantasy 8 for the first time...And watching the opening cutscene it just blew me away.

[@anglo-saxonconnor817]

Tip for those who don't like to spend time drawing magic early in the game. Learn the item refine ability in your GF ability list. You get lots of magic and a big stat boost very early on in the game.

[@kevinjones7870]

This was the first Final Fantasy game I ever played and I still replay it occasionally as I really enjoyed this game

[@anglo-saxonconnor817]

There are love themes in final fantasy viii. Most obvious and easily seen one are between Squall and Rinoa and they have a good ending at the end of the game. Zell and the schoolgirl and Irvine and Selphie are cute pairs too. Most unfortunate one are Laguna and his wife as well as his former love interest.

[@lightning9494]

Laguna gets shorted on the love spectrum

[@fattiger6957]

That would be a great thing to explore in a sequel. Maybe Squall is having problems in his relationship with Rinoa and Laguna (as his dad) tells him about how he lost Raine.

[@saulmadrid9950]

FF8 was one of my favorite games as a teen. Now I play A Realm Reborn and I've liked how BU3 has included previous titles in the form of a raid. Rabanastre was a cool place to travel to. I've always wanted to revisit Ultìmecia's Castle or Lunatic Pandora.

[@Hell_Soll]

I would ADORE a prequel focused on Laguna and his life

[@YHUNIIQ]

Some of my deepest memories are attached to going to Toy's R Us as a kid in the summer time (shortly after the game released) and paying $20 to have my life and taste level change forever. i didn't get too far out of Balamb as a child lmao but i specifically remeber playing FF8 with my window open and the sun on 110% brightness w/ a nice cool breeze...man. I'm grateful and would collapse over a Remake annoucement !

[@canguyen1590]

I just hope a remake is coming in my lifetime. It could be next year, next decade, or three decades from now. As long as i get to experience a modern version before i die.

[@rodrix50]

I remember my brothers playing FFVIII on their playstation, seeing their faces enjoying the game made me buy Crisis core for the PSP and absolutely loved it. Subsequently, I experienced the original ff8 and the franchise overall. This game series is a must for any enthusiast in gaming.

[@DJChamber]

An expanded remake with more Laguna sections would be amazing! That would be a dream come true. I would also be really on board with them incorporating the Rinoa eventually becoming Ultimecia theory, as it makes the story even more powerful and dark, but that also might be pretty divisive.

[@petebagwell6666]

Nah its too complicated, wait till ps10

[@NemesisSP]

The only thing R = U adds is forced tragedy and out of place pathos. It was a theory made by people wanting a darker take on a story that's not meant to be dark in the first place. No, it doesn't add to the story. Especially since it does a disservice to Squall and Rinoa's characters. Also, most of the "hints" aren't even in the original Japanese text. The lines taken to make it seem like they're hints are due to VIII's subpar translation.

[@NiiRubra]

Judging by what Kitase said, if FF8 remake were ever to be a reality, he would take into the account the theory of Squall being dead, that is not to say that that's exactly what going on, but rather that they would fuel that theory and make it more plausible than it is, allowing for people to have different (and valid) interpretations of what the game's story is. As such, if they incorporated the theory about Rinoa as well, I imagine they would take a similar approach, they would simply feed the theory and not necessarily make it the absolute canon truth, only allowing it to be an interpretation, rather than saying that one perspective is true above all others. I think this approach would make this stuff doable without hurting the original story, it merely adds optional layers to how people see the story, it doesn't fundamentally change it.

[@DJChamber]

@@NemesisSP Divisive like I said. Not going to be for everyone, clearly not for you. But in my opinion, it strengthens all of the weakest elements of the story (and I'm saying this as someone who loves the story, don't get me wrong). It takes Ultimecia from being some random future sorceress with very little backstory who we are basically told 'don't worry about it, shes just a sorceress from some point in the future, and just trust us, she's really reallllly bad for some reason', to being a fully fleshed out character that we know, with an actual arc and history. It simultaneously adds layers and purpose to both the time travel, and especially the guardian force memory loss elements of the story, which had a ton of room for expansion in the original plot. Many people still criticise the game now for the 'convenient to the plot' memory loss part, but this could give it a bit more of a reason to actually be there and explanation potentially. Maybe they could still achieve all that without this storyline too though.

[@DJChamber]

@@NiiRubra Yep, that makes sense. The best of both worlds approach. I would be into that!

[@Outlaw8908]

I remember coming back home from school around my birthday. It was right there on the coffee table. My parents apparently deduced fairly easily that FF8 was the way to go for a gift.

[@keblin86]

I'd love them to Remake 8. The Graphics of today would suit it so well and I am dying to see Esthar City in todays graphics lol. I actually didn't really like the Laguna parts of VIII though!

[@thehatred94]

Honestly dollet, might be my pick... then again balamb... then again galdabia is great too... with that arc of triumph... hmmmm but most importantly i want to see the third garden intact >..>

[@laurencefraser]

You know they'd screw it up though. Couldn't possibly limit themselves to a substantial graphical/art overhaul and rebalancing the junction system so the optimal play wasn't 'draw and junction magic, only use attack/limit break and healing items in combat' for basically every fight. It's an actually functional time travel plot with a stable time loop that Works... Which makes fiddling with it Very difficult to do without breaking it (part of why there's a lot less FF8 fanfiction than one might expect, I suspect). ... and you Know they'd insist on trying. And fail.

[@keblin86]

@@thehatred94 true, all of them would be great to see!

[@keblin86]

@@laurencefraser haha I actually love just attacking and the junction system. Hate drawing magic tho!

[@thehatred94]

@@laurencefraser who said there was any rebalancing or whatnot to do with the draw and junction system tho? Just because it's there doesn't mean you have to use it. It's a solo game to boot, so wether you want to cheese it or kick yourself in the balls by playing it normally, is up to each players xD Me and my stepfather both played through that game back then, without caring too much about that stuff. Now as to wether they see it the same way would depend on how many people whine/ask for that to be changed/improved. But honestly if you ask me they totally could focus on a graphism overhaul, expending maps/cities/locations and of course modernizing the rest of the stuff. And laguna's stuff. Aaaaaaaaaand just maybe an alternate ending where we break that loop bs that if you ask me was the only complain i had about that game >..>

[@VGNaluri]

I would definitely LOVE to learn more about Laguna Loire!

[@TheBlueLink3]

I would be a lot more interested in fleshing out Ultimecia than getting a Laguna prequel game. I feel like we already got everything we needed from Laguna in the original game, while Ultimecia is still largely a mystery. Fleshing out Laguna more would be more appropriate for a possible remake. I don’t think we need a whole game just for Laguna’s story.

[@chadkarr7394]

8 had a Cold War like atmosphere, almost. E vs W., Galbadia vs Esthar.

[@fernandomalpica1870]

FFVIII is the forgotten gem of SquareEnix

[@reinatycoon3644]

I love FFVIII! It is my favorite FF game and my fav game of all time! It was my first ever rpg back in November 2001. I really wish all the originally intended content would have been implemented. It was supposed to be 6-8 disks with a 80 hour main story! I'd have loved that sooo much! If they remake this lovely, beautiful game PLEASE SQUARE implement all of the original ideas!!

[@dschult3]

As much as I would love more of Laguna's story, I'd love to see a game full of SeeD missions. There are a lot of possibilities there.

[@Sr.DudeGuy]

That would be awesome

[@bazookabadger7936]

I could've sworn there was an ad for a Final Fantasy VIII-2 in a psp booklet back in the day. I remember seeing it but not really thinking all that much about it until now. Does anyone else remember it? It had to be from one of squares PSP games but I can't find some of them online. I can't believe I didn't keep it.

[@Hazelduff]

As I was watching this an idea came to me; a sequel could somehow use the power of Ellone to send characters back in time to VIII's events, maybe to find answers to a new conflict or something, and those events could evolve scenes with Laguna that we didn't get in the original game.

[@gianniclaud]

I would love a sequel for this!

[@kri249]

This is by far my most favourite FF in the series. A love the junction system and wished later installments would reintroduce it. But the graphics and story were brilliant. And the card game tetramaster was so much fun. FF7 was equally awesome but 8 just holds that special place in my heart. Particularly the nostalgia since I played this in my final years of highschool.

[@klissattack]

8 is definitely one of, if not, my favorite. I was pretty depressed hearing the rumors about FF9 remake. Why would they skip over this game!?!

[@laurencefraser]

Well, if they were actually compitent and reasonable I'd put it down to the whole combat system being kind of a mechanical disaster and the difficulty of adding anything meaningful to a stable time loop plot that already works without breaking it. But given that they've apparently decided that a full on genre shift to Action RPG and everything I've heard of FF7's remake's handling of That game's story, I'm not sure either of those would stop them.

[@aaronperkins2880]

FFVIII was the first one I played to completion and I still absolutely love the game and story to this day. I'll never be mad about getting more story for those characters.

[@Shroud83]

Great... now I want a Remake of VIII, too.

[@a.d.woodbury]

Alleyway Jack made a video some time ago on what he thought might make for an interesting VIII-2. Aside from the future threat, the immediate issues in the world had no resolution. The entire country of Galbadia was left in utter ruin, Esthar came back from practically nowhere and what was to be done about the Sorceress? This all from the perspective of the world outside of the party, of course. VIII has a surprising amount of depth to it. Squall’s a lot more than just “emo” and his friends aren’t just for set dressing - even if they leave a bit lacking from time to time. Every member of this party is dealing with some type of childhood trauma and I think there is some good reasoning behind why they don’t remember each other (which seems to be everyone gripe). If you never got into it, I suggest trying again as a more mature adult. It’s a lot easier to digest from that perspective. And the junction system rules. It’s not that hard, there aren’t too many menus and you ought to be able to read and do basic math to play a card game. And you can do it all without grinding so you can keep move the story forward.

[@TemplarKnight7770]

8 is absolutely one of my favorites. I loved the junction system as a kid. Never really paid much attention to cards. And never really had to grind levels. I didnt know about level scaling or any of the specifics of the combat system, I just played the game. And loved it. Playing it again now on Duckstation. Im following a guide and am 12 hours in on disc 1... Im trying to utilize the card/magic/junction system and the grind has been real. But now Squall is level 18 with 3k+ health and one shotting enemies. I have Rinoa with Death junctioned to her attack so she one shots enemies too. Most of the time. Its a lot of fun but time consuming.

[@RobMost]

3:25 brighter and more cheerful, like a bunch of orphans losing their memory, and the protagonist being cut in the face...

[@se7enist]

I'm definitely on board for a VIII-R. There's a lot of story they can play with and flesh out, the setting is beautiful and varied, and I'd love to see what a more modern take on the junction system might look like.

[@marmite4life599]

A prequel with Laguna would be awesome

[@petebagwell6666]

Lagunas story was inside the game what do you mean?

[@DarkFrozenDepths]

@@petebagwell6666 they meant more like how crisis core gave more backstory to Zack... only they'd do the same concept with FF8 using Laguna

[@omensoffate]

@@DarkFrozenDepthsbut his story was in the game 😂

[@voborny]

@@omensoffate There are a bunch of Laguna parts that got cut from the main game though.

[@voborny]

That would be like FFVIII's very own Crisis Core. Start the story when he joins the Galbadian Army and then follow it all the way until he becomes prez of Esther. That would be amazing really

[@madthane_]

FF8 is my personal favorite. I have replayed this game several times in the past. Laguna was indeed an endearing character. I loved his parts in the game very much. Always had a good chuckle.

[@valleschibel]

Would love to see a Final fantasy 8 showing Laguna's story. He had such small parts in the original Final fantasy 8 but was one of my favorite characters.

[@joimarise]

Final fantasy VIII was my very first final fantasy game i played and my introduction to the Final Fantasy game series during the PS1 era I would be super happy gamer if maybe one day Final Fantasy VIII gets a remake or something!

[@voborny]

Same.

[@ultimablackmage]

I'd be up for a Laguna focused FFVIII game.

[@zacharythompson7911]

FF8 is my favorite Final Fantasy game, it's also probably just my favorite videogame period. A continuation of the story could be great, either a prequal like Laguna's life (including the sorceress war) or even a sequel where he and Squall spend time together. Though I must confess, I also have some misgivings.... its been so long, and it would all depend on what they want the story to be...

[@megatronjenkins2473]

This was the first Final Fantasy I became seriously invested in, and I would LOVE more, prequel, sequel, remake (done right, of course)!!! I still play it to this day!!!

[@blackjacksetzer7748]

laguna is my second favorite final fantasy character just behind cecil, and i love his story so much, hearing this makes me want to know more about his story ao much more

[@AaronHill4]

I loved FFVIII so much. I played it as a teen, and later as an adult in my early 30's. Interesting how my perspective on the dialogue changed so much over time. I would love to revisit the world and the characters. I also liked the controversial junctioning system ^_^

[@thelemonadestandman]

Of all the final fantasy games, FF8 is the one I feel has the most material to work with for a direct follow up. It's to the point that I'd rather FF8 got an FF8-2 over a remake of the game. I know Kitase and many others would like to see a prequel focusing around Laguna, but I have trouble thinking anything super unique narrative-wise can really happen when we already know how their story ends. Rather I'd like to see what happens next for all these characters. There's plenty of ways a story could go in the future of FF8's world. Galbadia (one of the world's major military powers) has lost 2 heads of government in a short period of time, Squall is the defacto leader of SeeD and Garden and is still technically under contract to Rinoa and the Timber Owls to liberate Timber, meanwhile Laguna is the leader of an isolationist nation that is otherwise the other main major military power of FF8's world, and Rinoa is now a Sorceress; which makes her both potentially facing prejudice from others; but also one of the most powerful beings in world too. I could easily see a political drama forming out of a much more destabilized Galbadia who still controls pockets of colonies around the world (or at least Timber), If Squall and Garden are too open about trying to release Timber from Galbadia's control then I could see the Galbadian nation retaliating to try and wrestle back a sense of control they lost. Galbadia has lost major parts of it's leadership and that could lead to new people who are ambitious, promising easy solutions to the confused populace, and without morals to suddenly rise up in the ranks of an already pretty morally dubious government. Galbadia already has all the excuses it needs to claim a conspiracy just by pointing out the connections SeeD has with Esthar and Sorceresses. Frankly as someone who played and fell in love with FF8 like 5 years ago, I kind of wish it hadn't been an FF game lol! I'm convinced it could've become it's own franchise if it was divorced from the FF series and was seen as it's own separate thing, but that might be too simplistic thinking.

[@CUCKSERVATIVES_MAD_2024]

Not to mention the GFs causing long term memory damage to the party, its the only RPG that has a great explanation for why the party would be weaker in the sequel. Also, that was never explained. There are honestly so many details that are unexplained in ff8 and its not that they need to be, its that any of them can be chosen to be in order to build the world for the next game. So much got cut from ff8, it wasnt just the Laguna story.

[@IrateMoogle]

Incredible that you can remember so much in detail.

[@julianblind4624]

I had an idea pop up recently while replaying FF8 about how it could be possible that Laguna, after being rescued by the Shumi, became the founder or cofounder or maybe even just the inspiration for a more laid back school for mercenaries. Not far from Shumi village is another Garden with students that prioritize enjoying life more so than Galbadia and Balamb Gardens. Could be that they were inspired by Headmaster Laguna's way of thinking? But that's just a theory... A GA-

[@texasbbq3191]

Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy VIII are my favorites. VIII to me though was so original in thought. The Laguna dream sequences, getting tossed into space, one of the best musical scores in ALL Final Fantasy games...this game really is a masterpiece in my opinion. Instead of a prequel or sequel...I feel a remake with all the missing content the original staff wanted to add involving Laguna along with adding just enough to clear up some of the various fan theories would be more than sufficient.

[@voborny]

A FFVIII sequel where you get to play as Laguna searching for Squall after the events of FFVIII would be unique but pretty cool. A prequel would be even cooler though. Getting to play through Laguna's whole arc from the time he joined the Galbadian Army up until he becomes president of Esther would be like FFVIII's equivalent of what Crisis Core is for FFVII.

[@LNN1356]

8 and the remake trilogy are my favorite FF games ever.

[@mykayuuki]

I always loved Laguna. I saw so many people hating him for his petsonality, but I always loved him and his tragic story. The clip you used when Laguna was acting in a movie reminded me on how it's said that this movie was the one that inspired the young Seifer to use gunblades and his whole wish to become a knight. If you look at the scene, you can see Laguna uses the same gunblade stance as Seifer (or better said, Seifer learned the clumsy gunblade stance that Laguna, who never used a gunblade, just made up at the spot). I do hope Seifer learns one day that his possibly favorite childhood movie actor, the one that inspired him so much was none other that Squalls dad 😂

[@AlaskanSnowLeopard]

8 is one of my favorite along with X.

[@silentwabbit1065]

This was my first PSX game and my first Final Fantasy game. 25 years later, I have almost all of them on various consoles and regret nothing.

[@TheFreelancer131]

Dunno why Square has so much Hate for this game. Seems like every time it comes up in games like FFBE there begrudgingly adding units under complaint lol

[@marklingenfelter6938]

We bought FF7 when we bought our first computer in 1997. I watched my brother play through it as a kid and we really enjoyed the characters and story. I didn't typically prefer to play, but loved watching him play. When FF8 came out, we were both excited and bought it with our Christmas money together. The opening scene featured on commercials had us hooked, gave us chills... but when the game wasn't like FF7 at all, my brother was disappointed and never played past early Balamb Garden. Fast forward to about 3 years ago, I finally bought the game on Steam and had a chance to play through it on my own fully. I love the story, even with its holes and oddities, and the music was exceptional. I also learned to appreciate the attempt the creators made at completely changing up the magic and weapons systems. It was pretty groundbreaking for the time and was a huge shift from what they'd done on all previous games. Some people: like my brother, didn't like the changes, but I connected more with the story and characters in FF8 and really enjoyed exploring the major game changes they made.

[@azraelknightquest5754]

It's been over 20 years and I STILL want a remake and sequel of FF8.

[@TheOmnisProject]

Ff8 was the game that made me grow into a young man. That and the matrix. It was the first game I’ve ever played with characters built out like that. They felt real and we cared about what happened to them. And that story….realizing your world is controlled by forces out of our time in space. Having to somehow travel to the future to challenge an evil being from ending the world and becoming a god in a universe by herself. It was great

[@sipscha]

Nice! Never knew about this

[@Ajlez]

I would love to see more of Laguna. When I first started playing Final Fantasy VIII, I actually wasn't thrilled to be playing what I expected to be a love story. I had never been in love. I thought it was something I couldn't understand. I had adored the way Terra talked in VI and was still grasping how her life changed. I put the game down for more than a year, thinking of it as a less interesting game than previous versions, but at the time I picked it up again, I had fallen in love, and my love had died. Because of that history, suddenly it was Laguna's story that raced in my heart and mind. To this day, I cannot watch his part in the ending without tears streaming down my face. I have always thought, what did the writers of this experience in their life? How did they know how to write this? For me, feeling so alone in my struggle, it was amazing to watch the character on screen smile at the gravestone of his love. Still able to smile. I've gotta thank them for that, wherever it came from.

[@SteamedToast]

8 was such a surreal and complex story, that the staff thought 7 was especially dark seems surprising in comparison - I feel like 8 deals with much more obtuse and complex storytelling with story moments that are at least as dark as 7.