Johnny vs. Final Fantasy VIII

[@SomecallmeJohnny]

Skip to 00:00 to avoid Spoilers. Get FREE breakfast for life with HelloFresh, use code FREESCMJ at bit.ly/3YWukkn ! One free breakfast item per box while subscription is active.

[@DoctorTex]

That either implies John didnt put a timestamp in, or this entire 58 minute game review will have No Spoilers.

[@SeelkadoomandJokic00]

Skip to what?!

[@esmooth919]

​@@DoctorTexeither that, or John is trying to save us money from buying this game that he just so happens to hate

[@rue8929]

Time compression's a bitch ain't it?

[@Shift_Salt]

It says it in the video itself too lol "Skip to 00:00 to avoid spoilers" ​@@DoctorTex

[@DevilHunter1994]

So about Laguna reconnecting with Squall, it doesn't happen in game, but if you keep talking to Laguna on the Ragnarok towards the end of disc 3, he says something to the effect of: "Come see me again when this is done. We've got a lot to talk about." So the implication seems to be that Laguna does intend on reconnecting with Squall after the battle with Ultimecia is over. I guess he just didn't want to distract Squall with all this stuff while they're fighting to save the world. He and his friends had enough on their minds already.

[@BlazetheCat130]

9:12. "That's Leon." Johnny: "Yeah, whatever Squall." I will never tired of that gag, lol!

[@metalcoola]

I can't remember, did they ever explain why he calls himself Leon? Didn't play games past 1.5/2.5 PS4 collection yet :)

[@twilightfire93]

​@@metalcoolaI think it was explained that he wanted to distance himself for the younger him who failed to save Radiant Garden before it became Hollow Bastion. Pretty sure that bit was only in the manga, though. I don't think they ever explained it in the games proper.

[@crazyfire9470]

@twilightfire93 It also was in the first game’s journal

[@CommenjouerFr-gplus]

At least he didn't called Squall "EMO GIT" (if you know, you know)

[@twilightfire93]

@@crazyfire9470 Ah, thanks! Been awhile since I played the first game.

[@michaeloverton04]

7:32 "Skip to 00:00 to avoid spoilers" This is going to be quite the mind-fuck, huh?

[@trevorromein14]

I am just as confused as you 🤣

[@trevorromein14]

and after watching the video completely....I am still confused 🤣🤣🤣

[@LeoBeastmode]

Time compression is a b*tch.

[@Amerac133]

@@LeoBeastmode Exactly what I was thinking

[@Kevinsyel]

@@trevorromein14 The game's story is a completely enclosed time loop... At the end of the game, Squall travels back to the past, and sets all of the events of his life in motion, and causes Edea to receive Ultimecia, and creates the concept of the Gardens.

[@jrpludacrous]

Fun Fact: Ray Chase, the voice of Noctis in FFXV, said that this is his favorite Final Fantasy, while Ben Starr, voice of Clive in FFXVI, got into the franchise with this game

[@medicalpotion]

FF8 is a good game

[@medicalpotion]

@@jaretco6423 You're crazy af! FF8 is the sequel to FF3, the lore goes INSANE

[@josephbuchanan2319]

This is my favorite Final Fantasy so those facts make me happy

[@Jordan3DS]

Ray Chase has bad taste in FF, damn

[@martinde-serres8724]

@@medicalpotion Fuck off! FF8 is one of the worst entries, YOU lack taste in FF FF2 is a much better game than 8, and that's saying something

[@realkingofantarctica]

You know you're getting old when Johnny has covered games that, for the longest time, were running gags on the channel for "never happening."

[@Da_ComputerMonster]

Everybody Gangstah till the SCREWATTACK! gag comes back from the dead as a Brain Munching Zombie

[@retrofan93]

It kind of reminds me of when Linkara made a video of the top 10 comics he would never review, and the first video right after that one was a Sonic comic! Since then he has reviewed a bunch of other videos on the list.

[@Da_ComputerMonster]

​@@retrofan93 ...Why did you have to remind me of that? What a silly video by a VERY Silly Man~ The same Silly Man who says *"Don't call ME the LIGHTBRINGER! It brings back PAINFUL memories."* _Even though he has his Silly Power Rangers lookin' villain constantly calling him that._

[@SuperLuis225]

Huh reminds me of Billy Hatcher - is that game any good? - anyway...

[@siljeff2708]

RIP Uncharted 3

[@dragoncrashhero12]

Oh yes, skip to 00:00 to avoid spoilers, very ingenious John, you cracked the youtube money making code

[@spencercole23]

Pretty sure it's a joke on time compression lmao

[@swordmasterarie7752]

Skip to 00:00 to avoid spoilers.. yeah I sure will be avoiding those by going back to the beginning of the video every time lol

[@Tjoeb123]

Me as well lol

[@qwerty77772]

An infinite video loop!

[@jeremydandeneau7704]

At least Uematsu made some of most kickass music. And the visual style kicks ass.

[@GODZILLA2915]

I can’t tell if it’s a typo or a reference to the time travel nonsense.

[@crimsonbok]

job roles are pretty simple in FFVIII Squall - spam limit breaks Zell - spam limit breaks Irvine - spam limit breaks

[@nathank2289]

Or for pacifist runs Squall - spam card Rinoa - spam stop Irvine - spam demi

[@aidanredding8058]

And now we have 3 videos longer than Sonic 06

[@BR-jw7pm]

It only took, like what, 8 years? 😂

[@Da_ComputerMonster]

When EVERY video is longer than Sonic 06... *...NO video will be longer than Sonic 06...*

[@yggdrasilsaltar]

i remember when the sonic 06 video was the longest video ive ever watched… good times

[@FlashaniMan247]

You mean 4 videos.

[@cloudshines812]

Four vids I think: FF6, FF7, FF8, RE4 (OG)

[@ry2950]

Great video. Fun fact: One of the Laguna sequences has him fighting a Ruby Dragon for a movie and his minigame battle pose is very similar to Seifer. There is a chance that a impressionable kid Seifer watched that exact same movie Laguna was filming which started his obsession with becoming a sorcereress knight someday. This becomes even more interesting if you consider the strong likelihood of Laguna being Squalls actual dad.

[@TheKpa11]

Yeah Matt mentioned that too back in their KH2 playthrough. It’s a cute detail touch.

[@saltyk9869]

That is the explanation. At the start of the game, if you look at Squall's terminal at the start you can see mention of someone needing to return "The Sorceress's Knight" to the library. It may also mention the person's last name and first initial.

[@Chubby_Bubby]

Johnny you mentioned a little bit about your depression in this video. and I just wanted to say your advice about "just keep moving forward, no matter what" has genuinely helped me so many times in my life. Your work is a huge inspiration to me, I just wanted to thank you for all the things you do man. Your amazing!

[@jinxtheunluckypony]

I’m impressed they had the courage to experiment this hard right when the series was at its most popular.

[@saltyk9869]

One thing I will say is that Square doesn't keep the franchise stagnant. Each game has different mechanics and systems. Sometimes it works and sometimes it does not.

[@nsgames24]

With FF8, it felt like it didn't work, at all. ​@@saltyk9869

[@Fjaloeat1]

And then they made the most anticipated remake ever into a fake remake. You definitely have to respect that they take risks. Some pan out beautifully. Others not so much.

[@saltyk9869]

@@Fjaloeat1 I personally adore the FF7 Remake and Rebirth. I have some issues but nothing that I can't forgive. So agree to disagree.

[@Zitsanrael1117]

@@saltyk9869 I came away from Remake thinking it was ok and looking forward to part 2. And then I came away from Rebirth pissed off, completely done with it, no interest in part 3 whatsoever, and not wanting anything to do with anything FF VII related ever again outside of playing Cloud and Sephiroth in Smash. So yeah, agree to disagree.

[@SergioRodriguez_3659]

Hey Johnny, I just realized it's been 11 years since I've discovered your channel, if memory serves you were doing the Classic Megaman marathon. I wanted to take some time to thank you and the work that you put into your videos. During the worst times in my life, I actually found comfort in watching your content and it helped me push through some difficult times. As shitty as life got, I could always count on a Johnny video to laugh, relax and recharge some to do the things I had to. So thank you again for the love you put in your videos, you're my favorite youtuber and I'm glad you're still going.

[@gmod3409]

Mine was castlevania sotn

[@GenerationZ313]

I started watching around the time that Johnny was doing his 3D Sonic Game marathon including Sonic (2006) which for the longest time was his longest review on the channel until recently.

[@ironhide3732]

my first johnny review I watched was his sonic lost world review, my best friends mom bought me the game for my birthday and i needed to see what people thought of the game, johnny has helped shape my childhood immensely (i consider my 10's-20's childhood still), most ALL of my favorite games of all time are ones johnny had reviewed/loved, i find immense comfort in his channel and sincerely wish for the best for him always

[@DesignDoc]

FF8 will always be one of my brother's favorites because of how hard you can break it.

[@DarkFrozenDepths]

your brother must love FF2 then cause it's more of the same. Grind the early game, then curbstomp anything after

[@wdcain1]

You can break the game with every single character! Quistis' Black Hole magic, Selphie's The End, Zell's techniques, ect... can solo every boss!

[@KirbyGotenksabsorbed]

@@DarkFrozenDepths FF8 barely needs any grinding to "break the game", you just need to be mildly smart with refinement and the junction system. FF2 barely even has a system and specifically prevents you from leveling higher off of lower level enemies, though it's still possible to grind a shitload to be incredibly strong early.

[@DarkFrozenDepths]

@@KirbyGotenksabsorbed getting the mats for the refinements is the grind though. but yeah, FF2 does have a much longer grind overall

[@alexanderthomsen4593]

i cant believe they made an entire game around leon from kingdom hearts

[@Jordan3DS]

I remember when I was a kid and knew nothing about FF, I thought the way the characters were in KH were actually based on the games. Turns out Nomura is just a hack, lol

[@danielramsey6141]

@@Jordan3DS Yep. And FF8 is certainly proof of his issues.

[@HugoPegler]

@@Jordan3DS Yeah, Cloud _really_ suffered from Nomura's writing, and it took a whole decade for him to recover.

[@Jordan3DS]

@@HugoPegler I mean the man's been writing FFVII Remake as well, so his FFVII fanfiction is kind of worse than ever 😂

[@lindblumpickles3407]

​@@Jordan3DSEhhhh, say what you will about Remake/Rebirth's story, but the character writing is spot on. Some of the best in the series I think

[@theangriestpigeon4403]

Laguna definitely knew. Laguna makes more jokes the more nervous he gets, and boy his stand up routine goes into overdrive seeing Squall. Guilt, anxiety, and straight up joy is killing him.

[@HyperHunt621]

29:50 It's always a treat when we get to go FORWARD AND BACK AND THEN FORWARD AND BACK AND THEN GO FORWARD AND BACK THEN PUT ONE FOOT FORWARD

[@RyanStorey1231]

I will never get tired of this running gag. I laugh my ass off every time it happens.

[@ChaoticMeatballTV]

Amazing gag for the "skip to 00:00 to avoid spoilers" everybody's gonna be avoiding spoilers by cooking up some delicious HelloFresh!

[@ConLinArts]

I played through it recently and I was super surprised by how much I liked it, it is one of the more interesting FFs in my opinion. The FMVs with gameplay are just mindblowing.

[@deep_cover1879]

Zell at school: class chud Zell when he goes home: local hero. Also I love in the prison when it finally dawns on him that his weapons weren’t confiscated because he uses his fists. Also can we acknowledge that when he punched the floor on the train it shook so much that the staff needed to make an announcement telling the passengers not to worry? This isn’t suplexing a train levels of badass but still.

[@whiteking2f2]

57:25 Johnny, you are ALWAYS worth watching the video until the end. You’re a treasure.

[@OneSleepyGiant]

Was just going to say this. I have now watched this video all the way through at least 5 times 🤌🏼

[@JoshtheOverlander]

It's ya boi, he's back with a fresh mug of joe and some fun in store for Squall-- "It's Leon..." Shut up, Squall

[@Deoxys_Used_Mimic]

World of Final Fantasy When Squall looks at his wrist and says: “Have I drawn enough Thunder? …Yeah. I’m good.” Bro was literally browsing his menus in real-time.

[@Ubritoons96]

7:33 Uh, unless there’s a joke I typed way too soon to see, I don’t think you can skip ahead much with a time like that (0:00). XD Fuck, it IS a joke regarding the final boss. Should’ve been obvious given that he has the same timestamp in a pinned comment but I guess I’m just dense. What else is new? XD The REAL story skip is at 29:20 for those who need it thanks to a reply.

[@Hyper_Drud]

So where’s the spoiler skip then?

[@Nitro_0999]

@@Hyper_Drud 29:20

[@Zitsanrael1117]

It is a joke, referring to the final boss's ultimate goal. I won't spoil it here but if you watched the video and saw what the final boss wants to do the time-stamp is a perfect punch line.

[@RyanStorey1231]

29:50 I will never get tired of this running gag FORWARD AND BACK

[@MilesTheMan]

I hope it continues!

[@DaneeBound]

40:30 Future re-releases of this game also have an achievement called "contrived finish". You get this by finishing the game with Ellipses boy still at Lv7, his starting level. Clearly, they want you to do with.

[@po801_4]

This is the 3rd Final Fantasy review that is longer the Sonic 06 review. I feel that all upcoming Final Fantasy reviews from here on out will be longer than then the Sonic O6 video (at least the mainline entries).

[@nucleurchicken5239]

Nothing will ever be longer than the next FFXIV video once he gets to it

[@temporalwolf7054]

To Johnny's question about how characters are kind of encouraged to certain roles... Rinoa is the only one. She has the highest magic stats in the game naturally, meaning she requires fewer spells and/or weaker spells to hit max power, allowing her to then draw more and more easily cast. ...at least that's the thought in theory. It's one of those attempts to make you feel her absence more when she's not there through mechanics, like how in 7 when Aerith is killed, you lose the one character that is always going to be able to heal you in a pinch, making you rethink your strategies going forward and constantly reminding you that she's not there anymore. The problem really is just how easy it is to max out everyone's stats early on, so that advantage Rinoa has is immediately made a moot point when you're rolling up with max stats and Lionheart before you even meet her.

[@tbnwontpop8857]

lol and all you ever really need to do to break the game is item refine a few cottages and suddenly HP is never an issue anymore. All doable at the first town. This is why I don't like VIII very much. You're either woefully underpowered or hilariously overpowered. There is no in-between.

[@temporalwolf7054]

@@tbnwontpop8857 Eh, I've found that the middle ground is just playing as intended. Drawing where you can for a few turns with someone, not going out of the way to grind or flee fights, etc. The experience there is still on the harder side when it comes to FF but it isn't as ball busting. It's just very weirdly balanced in ways that really needed further refinement.

[@anasasim8027]

Johnny has never been the same since the game that broke him. Like damn, it feels like ages even tho its been 4 weeks since the last video.

[@flyingfist4203]

Man, I just got a flashback to that BrainscratchComms' MegaMan 3 playthrough where Lewis was focusing on Squall drawing during MegaMan's grind. Thanks Johnny, I now have context for that very distant memory.

[@johnnysparkle]

Adel was meant to be the final boss of Disc 3, following the tradition of finishing every Disc with a sorceress battle. Game data also shows that the player is supposed to be awarded 40 AP for the battle, as well as receiving the Samantha Soul item. As there is no results screen after the battle is over, the player never gets either, though the Samantha Soul can be mugged from Adel during the battle.

[@DarkEinherjar]

Aside from the SeeD exams to increase money, FFVIII also has its own version of the Cotton Robe trick that would later show up in FFIX to get infinite money. Also, once you get the stat bonus abilities (Str Bonus, Vit Bonus, etc.), you actually have an incentive to level up, because these abilities will permanently increase your stats on top of the Junction bonuses, making your characters even more busted.

[@saltyk9869]

Yeah, if you can go from an extremely low level with Ability x4 and four stat buffs, your stats will absolutely be obscene. You can easily have base stats of 100+. And it's not impossible to keep Squall at starting level especially with the Remaster.

[@RadishDoctor]

I mean, you really don't need infinite money in FF8 lol. FF9 its very handy because the party is very equipment centered.

[@maxwassermann3171]

Loved the "Truly, this is Toby Fox' vision" joke. You're onto something there.

[@Sonicfalcon16]

Lewis: Come on squall! Soon you'll have enough spells to avoid level 5 death forever! Keep Drawing!

[@jouheikisaragi6075]

I get my senior's discount for knowing exactly where this is from.

[@jlev1028]

DRAWWWWWW! DRAWWWWW!

[@patrice1706]

"Come on! You only have 36 more to go and then, you can start on Berserk!"

[@Sonicfalcon16]

@@jouheikisaragi6075 Its a shame we won't get those moments because everyone is so much better at vamping past them. Lewis is a trooper for getting though those werehog levels talking through them all so much he got tired just before eggmanland. Maybe its for the best.

[@charlessegale6493]

Damn, that takes me back... Also: Oh my God, it's the Aura spell! I hit the jackpot! Draw! *DRAW!*

[@Zrowitflo54]

The clip of Selphie saying "I love trains" is probably the most goated clip from any final fantasy game ever 😂

[@ty_sylicus]

Final Fantasy VIII was definitely a game that was best it's first time, when we all enjoyed it as teens. My best friend and I worked together and got to 100% the hard way.

[@nathank2289]

Except nobody knows what the hell is going on since the story is a time loop. So its actually better the second time.

[@joshshrum2764]

I didn’t like it as a teen but it did give me aesthetics.

[@Da_ComputerMonster]

Ay, It's that obscure game that got a demo packaged with _Brave Fencer Missouri!_

[@HarbingerYT]

I thought it was Brave Dancer Moustachi?

[@anthonypeters7800]

Couple of tips. Junction 100 Drain to Status ATK and you'll heal with every attack based on your damage (Drain count=%). As you level, enemies will have different spells so if you want to do the draw spam you'll get better spells that way as well. The likelihood of Odin showing up is based on how many death you have stocked.

[@RezeedTheDataspirit]

Fun fact, the original PC release and non-Remaster Steam Release has the Chocobo side game which is an alternate method to exploit to get early a Lionheart and spell fodder. The chocobo side game gives items to your main file, and you can easily, EASILY, copy that side game's save data and restore it with the copied data after you transfer. It can be potentially faster to restock on that front if you don't feel like playing triple triad.

[@Clouds12012]

People complain everywhere that they hate the game cuz its breakable at the beginning. Here you go advocating for it instead of just enjoying the game the intended way.

[@RezeedTheDataspirit]

@Clouds12012 and nothing, and no one says it has to be played by cheesing the main mechanics. It's just a fun bit of info that COULD be used as an alternative to spending your time with triple triad or spending a good hour drawing. People can play how they want, it's another option on the table. Sure the GF and magic system is highly exploitable, but you really have to go out of your way to do it.

[@Clouds12012]

@RezeedTheDataspirit The problem is that 99% of everything i see online and everyone i talk to about this (as if common knowledge) says the game is trash cuz you can be OP in the beginning. How the hell would anyone even know that tho without looking it up, the moment you have to look up how to break a game it ruins the intended experience. EVERYONE who brings up breaking the game 100% every time bring it up as a bad thing. You just implied that there is a "bit of fun" playing it this way BUT its universally considered a poor quality of the game by most people thru word of mouth rather than magicly knowing you can break the game in the intro with an online guide. So please understand where im coming from instead of challanging the fact that people bash this game for reasons that are considered a "you" problem (the player) not an actual game problem.

[@RezeedTheDataspirit]

@Clouds12012 No, I only wanted to share something that was that was neat to know about. It's trivia. If didn't bring it up, someone else would or may have already. Johnny brought up the pocket station side feature, I elaborated. Art is subjective and what a person would find fun or interesting. Don't pop off on a person over something interesting. Did I call the game a masterpiece, NO. Do I have anything I don't like about it? Certainly. Matter of fact, Johnny elegantly explained why far better than I could and it's the actual romance between Squal and Rinoa. Also, you are being hyperbolic and contradicting a previous statement. If you don't like the game, that's fine, just don't be a jerk about it, and don't put words in my mouth. The game has always been with mixed reception, and I never heard a soul until now complain how you can snap the difficult in two easily and that be the chief complaint. By that logic, final fantasy 5 is a terrible game. In any case, these tools STILL MEAN NOTHING, unless you know what spells work for what parts of the junction system. It's not an immediate I win button. Johnny even proved that. When people actually complain about the game, it's either the junction system or the draw/magic system. And know what's the kicker, the review even showed a clip from the devs in an interview suggesting players to take the triple triad route. That I implore you, please chill and understand, art is subjective. What makes a person like anything will always vary.

[@night1952]

About the roles, there's basically just 2, brawler and caster and that's because of the characters limits breaks (the guys' scale with strenght and the girls with magic), but you can just make everyone good at everything.

[@Arbron]

48:08 - "When you play your cards right, you feel like a god." That could be the game's tagline right there, and yes, pun intended.

[@autobotstarscream765]

Squall! *OBLITERATE!!!*

[@kassfoss3210]

Man with a machine gun, Balamb garden, Force your way, Find your way, & Eyes on me are some of my favorite tracks in the game.

[@anasasim8027]

Johnny: ".....main protagonist Squall. " Leon: "That's Leon." Johnny: "Yeah Whatever, Squall." Poor Leon. Johnny's punching bag since KH1

[@DarkFrozenDepths]

"That's Leon" "Yeah, whatever Squall" I expected it, and it never gets old!

[@Halcryder]

Ah, the most powerful move of all, Junctioning Bob

[@greenfox7657]

If you've ever seen Twin Peaks, this statement is strangely correct

[@nikhilkapoor428]

I guess you could say it’s…FINALly out!😊

[@Rabbitlord108]

And I thought I was obsessed with bad puns.

[@MrQueen8488]

Audibly gasped seeing this in my feed! It’s been a long time coming!

[@patrickedger2448]

I feel like Rinoa is exactly what Squall needed. Opposites attract, after all. She knew he needed someone to just stay, and delivered.

[@nathank2289]

The beautiful part is she didnt stay. She was going to sacrifice herself to protect everyone else. Squalls needyness and refusal to be abandoned again is what helped drive him to save her from Esthar

[@patrickedger2448]

@@nathank2289 Squall said ahh hell naw, not this time!😂

[@nathank2289]

@@patrickedger2448 pretty much "If you become the sorceress, I'll be your knight. If the world turns against you, I'll burn the world." It's poetic how similar Squall and Seifer are.

[@Fossilized_Nerd]

You did a phenomenal job explaining this beautiful mess of a game. and to the person who got you to say "Mike Hawk" and you not flinching at all during the Patron shoutout - you're both legends lmao

[@CYB3R2K]

I don't see what's so messy about it. It's amazing.

[@JackDout]

The Chicken-wuss call back was golden, it was worth the wait

[@BR-jw7pm]

All those times during Johnny’s last FF videos where I said NEXT would be FFVIII are now vindicated!

[@TheBlueTyphoon17]

35:28 That evil laugh

[@Nitro_0999]

I think the time stamp is supposed to say 29:20. That seems to be where to spoilers end.

[@AlriikRidesAgain]

It's a joke because [spoilers].

[@kingbash6466]

Every FF game since VI having a longer video than Sonic 06 is my new favorite running gag.

[@ronan4672]

“Which either makes it the best written RPG of all time, or an incoherent mess.” Porque no los dos, Johnny

[@Suirano]

When I first played this game, I did not remotely comprehend the Junction system so I went through 3 discs with just 2000 HP and kept getting absolutely destroyed by Sorceress Adel. I then learned about Junctioning GF and Magic and put Blizzaga on my HP and saw it go from 2000 to 9999 and facepalmed so hard. Had barely any issues until Greiver's Shockwave Pulsar.

[@Mystic-Aidan]

Drop EVERYTHING new SomeCallMeJohnny video

[@GoGojiraGo]

I do like how sorceress fashions in this universe are "Completely topless" and "Absolute cleavage". If only Edea and Ultimecia did the former.

[@TheKpa11]

Shame you weren’t around for the X6 commentary. You’re the only one I know who uses Gate’s profile pic.

[@TheNileNator]

29:50 FORWARD AND BACK AND THEN GO FORWARD AND BACK AND PUT ONE FOOT FORWARD!!

[@jonathanshaw9704]

Excellently timed, Johnny. I’m currently playing FF7 Remake on my PS5 for the first time… and loving every second of it.

[@quinkelly1441]

I remember when Lewis drawed magic during during the Brainscrachcomm megaman 3 letsplay when Ryan ran out of Rush jet Energy .

[@machodgdon]

And just like that, Johnny returned

[@MafiaAzuI]

**SIGH** Somehow, Johnny returned.

[@redmage8719]

Johnny is inevitable.

[@jesusa.adorno6933]

I’ve always wanted to try to play Final Fantasy VIII with an open mind, because it’s always a great approach in any media. However, I just couldn’t jive with how it was structured in any capacity. As a lover of storytelling, I knew which elements made a Final Fantasy game for me, it’s one of the reasons I’m interested in writing. This game didn’t do it well enough. And I know that the story is not the point, it’s a love story at its core & it knows that. However, I’d argue that why should one care about the themes and the character dynamic if one is not invested in the characters at all? As a person who suffers from anxiety, I feel like Squall just doesn’t rise on his own & mainly cares *_solely_* about Rinoa. I get the whole journey of it, & I don’t inherently dislike Rinoa and Squall being a couple, but I don’t think it was earned. & if you have to put Rinoa in your party and have to make the relationship work, instead of having scripted scenes with it, then there’s something wrong. This game has a bunch of setup for a story that does not feel planned at all, & all just to setup Squall and Rinoa while the others play second fiddle. I generally feel that Laguna should’ve been the focus. I like to compare this game to Chrono Cross, one of my favorite RPGs ever. An ambitious follow up that does things radically different from its predecessor. While Cross has issues with info dumping, the real meat of the story felt very clear in that. It’s a philosophical plot that speaks to the world about differences in communities, and the autonomy of one’s actions & consequences. It’s a lot to take in at first, but the more you think about it, the more you realize what it’s trying to say. I think one thing that helps with Cross was that it’s a fun battle system. With FFVIII, it just felt like too much setup, with not enough substance. & I do not get anything out of breaking the game wether it’s refining items into magic or Drawing, because it just bores me. Gameplay wise, I think 2 is worse, but 8 just also isn’t better. Hope it gets a remake at some point, because it deserves some improvements.

[@FastTheSonic]

50:31 Holy shit, you weren't lying earlier when you said the overworld was ugly, I didn't realize this was a city until now

[@TeeGee3]

The Johnny Final Fantasy VIII Loop: I want to watch this review without spoilers so I go to 00:00, I go back to the start of the video and now I’m stuck watching the first 7:38 for all eternity

[@borederlands5387]

i feel like this channel's the only place i consistently hear about brave fencer musashi

[@MrMallardg1]

41:54 “I understood that reference.”

[@Scerttle]

lmao my thought was "I see what you did there"

[@MelRetro]

*I’m a sucker for Romance. Squall and Riona are a top tier FF Couple*

[@Jordan3DS]

Except for the fact that they have zero chemistry xD

[@kingslayer2999]

It seemed abit forced tho. I buy into Zidane and Garnet and Tidus and Yuna alot more

[@brandonjones5879]

Squall honest had more chemistry with Quistis.

[@Jordan3DS]

@@kingslayer2999 Tidus and Yuna is also pretty forced, tbh. I think the general rule of FF is that if a game has bad writing, it's not gonna write the romance well either.

[@jaretco6423]

Meh. Never find Squall & Riona relationship that appealing. It felt out of force and has no chemistry whatsoever. There nowhere near as connected as Cloud & Tifa, Zidane & Garnet or shoot, even Tidus & Yuna.

[@steamynoodle2010]

The way you say Galb-UH-dian make some want to take a letter opener to my skull

[@IamTheBurningStar]

What perfect timing since I was watching your other ff videos.

[@Antis14CZ]

Martial Law. The hidden gem of the OST. Love that track.

[@Silverfox365]

Fun fact in the unreleased prototype of Toon Panic on N64 the character of Merman has a random image of Zell as a keyholder image

[@IchigoKurosakitheSalvation]

A new Johnny video and it's dropped on my birthday? Today's a good day

[@amphicyon4359]

The entire progression system of FF8 is just bizarre, with or without triple triad. Its one thing to be experimental, but I have to wonder if the dev team ever took a moment to think about all these systems as a whole. Cohesion did not seem to be a focus

[@Deepfry55]

Somecallmejohnny video! I haven’t seen this in my feed for a very long time… it’s like a long lost friend saying hello again

[@talkingbenson5487]

oh my god, it's happening. everybody stay calm! STAY CALM!

[@ShockwaveFPSStudios]

As an angsty teenager in high school, I found Squall Leonhart to be one of my favorite Final Fantasy Protagonists. He’s tied with Tidus as my all time favorite FF Protagonist. I used to get jumpscared & nightmares of Squall’s Faceless body from the ending FMV to FFVIII. I overcame it thanks to therapy (No Joke), but I still think the idea Squall has a hole on his face contradicts the Squall Is Dead theory that was debunked.

[@frankj.1077]

Story spoilers end at 15:53. Shhh. Don’t tell Johnny.

[@trentnicklay2278]

Thank you so much, Johnny. I love your final fantasy videos. Please keep making more. Been a fan since 2012 keep going strong man.

[@DieselD7101]

HE’S BACK!!!

[@Da_ComputerMonster]

He's the MAN in the MASK! *(And he knows your house...)*

[@TARDISES]

Calm down, Agent Stone

[@felman87]

🎵 Forward and Back🎵 I kind of want this song. Honestly, if you're on the fence of making it a thing, I am all for it.

[@enigmavixen3666]

It’s actually an official boss theme from ff14, it’s called "exponential entropy" if you wanna listen to the full song

[@felman87]

@@enigmavixen3666 I'm definitely going to check it out. Still wouldn't mind a Forward and Back song.

[@azurelionheart]

Don't know if you'll see this comment or if it gets buried, Johnny, but I hope the editing process (and recording!) wasn't too much of a burden on you- every video you make is always worth the wait; please know that there are a LOT of people like me who look forward to your honesty, humor, and casual energy. Burnout always sucks, but I hope between the Twitch streams, the SGB let's plays, and your own personal life, that you're in a better state of mind and work-life balance... well, as far as KZbinrs can have, anyway. Take care!

[@ztdk]

A lot of those questions were answered, just not necessarily on the critical path or brought a lot of attention to them. For example the Ragnarok just happened to be right there when you were running out of air because it was one of three space ships used to bring Adel's prison into space, and since Rinoa/Ultimecia just got done releasing the lock on the prison, you're right near where the ship was abandoned. There is a lot of lore buried in various NPC convos, computer terminal, magazines, etc that fills in the blanks. I think the writers just felt like a complete picture of the setting wasn't important for the story. It wasn't necessarily information the cast would have. But it does end up making the game less accessible and leaves most players who even get this far feeling the way you did. The design didn't work out for the best in the end. You're right about the other characters though, next to the main cast of VII, IX, or even X the characters in VIII felt far less present other than Squall, Rinoa, and Laguna.

[@Hashman588]

This was actually my first final fantasy cuz i was introduced to rpgs through legend of legaia (which was pretty obscure from what i can tell but had an awesome battle system.) So i really enjoyed it even though i understand why a lot of people had a lot of problems & gripes with it, especially after playing the other final fantasies. But a big part of why i actually loved it was cuz of how lovable laguna was. I mean i've never seen a character accidentally stumble into becoming the PRESIDENT of a country. Not only that, he actually stumbled into adopting a child, falling in love & having another child, starring in a movie (which apparently inspired seifer's dream of becoming that "sorceress' knight" issue he had, & even inspired his fighting style & stance, he would probably hate it if he knew he was emulating his rivals' dad), defeating one of the most powerful sorceresses in an attempt to save his adopted child & subsequently ruling the country she was ruling. LOL. Talk about a maxed out luck stat. Oh yeah and i think he was the one who rediscovered the lunatic pandora or something like that, can't really remember. But it still actually has a really special place in my heart even if it isn't in my top final fantasies. Anyways awesome video dude. Cheers from Egypt.

[@jb0258]

Legend of legaia was my first rpg too. I still go back and play it every handful of years. The battle system is so fun and unique! A quick tip: never play it on a ps3. The game freezes at a certain point in the story and you can never continue past it. It's a bug that only appears on ps3 systems.

[@Hashman588]

@@jb0258 Yeah dude it was pretty awesome!! Right?? The battle system was really awesome & i remember i absolutely had a crush on noa (at least i think that's her name) as a kid. It'd be a cool if it gets a review here. Cheers.

[@AndresLionheart]

50:15 Well, you see... I was like 11 years old back then. At that time in my life I didn't think about how long something will take in a game. I had limited options so the longer a game took to finish, the better. Nowadays as an adult I do prefer games to be more in the 25ish hours to beat. It has to be something I REALLY like to want it to not end that soon.

[@MinotoPPT2]

OMG THE JOHNNY FINAL FANTASY TRAIN IS BACK!!!

[@cipherreese8877]

As someone who’s a big fan of VIII, I think your thoughts on the game are totally fair. I’m definitely aware of the games flaws, it can be tough to enjoy at points, but I’m glad you didn’t hate your time with it overall. I can appreciate that you were able to find things you enjoyed in spite of those flaws. Plus, like with any review, this video is bound to inspire at least a few people to try the game for themselves to see if it’s something they’d enjoy, which I can appreciate too. Awesome video overall! I’ll definitely be looking forward to the next one.

[@DarkEinherjar]

FVIII's story can be summarized by one of Johnny's most iconic phrases from the Sonic '06 review: "TIME TRAVEL IS BULLSHIT!!!"

[@TheKpa11]

And just imagine the multiverse in this game 😖

[@gjtrue]

@@TheKpa11 I honestly think the nonsense the FFVII Remake pulled would have made more sense if done with *Final Fantasy VIII* instead given it's themed around time travel shenanigans.

[@TheKpa11]

@@gjtrue Easier pill to swallow I’d say You know what, to play the WHAT IF game like FF7 Remake wants to; had FF8 remake released first, and did the timey whimey nonsense, it’d have taken all the heat And then when FF7 Remake came around and did not do it at all, it would be seen as superior and more respectful (With its other flaws still being there, but with no timey whimey nonsense attached, and only coming from fan theories instead)

[@Mr.Genesis]

@@TheKpa11 i don't understand why people pontificate about games like they made them. Kazushige Nojima wrote this game just like he wrote OG FF7 and FF7 Remake. He IS THE AUTHOR. So whatever he as the author decides for the story.. because he wrote it with Kitase and all of the original devs approve.

[@TheKpa11]

@@Mr.Genesis Which doesn’t stop the fact it was poorly executed and a poor idea to go with. He wanted his cake and eat it too. As did everybody else who must go along if they want to get paid

[@JoakimOtamaa]

"It's Leon" and "Forward and back", gotta love Johnny's running gags.

[@Bramhallthefifth]

i dont really agree with the (very common) criticism of 'substituting one grind for another' wrt draw spam vs cards. you can get loads of magic through a more traditional grind (killing some enemies can give you the same item drops you would get through cards) and with some items you only need 3-5 of them to get a max stock of 100. great example is fish fins right at the start of the game. granted if you want the very best spells in the game you're probably going to want to play cards.

[@TheAfterglowProject]

“Selphie loves trains and explosions.”

[@MirinkaiserVODs]

I'll always get irritated seeing people bash on games like FF2 or FF8 with the complaint that they are boring, when they went OUT OF THEIR WAY to take on the most boring grind (attacking yourself for hours in FF2, playing Triple Triad in FF8, stuff like that) and end up OP and then claim that the gameplay is boring. Like, they do it to themselves on their own volition, then they bash on the game for it. It's irritating because there's something underneath the breakable system that can be fun, and they go out of their way to make it unfun. I'm not a fan of 2 or 8, but they don't get the negative rap they get. Glad you didn't bash the game based on this, and instead bashed it on its actual flaws, while also praising it for what it does well. Great video!

[@tateharris477]

This was basically the first console Final Fantasy I owned, though I played the PC version first, and it was my favorite. Strangely enough at that time Squall felt a bit relatable to me. Still like the game, but been a while since I really played it. Glad to see this.

[@tateharris477]

Sidenote: Chocobo world was included on pc.

[@kylemyers5416]

Skip to 00:00 to avoid spoilers, eh?

[@megamarsonic]

Every time I see a Final Fantasy VIII video, I always think about The Spoony One’s rant about Eyes on Me.

[@OnlineSnail]

Nothing makes a long week better than seeing Johnny in my feed

[@platypusfox73]

I was waiting for this. Eight was my first and still favorite Final Fantasy, but I know it's not everyone's cup of tea due to the junction system, so it's nice to hear other people's thoughts on it. It is totally broken though. Last playthrough I managed to get a hundred Ultima Spells after being Ultima weapon which I put on Squal's attack and after that the only boss that gave me trouble was Omega Weapon because I was killing everything in one hit with the Lion Heart limit break.

[@Bluedino152]

7:31 : okay then

[@SaotomeLuna]

Tangentially related to FF8, Eden's special attack in E1S always overloaded my monitor somehow, and my static began cursing Samsung every time we wiped. Seeing Eden's summon again reminded me lol