A five day gap between the due date of my last essay and my first (open book) exam has left me with several consecutive days off. I have used those days to complete Final Fantasy 8; not a bad way to spend some time if I do say so myself. Being a longstanding fan of its predecessor (FF7) it is somewhat difficult for me to make a totally unbiased assessment. Even though these two titles have very little in common, they are constantly being compared against eachother as the usual candidates for "Greatest Squaresoft RPG ever". And although FF7 has a larger fanbase and the universally acknowledged status as one of the greatest games ever made, FF8 is no slouch either. There's a whole sect of people (including Nova) who see 8 as being superior to 7 and in a lot of ways I can understand why.

 Graphics do not make a game, but they are important. The case of FF8 is somewhat unique so I'll deal with it first. At first glance the graphics don't seem that great; many of the textures are extremely grainy (even for PSX) and in some cases actually end up looking worse than FF7. A perfect example is the overworld; FF7 didn't aim as high and thus acheived a more polished product. FF8, on the other hand, pushed the envelope and while it worked in some cases, it was a drawback in others. It's somewhat hard to explain but if you've ever played the game you probably understand what I'm getting at. It is better to aim a little lower and have a slightly less advanced product that looks more polished than to set ones sights too high and try to push the software too hard. FF7 didn't use any textures at all in some cases and although this certainly took away from its visual appeal, it was actually a smart decision. It's a lot easier to put up with low detail figures that move cleanly than higher-detail ones that look grainy.

 Now comparing the two titles, especially on graphics, isn't really fair. FF8 does not try to be FF7, which is one of the reasons why I enjoyed playing it so much. Even so, some comparisson is going to be inevitable given the close relationship between the two titles. I should reiterate that there is nothing wrong with FF8's graphics (for the time it was made, 1999); I just felt that in some cases Square would have been better suited to use lower detail models than try for something that the PSX just cannot handle. Thankfully this is only really a problem in the games overworld, where you don't spend a hell of a lot of time anyways.

 One huge plus factor for graphics... the FMVs. This game is four discs for very good reason; the FMV's look phenomenal, especially for their time. I'd say they're still reasonably good even by todays standards. They're well done and plentiful, they don't ever skip or stutter and they enhance the story tremendously. So whatever the game may lack in its overworld graphics engine, it more than makes up for with the FMVs.

 On to the storyline then. FF8 is often regarded as one of the most romantic games of all time and I suppose I can understand why that is. Even so... I'm skeptical, in one sense. Firstly I must absolve my own tastes in gaming; anyone who knows me knows I am a very romantic person, and also that I tend to like RPGs that differ from the mainstream. I also know that the FF series, while excellent, is the definition of mainstream. So with that in mind I can understand that the romance aspects would have to be limited in some ways, otherwise lots of potential gamers could have been turned off. But even with that in mind I didn't find the game to be overly romantic. Certainly it's a huge part of the storyline and all, but I guess I was just expecting more from the game that's known as "most romanctic ever". Again, let me clarify - I am not criticizing either the story or the romance of it. Nor am I saying the romance was weak. All I'm saying is that when you go into a game with the knowledge that it is universally regarded as one of the most romantic titles ever, you have certain expectations. In some ways I found FF8 didn't quite meet those expectations. For the longest time our hero and heroine aren't even able to confess their feelings to eachother and even when they do, they still act as if they feel nothing. At times it is almost silly and certainly distracting. Here's one spoiler-free example. Our hero, Squall, risks certain death to save the heroine (Rinoa) from her own demise. All the while he is thinking to himself about how much he cares about her, how much he yearns to tell her how he feels. Our hero is of course able to do the impossible and save the heroine... and yet when all is said and done and they're safe, he won't even embrace her when she asks him to! I realize the hero's character is supposed to be somewhat cold and aloof, but there have to be limits. There are a couple scenes like this and I found them very frustrating; I almost wanted to yell at the characters because of their behaviour. I know part of a good romance involves some awkward moments and such... at first. But this scene happens three quarters of the way into the game and it just felt wrong. The intensely romantic heroism of Squalls act to save Rinoa is completely ruined by his cowardice in not even bothering to give her a hug. I mean come on.... I'll concede that FF8 was a romantic game, but I hesitate in calling it the most romantic ever. Personally I found FF10 to be just as romantic, and thankfully it was spared from some of the flaws present in this title.

 Other than the somewhat frustrating pacing of the romance, the story is pretty good. It's got lots of twists and turns, some so shocking that it'll actually take a while for the player to get their head around it. The ending, while confusing in some ways, was solid and certainly a better effort than many RPGs receive. So there's definitely no criticism there. I found the characters to be compelling and intriguing, so there too I have no criticism. Despite my earlier objections on the whole the story is actually very good and certainly worth experiencing. I just felt that one or two scenes (like the one I outlined) were botched, and that sadly cost the story in some of its more critical moments.

 The gameplay is where FF8 really shines. Unlike most RPGs, levels are essentially irrelevant in this game. Your enemies level as you do, so there's never any need or point in power training. The ability to turn random encounters on and off, coupled with the fact that all forced battles (ie. bosses) don't give you any experience means you could very realistically face the final boss with Level 10 characters (and a level 10 end boss). Now this is not really a smart idea, since you'll want to acquire strong items and magic from your battles. But even so, having the option is a godsend. I admit I spent about 40% of the game with the battles turned off - sometimes you just get tired of battling, or are so into the story that you just want to find out what happens next. That's actually another compliment to the strength of the story; it can carry its own weight and doesn't really even need the battles. One might see this as indicative of a weak battle system, which couldn't be further from the case. Although FF8's junction system is hopelessly confusing at first, once you get it you get it (as Nova so eloquently put it). It allows for a lot of customization of characters and, in my case, strategic abuse of the system. See, your enemies level as you do - their levels are the average of the levels of your three active party members. So by strategically overpowering one character (ie. Squall) while intentionally stunting the growth of others, you can really tip the balance in your favour. For a long time I had Squall around level 40 and my other characters at level 20. This made enemy levels around 25, and the overlevelled Squall was more than strong enough to cover for his weaker counterparts. According to Nova this is "cheating", but I see it as fair game since it is merely one method of utilizing the junction system.

The soundtrack for the game is top notch; one can expect nothing less from Nobuo Uematsu. The theme song for the game, "Eyes On Me", is a wonderful romance song and perfectly meshes. All of the other tracks are great too and although there aren't quite as many memorable tunes as in FF7 or 9, the soundtrack is definitely on par. Sometimes the best scores are the ones that blend so well you don't even notice them at first glance. That was often the case here.

As for replay value... well, there's isn't a whole lot but that's to be expected in a game like this. There are of course several optional subquests which do help extend the longevity of your playing experience. Even so, compared against games like Nocturne or Vandal Hearts II which have multiple paths and endings, FF8 really cannot compete. It's still a great game though - I'd certainly play it again for the sheer enjoyment factor. That's another positive toward the game; it's just fun to play. It's always hard to pin down the fun factor, as it varies so much from person to person and even from game to game. But whatever it is, FF8 has plenty of it.

In the end, I have a wholly positive reflection on the game. Sure, it's not perfect but then no game is. Directly compared against FF7 it surely has less flaws. Does it supercede FF7 for me... perhaps in one sense. FF7 will always hold a special place for me that no game (not even Nocturne) can occupy. Even so, FF8 was a spectacular effort and a wonderful experience to play. In the end I'll say the two are about equal, albeit different. Both have their flaws but still remain, to this day, templates against which all RPGs are inevitably judged.

With FF8 complete my next game is Jade Cocoon 2, which I bought like five months ago and am just getting to now. So far it seems pretty good... a little below my age level at times, but cute and funny none-the-less. I can also sense, even at this early stage, that this is going to be a highly addictive game. I'll post again with more info on it later.

What else? I think my computer might have a virus... my IEXPLORE.exe process keeps crashing on itself. Whenever I leave and explorer window open without refreshing it for more than like five minutes (it happened while trying to make this entry actually) the browser window sucks up all my system resources and then stops responding. I suppose my options are to either find the virus and remove it, or switch to a different internet browser like Firefox. And just now my cellphone crashed, somehow... -_- It's just been one of those days, I guess.

Oh well, I'll post again later.

 There's something to be said for having way too much free time on your hands. With classes now over, and only two more papers and three more exams to go (and that lasts 'til the 24th) I have ample free time. And yet it doesn't feel like it... Nova and I have a theory on the subject. When you're busy, and you manage to score a valuable hour to yourself it feels like something. But when you've got an entire day to write a one page essay outline, something feels amiss. If you try to sit down and do it, you're thinking "Why bother? It's such a waste of time, and I can just do it later". But if you don't do it, you're thinking "Man, I keep procrastinating... I really should get to work" and you end up feeling guilty. It really sucks, and the mentality ruins the fun of a day off. Needless to say I can't wait to go home and get back into a routine that makes functional sense. Today's the first day in a week that I've been up before 1pm... -_-

 Anyways....

 The ample free time has allowed me to finish up Makai Kingdom, start and subsequently abandon Stella Deus, and move onto the classic FFVIII which I've somehow gone this long without ever playing, in spite of being an avid fan of the series. But perhaps I should address these things one at a time.

 Makai Kingdom, like all NIS strategy games, is quirky and addictive. It was certainly fun to play though, in spite of the weak story and somewhat stunted length (beat it in 22 hours). Compared against its predecessors Disgaea: Hour of Darkness and Phantom Brave, it fares pretty well. Of the three titles the one I enjoyed the most was actually Phantom Brave, which is odd given that it is usually rated the lowest of the three. Disgaea's strength was in its ingenuity and replay value; the following games were just sequels, and thus lacked that initial spark of inventive gameplay. Even so, of the three Phantom Brave had the best story (which isn't saying much -- all three weren't superb) and the most tactical gameplay. Makai Kingdom was probably the most fun to actually play, and offered lots of freedom in the gameplay. However, the constantly randomized dungeons and lack of a true story tends to leave players (Nova and I agree) wondering about why they're fighting in the first place. So if you're interested in the series at all, but only have the funds for one of the titles, I can't really recommend one. Just go for whichever one is the cheapest; they're all good. Though to be fair, having played Phantom Brave will help you better understand Makai Kingdom, as it builds upon its predecessors gameplay style.

 Stella Deus is another Atlus strategy RPG (Atlus = NIS, sort of) which is supposedly pretty good. I couldn't really get into it though. The story is interesting enough, but the dialogue and voice acting falls flat and prevents players from ever really becoming attached to any of the characters. RPG's tend to fare the best when that connection is strengthened, so not having it at all weakened the overall presentation. That alone is forgiveable, but other gameplay elements also harmed the experience for me. Nova said she found the game easy, but I found it to be unreasonably hard. Levelling up in this game is hard (and makes a big difference), and the enemies constantly seem to outnumber and outclass you. The end result is that you have to spend 1-2 hours training your characters to say, level 15, only to pass the storyline mission and then have to spend another 1-2 hours training to level 17 so you can handle the following mission. And as the battles are long, the gameplay feels somewhat slow and the sound volume is inconsistent, the overall presentation isn't superb. Coming off of two excellent NIS strategy games might have had something to do with it as well. Overall Stella Deus isn't horrible, but for the time being I'm putting it back on the shelf.

 That leaves FFVIII. I've never played it; I'm a devout FFVII fan. As fate would have it, Nova is a devout FFVIII fan but has never finished FFVII. You can probably guess what's happening now. I'm about six hours into FFVIII and I really like it: triple triad (the mini game involving cards) is really fun and addictive, and the story is great. I had nothing against this game going into it (just never got around to playing it - I own FFVII on PC, for one thing); so far for me it's almost on par. FFVII will hold a special place for me being one of the first RPGs I every played through to completion. But if VIII keeps up the good pace and story, it'll be poised to be right up there as well. Nova has yet to give me any feedback on FFVII.

  This (school) year is almost over, meaning I'll be home and with Nova soon. So many big things will be happening in just a few short months... can't wait. I just hope everything goes to plan as realistically as possible and it all works out. I have faith though, and I know we can do it. We've both been waiting a long time for this, and now we're finally so close. I miss her terribly, and can't wait to see her.

 Alas, my homework needs to be done. So long for now.

 PS - if any of the AC forum people can get a north american release date for Last Raven, PM it to me or post it in the thread i made in that forum. So far I haven't had any luck nailing down anything more specific than Q2 2006, which started 8 days ago. >_<

 So long as I'm avoiding do my ever-present homework I might as well come here and say something.

 I know I've neglected this blog of late, and there are a number of reasons behind it. Most of them I've already been over... the big ones are the stress caused by school, the stress caused by my parents and the stress caused by my current living situation. That is to say that I'll be moving at least three times in the next five months, which creates challenges. Certainly I'm looking forward to the end result (no question there), but the road there is at times turbulent. In other words, I've got a hell of a lot of stuff on my mind and rarely to I have any particular desire to share it here. As my life becomes less and less of a pathetic joke and more like the existence I've always wanted for myself, I find this journal becoming less important to me. I will not lie - the only real reason I ever come here anymore is because Nova still encourages me too. As time has progressed I've grown distant from my readership and thus any desire to actually document anything is minimal.

 On that somewhat dark note, this entry begins.

 Firstly, I'll take a moment to address the current Ontario College Teacher's Strike. I'm not affected by it; two years ago my university nearly walked out, but a deal was closed in the dying moments. At this point there have essentially been no classes for any college students in the province for two weeks and if this continues the academic year will be lost. When I try to imagine that I feel sick to my stomach. There are so many things wrong with it... the money is an obvious one. Tuition and books cost a fortune. Even if that were to be refunded, it doesn't account for so many other factors such as living accomodations or travel expenses. Moreover, the investment in time is lost... an entire year is thrown down the drain for these students, and for what? Some greedy union reps who force their members to walk a picket line? It's a complete slap in the face to the students who are already dealing with enough problems (tuition freeze ended this year, my schooling's gonna cost 200 dollars more next year). I sincerely hope that the academic year is not lost; additionally, all college students should have their tuition for this semester (January-April) refunded in light of this. Even though the strike has only been going on for two weeks, the premise still stands. If you went to a movie theatre and the projector died in the last twenty minutes of the film, you'd still demand a refund (even though you did see 90% of the movie). All of this only further entrenches my beliefs that "striking" should be made illegal for all essential services, and the definition of essential service should be greatly broadened. This tyranny of the workforce (particularly with teachers) needs to stop. Even if they are justified in their demands, which they very well may be, making the students pick up the tab is unfair, unreasonable and quite frankly insane. Should this academic year be lost I would suggest to all college students in the province that they loot their campuses and respective unions until they feel they have been duly compensated. (A class action lawsuit works too, but is less directly effective). This madness needs to end.

  On a lighter note, I've finished Phantom Brave and begun Makai Kingdom. I'm beginning to see why so many people are addicted to the NIS strategy games... they truly are enjoyable and make you want to stay awake into the wee hours of the morning. So far I can't decide which one I like best... Phantom Brave had the best story of the three (in my mind), while Makai Kingdom has the most originality to its gameplay. Disagea had the easiest interfaces and some very cool gameplay ideas. All things considered the three installments might actually equal out for me in the end. All that'd be left then is to wait for Disgaea 2, which is released in August. Nova submitted some ideas for "Random Names" to the creators as part of a contest. Essentially people can submit their favourite custom names and the sites membership will vote on the 20 best ones, which will then be included in the listing of random "default" names for the characters you create (if you don't want to name them yourself). Nova's names are extremely creative and I hope to see at least one of them make the final cut. I'll post up more information on this if any developments occur.

 Trying to juggle six courses at once is no easy task, but I'm doing it well. I still have quite a bit of so-called "free-time" on my hands. That is to say, if I could actually put my mind into what I'm doing I bet I could get it done a lot faster and have free time. For example, the paper I've been writing this afternoon... if I could just focus on it and write it I could have it done in an hour, then have the remainder of the day to myself. But sadly I lack the motivational capacity, and so here I am avoiding doing any further work. I think next year will be better because actually being employed will give me a drive to do my homework. So instead of having a whole day to spend on one paper, I'll only have a few hours tops and that will actually motivate me to do the work I have. Plus I'll be making money... I'm quite poor at the moment. I would get a job, save for the fact that I have to move home in five weeks and thus finding any sort of real employment is impossible. I've got my eyes open for any temp stuff, as I only need a little bit of extra cash to finish out the semester.

 I can't wait for next year. I'll be living with Nova here in Ottawa - we'll both have to juggle school and work, but it'll be so worth it. As I mentioned, I'll be motivated both by my reduction in free time and by having her around, and I'll finally have a proper source of income. And once next year (my final year) wraps up I'll be free to start the rest of my "real" life and no longer have to pay into this scam known as post secondary education.

 All things considered I'm doing all right. And it does still feel good to put my thoughts into words and throw them out into the online void... maybe I'll do it again, if the mood strikes me. Until then....

 Just a quick entry today, with minmized ranting.

 I finished Phantom Brave, definitely a quality strategy RPG. In the end I found I actually enjoyed it more than Disgaea, even though Disgaea is probably the better of the two from a technical standpoint. Nova says that Makai Kingdom, the newest installment in the series, is the best of the three so I'm looking forward to picking it up from her when I go to visit this weekend. Until then I'm going to replay Castlevania Curse of Darkness because why not.

 Incidentally it's Nova's birthday on Thursday... we all remember this, don't we?

Can't believe those crazy-ass doll things were from a full year ago, it doesn't feel like this been that long. In any case, a heart-felt happy birthday to my sweetheart! ^_^

Homework continues unabated but at the moment the load is bearable. And now my food is ready so... maybe another entry another time.

 The endless struggle between my father and I continues on unabated. I must say, there's nothing worse than being financially harnessed to a family member. All those people running from student loan officers and debt collectors have it comparably easy in this case. I'm not saying having debt is a good thing, obviously, but at least you know what the terms are. You have options, to an extent. Not me though - I can't shake my albatross, try as I might.

 Nova and I will be living together come July and I couldn't be happier. Even setting aside all of her benefits and how amazing it would be, it's going to feel so good just to get out from under my parents overbearing shadow. I find it hilariously contentious that my whole life they've been working to give me "options"; obviously certain options were supposed to be off limits. The current point of contention lies with my roommates - originally I was going to pay for the apartment over the summer because I'd have intentions to live in it again come September. They make the point that the commitment to paying for it still exists (and in a sense they're right, despite it being an unwanted burden). The problem is my father, with whom I struck a deal to pay for the apartment as part of a company benefits package (in exchange for other benefits I never use anyways) is now trying to reneg on the deal, citing the "changed situation". Even that isn't so infuriating as the underlying hipocrisy because he still goes out of his way to claim that he's trying to help me, despite flagrant amounts of empirical evidence to the contrary.

 I realize my decision has financial consequences and reprecussions, some beyond my current means. For a normal person in these circumstances, a bank loan (or a school loan, in the form of OSAP for us Ontarians) is the usual road taken. My father, in his claim to want to keep me debt free (noble, in one sense) is attempting to restrict my means of getting such a loan. So that even further cripples my power in the situation because not only am I stuck with an albatross around my neck, he's insisting that it be HIS albatross. And quite frankly I'd much rather deal with one year of student loans and pay it back over my first few seasons working than tolerate any more of this BS.

 In my next years budget that they demanded I show them, my parents were shocked to see that I left no financial allotment for train tickets home to see them. And they wonder why.... *shakes head*

 On the lighter side of life, things with Nova and I are going quite well given the circumstances. This is obviously a stressful period of transition and it often leaves me on edge (much to her detriment, sadly) but we're getting through it. The 106 day countdown to the completion of this bold venture draws ever nearer and its advent gives us hope. Desite the best efforts of my parents and my roommates I have no absence of faith in my abilities to finish what I've set out to do. I will no longer allow outside sources to interfere with my own desires and free will.

 Take this somewhat intense post however you will - other than Nova, I don't know who else may still be reading this (nor do I particularly care at this point, no offense to any potential readers). I'll update when I can.

 PS - NIS strategy games are hilariously addictive. If you see Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, Phantom Brave or Makai Kingdom and you have some spare time and funds, pick one up. It's a great way to relieve stress, let me tell you.

 In the words of Aaron Lewis, it's been a while.

 Many videogames have made their way through my roster and as a loyal gamer it is my duty to report them here, at least in brief. I'm playing Magna Carta again; if I'm not mistaken I've already given my full review for it here. Let me put it this way - the fact that I'm willing to spend sixty-odd "play" hours on a game I've already beaten when another 2 dozen as-of-yet unplayed titles are clamoring for attention from the shelf speaks volumes.

 I also finished as much of Burnout Revenge as interests me. In other words, I played through all of the various races and pretty much ignored crash mode. There's nothing wrong with crash mode per-se, but I just don't find it all that engaging. The races, on the other hand, are even more white-knuckle than before. However in the end I probably have to give my vote to Burnout 3. Revenge is a very good title, but it does differ from its predecessor in a number of ways. Now for me difference is good (FROM software could learn from this) and I really enjoyed the new gameplay. Even so, I think most people will prefer Burnout 3. In Revenge you have to be aware of a lot more, like which traffic you can hit and which you cannot. You also can't ride the walls anymore which makes things even more challenging. It's kind of a trade-off - if you prefer a perfectionist sort of race, where one little error can mean a loss than Burnout 3 is the obvious choice. But if you're more into the rough-and-tumble (which means more "interruptions" as you crash more often) than Revenge is the ticket. I should point out that the comparisson here is biased; both are great games and compared to any other driving title on the market they are vastly superior. If Burnout 3 is a 10 and Revenge a 9, nothing else scores higher than a 2 or 3. If you're looking for driving action and you own a PS2 (or a shit-box), this is the game for you.

  I also picked up the Megaman X collection. That game is a bit of a quandry... if you're not a megaman fan it's most likely too late for you. But if you remember the blue bombers more edgy incarnation from the SNES then you should probably look into this. I'd played X-X3 extensively in my day, though I only recently sampled some of the PSX titles. Strangely I think that the X series was actually better on the SNES. The PSX games are, in all honesty, boring at times. I'd much rather be playing one of the SNES titles. Megaman X3 remains one of the greatest games ever made. It is to the X series what Megaman 2 was to the MM series... the pinnacle of perfection. In any case, if you're interested you may want to pick this up, especially considering the budget price. But honestly, if you like Megaman you probably already have it. And if you don't, you're not going to want it anyways.

 Nova continues to inspire me on a daily basis. Even at a great distance she remains the focus of my life, and rightly so. It's difficult to pay attention to anything else. I'm not trying to brag about how lucky I am (all right, maybe I am), but it should go without saying. When you meet the perfect person for you, who exemplifies everything you've ever wanted (and some stuff you never even thought could exist in another person) it's impossible to NOT try and spend as much time with them as is feasible. Our one year anniversary passed not too long ago and it was wonderful, albeit far too brief. Weekend visits and even the rarer, week-long stays just aren't enough.

 FYI, Gamer-Girl Nova says:
--- Magna Carta = Good
--- Burnout Revenge = Not as good as Burnout 3, but still good
--- Digital Devil Saga = BEST GAME EVER
--- Makai Kingdom = Great so far

 I can vouch for the first three, though I haven't played Makai Kingdom yet. I'm not allowed to yet - it's like the wonderful desert, which can only be had once I've finished my Phantom Brave (it's predecessor). Incidentally there's nothing wrong with Phantom Brave, it just isn't quite as good as 'Kai Kingdom, apparently. Both of those titles are on my to-play list (what isn't?) once I get through Magna Carta again.

 One other thing... four years on neoseeker as of a few weeks ago. Does that make me a big nerd? Probably, but it did lead me to Nova so it was well worth it. Karma is wonderful.