@@InternetGravedigger Wow, thinking about that it's kind of amazing how much the innovation has slowed down (minus stuff like FFXIV: ARR and later expansions). Innovation for the FF series needs a kick in the pants.
I remember getting PlayStation monthly for the demo, naively thinking I would be able to play. I was both shockingly saddened and amazed at the same time, realising I couldn’t play.. but was able to witness a future masterpiece. I literally relayed this on repeat for 5-6 months untill I finally got this, on Boxing Day at my mums house. My best friend got it Christmas morning.. and at that age I was scared he was gonna get too too far ahead of me.
14 years old at the moment, trying out the game for the first time and I have to say that this game and its graphics would have most definitely blown my mind if I had my hands on it around the time. the hairs on the back of my neck still stand whenever i boot up the game
When you feel it you feel it. I have tried to explain to everyone around me the feeling of that transition. The power of it is eminence and has yet to be duplicated from Square.
+Kain Darkwind I think it's an okay FF game. It has some issues of course but I liked it enough. And if you get a kick out of the junction system, you can turn your characters into overpowered beings and you don't even need to level grind which is interesting. But still level grinding feels kind of pointless when the bosses get ten times stronger if you do grind which sucks though. But the opening, I agree, is kickass. It is the most memorable opening of the series with a memorable intro music and with tons of production values and effort put into it.
I love this game, MECHANICALLY. It's a solid system. I just couldn't be bothered to give a crap about the story, characters, or world. I'm one of the few people I know who actually liked the junction system.
thats too bad...aside from the parts where you play Laguna, the story is hella solid, in my opinion its just as good as FF7 and in some parts its better. i like the junction system as well, but too easily was it OP. since the creatures leveled with you, all you need do is tank a fight forever whilst drawing the best magic to junction and have super OP low level characters.
Still one of the best opening cinematic to a game I've ever seen. I also love how Squall takes a pretty brutal cut to the face and is like "...bitch," before returning the favor to Seifer😂
You would think that those 2 had a battle to the death, but in reality after the opening we find out they were just training and sparring, and syphar the blonde guy pulled a low blow with the fire megic lololol.
I recognise I sound like an asshole now but... NO. Not only has Sqaure Enix proved that they don't want to make faithful remakes, think about the wording you're using. To "remake" something implies that the original wasn't good enough.
@@Daniel-Rain-YT Yeah, give it a full HD remake but leave the game as it is, it doesn't' need 7 years and 1000 hours of filler content to justify making it into 3 games.
I think the underappreciated thing VIII does extremely well is drive home the idea of growing up and forgetting aspects of your past. It delves into the fogginess of memory and provokes the player to reflect on their life,friends,etc and where they came from and where they are now. It's a game about appreciating and understanding your past, instead of running away from it. While it's story is epic to an extent, overall it's downplayed compared to VII more in favor of exploring the idea of understanding who you are internally rather than externally. I think its criminally overlooked but I find as the years go by, more and more people appreciate it for what it tried to do. Tell the story of a group of broken people helping each other realize their worth, moving on from the past, and finding a reason to exist in the world. It touched me back then and playing it again recently with my friend, 10 years younger than me, she appreciated it as well, nearly 20 years after its release. Now that's an impressive feat.
Best comment in this section man! Rly 20 years later this intro still gives chills.. let alone the game itself.For some reason i dont want a remake of this im certain they will spoil it. Some things should be left untouched...
Sam Pascoe for me it falls flat to ff7 just because of the lack of a sense of danger (for lack of a better phrase). sephiroth just seemed so menacing to me and his motives were clear throughout most of the game. in ff8 you don’t really know about ultimecia until way later in the game, and by that point she just doesn’t have that much of a presence. i personally loved the party characters in ff8 tho. i felt like i was part of their group of friends and i felt like they truly cared for each other due to their history!!
Final fantasy 7 , 8 , 9 taught me to read and understand what I saw as high vocabulary. I was like 10 , now I’m 31 this and many others bring so much nostalgia and amazing goosebumps. It also taught me a little about how the world can be and how one should uphold honor and virtue. At the same time fight for love and sacrifice for the greater good.
I still remember first hearing it. I was rooted in my seat from shock at hearing and seeing this opening. I knew I'd be in for an amazing game from the start.
Final fantasy 8 came out the same year that I was born. I played this for the first time on a PS2 back in like 2005/2006. I had only just played final fantasy 7 before it and this intro got me hyped up.
What an intro, FF8 is IMO one of the best stories of the series, and one of the most relatable, because it had that grit and realism. The rivalry between Squall and Seifer was exactly like real life sibling rivalries between brothers. Also, the antagonists in FF8 were legitimately intimidating. Look at Edea. Just based on the visuals she seems like the queen of some corrupted, otherworldly realm.
I absolutely agree... the orphanage crew each has personality traits that I totally get and remind me of the way my friends were at that age. FF8 will always be my favorite and a game close to my
A nice little detail shown at 2:47 is that Seifer used the triggering mechanism of his gunblade to make the impact more harmful, which is why Squall wound up at the infirmary whereas Seifer, despite also being slashed, was already up and about.
I don't know how many times I've watched this intro and I have never noticed that. He definitely pulls the trigger which causes more damage. Nice catch!
I remember I was 14 years old, 9/9/1999, I ran to Circuit City and bought this game after school, ran home, popped disc 1 into my PlayStation, turned it on, hit "New Game" and this intro played. My mouth was agape, I was completely blown away, I've never before or since seen a video game opening that hyped me up more to play the game or that just had such a profound awe striking effect on me. I'm now 35, and have played probably hundreds of other games since FFVIII, but even watching this today I still don't think any other game opening can touch it. It's just too well done.
I had the same reaction. I watched it, was like: “….😲”, called my Mom into the room, restarted the game and made her watch it, and said: “Can you _believe_ this is a _game?!_ “
Even at 35, still get a little choked up remembering back to a time when I’d be the best little boy I could so I could sit down n play my very first Final Fantasy like my big brother before me. This game holds a very special place in me. Seeing this again and all those memories come rushing back, like a bookmark in time. Timeless masterpiece idc what anybody else says.
I miss this game so much. My firs Final Fantasy, my first JRPG, my first serious gaming experience in general after spending the 90s with a bad PC and a bland arcade game collection. Still, I don't wanna play it anymore, nor I like the idea of a remake/reboot/sequel. Cause I know what I'm truly missing isn't the game itself, but the days I spent with it and the memories of playing with my friends during the long evenings of a summer in the early 2000. So I feel that playing it again today wouldn't be the same and after all...it would maybe be wrong. And I'm ok with it.
" Cause I know what I'm truly missing isn't the game itself, but the days I spent with it and the memories of playing with my friends during the long evenings of a summer in the early 2000" Yeah....
Did you ever re play? How you feel is exactly how it feels for me. Little did I know after a few shorts years if this game being released, I was thrust into adult hood and life would change beyond recognition! Incredible game with my best mate. You gotta re play this. It’s epic!
This is my first time seeing this . I wasn't allowed to play games as a child , I feel like I missed out . I have played only one final fantasy as an adult. I couldn't get past the first stage lol. But this is breathtaking-I'm so sorry. Its precious.
Oh man.... you know you were robbed of some great memories you could've had. Im sorry 😞 Its still a great game even playing it now days.. but back then this was mind blowing. You really should play it though. Final fantasy 10 was fantastic too. Honestly thats my favorite Final Fantasy. 8, 9, and 10 were just so damn good.
This trailer still gives me goosebumps I was 13 when I first seen this I especially love the beginning and the dramatic song this will forever be in my soul ❤️
I thought they would abandon this underrated masterpiece forever. But thank god they did do something on its 20th birthday. This is my first ff and it will always be the ff I love the most. FF7 is great too but its super fans are annoying, they keep hating on FF8 just because they think 8 is 7 wanna be. I wish after FF7 Remake released and success they would treat the same thing to our beloved FF8.
Without hyperbolizing I can say that this might be the single greatest piece of music ever written for a video game. I forgot it even came from FF8. I just assumed it was a piece of classical music or from an opera or something, it's that good
lol then you haven't heard real classical music. I kid but seriously there's tons of pieces that are great out there both classical and nonclassical, though as someone who's grown up with classical, there's really no comparison
Im currently replaying this game, and its just amazing how good the game is, the pacing of the story is great, the character interaction, the slow build up where these characters are coming from, squall being a angsty edgy teen but actually had a good reason, explained how he was alone when he was a child, the music, the in game difficulty slider that is the card mod system and triple triad system, (u can make the game easy if u want, even get lionheart legit disc 1, or harder by ignoring those systems) the inspired and familiar yet alien/fantasy locales (timber tv station and fishermans horizon are just so beautiful,) why cant square do games like these anymore.
Yeah my first play through I didn't get it. I was like 11 and playing on an old like 25" bubble tv. Couldn't make out the symbols and get the junctioning right.
Honestly I still barely understand the Junction System to this day Maybe I should replay the game soon I’ll uh, probably update this if I get to understand the System a bit
Only problem i had with the junction system was it really discouraged you from using most of the better magic in the game as it ruined your stats. That said it more than made up for it with how it let you build characters for specific playstyles.
Junction System was terrible. Having your stats rely on magic is stupid especially with how tedious drawing magic is. And the player shouldn't be forced to choose between using a powerful spell that can save your ass or letting it collect dust because removing it could screw you over in stats
12 years old when i played this! How time flies! My mate broke my nose with a stick as we trued to re enact the fight between Squal and Seifer. Dam good times!!😂😂
This game together with FFVII was possibly the most revolutionary in the game's history, it's incredibly epic and memorable, it was an unbelievable experience when it came out in 1999! It is tragic that they are no longer able to produce games with this artistic quality.
Very esoteric intro. You have the feather to sword transition, and then the 2 women representing 2 different side or 2 reasons to fight. And obviously the 2 characters are champions for each of them, but then you have cross-overs where the Main Characters sword is first associated with the white feather, and then with the other woman as the weather changes, establishing a dark tone and inner conflict. Then as the main character supposedly achieves victory, the feathers return but they are black, the consequences of his victory aren't full comprehended, and the climax arrives before he is able to return and embrace the girl again. What a brilliant management of tension going on. P.S this is all gleamed from someone who didn't play the game lol
As somebody who also didn't play the game, I was fascinated to read that that's what all those scenes were symbolizing... until I read your PS, ha. But who knows, maybe your description is correct.
There was a classic moment there for Squaresoft on Playstation. FF VII, VIII and IX, all special and unique games even today and amazing at the time. It's an example of developers at their peak.
@@dominquedoty458 The game was only given like 18 months of total development time. From concept to consumer hands. So yea, It was massively rushed and had a fairly short development period
The greatest final fantasy of the whole series. Final fantasy 8 was more than just a video game, great characters, good story plot, awesome soundtrack and beautiful art concept, overall a masterpiece! I remember seeing this intro and playing it in 1999 and thinking this is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen and still to this day the coolest thing ever. This video game is atmospheric, sad, epic, grand and gorgeous. It will always have a place in my heart.
Younger people cant appreciate how good this looked 25 years ago when game was pixelated and you got rendered movie playing in background like when landing on dollet beach or when escaping that spider mech or walking on roof of a running train back then it was absolutely mind blowing experience
Damn, I love reading all the comments from people who played this masterpiece back in the day and wish to grasp that feeling of playing it again for the first time. I loved every part/moment of it and haven't got anything similar from a game ever since. If you feel like that, then we are the same :)
Always loved this game and the story. I liked the junction system if you knew how to use it right you could really be powerful early in the game. Not to mention it had a lot of gameplay so the game lasted forever.
I didn't enjoy the system when I was younger but I replayed it and if your clever you can be so overpowered it's crazy even at the early point of the game.
This will always be the best video game introduction ever. It has lovely orchestral music, beautiful nature scenery, and the awesome Gunblade sword fight between Squall and Seifer.
That was videogames. A history where you could fall into, a beautiful OST and a good argument and scenarios. Hope one day that spirit will come back with new game developers focused on quality and creativity instead of only graphics.
I love how the music is so caotic along with what's happening on screen and Squall himself. Games before had that special music touch, now I barely hear something reminiscent, for the most part.
This piece of music is timeless. The music fit the game so very well. All that existentialist philosophy being poured on a young man coming of age against an extremely sci fi backdrop. Classical music and philosophy, a simple recipe that works extremely well. I came just to listen and reminisce. This was one of the few games I ever purchased full price soon after release. Well, my mum bought it for me when she randomly asked if I wanted to come shopping with her. Sweet memories. Smashed it in 5 days over half term as well. Was obsessed!
Wooow it gives me chills in my backbones each time I hear the first vocals. So many good memories, one of the best game in the world with one of the best soundtrack also in the video game history
I don't know about y'all but you know you did a great job at making a game if you still pick it up and you get very excited to play it 20 years later. Absolutely timeless.
Final Fantasy VIII is one of the best video games in history, spectacular opening, great characters, magnificent soundtrack a great history, the remasterization is the opportunity for new generations to discover this great work of video games, greetings from chile brothers 🇨🇱 👍🏻
Best Final Fantasy ever!!! And yeah mofos I`ve played and finished all, and I`m hyped for the FFVII remake, BUT, FFVIII`s unique world, characters and vibe makes it the best…. oh the nostalgia....
I still remember first hearing this opening on my Playstation 1. I was rooted in my seat from shock and even after it ended I couldn't move for a bit. I knew I'd be in for an amazing game from the start and I was right. Thanks for the memories and Happy 25th Anniversary Final Fantasy VIII! 🎉 🎂 🥳 🎉
You ever notice they did things in this game no other games have done since? Like ive never played a game that used game graphics and cgi cutscenes together in the way this game did.
Back in 1998, me and my young brother were fed up upgrading our PC with every game we purchase. After months of saving money, we decided to spent 300 USD to buy a gaming console (PlayStation 1). At the shop we asked the seller to recommend a game to start with, and unlike other gamer who usually starts with a car racing game or football, he recommended this incredible RPG game FF8. While watching this intro everyone passing by the shop stopped and started looking wowed at this amazing intro, we didn't wait to see the game-play, we just told him YES that one !
Siempre que jugaba este juego, ponía el CD1 aunque estuviera ya en el 2, 3 o 4, sólo para ver el intro, podría verlo todo el día. Sueño con ver una versión como la de FFVII next gen. Sería mi fantasía final para mi.
this is my favourite ff game by far and it was my first game I completed and only ff game I ever bothered to complete. Back long time ago school buddy introduced this game to me he was playing on the PlayStation, I was totally blown away by the game. I went home and my room was in a mess cos my cat had gotten into the shelves again and pushed everything out. I had left the cubboard door open and squated down to pick up my things. when I stood up again, the cubboard door made a large gash across my face like squall. I went to school the next day and my friend saw me... we didn't say anything for like an eternity. I said it wasnt intentional, it was an accident. he just laughed and said it's cool man I like your dedication to the love this game. maybe I should get seifers scar to match? I kid you not. wierdest best silly memory of how a game might affect you. oh and the scratch scar healed up completely thank goodness for that. My parents worried shitless.
Yep, and they had the same kind of influences too. Slow fly by on the heroine, flash forwards and flash backs, tasty morsels and vague allusions to things to come, amazing cinematography, amazing music, etc. Classic Square.
I see alot of comments about how this game doesn't make sense. Of course it doesn't. Neither did Interstellar, Arrival or anything thats revolving around time. You simply can't over analyze it. Easiest condensed explanation: A team in the present must figure out a way to defeat a Witch that destroys time in the future. They do so by acting through others in the past, to change the present before defeating the Witch in the future. I have played all but the last 2 FF games and in my opinion, this may be the finest. Although I still believe FF7 has the most re-play value, FF8 has a wonderful story and absolutely unparalleled graphics for 1999. If you have never played it you should.
FF8 was my childhood game and is possibly the thing that opened the gate into making me into a weeb, but I have to say when you mentioned the graphics, all I could think of is that one close up image of Squall's face and it's just a mess of pixels. Still, they kept the backgrounds very clean and pretty.
People undestood Chrono Trigger,Back to the future,Tales of Phantasia and The Time Machine. FFVIII came out on 9/9/99 the same day as the Dreamcast in the US and the Dreamcast came out in Japan in 1998 honey FFVIII was never graphically impressive.
Its a bloody brilliant game and the story is fantastic,its just like countless fantasy plots, is it random? absolutely,is it irrational at times and improbable scenarios? yes but its great and enjoyable and deep.When I first played it I actually loved it until late disc 2 when the story even for me at the time started to get a little weird.....they all grew up with eachother but forgot cause the summons made them have amnesia? again random as hell lol,but over time I came to like it and now I think its one of the best stories in a game in video game history period.All of it.They just dont make em like this anymore.
Squaresoft releases were basically sui generis at this point. This fucker came out for Playstation and it was like, 'Nintendwho?' It was amazing at the time and is still a brilliant and unique game. The graphics were impressive but the design, style and flair were and are something else. Dreamcast? Pfffft. On Playstation you got three discs of this shit. It was awesome.
@@ishmaelforester9825 I love FFVIII but graphically it doesn't compare to Soulcalibur,Powerstone,House of the Dead 2 and Virtua Fighter 3.All those games looked amazing without FMV or prerendered backgrounds on a single disc. Soulcalibur if you remember was noteworthy on the Dreamcast for looking better than the arcade. Also FFVIII was four discs not 3.
Despite FFVIII being a divisive game for many years, it’s still one of the most popular games in the series, & it’s one of the best selling FF games ever. So I say an FFVIII Remake is a given due to its iconic scenes & music. It would be dumb if Square Enix to not remake it. Kitase is interested in a FFVIII Remake but would love to see it be made by younger developers. So there’s still hope.
@@Lone_Wolf_Hero Arguably the best story in all of them. I played FF7-9 and I love all of those games, they were just amazing for their time. From Software is this gen's Sqauresoft....not Square Enix..:Squaresoft.
When I think FF I always think 7. But I loved this one too. I was amazed at an actual active town with public transportation the player could take. and the contrast of how real it was compared to 7. Wow can't believe I forgot all about this game until now.
this game is the best. A master piece. Story, music, all in a magnificent and epic old game. This intro is just the top of the iceberg of a unique travel. My favorite game of that console
![Final Fantasy VIII Remastered - All GF Summons [4k-60FPS]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/8ryH9-BBQqM/mqdefault.jpg)
![Final Fantasy VIII Remastered - All GF Summons [4k-60FPS]](/img/tr.png)
People don't understand how insane this looked in 1999
They don't
I do!
I remember seeing this play in a loop at a game store in a mall and being instantly obsessed. Played so much FFVIII once it came out.
The series came so far... this came out only 12 years after the first one.
@@InternetGravedigger Wow, thinking about that it's kind of amazing how much the innovation has slowed down (minus stuff like FFXIV: ARR and later expansions). Innovation for the FF series needs a kick in the pants.
I was 13 years old when this game exploded into my world. I’m 35 now and it still gives me goosebumps. This was a pivotal moment for me.
I remember getting PlayStation monthly for the demo, naively thinking I would be able to play.
I was both shockingly saddened and amazed at the same time, realising I couldn’t play.. but was able to witness a future masterpiece.
I literally relayed this on repeat for 5-6 months untill I finally got this, on Boxing Day at my mums house. My best friend got it Christmas morning.. and at that age I was scared he was gonna get too too far ahead of me.
37, I hear you.
14 years old at the moment, trying out the game for the first time and I have to say that this game and its graphics would have most definitely blown my mind if I had my hands on it around the time. the hairs on the back of my neck still stand whenever i boot up the game
33 here, same. Well said man
Recuerdo esto como el principio de todo se me pone la piel de gallina
The scene transition from feather to sword is one of the coolest I've ever seen.
When you feel it you feel it. I have tried to explain to everyone around me the feeling of that transition. The power of it is eminence and has yet to be duplicated from Square.
The spinning sword accompanied by the music. My god. Orgasm.
@@upon-fe2720 true, never seen something like this
This is actually my favorite FF intro. No joke.
It's not even in my top five favorite FF games, but it's easily the most kickass opening. Bar none.
+Kain Darkwind I think it's an okay FF game. It has some issues of course but I liked it enough. And if you get a kick out of the junction system, you can turn your characters into overpowered beings and you don't even need to level grind which is interesting. But still level grinding feels kind of pointless when the bosses get ten times stronger if you do grind which sucks though. But the opening, I agree, is kickass. It is the most memorable opening of the series with a memorable intro music and with tons of production values and effort put into it.
I love this game, MECHANICALLY. It's a solid system. I just couldn't be bothered to give a crap about the story, characters, or world. I'm one of the few people I know who actually liked the junction system.
thats too bad...aside from the parts where you play Laguna, the story is hella solid, in my opinion its just as good as FF7 and in some parts its better. i like the junction system as well, but too easily was it OP. since the creatures leveled with you, all you need do is tank a fight forever whilst drawing the best magic to junction and have super OP low level characters.
You guys haven't seen the opening to FFXIV yet.
Still one of the best opening cinematic to a game I've ever seen. I also love how Squall takes a pretty brutal cut to the face and is like "...bitch," before returning the favor to Seifer😂
Because Squall is a fucking lion.
You would think that those 2 had a battle to the death, but in reality after the opening we find out they were just training and sparring, and syphar the blonde guy pulled a low blow with the fire megic lololol.
that’s raw adrenaline right there
This is 17 years old and still looks incredible.
One of a kind
i just remembered i jacked off to Rinoa
If this doesn't bring back a childhood memory and jolt you at your core your a young Millenial and have no clue what real games offered.
looks and sounds*
Or you didn't play FF8 in 1998?
Over 20 years later, the same shivers. OST is a masterpiece
Nobuo Uematsu - he is a legend.
This game deserves a complete remake.
Exactly! I can't believe they dis not make a remake yet!😭
Yeah so they can destroy it like they did with 7... no thanks dude.
No.
I recognise I sound like an asshole now but... NO.
Not only has Sqaure Enix proved that they don't want to make faithful remakes, think about the wording you're using.
To "remake" something implies that the original wasn't good enough.
@@Daniel-Rain-YT Yeah, give it a full HD remake but leave the game as it is, it doesn't' need 7 years and 1000 hours of filler content to justify making it into 3 games.
I think the underappreciated thing VIII does extremely well is drive home the idea of growing up and forgetting aspects of your past. It delves into the fogginess of memory and provokes the player to reflect on their life,friends,etc and where they came from and where they are now. It's a game about appreciating and understanding your past, instead of running away from it. While it's story is epic to an extent, overall it's downplayed compared to VII more in favor of exploring the idea of understanding who you are internally rather than externally. I think its criminally overlooked but I find as the years go by, more and more people appreciate it for what it tried to do. Tell the story of a group of broken people helping each other realize their worth, moving on from the past, and finding a reason to exist in the world. It touched me back then and playing it again recently with my friend, 10 years younger than me, she appreciated it as well, nearly 20 years after its release. Now that's an impressive feat.
Agreed.
Best comment in this section man! Rly 20 years later this intro still gives chills.. let alone the game itself.For some reason i dont want a remake of this im certain they will spoil it. Some things should be left untouched...
One of the best comments about viii that I have ever read. You sum up everything i would have to say if i spoke about this game. Thank you.
A game that can invoke such visceral feelings and to cause the player to subconsciously introspect on their own lives is legendary
Sam Pascoe for me it falls flat to ff7 just because of the lack of a sense of danger (for lack of a better phrase). sephiroth just seemed so menacing to me and his motives were clear throughout most of the game. in ff8 you don’t really know about ultimecia until way later in the game, and by that point she just doesn’t have that much of a presence. i personally loved the party characters in ff8 tho. i felt like i was part of their group of friends and i felt like they truly cared for each other due to their history!!
That gave me chills like 18 years later. Wow.
Dylan Rose here here brother
man same
it makes me cry like a baby. not from sadness. from how beautiful it is.
I would erase my memory of playing this, just to play it again, over and over.
But then you'd forget how to junction properly and get curb stomped 😂
Get some gfs, you‘ll forget everything
@@devidtodorovic4189 Can agree with that lol
@@devidtodorovic4189 yeah i never under stood the side effect of gfs i mean there over powerd as shit but you forget your past wtf
I'm hooked on it as well!
Final fantasy 7 , 8 , 9 taught me to read and understand what I saw as high vocabulary. I was like 10 , now I’m 31 this and many others bring so much nostalgia and amazing goosebumps. It also taught me a little about how the world can be and how one should uphold honor and virtue. At the same time fight for love and sacrifice for the greater good.
Dude final fantasy was my young childhood
20 years ago today, one of the greatest games of all time came out...
20 years ... I'm old
Dude this is one of the First RPGs i played damn this should have already a Remake cause it is 10/10
Amen my nigga
Yup still give me chills
Remaster inbound for 2019 o.o
Still getting Goosebumbs when the choir starts AHHHHHHHHH-ing at the end of the intro
So fucking badass
Absolutely stunning cut scene, just as powerful as it was all those years ago! One of the greatest intros in gaming history.
I'm serious, when that feather comes down as a sword. Chills bro still to this day.
Imagine having this opening on a PS1 game. Absolute legendary.
I was 12 and completely stunned
I was about 15 and I was this is legendary. I love the opening and the ending. Couldn't connect with the characters.
I still remember first hearing it. I was rooted in my seat from shock at hearing and seeing this opening. I knew I'd be in for an amazing game from the start.
Final fantasy 8 came out the same year that I was born. I played this for the first time on a PS2 back in like 2005/2006. I had only just played final fantasy 7 before it and this intro got me hyped up.
still the best intro I've ever seen. 01/2021
What an intro, FF8 is IMO one of the best stories of the series, and one of the most relatable, because it had that grit and realism. The rivalry between Squall and Seifer was exactly like real life sibling rivalries between brothers. Also, the antagonists in FF8 were legitimately intimidating. Look at Edea. Just based on the visuals she seems like the queen of some corrupted, otherworldly realm.
I absolutely agree... the orphanage crew each has personality traits that I totally get and remind me of the way my friends were at that age. FF8 will always be my favorite and a game close to my
I went to the distant worlds concert earlier in the month, this song is absolutely incredible live, Never had hairs stand on end like it!
Same
A nice little detail shown at 2:47 is that Seifer used the triggering mechanism of his gunblade to make the impact more harmful, which is why Squall wound up at the infirmary whereas Seifer, despite also being slashed, was already up and about.
I don't know how many times I've watched this intro and I have never noticed that. He definitely pulls the trigger which causes more damage. Nice catch!
Squall got him back too, thats why they both have the scar
Then Squall just looked angry as hell at him, got up, and slashed him back.. damn if I were Squall I’d just be crying like a wuss LMAO
Also dw you’re not a wuss if you’d cry at that as well, I’d just be more wussy in doing so then others probably.. LMAO
nope, you can see Squall's gunblade sparking as well right before he makes contact
20 years later, and this still gives me the chills....
So beautiful that still brings tears into my eyes
even after all these years.
Why'd they are fighting for?
@@usamarafieck1715 i suggest you to play the game to know for what they are fighting for.
@@g.i.d.78 Yep.
Happy 20th Birthday Final Fantasy 8
I remember I was 14 years old, 9/9/1999, I ran to Circuit City and bought this game after school, ran home, popped disc 1 into my PlayStation, turned it on, hit "New Game" and this intro played. My mouth was agape, I was completely blown away, I've never before or since seen a video game opening that hyped me up more to play the game or that just had such a profound awe striking effect on me. I'm now 35, and have played probably hundreds of other games since FFVIII, but even watching this today I still don't think any other game opening can touch it. It's just too well done.
I had the same reaction. I watched it, was like: “….😲”, called my Mom into the room, restarted the game and made her watch it, and said: “Can you _believe_ this is a _game?!_ “
1999 I was 7
You bought It on Dreamcast's release day
Even at 35, still get a little choked up remembering back to a time when I’d be the best little boy I could so I could sit down n play my very first Final Fantasy like my big brother before me. This game holds a very special place in me. Seeing this again and all those memories come rushing back, like a bookmark in time. Timeless masterpiece idc what anybody else says.
Pizza Hut Demo Brother 😢
I miss this game so much. My firs Final Fantasy, my first JRPG, my first serious gaming experience in general after spending the 90s with a bad PC and a bland arcade game collection. Still, I don't wanna play it anymore, nor I like the idea of a remake/reboot/sequel. Cause I know what I'm truly missing isn't the game itself, but the days I spent with it and the memories of playing with my friends during the long evenings of a summer in the early 2000. So I feel that playing it again today wouldn't be the same and after all...it would maybe be wrong. And I'm ok with it.
This hit home with me lol. Damn.
" Cause I know what I'm truly missing isn't the game itself, but the days I spent with it and the memories of playing with my friends during the long evenings of a summer in the early 2000"
Yeah....
Every reboot/sequel ever :( Well said brother.
You're exactly right. Captures your youth
Did you ever re play? How you feel is exactly how it feels for me. Little did I know after a few shorts years if this game being released, I was thrust into adult hood and life would change beyond recognition!
Incredible game with my best mate. You gotta re play this. It’s epic!
The first time I was playing this I remember telling my mom so excitedly how the graphics are so lifelike lol
I did the exact same, I pointed out to her how it looked like reality haha
This is the best FF. Remake this one after FF7, i would buy the shit out of that.
Black Cascade i would buy a copy for each day of the week
They're probably going to remake this one or VI
For the love of GOD YES PLEASE!!!!!! 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
IT'S HAPPENING!!!
So did you buy it yet
This is my first time seeing this . I wasn't allowed to play games as a child , I feel like I missed out . I have played only one final fantasy as an adult. I couldn't get past the first stage lol. But this is breathtaking-I'm so sorry. Its precious.
Oh man.... you know you were robbed of some great memories you could've had. Im sorry 😞
Its still a great game even playing it now days.. but back then this was mind blowing.
You really should play it though. Final fantasy 10 was fantastic too.
Honestly thats my favorite Final Fantasy.
8, 9, and 10 were just so damn good.
This trailer still gives me goosebumps I was 13 when I first seen this I especially love the beginning and the dramatic song this will forever be in my soul ❤️
Trailer?
Who’s here because of the Remastered announcement?
yeahh i'm so excited!can't wait! 😆
7 and 8 now 9 to finish it off
@@gunmier8938
FF 9 already has a remaster. FF8 is the last ps1 era final fantasy that we were waiting for a remaster
I thought they would abandon this underrated masterpiece forever. But thank god they did do something on its 20th birthday. This is my first ff and it will always be the ff I love the most. FF7 is great too but its super fans are annoying, they keep hating on FF8 just because they think 8 is 7 wanna be. I wish after FF7 Remake released and success they would treat the same thing to our beloved FF8.
Damn right
I remember getting the demo in the mail, and just being blown away with that opening.
The most captivating FF intro in the franchise. I really felt like I was in for something special when I viewed this for the first time.
Without hyperbolizing I can say that this might be the single greatest piece of music ever written for a video game. I forgot it even came from FF8. I just assumed it was a piece of classical music or from an opera or something, it's that good
calvin damon , this one. plus the ost from ff15.
"One-winged angel" from FF7 would be my favorite orchestral piece. "Liberi Fatali" (this composition) is my second favorite. 😁
lol then you haven't heard real classical music. I kid but seriously there's tons of pieces that are great out there both classical and nonclassical, though as someone who's grown up with classical, there's really no comparison
Video games live performs this song if you want to hear it performed with a full orchestra
Listen to it with lossless format and good headphones it gets much better.
Im currently replaying this game, and its just amazing how good the game is, the pacing of the story is great, the character interaction, the slow build up where these characters are coming from, squall being a angsty edgy teen but actually had a good reason, explained how he was alone when he was a child, the music, the in game difficulty slider that is the card mod system and triple triad system, (u can make the game easy if u want, even get lionheart legit disc 1, or harder by ignoring those systems) the inspired and familiar yet alien/fantasy locales (timber tv station and fishermans horizon are just so beautiful,) why cant square do games like these anymore.
This is the best opening for ff of all time
yes!!!!
FFVii is much better.
@@usamarafieck1715 Not even near
Still my favorite Final Fantasy
I will always love this game. Finding all GFs made this game super fun. Junction System was great once you understood it completely.
Yeah my first play through I didn't get it. I was like 11 and playing on an old like 25" bubble tv. Couldn't make out the symbols and get the junctioning right.
Honestly I still barely understand the Junction System to this day
Maybe I should replay the game soon
I’ll uh, probably update this if I get to understand the System a bit
Only problem i had with the junction system was it really discouraged you from using most of the better magic in the game as it ruined your stats. That said it more than made up for it with how it let you build characters for specific playstyles.
Junction System was terrible. Having your stats rely on magic is stupid especially with how tedious drawing magic is. And the player shouldn't be forced to choose between using a powerful spell that can save your ass or letting it collect dust because removing it could screw you over in stats
12 years old when i played this! How time flies! My mate broke my nose with a stick as we trued to re enact the fight between Squal and Seifer. Dam good times!!😂😂
This game together with FFVII was possibly the most revolutionary in the game's history, it's incredibly epic and memorable, it was an unbelievable experience when it came out in 1999! It is tragic that they are no longer able to produce games with this artistic quality.
Very esoteric intro. You have the feather to sword transition, and then the 2 women representing 2 different side or 2 reasons to fight. And obviously the 2 characters are champions for each of them, but then you have cross-overs where the Main Characters sword is first associated with the white feather, and then with the other woman as the weather changes, establishing a dark tone and inner conflict. Then as the main character supposedly achieves victory, the feathers return but they are black, the consequences of his victory aren't full comprehended, and the climax arrives before he is able to return and embrace the girl again. What a brilliant management of tension going on.
P.S this is all gleamed from someone who didn't play the game lol
As somebody who also didn't play the game, I was fascinated to read that that's what all those scenes were symbolizing... until I read your PS, ha. But who knows, maybe your description is correct.
2018 and this still puts most games and storyline to shame
There was a classic moment there for Squaresoft on Playstation. FF VII, VIII and IX, all special and unique games even today and amazing at the time. It's an example of developers at their peak.
if you consider ff8 was made in a rush...
No games come close to be as amazing as FF7 - FF9....
@@iulianmoisi4365 How could FF8 be rushed? Now I know FF9 was rushed for sure. and that same is good, just not as good as ff8 and ff7..
@@dominquedoty458 The game was only given like 18 months of total development time. From concept to consumer hands. So yea, It was massively rushed and had a fairly short development period
Best ff ever! Best music and best opening and best chatacters.
great intro , great game
If this doesn't bring back a childhood memory and jolt you at your core your a young Millenial and have no clue what real games offered.
rcmunro22 Still as I said im a millennial who fell in love with this game. Personally I wish this game wasnt infamous for its... Darker theories
Great comment
The greatest final fantasy of the whole series. Final fantasy 8 was more than just a video game, great characters, good story plot, awesome soundtrack and beautiful art concept, overall a masterpiece! I remember seeing this intro and playing it in 1999 and thinking this is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen and still to this day the coolest thing ever. This video game is atmospheric, sad, epic, grand and gorgeous. It will always have a place in my heart.
Just started a new game once again. These days I think VIII is underrated..
Younger people cant appreciate how good this looked 25 years ago when game was pixelated and you got rendered movie playing in background like when landing on dollet beach or when escaping that spider mech or walking on roof of a running train back then it was absolutely mind blowing experience
Damn, I love reading all the comments from people who played this masterpiece back in the day and wish to grasp that feeling of playing it again for the first time. I loved every part/moment of it and haven't got anything similar from a game ever since. If you feel like that, then we are the same :)
THANK YOU YESSSS!!! I couldnt put it into words for so long but yes! Everything you just said for real not a game like it ever. Period.
The musical ending of this song is so climactic and powerful. I love it.
Always loved this game and the story. I liked the junction system if you knew how to use it right you could really be powerful early in the game. Not to mention it had a lot of gameplay so the game lasted forever.
I didn't enjoy the system when I was younger but I replayed it and if your clever you can be so overpowered it's crazy even at the early point of the game.
This will always be the best video game introduction ever. It has lovely orchestral music, beautiful nature scenery, and the awesome Gunblade sword fight between Squall and Seifer.
BEST FINAL FANTASY intro of ALLLL TIME..always wished for a movie for this one...🙏🙏
the best FF in my opinion
I was 19 years old. The best game I ever played and lived!!!
That was videogames. A history where you could fall into, a beautiful OST and a good argument and scenarios. Hope one day that spirit will come back with new game developers focused on quality and creativity instead of only graphics.
I love how the music is so caotic along with what's happening on screen and Squall himself. Games before had that special music touch, now I barely hear something reminiscent, for the most part.
This piece of music is timeless. The music fit the game so very well. All that existentialist philosophy being poured on a young man coming of age against an extremely sci fi backdrop. Classical music and philosophy, a simple recipe that works extremely well. I came just to listen and reminisce. This was one of the few games I ever purchased full price soon after release. Well, my mum bought it for me when she randomly asked if I wanted to come shopping with her. Sweet memories. Smashed it in 5 days over half term as well. Was obsessed!
One of the best openings to anything ever! I get goosebumps even after all this time!
Best goddamn introduction to a Final Fantasy game ever, 110%. This never gets old.
Wooow it gives me chills in my backbones each time I hear the first vocals. So many good memories, one of the best game in the world with one of the best soundtrack also in the video game history
I don't know about y'all but you know you did a great job at making a game if you still pick it up and you get very excited to play it 20 years later. Absolutely timeless.
After all these years... Still the best!
Still stands up to day, best intro ever.
still think about this game sometimes. This intro is amazing.
Final Fantasy VIII is one of the best video games in history, spectacular opening, great characters, magnificent soundtrack a great history, the remasterization is the opportunity for new generations to discover this great work of video games, greetings from chile brothers 🇨🇱 👍🏻
As much as I loved FF7 this one will always be my all time favourite
Still blows me away. Even when this came out in 99. Seeing this, you thought how could the graphics get any better.
Best Final Fantasy ever!!! And yeah mofos I`ve played and finished all, and I`m hyped for the FFVII remake, BUT, FFVIII`s unique world, characters and vibe makes it the best…. oh the nostalgia....
I still remember first hearing this opening on my Playstation 1. I was rooted in my seat from shock and even after it ended I couldn't move for a bit. I knew I'd be in for an amazing game from the start and I was right.
Thanks for the memories and Happy 25th Anniversary Final Fantasy VIII! 🎉 🎂 🥳 🎉
FF8 CHADS ARE FINALLY WINNING BABYYYYY
I remember playing this game and my aunt walked in and was amazed by the graphics. When ffx came out many years later, she was blown away again
You ever notice they did things in this game no other games have done since? Like ive never played a game that used game graphics and cgi cutscenes together in the way this game did.
For me, this is the greatest intro ever made.
I have been gaming for 25+ years, this is by far my most favourite game opening, ever!
This is my favorite intro ever. The music and the cinematics is so damn engaging.
The best intro. I saw it for the first time when I was a kid and now in 2020 I still get excited the same way, amazing.
Sometime around the 2000's I blindly borrowed FF8 and Chrono Cross from a friend. One of the best days of my life.
just imagine put the CD in your ps1 and then this INSANE CINEMATIC WITH THE BEST OST EVER APPEARS AND IS JUST 99, IS JUST FUKIN WILD
This remake is a "MUST" for Square Enix
Back in 1998, me and my young brother were fed up upgrading our PC with every game we purchase. After months of saving money, we decided to spent 300 USD to buy a gaming console (PlayStation 1). At the shop we asked the seller to recommend a game to start with, and unlike other gamer who usually starts with a car racing game or football, he recommended this incredible RPG game FF8. While watching this intro everyone passing by the shop stopped and started looking wowed at this amazing intro, we didn't wait to see the game-play, we just told him YES that one !
Love the storyline of ff8. Remaster this game, I'll definitely buy it!!!!
BOI DO I GOT A PURCHASE FOR YA
They didn’t need to slay so hard with the intro but thank god they did it.
Soy incapaz de ver este vídeo sin que se me salte alguna lagrima. Gracias Square Enix, por crear esta joya.
EN ESA EPOCA ERA SQUERASOFT AUN
Siempre que jugaba este juego, ponía el CD1 aunque estuviera ya en el 2, 3 o 4, sólo para ver el intro, podría verlo todo el día. Sueño con ver una versión como la de FFVII next gen. Sería mi fantasía final para mi.
this is my favourite ff game by far and it was my first game I completed and only ff game I ever bothered to complete. Back long time ago school buddy introduced this game to me he was playing on the PlayStation, I was totally blown away by the game. I went home and my room was in a mess cos my cat had gotten into the shelves again and pushed everything out. I had left the cubboard door open and squated down to pick up my things. when I stood up again, the cubboard door made a large gash across my face like squall. I went to school the next day and my friend saw me... we didn't say anything for like an eternity. I said it wasnt intentional, it was an accident. he just laughed and said it's cool man I like your dedication to the love this game. maybe I should get seifers scar to match? I kid you not. wierdest best silly memory of how a game might affect you. oh and the scratch scar healed up completely thank goodness for that. My parents worried shitless.
Best Ever Intro to a game EVER!! Brings back soooo memories of playing this game. CLASSIC ❤️
This and the opening of Chrono Cross was the best's opening of old playstation
Yep, and they had the same kind of influences too. Slow fly by on the heroine, flash forwards and flash backs, tasty morsels and vague allusions to things to come, amazing cinematography, amazing music, etc. Classic Square.
Please don't forget Soul Blade (Edge) and maybe Tekken 2 or 3. They belong right at the top, together with Chrono Cross and FF8.
Plus Xenogears full anime opening.
everytime I watch and listen to the opening I always get goosebumps , this game literally got me into the series
This game needs a remake for ps5 without doubt. This game, It marked my childhood.
I played this, when it came out. This opening was groundbreaking and unparalleled at the time.
This bring me back to the early 2000s FFVIII is an really underappreciated game
I see alot of comments about how this game doesn't make sense. Of course it doesn't. Neither did Interstellar, Arrival or anything thats revolving around time. You simply can't over analyze it. Easiest condensed explanation: A team in the present must figure out a way to defeat a Witch that destroys time in the future. They do so by acting through others in the past, to change the present before defeating the Witch in the future.
I have played all but the last 2 FF games and in my opinion, this may be the finest. Although I still believe FF7 has the most re-play value, FF8 has a wonderful story and absolutely unparalleled graphics for 1999. If you have never played it you should.
FF8 was my childhood game and is possibly the thing that opened the gate into making me into a weeb, but I have to say when you mentioned the graphics, all I could think of is that one close up image of Squall's face and it's just a mess of pixels. Still, they kept the backgrounds very clean and pretty.
People undestood Chrono Trigger,Back to the future,Tales of Phantasia and The Time Machine. FFVIII came out on 9/9/99 the same day as the Dreamcast in the US and the Dreamcast came out in Japan in 1998 honey FFVIII was never graphically impressive.
Its a bloody brilliant game and the story is fantastic,its just like countless fantasy plots, is it random? absolutely,is it irrational at times and improbable scenarios? yes but its great and enjoyable and deep.When I first played it I actually loved it until late disc 2 when the story even for me at the time started to get a little weird.....they all grew up with eachother but forgot cause the summons made them have amnesia? again random as hell lol,but over time I came to like it and now I think its one of the best stories in a game in video game history period.All of it.They just dont make em like this anymore.
Squaresoft releases were basically sui generis at this point. This fucker came out for Playstation and it was like, 'Nintendwho?' It was amazing at the time and is still a brilliant and unique game. The graphics were impressive but the design, style and flair were and are something else. Dreamcast? Pfffft. On Playstation you got three discs of this shit. It was awesome.
@@ishmaelforester9825 I love FFVIII but graphically it doesn't compare to Soulcalibur,Powerstone,House of the Dead 2 and Virtua Fighter 3.All those games looked amazing without FMV or prerendered backgrounds on a single disc. Soulcalibur if you remember was noteworthy on the Dreamcast for looking better than the arcade. Also FFVIII was four discs not 3.
On reflection, the idea of the intro showing how the protagonist and his rival give each other matching scars... is just... so cool
I hope for the day FF8 gets a remake and we see this magnificent opening re-created in amazing new life-like CGI.
Despite FFVIII being a divisive game for many years, it’s still one of the most popular games in the series, & it’s one of the best selling FF games ever. So I say an FFVIII Remake is a given due to its iconic scenes & music. It would be dumb if Square Enix to not remake it. Kitase is interested in a FFVIII Remake but would love to see it be made by younger developers. So there’s still hope.
@@Lone_Wolf_Hero Arguably the best story in all of them. I played FF7-9 and I love all of those games, they were just amazing for their time. From Software is this gen's Sqauresoft....not Square Enix..:Squaresoft.
@@gameurai5701 I like Square Enix, but SquareSoft were on top of the world back then!
When I think FF I always think 7. But I loved this one too. I was amazed at an actual active town with public transportation the player could take. and the contrast of how real it was compared to 7. Wow can't believe I forgot all about this game until now.
Most epic/ creative intro ever
2023 and I've yet to love another game intro as much as I love this absolute masterpiece... FF8 really is an underappreciate & underrated gem🔥
this will never not give me chills
this game is the best. A master piece. Story, music, all in a magnificent and epic old game. This intro is just the top of the iceberg of a unique travel. My favorite game of that console
I cant explain how im excited for this, omg!!!!! About time happy 20 years ff8 :D
20 years later watching this still gives me goosebumps