Final fantasy 8 pc games free download

The GF Cards must be equipped for your character to have any options during battle besides attack. These cards also give your characters various special abilities, which are built up using AP points as in Final Fantasy Tactics. The only drawback is that the Cards are far too powerful early in the game, making it easy to win battles. During gameplay, the polygonal characters are almost completely integrated into the CG surroundings with only a slight drop in graphical detail.

Although the backgrounds are pre-rendered, they're filled with excellent details and moving elements that make them more realistic-looking. Another cool touch the character weapons that visually change every time your attack level is upgraded.

Plus, the music fits the action perfectly, from the rousing battle overtures to the beautiful melodies that underscore the dramatic dialogue. Of course, we were right there to snag one of the first copies of the demo, and now we're back with an updated preview of Square's incredible new RPG sequel. First, some background on the story. Not much has been revealed yet, but here's what we do know. There's a strangely shaped building in the game that serves as a school for soldiers sort of like West Point--see issue , page The school is called Garden.

Squall Leonhart, one of the game's main characters and main character in the demo version is one of the trainees of the school.

It's a private school for students between six and 19 years of age. If a student doesn't pass the graduation exam at some point between the ages of 15 and 19, he or she will be expelled from Garden. Garden graduates are exceptional people, and possess the ability to use magic. An even harder goal than merely passing the graduation exam, however, is to become a member of SeeD, a special force that's known around the world of FFVIII. Highly capable trainees have a chance to try out for SeeD, and that's exactly what Squall is hoping for.

The demo itself titled "Escape from Dollet" contains only a very small portion of Final Fantasy Vlll's gamepiay--no more than an hour or so at most. The demo involves Squall and two new characters, Zell Dincht and Rinoa Heartilly--all SeeD candidates--taking part in a mission from Garden with their squad leader, the mysterious Seifer Almasy. Toward the end of the demo, they receive orders to withdraw from their mission and meet at the coast, which is when the timer kicks in just like in the FFVII demo , and they're given 15 minutes to get the hell outta Dollet.

Even though it's rather short, the demo makes for a great teaser. The world graphics are beautiful, the animation is even better than it was in FFVII, and the game's integration with FMV is remarkable--it's nearly flawless.

The ending in particular is awesome. The in-game characters look much more realistic this time, though the texture mapping makes for some pixelization when viewed up close. As we said in our last preview, you now see all party members at all times during the game instead of them just coming out during event scenes, as was the case in all previous FF games. Since the game supports Sony's Dual Shock analog controller, you can adjust your characters' walking speeds from a subtle tip-toe to a full-on dash, depending on how hard you press the analog stick.

Vibration is supported too, both in and out of battle scenes you can turn it off if you wish, of course. Even the music is excellent, though there's not too much of it in the demo. Gameplay-wise, there are two new battle commands that have been revealed in the demo. Here's how it works: In the demo, you have three party members the entire time who go into battle: Squall, Zell and Rinoa.

Squall and Zell both have a "Draw" command in their Command Menu. This allows them to "Draw" magic from their enemies and either "Use" it immediately, or "Stock" it for later use. In the demo, you can Draw as often as you wish, and there doesn't seem to be any limit to how much magic you can carry or steal.

This isn't exactly a good thing, as you could just run around getting into random encounters to massively build up your stock of magic spells; but then again, this is only a demo. We're sure the final game will have some sort of limit to how this works to keep the gameplay balanced. Rinoa, on the other hand, has a command called "G. This seems to be the replacement for Summoning Magic, which has always been a staple of the FF series. Guardian Force acts much like a Summon spell did in FFVII--you select the command, choose a monster the demo version lets you choose Leviathan , and the monster comes and wreaks havoc on your opposition in an intense animation filled with blinding flashes of light and all sorts of incredible special effects.

You'll be able to evolve your Guardian Force monsters as they gain experience, so they can grow and become more powerful throughout play. In the demo, Squall and Zell both get special attacks that become available after they take a certain amount of damage. Zell's is called Meteo Bullet, and it's a pretty cool attack that does a huge amount of damage.

Squall's is called Renzokuken Sequential Sword Attack , and there are three different forms of it--each has its own special Limit Meter. On the meter are little triangles; as the meter fills up during the attack, you can increase the damage done by pressing Ri every time the bar crosses over one of the triangles.

This is similar to Squall's normal attacks, which can be strengthened by pressing Ri just as his Gunblade cuts through an enemy. Unfortunately, that's all we know. No official word on whether or not anyone else will have a Limit Meter has been released so far.

But of course, we'll keep you updated. That's all for new information this month. Be sure to keep checking back, because as new info is released, you'll find it right here. In the meantime, enjoy the latest barrage of screenshots we've prepared for you.

Aside from a few instances of graphical breakup and distortion during close-ups, FFYIII's visuals remain con-sistendy spectacular. All the characters and surroundings sport excellent details, and the rendered cinematic sequences--more plentiful than those in FFVII--are among the best ever seen on the PlayStation. The character graphics also give the game a more grownup feel. Given that there are three other discs to come, the tale doesn't even begin to take shape until the curtain falls on disc one.

Another notable difference is the new combat system. Why bother learning spells by building experience points when you can steal them? FFVIII allows characters to draw spells from enemies during combat and then cast the acquired spell immediately or stock it for later use.

Of course, tougher enemies yield more powerful spells. While both games' graphics and narratives are unchanged, rendered cinema cut-scenes have been added to help flesh out each title's prospective story. The two-CD Anthology is slated for an early October release. On May 15 in Japan, Square unveiled to an enthusiastic press the latest installment in what is undeniably the most popular RPG series in the entire world. Always careful not to reveal too much too early, Square has only released a few minor tidbits about the game so far, as well as some screenshots and information regarding the game's first two main characters, Squall Leonhart and Laguna Loire.

At the press conference in Japan, and then again at E3, they showed off a brief video of the game, showcasing mostly FMV scenes and some early battle sequences from the game, which according to Square, is currently about 20 percent complete.

The scene then changed to seven fighter jets airships? Afterward, we saw a fleet of huge ships forging through the sea. Standing on the deck of one of the ships was Squall, who checks out a map before suddenly dropping into a flashback sequence that shows him running through a desert, being chased by an armed vehicle. After this sequence, the video went on to show various battle scenes filled with flashy special effects , more FMV clips and a few in-game scenes. A couple of scenes worth noting were the awesome Leviathan summon spell which is shown wiping out a huge spider-like mech robot , as well as the aforementioned satellite tower unleashing a massive attack on unsuspecting opposition.

Needless to say, the video was impressive. When asked about the theme of Final Fantasy VIII, the game's producer, Hironobu Sakaguchi, responded "There are lots of elements in the game, but one of the members of the team.

Sakaguchi explained that he wants to pursue a more in-depth and detailed story line for FFVIII, and he's seeking a more effective graphical expression for the storytelling.

He added that he hasn't forgotten about the interactive elements that make it a video game, though. This too will help make the in-game characters look more like their FMV counterparts.

And last but certainly not least, for the first time in the series, all of your party members will be shown on the field at the same time. No more will you have one guy walking around when suddenly three people jump out of him to start chatting. Now everyone will be shown simultaneously, all the time. The best news of all at this press conference concerned the game's release date. While it won't be released in Japan until "sometime this winter" which basically means anytime before the end of the fiscal year next March , the U.

Another demo--this time playable-will come bundled with Brave Fencer Musashiden when it is released in November. We'll have our own playable demo on July 14 when Brave Fencer Musashiden hits Japan, so expect more coverage of what will surely become the most anticipated game of real soon.

Squall is a poker-faced, short-spoken man who carries a unique sword known as the "Gunblade. He's a bit of a loner according to Square he has "little sense of comradeship for the people around him" , and he wears a necklace that bears a strange griffon-like symbol the same one that can be seen near the barrel on the Gunblade.

According to character designer Tetsuya Nomura, he wanted the character's name to have the meaning of a passing shower, which is how he came up with the name Squall. His last name, Leonhart, was the name of one of the main characters from an earlier 8-Bit Final Fantasy for the Famicom which never came to the United States. This isn't the first time Square has brought back names from earlier games in the series Unlike Squall, Laguna is a man of heart. He knows love and respects his duties. According to Square, he's an optimistic and vigorous person who enjoys the confidence bestowed in him by those around him.

Not much else is known about him yet, but we do know that he's a former soldier who now works as a journalist. Apparently, Laguna and Squall, while both main characters, reside on different worlds. How their paths will cross hasn't yet been revealed, but the idea of possibly playing with two entirely different characters from the outset is quite attractive. Whatever the case, we'll know more on this as it develops. According to Nomura-san, the inspiration for the name Laguna came from none other than Laguna Beach, Calif.

Unless you are new to video games or have been living in a cave, chances are you have heard of the Final Fantasy games. Delivered in , it is the eighth fundamental portion in the Final Fantasy arrangement. Set on an anonymous dreamland with sci-fi components, the game follows a gathering of youthful hired soldiers, driven by Squall Leonhart, as they are brought into a contention started by Ultimecia, a sorceress from the future who wishes to pack time. During the journey to overcome Ultimecia, Squall battles with his part as pioneer and fosters a sentiment with one of his friends, Rinoa Heartilly.

The game expands on the visual changes brought to the arrangement by Final Fantasy VII, including the utilization of 3D designs and pre-delivered foundations, while likewise withdrawing from numerous Final Fantasy customs. It is the principal Final Fantasy to utilize sensibly proportioned characters reliably, highlight a vocal piece as its signature music, and renounce the utilization of enchantment focuses for spellcasting.

Final Fantasy VIII was for the most part generally welcomed by pundits, who adulated its creativity and visuals while censuring a portion of its interactivity components. With Rinoa's help, he recollects his memories and returns to the present. A repentant Seifer reunites with Raijin and Fujin, Laguna and his friends visit his lover's grave, the SeeD celebrate at Balamb Garden, and Squall and Rinoa share a kiss under the moonlight.

Originally, it was simply about collecting cards but Yasui considered this too disconnected from the main game and 'begged' for the inclusion of an ability to transform cards into items. The staff consisted of about people. Smith stated due to a lack of communication with the development team, they were surprised that an IT employee used a GameShark to access text files for localizing to Western audiences.

From the beginning, Kitase knew he wanted a thematic combination of fantasy and realism. To this end, he aimed to include a cast of characters who appeared to be ordinary people.

Character designer and battle visual director Tetsuya Nomura and art director Yusuke Naora strove to achieve this impression through the inclusion of realistically proportioned characters—a departure from the super deformed designs used in the previous title. Additionally, Naora attempted to enhance the realism of the world through predominantly bright lighting effects with shadows distributed as appropriate.

Other measures taken included implementing rental cars for travel in-game, [34] and the use of motion capture technology to give the game's characters lifelike movements in the game's full motion video sequences. A major challenge was the technical advances made since the release of VII , and the aim for more realistic characters. In an interview with Famitsu , Naora described that the game was generally designed to be a 'bright, fresh Final Fantasy. Inspiration ranged from ancient Egyptian and Greek architecture, to the city of Paris, France, to an idealized futuristic European society.

Flags were also given to some factions, their designs based on the group's history and culture. To maintain a foreign atmosphere, the characters of the game were designed to have predominantly European appearances. Desiring to add a unique angle to Squall's appearance and emphasize his role as the central character, Nomura gave him a scar across his brow and the bridge of his nose. As there was not yet a detailed history conceived for the character, Nomura left the explanation for Squall's scar to scenario writer Kazushige Nojima.

Squall was given a gunblade, a fictional revolver—sword hybrid that functions primarily as a sword, with an added damaging vibration feature activated by use of its gun mechanism, [42] similar to a vibroblade. These were the designs of Edea, Fujin and Raijin.

The latter two had originally been designed for use in Final Fantasy VII , but with the inclusion of the Turks characters in that game, it was felt that Fujin and Raijin were unnecessary. This was problematic, as he did not want them to 'become the actual monsters', so he took great care in their design. Leviathan was the first GF, created as a test and included in a game demo.

After it received a positive reaction from players, Nomura decided to create the remaining sequences in a similar fashion. Nojima already had a story in mind in which the main characters were the same age; their ideas meshed, taking form as the 'Garden' military academies. Nojima planned that the two playable parties featured in the game Squall's present day group and Laguna's group from the past would be highly contrasted with one another. With Final Fantasy VIII , however, Nojima worked to give players actual insight into what the character was thinking; a direct contrast with his handling of Final Fantasy VII , which encouraged the player to speculate.

It contains desktop icons, computer wallpapers, screensavers, and an e-mail application. It additionally features a stand-alone edition of the Triple Triad minigame, which allowed players to compete against one another via a local area network. He tried to base the songs on the emotional content of the scenes in which they would be played, asserting that expressing the emotions he desired was more important than improving skills: 'I think it will be a shame if we won't be able to cry as we play our own game'.

He could not determine a character's emotions solely based on the plot, instead using images of appearance and attire—'It's important to know when their emotions are at their height, but it usually takes until a month before release for them to finish the ending dialog! Uematsu considers it reasonable to have character themes if each character has a 'highlight' in the game, but he found Final Fantasy VIII only focused on Squall Leonhart and Rinoa Heartilly as a couple, resulting in the 'Eyes on Me' theme.

The score is best known for two songs: 'Liberi Fatali', a Latinchoral piece that is played during the introduction to the game, and 'Eyes On Me', a pop song serving as the game's theme, performed by Chinese singer Faye Wong. Near the end of the production of Final Fantasy VII , the developers suggested to use a singer, but abandoned the idea due to a lack of reasoning based on the game's theme and storyline.

This resulted in the game's developers sharing 'countless' artists, eventually deciding on Wong. Uematsu claims 'her voice and mood seem to match my image of the song exactly', and that her ethnicity 'fits the international image of Final Fantasy'. After negotiations were made, 'Eyes on Me' was recorded in Hong Kong with an orchestra.