Probably a Bad Idea, But...Why is Final Fantasy VIII "Bad"?

The difference is that FFVI has a lot more charm going for it. There are a number of factors to this. The simpler sprites and limited animation let players draw their own conclusions about the characters, the characters were also not based around the concept of introducing and unlikable cast and having them become likable as time went on (Which was VIII's intent, but I never ended up getting past their early characterizations because not enough time was spent on the characters late in the story) and the goofy Ted Woolsey translation adds its own charm
As for Seifer vs Kefka... well, everyone has a different reason to like or dislike him. Personally, I like the fact that they didn't pull punches with his actions. He's kind of like the good iterations of the Joker. He cracks wise, but then he'll poison a kingdom... and then make a pun

 

It' s far from being my favorite, but I liked it. My favorite FF are those that allow me to customize my team with lots of hidden tricks and combinations to find out and, although I didn' t figure it out through my first run, FF VIII belongs in that category. I did realize immediately that the game gives us ton of optional things to do right from starters, which is always a plus in my book. Lots of guide dang it, but I like it and VIII is hardly the first FF "guilty" of that.

The story ... meh, didn' t find it any better or worse than any other FF. Sure, I can see how Ultimecia being angry for being persecuted by Seeds from the moment she was born, which makes her screw with the past and actually create Seeds herself, which leads her to be persecuted from the moment she was born, which leads her to *bricked* ... would look utterly inconsistent to some people, but hey, every other FF stretched my suspension of disbelief to biblical proportions sooner or later.

Believe it or not, the French translation is even goofier, especially Laguna' s lines.

 

As much as I like Woolsey's work... I still really don't care for most of VI's cast. Character development is bare-bones because of how many different stories they're trying to tell; a lot of characters you expect to become hugely important barely get any screentime after a few major plot threads are resolved. Sabin and Cyan never advanced beyond the scenes where they're recruited, Shadow gets even less than that, Terra is gradually phased out over time, Setzer's pretty much always "the guy with the ship," and so on. The only ones who really interested me at all were Edgar and Celes, and then only briefly. FF has always had this problem, but in VI it's exaggerated due to a larger cast and a scattered plot.

Meanwhile, I can't see what people dislike about most of VIII's cast. They're all really expressive and they all have these little quirks that make them so much more human - a benefit of those additional animations. The only one who strikes me as radically unlikable in the beginning is Squall, and they do succeed in taking the edge off him; he doesn't become Mr. Sunshine, but he learns to work with and effectively lead a team, and they all grow to care about his well-being eventually. Almost every character gets a little bit of input in whatever they're doing, if you take the time to stop and talk with them, and each of them matures slowly and subtly. Rinoa starts off downright childish, but that kinda gets beaten out of her by the sorceresses pretty quick, and she has to find the courage to keep marching on. Zell is confrontational and kind of a brat at first, but in the thick of war he eventually becomes a model soldier - even if he still mouths off from time to time. Irvine isn't even the suave womanizer he appears from the start; memories of his shared experiences with the others dampen his mood and interfere with his mission many times, and he has to cope with that while the others remain blissfully ignorant.

VI set out to tell a story with no main character and a cast united by a common cause, while VIII aimed to tell one about a close-knit group that keeps finding its way back together and matures communally. We seem to be at odds on which of them succeeded.

He meant VI. Woolsey did VI's translation.

 

It isn't IX.

You know that's all I need, bro.

 

Speaking of, I plan to beat that over the summer. Might start fresh though, last time I played was last year and I just got to the king bug or whatever.

 

You mean the Plant brain in the Evil Forest? You've pretty much just done all the beginning tutorial stuff, not much missed if that's all you're at.

 

No no no, I'm in some kingdom and there's a dude who supposedly got turned into a bug

 

Oh right you're in Lindblum and you mean the Regent of the kingdom, fair enough, that's like 4/5 places into the game, decent spot to restart I guess.

 

Wait what? Cyan gets the scene with the roses during the apocalypse, and then after that he returns to his home to and gets closure over his dead family
Shadow has a subtly told story done through flashbacks you get from inn rests
Setzer is that guy with the girl he loved who both had ships but she died and he became depressed and a womanizing criminal
Terra gets phased out because she's the main character of the first half, Celes is the main character for the second.

I don't hate VIII as much as most people, but I find the cast overall... disjointed. Things that SHOULD be there isn't. Like Squall losing his edge is a logical character arc, but this is shown by him randomly falling in love with Rinoa. And that romance is bad. It's defined not by how they are romantically compatible, but rather the bold actions Squall takes because he says he's in love.
Zell and Selphie's quirks never appealed to me, and I never even remember Quistis. And what's his face with a cowboy hat is even more wasted
I quite liked the Laguna bits, but even those bits could get really awkward

 

Look, I think the fact alone that we can have similar opinions of games with totally different reputations speaks enough to the quality of both. Which is... good? Terrible? You tell me ;3

But I maintain that Kefka is shit and Seifer is gdlk you'll never take that from me