221 Hours

 I finally finished Final Fantasy VIII a couple of days ago. I had debated if I ever finished it when it first came out. I had not. I would have had a lot more recall about the game's ending if I had. In fact, I am fairly certain I only played the first disc. 

Completing VIII should be the half way point of the main numbered series. Technically, I suppose it is, but since I will be playing through the sequel games (X-2, XIII-2, Lightning Returns, etc) in order I am not quite half way. Here is an update of my progress: 

1. Final Fantasy I Pixel Remaster ✅
2. Final Fantasy II Pixel Remaster ✅
3. Final Fantasy III Pixel Remaster ✅
4. Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster ✅
5. Final Fantasy V Pixel Remaster ✅
6. Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster ✅
7. Final Fantasy VII ✅ 
8. Final Fantasy VIII ✅ 
9. Final Fantasy IX ⮜ I am here
10. Final Fantasy X
11. Final Fantasy X-2
12. Final Fantasy XII Zodiac Age
13. Final Fantasy XIII
14. Final Fantasy XIII-2
15. Lightning Returns Final Fantasy XIII
16. Final Fantasy XV
17. Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade
18. Final Fantasy Origins Stranger of Paradise

I removed Final Fantasy IV The After Years from the list because it was skipped. My criteria for that skip is that it is a 3D sequel to a 2D game. Sure, the game is canonical. It just doesn't fit the graphics moving from IV to the After Years unless you are playing the 3D remake version of IV. Most likely I will play the remakes of III, IV, The After Years, and VI and a later date. They are just different games with relaxed difficulty and revised content. 

Here is an interesting look at my Final Fantasy series replay:

1. Final Fantasy - 29 Hours

2. Final Fantasy II - 36.3 Hours

3. Final Fantasy III - 22.1 Hours

4. Final Fantasy IV - 15.6 Hours (I maintain the remaster is much easier than the original and is missing content)

5. Final Fantasy V - 123.1 Hours

6. Final Fantasy VI - 55.7 Hours

7. Final Fantasy VII - 185.6 Hours

8. Final Fantasy VIII- 221.2 Hours

Final Fantasy breaks down into generations. The first generation released on the NES/Famicom. It is made up of Final Fantasy, II, and III. It is worth noting that only the original released in the US for the NES. II and III would not port over for sometime. II debuted in English during the PSone era as half of the Final Fantasy Origins collection. III in its original form would not release in the US until last year as a part of the Pixel Remaster. A DS version of III was released in English but is a substantial departure from the original content. It may also be a better game. 

The SNES/ Super Famicom generation is made up of IV, V, and VI. Again, American audiences would not get V until it was released on the PSone some years later. To avoid (read this as create) confusion for American audiences IV was titled Final Fantasy II and VI was titled Final Fantasy III when they came out for the SNES. All of these games improve on the NES generation with more in depth storylines, more complicated dungeons, and additional hours of gameplay. They all boasted of a plethora of secrets to unlock. Being able to complete IV Pixel Remake in 15.6 hours feels a bit insulting given that I put hundreds of hours into the original. 

The Playstation generation began with Final Fantasy VII. It is one of the best selling games of the series. Since I was a die hard Nintendo fan I was reluctant to give VII the love it deserved. I have now completed it twice though there is plenty of content left in the game that I haven't explored. Spending 185 hours on it recently felt appropriate. I enjoy it a lot more now than when I first dove into it in my late teen years. 

Which brings us to Final Fantasy VIII. This poor game was bound to be in the shadow of FFVII. I am certain it has a huge fanbase, but for its age it does not get enough love. Square took some risks. The action, magic, summon, and crafting systems are all major departures from what has been done up until this point. The game is beautiful compared to VII though a bit pale in comparison to IX. 

Where VIII challenged me was with Squall. He isn't just a teenager struggling with emotional vulnerability which is what I think Square is going for. He is callous, aloof, and almost abusive of the few people willing to call him friend. Also, who picks Rinoa over Quistis? While we are on the subject how does Zell, complete with a copy of Mike Tyson's face tattoo, and Squall with all of his faults come across as more compelling characters than Irvine? The cowboy sniper seems to be the only male character in the game with any emotional depth and this is only ruined by his seeming obsession with pornography as a dating tool.  Yeah, ok. This storyline has some major issues.

Still, I spent 221 hours finishing the game. Subtract out 40 or so hours of my first run through where I had not done enough griding and was forced to start over. The game was fun. I was tremendously glad to finish it. 

I am not in a hurry to dive into IX. Granted, I already have it installed on the laptop. Playing the FF series back to back with this many games is a fun challenge. I am savoring it. I just need to do some button mashing for a few days to cleanse the palette.