Final Fantasy 8 The lovable lone-wolf

What is a final fantasy series without the tale of two loved ones battling odds to save the universe. Not a lot of people cared for the installment after Final Fantasy 7 hit, but final fantasy 8 takes the win in my book. Following the main character Squall who is a member of an organization knows as SeeD ( Sorceress elimination and execution Squad) attends a academy at Balamb Garden. The garden was set-up by Cid the leader and his wife at the time Edea. You first Start the game out on watching a battle in a cinematic scene with Squall and Seifer. The scene cuts out when the character Seifer is cut with Squalls gunblade.

You are introduced to your first character Quistis weapon of choice is a whip. She accompanies you on your SeeD mission to obtain your third guardian force Ifrit. You must defeat him in order to acquire his assistance. Not all guardian forces through out the game have to be defeated in order to acquire assistance. Some have to be drawn which is a command use to absorb magic form another enemy. Others have to be made from combining items in your tool set-up that is acquired with the guardian forces. Everyone is familiar with the summoning command from the previous installments. Final Fantasy 8 offered great cinematic scenes that were at least a minute long that yes I admit after awhile you became annoyed with. The next character in the game that you are introduced to is Zell (obviously my favorite character hence the screen name). Originally from Deling city this member of SeeD offers the game a unique character that is rambunctious and feisty. He assist you on your mission to exterminate the threat on an island city, to destroy a communication tower. After arriving the next character is introduced to the scene Selphie. Selphie in my opinion seemed to always be the clumsy one in the group.

After completing the mission with success, the main characters are now legitimately part of the SeeD program. In their honor they are thrown a huge ball in congrats to their accomplishment. Another Character is introduced into the picture Rinoa and this is where it all started. You do not get to see in the video what happened and why she left, but she was requesting the assistance from the Cid the leader to lend her a hand in her rebellion group. Squall then is interrupted and asked to come to the training facility with Quistis. Quistis then conveyed her feeling to Squall about quitting as a teacher because she believes her self to be a failure. You see her admit her feelings of love to him, but Squall is the type of character that you pick up on that he believes to not get attached and to not depend on other people. Which you pick up on right at the beginning of the game.

Squall is then sent out to a town called Timber in order to aid the rebellion called the forest owls. You then meet up with Rinoa and soon find out that the leader Cid has giving Rhinoa a contract.Then the plan is to negotiate with the president of Deling city. After the Forest Owls plan to switch the cars of the President's train was successful, Rinoa prepares to begin her serious negotiations with President Deling. However the creature inside the car is not the President but merely a body double which attacks the party as it malfunctions.

Finally the plan is then sent out to finally destroy the sorceress. Balamb Garden hired a sniper who also is a playable character Irvine from another garden. It is set up now to assassinate the sorceress the only thing was no one ever planned on Irvine to choke at the last minute. Squall then asked Irvine to at least cause a distraction even if he misses. Squall then goes in for the kill only to be brutally damaged by the sorceress's magic. As you progress through the game you find this to be your main objective. Kill the sorceress and end her rein of terror on the world. You soon find out a little more in depth in the game that they characters Zell, Ivrine, Quistis ,Selphie, Squall, and Seifer all live in an orphanage at one point together. Their care taker was Edea herself and she took the orphans to the garden they begin to train in the SeeD program. Edea knew the sorceress Ultimecia would use her body as a vessel as she pierced through time and try to reclaim her destruction. During the game you're sent back to time as you play with another character Laguna. A girl named Elena would send out a signal that would put the main characters on conscious. Thus beginning the add on story that followed Laguna through his problems. You soon find out that Laguna is Squalls father, and laguna had looked after Elena while he was living in a small village.

After sorceress Adel takes possession of Rinoa, Squall then becomes consumed in his own emotion, when he realizes he is in love with her. When Squall found out that Ellone was the one sending Squall and his accompanied friends to vessel Laguna in the appearance of dreams, he wishes that Ellone will send him back to the exact moment that Rinoa is was taken possession and knocked on conscious. Squall finds out that Ellone is hiding in a place called Eshthar where Edea joins you for a limited time. She believes she will become possessed again and fears of what may come. Squall then carries Rinoa on his back in search for Esthar, as they progress they find out that the city of Esthar is cloacked by a magic generated seal. They are they told that Ellone is at the Lunar gate, and the character lauch into space where the base is located. Ultimecia then takes possession of Rinoa and lauches herself into outer space. She then breaks the seal on Adel, who then returns to her own vessel back on earth. Rinoa then loses possession of Ultimecia and then is left to float to her death. Squall steps in and launches himself into outerspace to capture Rinoa before her oxygen runs out. Upon meeting her embrace they are then taken onto a ship that is inhabited by monsters. After Squall and Rinoa took possession over the ship and fly back to earth.

The main objective is Ultimecia want to use Ellones ability to send people to the past to have total control over the past, present, and future, that way she will be able to control time , space and existence. Squall then drives the Ragnarok to grab the Rinoa who has been dimmed a sorceress and the cause of this apocalyptic terrine. After rescuing the Rinoa a planned is then formed for Ellone to send the party back in time. That way when Ultimecia posses Adel, she would then carry over her powers into Rinoa making her that last sorceress in the present era. When this happens, Ellone would then send Rinoa and Ultimecia minds to the past and in which time compression will be casted. Ellone would then cast their consciousness back to their current Era which will would temporary stop the spell. With time compressed Squall and the others make their way to the castle to stop the Sorceress Ultimecia!

Towards the end of the game because I am sure I could go on and on to tell the story you finally are sent back in time to finish off the sorceress ultimecia herself. Squall and his party enters the castle and prepares for the toughest battle yet thus far. As you reach Ultimecia in battle she summons a monster to do her bidding. Upon defeating him you see the monster then conjunction and became an even more devious fiend. Upon defeating him Squall is killed in the process or there is speculation to what happened. Was he truly dead or did he just warp to another time?Final fantasy 8 offered me when I was younger was a sense of gratitude. It is funny that a game can give you an emotion, but as many gamers know when you become so infused in a games storyline it is as if the journey is something you embark yourself. There was that emotion almost like hope that destiny find happiness for anyone. That when you take two different people like Rhinoa and Squall over time feelings begin to develop and life can almost seem complete when you are or feel you're destined to be with someone. Final fantasy 8 in my eyes was the best in the classics, although I loved final fantasy 7 there was just something about the story line that kept you intrigued and sad yet happy at the same time. Final fantasy 8 was a excellent game and will always be remembered for its great love story of a lone wolf!