Japanese FF VIII reviews

[02.03.99] » Two Japanese publications have played through and reviewed Square's Final Fantasy VIII. Curious to learn how it fared?

He's glowing with pride

   With Final Fantasy VIII just a week away from a Japanese release, anticipation and hype have been growing in massive proportions. Well over a million pre-orders placed on the game already, and now Japan's gaming publications have had a chance to play the final version and offer up reviews to their readers.

   Japan's largest gaming mag, Famitsu Weekly, rated Final Fantasy VIII a 37 out of 40. One reviewer gave the game a perfect 10, while three others each awarded a score of 9. The game's story, CG sequences, Junction system, Card Battle game, and other features were all praised extensively. On the negative side, one reviewer mentioned that the strength of the Guardian Forces left battles unbalanced. Overall, the game was rated at approximately the same score its predecessor, Final Fantasy VII, achieved.

   Hyper PlayStation, another Japanese publication, rated FF VIII with 10, 10, and 7. Other publications are expected to follow with reviews shortly, but it seems safe to conclude that we're going to be hearing a lot about the game as Square gets ready for a North American release later this year...