For about 20 minutes, Final Fantasy VIII completely changes genre and it’s fucking awesome. About midway into Disc 1, Squall and the SeeDs are enlisted to kidnap the […]
Essays / Game Mechanics
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Don’t feel bad about missing (or skipping) the weapon crafting system in FF8
During my last playthrough of FF8, I used the Card Mod ability only once. At the very last minute before Ultimecia’s Castle, I went out of my way […]
Essays / Music
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“My Mind” is the weird duet that game music needed
Something I’ve appreciated more and more about Final Fantasy VIII‘s soundtrack over the years is how weird it is. By 1999, the Final Fantasy series had been around […]
Characters / Essays / Narrative, Dialogue, & Lore / Personal Stories
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The love story IS the story
I’ve played Final Fantasy VIII all the way through twice: first when it came out, when I was around 10 years old, then again in 2022 at the […]
Characters / Essays / Narrative, Dialogue, & Lore / Regrettable Things
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I will not defend the amnesia orphanage twist but it’s better than that Zack shit
I’ll say it: I do not care for the orphanage plotline in Final Fantasy VIII. It comes out of nowhere with very little foreshadowing, and it’s just too […]
Essays / General Screaming
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Why I love the big-ass buildings of FF8
Posting yesterday about the Horizon Bridge reminded me that I’m fascinated by massive human-made structures. Not even ones that were actually constructed. In high school, I loved reading […]
Characters / Essays / Narrative, Dialogue, & Lore
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The Sorceress’ Knight is the Best Romance Trope Ever and Yes, I Will Die on This Hill
The Sorceress’ Knight is a gift to humanity. It is the pinnacle of bodyguard fiction, the zenith of courtly love. It is love and devotion and care wrapped up into one role and it is delicious.
Characters / Essays / Narrative, Dialogue, & Lore
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The Waltz for the Moon scene is more than just a dance
One of the most iconic scenes from Final Fantasy VIII is the “Waltz for the Moon” ballroom dance. It’s the first time in the narrative that we see […]
Essays / Game Mechanics
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Ultimecia’s most dangerous weapon is breaking the rules
My all-time favorite fighting game character is Aganos from the 2013 reboot of Killer Instinct. Rather than just having a slightly different set of punches and kicks, Aganos […]
Characters / Essays / Narrative, Dialogue, & Lore
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Selphie is a lovable, destructive menace
I have always defended characters in Final Fantasy VIII who are actually great characters (not you Quistis. You’re a creep.). I’ve written an entire piece on my personal […]
Essays
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We are stuck in 2007
Unless you’re deep in the film world, you’ve probably never had to read Raising Kane, an explosively controversial essay by film critic Pauline Kael, alleging that Citizen Kane […]
Essays / Game Mechanics
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Triple Triad has a 40+ hour RPG minigame attached to it
I think I’m in the minority here, but I’m not big on open worlds that are loaded with minigames. I recently played through my first Yakuza game (Yakuza […]
Essays / History / Regrettable Things
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The terrible 15 years, or Why nobody’s talking about FFVIII right now
I am convinced that one of the reasons Final Fantasy VIII hasn’t had a critical revival yet (with the exception of honorary brand ambassador Ben Starr) is that […]
Essays / Music
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“Eyes on Me” is great even though/because the lyrics are a mess
As a weird 10-year-old, “Eyes on Me” was the epitome of romance to me. I was not a kid who thought much about romance apart from reading 30 […]