'Final Fantasy VIII' Leaves Something to Be Desired

L.A. Times Archives

Nov. 25, 1999 12 AM PT

AARON CURTISS

What follows will reveal me as a heretic or an idiot or both. For though I appreciate the beauty and depth and history of the latest “Final Fantasy” adventure, the eighth installment fails to excite me in any significant way.

In other words, I didn’t have that much fun playing. And, truth be told, I feel bad about it.

“Final Fantasy VIII” for Sony PlayStation is the latest chapter in a game franchise that spans continents and--even more noteworthy--console generations. It is a sweeping story of love and identity set in a magical world more beautiful than anything seen before on PlayStation or any other platform.

The “Final Fantasy” series sets the standard for role-playing adventures, and “Final Fantasy VIII” is by far the best--both in terms of play and technical virtuosity. Technically, there is nothing wrong with this game.

In fact, “Final Fantasy VIII” breaks new ground in its use of pre-rendered cinematic sequences, blending them seamlessly with real-time action to create a narrative that constantly propels players forward. As one plays through all four--yes, four--discs of the game, on encounters scenery and characters that are ever more fantastic as well as lifelike.

Action unfolds in a changing camera perspective, but one that beats all previous “Final Fantasy” games in terms of players’ being able to see and control on-screen characters. Most of the backgrounds are pre-rendered, which makes them look a little too nice for the real-time movements of characters.

No matter. It all looks great.

Accompanying those images is a powerful soundtrack that beats most of what’s playing at movie theaters.

In terms of play, designers worked in all sorts of new tricks, including a “junction system” that enables players to internalize “guardian forces” and, over time, to use them to draw power away from enemies. The ability makes battle sequences even more complex, requiring strategic thinking.

So what’s the problem?

For all of “Final Fantasy VIII’s” wonders, this is basically a game that plods along at an agonizingly slow pace. Players start the game as Squall Leonhart, a 17-year-old military cadet with a reputation as a “lone wolf.” All is not well in Squall’s world. War is pending. Squall’s heart belongs to the carefree Rinoa Heartilly. And he questions who he is.

These story lines weave together relatively seamlessly, but they take way, way, way too long to play out. As with all “Final Fantasy” games, the dialogue fills text boxes on the screen. Players spend more time scrolling than playing because most of the story and virtually all of the critical pieces of information are revealed through inane conversations between characters.

Plugging through poorly scripted conversations quickly gets maddening. I’d rather read a good book. Maybe the design and translation teams ought to do the same, because all the raw elements of a truly great game are in “Final Fantasy VIII.” Cleaning up the story execution to bring it up to the level of the graphics, music and play would create a true blockbuster.

“Gauntlet Legends”

Whereas “Final Fantasy VIII” aspires to greatness, “Gauntlet Legends” for Nintendo 64 promises little more than a mindless good time. That’s harder than it sounds, and “Gauntlet Legends” does a pretty good job of it.

This is a party game--if players can persuade three friends to shed their personalities and become either a wizard, a Valkyrie, a warrior or an archer. These four classes make up the heroes of “Gauntlet Legends,” and players embark as a band through worlds teeming with evil.

Seems the jealous wizard Garm opened a portal to the underworld, freeing the demon lord Skorne. As anyone who has ever watched Saturday morning cartoons knows, freeing a demon lord is an unwise thing to do. So it is for Garm, who dies before the game even begins.

Players suit up to defeat Skorne and his minions. Most of the game focuses on fighting--with one battle following another. Players can find power-ups and gain experience by beating up lesser demons. And, as with any adventure worth its salt, players can buy stuff to increase their odds in battle.

But the maintenance aspects of “Gauntlet Legends” do not slow it down. This is, after all, a game built for four people. Few of us in the key demographic for “Gauntlet Legends” enjoy going to the mall to watch a friend shop.

Watching him or her blast the undead with a bolt of magic--now, that’s a different story. And there’s plenty of that from the game’s first moments. Action plays out in a top-down perspective a la “Diablo,” giving players a good view of the carnage ahead.

When the football gets dull today, “Gauntlet Legends” may be a good way to bring the boys of the family together.

A four-player game requires four controllers. Players who want to save data from game to game need their own controller packs.

“Speed Devils”

Sega Dreamcast hardly needs another racing game. But if players are lost in the plethora of 128-bit racers, they would do well to look at “Speed Devils,” an inventive title that sends players through some of the nastiest conditions this side of Hades.

With its tons of customizable tracks and the ability to buy and upgrade cars, “Speed Devils” would win a place at the top of the Dreamcast hierarchy even without all of its extras. For instance, tracks are huge, and players can find alternate routes through to cut seconds off their times.

Then there are the obstacles. Tornadoes, dinosaurs and broken-down tour buses dot some of the tracks, making a first-place finish more difficult than simply stepping on the gas and steering carefully.

Tops among “Speed Devils” features is the Vendetta mode, which allows players to challenge opponents to a grudge race. Lose the race, lose your car. It’s high-stakes racing and details like that that make “Speed Devils” a sweet addition to any Dreamcast library.

To comment on a column or to suggest games for review, send e-mail to aaron.curtiss@latimes.com.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Essentials

Intellivision Lives

* Platform: PC/Mac

* Publisher: Intellivision Productions

* ESRB* rating: Unrated, but nothing objectionable

* Price: $29.95

* Bottom line: Nifty nostalgia

Joust/Defender

* Platform: Game Boy Color

* Publisher: Midway