Counting Down The Best Squaresoft Games Of All Time

Complex ranks their favorite SquareSoft/Enix games, which is only marginally less offensive than ranking religious deities.

[MrSpace]

"Squall should be grateful to Vaan and Lightning for heroically yanking the conch shell of FF controversy from his gloved hands. Before those two protagonists came sauntering along (bearing gifts of gender ambiguity and/or cardboard personality), Squall was the whipping boy for those that felt Final Fantasy was truly veering off course into the dark land of emo brooding and bad character design."

Like always following the crowd and boarding the "FF8 Hate Train"

If people really think that of Squall, have missed all the character development and don't see the reasons why he's the person you meet at the START of the game.........then you really havent played FF8.

LOL "emo".....please, what does that make the "almighty" Cloud then ?

[Peaceful_Jelly]

I beat FFVIII at least once every year and what the author of this article is saying about Squall is all the truth. And Cloud talks and he has a personality unlike Squall where all he says is "whatever" and then changes a little by the end of the game because of some forced plot device.

If you really played FFVII then you would know that by the beginning of the game Cloud was really cocky because his was in SOLDIER but then he discover that all his past was made by himself and his attitude changes. There's even a section of the game when you don't play with him because his mind is completely broken and when he regains it thanks to Tifa's unconditional love (I say "unconditional" because Cloud loved her as a kid but now he loves Aerith) he becomes the old Cloud again. So we see like 3 different Clouds in FFVII.

Cloud was never an emo like Squall and he did have character development unlike Squall where you don't even know from where he came from, what is his purpose and why is he such a jerk to begin with. But yeah, Squall changed because of his love for Rinoa but it was so forced you can hardly call that character development. Squall didn't really care for Rinoa until the end of the game because his change was necessary to beat Adel.

[Pozzle]

I'll never understand the immense hate so many FF fans have for Squall. I mean, I wasn't a big fan of him either. But that didn't really affect my enjoyment of the game. With such a big cast of characters, of course we're bound to like certain characters over others.

But that's what I like about it...they feel like real people with real personalities and real strenghts/flaws. It's just like real life: Everybody is different, and there are always going to be people in the world you're going to like and others you're going to dislike. It makes it easier for me to forget I'm just playing a game when the characters feel real, even though some might annoy me or piss me off. IDK maybe I'm just weird like that.

(Though I will argue that Cloud was fairly chipper and upbeat in FFVII, despite his recent "emoness" in the Compilation games and Advent Children. Hell, once the party got out of Midgar and made it to Kalm, Cloud never shut up with his inspirational speeches and goofy one-liners. "Let's mosey!")

[WhiteLightning]

Squall's hate is really undeserving, like you said people are just "boarding the Final Fantasy 8 train". People are sheep to be honest

People say Squall is a jerk but miss out on the character development.

Yes he is a jerk when you first start the game but the transformation to his character spread over the 4 discs makes him into a brave heroic leader who has opened up to his friends and the girl he loves.

Then you get people who have no idea why he's like that when it tells you during the game (COUGH COUGH...Peaceful_Jelly). His mother died at child birth, he never knew his father, he didn't like the Orphanage, put all his trust in one person and looked up to her (Sis/Ellone), she then was taken away from him like his mother and father and that's when he became the cold hearted, selfish, lonley jerk who keeps himself to himself at the start of the game. Obviously his childhood had an effect on him (The flashbacks when he's calling out for Sis in the rain). Yet people also ignore this.

Your right Squall has amazing character development and it dosen't feel forced like other FF games. As I've said it's slowly spread out over the 4 discsa nd in each disc he changes. The game has always been about Squalls journy and it's such a shame people keep calling him an "emo" and a "jerk" just based on the Squall we meet at the start of the game.

Who ever says otherwise obviously hates FF8, has payed no attention to it or havent even finished the game.

[Jack-DangerousIy]

Or maybe someone played it and simply doesn't like it?

I guess you think everyone has to like it or they're wrong.

*sigh*

[knifefight]

"Or maybe someone played it and simply doesn't like it?"

Unpossible!

[Hicken]

As previously stated, again rises the hate for VIII, specifically on Squall this time. And again I ask, "Isn't that to be expected, given what he's been through by the time you meet him?"

And sorry, but no way VIII is that far down the list and IX is that high up.

[bangoskank]

There are a couple of Final Fantasy games on this list that should be replaced by Chrono Cross and Vagrant Story. I'm also am one of the very few admirers of XII and think it's one of the best. Most who disagree probably didn't even complete 75% of the game.

As for Squall, I have no problem with him. I actually think his character is rather complex. As an old school FF fan I thought the game was just a drag to play a lot of the time. It wasn't as fun as other FF games. Gameplay, as well as the characters and enemies, were kind of dull.

[knifefight]

"I'm also am one of the very few admirers of XII and think it's one of the best."

I'm right there with you buddy. I'm there.

[bangoskank]

Good to know there are others who appreciate it as much as I do. The mob hunts and Espers were a huge addition to an already impressive game. I think many people ignored those because they were too challenging.
I would like to see another game up its caliber. I think Xenoblade may be its match... if it ever comes to the US.

[knifefight]

If you can read Japanese and/or don't mind clinging to an online FAQ for your license board stuff, the Zodiac Job System version of FF12 is amazing. (Spoken dialogue all in English, written in Japanese though.)

All license boards are different and you select different jobs for each character, ala the first Final Fantasy. It's awesomely good. Need to be able to play Japanese-region PS2 games though is the thing.

[bangoskank]

I've heard about the Zodiac job system improving the gameplay tremendously. I quite enjoyed the licensing system but would defintely like to check this out. Unfortunately my PS2 is stored away somewhere at my parents' house and it wouldn't play region 2 anyway. My PS3 also isn't backwards compatible. Hopefully FFXII is remastered like everything else these days and the Zodiac job system is included.

[knifefight]

There are rumors flying that the FFX Vita/PS3 remaster is the international version that NA didn't get. It would be great if that were true, and then if they did the same with Zodiac Job System. It's only got like .5% chance of happening but that's better than any state lottery!

[laaakokaracha]

vagrant story is missing...way too many ff titles...sad but true I guess