It took Square Enix a long time (understandably so) to bring Final Fantasy VIII back, but given its historic status it deserved a lot better. If you have no access to the PS1 original through legacy PlayStation hardware, this is your only way to play this PS1 classic. Final Fantasy VIII Remastered new features for Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox One. Here’s what you need to know about each version. In a lot of ways, this doesn’t live up to the Remastered part of its name considering Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy IX on current systems offer more in terms of visual enhancements. While Final Fantasy VIII Remastered is a less than ideal way to play Square Enix’s classic, it is the most convenient way and since it is on every modern system now. The big issues with this release are the blurred environments, sluggish menus, and the PC exclusive features not being on other systems. Overall, I’m glad this release exists because Final Fantasy VIII is something a friend of mine has been trying to get me to play for years and despite owning it on PSN and even on Steam through the original release, the Switch version is what made me put time into it. Thankfully, it does support video recording and has a nice icon that lines up well with Final Fantasy VII that you probably already own on Switch. There is no touchscreen use as expected of most Square Enix ports on the system. Square Enix usually does this for late ports but I don’t understand why a simultaneous release still has exclusive features in a remaster. Neither of the three consoles has these options. Sadly, Square Enix decided to allow for all items, maxxed out HP, and more boosters only on PC. These include triple speed, no random encounters, and combat boosts. In terms of gameplay enhancements and boosters, this version offers boosts by pressing into the analogue sticks. Another step back from the original release is that menus are a lot less responsive here. Movement is restricted to eight directions which is another problem considering the PS1 original had full analogue movement support. In a lot of ways, the Switch’s smaller screen hides some of the visual issues which might help in the long run. I’ve played both the Nintendo Switch version and the Xbox One version (played on Xbox One X) of Final Fantasy VIII Remastered and you aren’t missing anything by playing on Switch barring achievements. Even the PS1 environments in the original had more detail albeit at a lower resolution than what we have here. Character models and enemy models look great in the remaster but environments are blurry. This is the same story with a fresh coat of paint in many areas and the opposite in some areas. In terms of content, Final Fantasy VIII Remastered offers nothing over the original. Final Fantasy VIII Remastered finally released recently and while it does some things very well, it also is a step back even compared to the PS1 original in some ways. At E3, Square Enix surprised everyone by announcing a remaster of Final Fantasy VIII for all modern systems. One game that was always left behind was Final Fantasy VIII, was only available on PS1 (and digitally on PSN for PS3, PSP, and PS Vita) and PC through a port that was not even close to being ideal. Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster and Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age are by far their best releases yet in terms of enhanced remasters while others like Final Fantasy VI and the recent Dragon Quest Switch ports have not had the best end result. With Square Enix bringing legacy games to modern systems, the end result has always been inconsistent. Final Fantasy VIII Remastered currently has 81 on Metacritic, and is also available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. It’s already been confirmed that the Square Enix Ethics Department is responsible for censoring Tifa Lockhart’s design in the upcoming Final Fantasy VII Remake, after all.įinal Fantasy VIII Remastered is scheduled to launch on 3 September.Switch Re:port covers the Nintendo Switch port/version of a game newly released on the platform. However, if the change originated from Square Enix’s Ethics Department, (the company’s own internal content approval body), then it’s very likely that the Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC versions of the game will be similarly censored. Given Sony’s censorious turn over the last year, the PS4 version may be the only one affected. It is unknown at this time whether these censored models apply only to the PS4 version of Final Fantasy VIII Remastered. Rinoa’s clothing was also altered to cover up more of her cleavage than before. Siren’s is not the only character model change in the remaster, either. As One Angry Gamer points out, this is possibly due to Siren’s cup more closely resembling pubic hair, as in the Siren’s case, the “carpet would indeed match the drapes”, so to speak. Interestingly, the character design for Shiva was not changed, despite her wearing a similarly-styled cup over her groin.
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