At the heart of every good RPG is a solid combat system, and FF8 is no exception. Although it does bear some similarities to its predecessor, there are sufficient alterations to its inner workings to warrant an in-depth explanation. Battles are generally a three-on-three affair, and take place in a twisted version of real-time, where each character possesses an energy bar, and can only perform actions once said bar has been replenished. While this is nothing new to fans of the series, what changes the combat dynamic is the introduction of a completely new element--the Guardian Force. In essence, a Guardian Force is a low-level deity that, once equipped, enables characters to perform non-attack actions, such as using items, casting magic and so on. A Guardian Force can also be summoned as a visually spectacular spell of sorts, which, despite requiring time to perform, can do an extraordinary amount of damage to opponents. They are also pets in a sense, in that they can gain additional abilities, hit points and damage capabilities, depending on your direction in their growth. As if this wasn't helpful enough, Guardian Forces can also be used to bolster a character's abilities, or create specific attacks, such as fire or electrical, for appropriately vulnerable enemies. All in all, Guardian Forces completely change the flavor of the well-known combat system, although their lengthy summoning can prove rather taxing over the course of endless random encounters.

Another element that the introduction of Guardian Forces somewhat revolutionizes is that of spellcasting. Materia has been completely done away with, and characters do not possess any innate magic abilities. Rather, they can use the Guardian Forces to draw magic from their enemies during combat, or from predetermined magical fonts. This restricts the player to only being able to use whatever magic is contained within their opponents, although such magic can also be stocked within one's own magical reserves for later use. This is sometimes preferable, in fact, as Guardian Forces, once properly developed, can combine stocked spells to create more potent versions. This system is simplistic at first, although as a Guardian Force develops, the potential for strategic planning increases, allowing the magical aspect to be as involved as you wish it to be.

In the spirit of overhauling familiar elements, Squaresoft also felt the need to deepen the complexity of limit breaks. For those unfamiliar with this element, limit breaks are devastating attacks characters can perform upon sustaining a sufficient level of damage. Instead of gaining new techniques through increased levels, characters now gain new limit breaks after discovering objects on the desiccated corpses of fallen opponents. For instance, Rinoa's limit breaks are executed by--strangely enough--her magically appearing pet dog, and as such, she can acquire new limit break techniques by discovering different editions of Pet Lover magazines. Like the increased involvement of magic, the limit break system is also as open to the player as they wish it to be, as its operation can be set to either automatic or manual. Once set to manual, a list of commands can be learned, if desired, to execute increasingly complex limit break attacks. For example, Zell, the martial arts expert, has a particularly nasty hand-to-hand attack set as his automatic limit break. Switch it to manual, however, and you can command him to perform one of several different moves, all executed by a combination of arrow and letter key presses. This lends a particularly attractive spice to the wearisome doldrums of repetitious combat, as well as giving your characters an adrenalized burst of opportunity in the face of overwhelming odds.

Those who took enjoyment in the plethora of arcade-style games offered in FF7 might find themselves somewhat disappointed by the changes brought about in the series' newest incarnation. Instead of offering a vast range of diversions at specific moments in time, FF8 instead tenders two miniature games that arc throughout the bulk of the title, allowing players to involve themselves as mildly or as deeply as they desire. One such source of amusement is ChocoboWorld, an executable separate from FF8, playable only once a Chocobo has been discovered within the main title. Once this has been accomplished, you send your Chocobo on a mini-quest across the land doing battle with various monsters whose spoils can be uploaded to your FF8 character.

The second principal diversion is the card game Triple Triad, which very closely parallels that of Magic: The Gathering in terms of execution. Without delving too deeply into its details, Triple Triad cards have numerical values that determine capturing and defense rules. Although these rules vary depending on the geographical region, it is generally understood that the winner of a match may select a card from the opponent's arsenal to keep for him or herself. As an interesting side note, Guardian Forces may eventually acquire the ability to convert weakened enemies into Triple Triad cards, and may even convert cards into statistical benefits. Most any character can be approached on the street to play, with people from different regions possessing different types of cards. Playing such games can often break the monotony of endless combat, although their visual quality leaves much to be desired. In fact, this can be said for several aspects of FF8, marring what is an otherwise engrossing experience.

Although Final Fantasy VIII possesses its undeniable list of problems, it contains a very solid and engrossing experience for those willing to persist past its control difficulties and graphical aberrations. The game remains extremely faithful to the popular tenets of role-playing while introducing sufficient elements that spice things up for those who have become all too familiar with previous installments of the series. With its similarities both in plot and character to FF7, gamers might at first glance be inclined to pass this title up, but in so doing, would be sacrificing one of the better CRPGs we've had in a while.