Would I recommend the remaster as the definitive way to play Final Fantasy VIII? No. There’s a substantial amount of work that’s gone into enhancing the artwork–particularly model quality. But I wouldn’t term it a simple cash-grab, either.

What’s the point of rereleasing a 20 year-old Playstation 1 game on platforms that are three and a half generations ahead? Does the Final Fantasy VIII remaster live up to the high remaster bar that some games these days set? With backwards compatibility on most consoles, PC being backwards compatible almost by definition, why do we even need remasters? That’s not the primary question we’re addressing in this feature, but it’s useful to keep it in mind anyways.

Is it a new game? Is it just a service to make it more convenient to play certain titles on modern platforms? Is it a way to experience old magic anew? How much has to change for that to happen? Remasters have always been something of a fraught proposition. We’re looking at Square Enix’s Final Fantasy VIII remaster today.

Final fantasy 8 ps4