Final Fantasy 8
Demo -> Game Changes
v3.0
By: Matt Hobbs (
[email protected])
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ok, so this kinda late, but after playing FF8, then playing the demo
again, I've discovered just how different the two are, and decided to make
a list of them. I had no plans to put this up, but a friend of mine
convinced me, so...here it is. ^_^
Also, it seems that Soulcleaver has been getting quite a bit of mail about
this FAQ. Please refrain from mailing him, as he's getting quite annoyed.
He didn't write this list, I did. He simply convinced me to send it to
GameFAQs, and added something I left out.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
New Stuff: Added a few more changes, and elaborated on a few others.
Actually, this update should've come much sooner...I finished it
a long time ago, just...kept forgetting to...send it in. ^_^
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1) The intro FMV is slightly different in the actual game. And doesn't show
an FF8 logo.
2) The music in the game is different when heading for Dollet. The demo's
music for this area is awful. (In my opinion at least. For some reason,
everyone else seems to love it... I dunno, it's a bit too happy for my
tastes; doesn't fit the serious setting of the attack...)
3) The dialogue is different.
4) The font is different.
5) You can't open the sub-screen.
6) Your team is Squall, Zell, and Rinoa. In the game, it's Squall, Zell,
and Seifer/Selphie.
7) You only have GF Leviathan. No Ifrit, Shiva, or Quezacotl.
8) No save point near the entrance or at the Comms tower, but this makes
sense, I suppose.
9) No Draw points. Again, this makes sense.
10) Squall and Zell are 'out of uniform'. (In the demo, they're in their
normal clothes, in the game, they're wearing Garden uniforms.)
11) In the demo, you can use limit breaks even when you have lots of hit
points. You just have to press the O button many, many times. The fewer
hit points you have, the more likely you'll get a limit break.
12) The 'waiting' scene at the town square is different. It has some eerie
sound effects in the demo, is longer, and has a funny scene involving
Seifer and that dog. This is, IMO, the one and only scene that's better
than the actual game.
13) Your team is immensely weaker in the demo than they are in the game.
In the game, you *start* with 400+ HP, and there's an area before this!
In the demo, though, you have just over 200. Yes, this *does* complicate
things somewhat...
14) You don't gain Exp or AP. No real point to it.
15) The Galbadia soldiers are quite a bit weaker. (Or they seem to be,
anyway. It might just have to do with the fact that your characters are
weaker.)
16) The random enemies on the hill are different. Buels don't show up in the
game, for example, but Geezards do.
17) Since Seifer isn't in the team, there is no message during the battle
against the Anaconduar on the hill.
18) The enemies have different spells to draw.
19) The draw amounts are horribly low. The most I've gotten from any enemy
is 3 of one type of spell.
20) The animations of some spells are slightly different.
21) The Battle music and victory music seem to be ever-so-slightly
different in the actual game than they are in the demo.
22) Enemies don't drop the usual items. Since stuff like cards and Bomb's
Fragments would be useless in the demo, this isn't important.
23) Squall's limit break is "C. Sword". It also seems to have the Renzokuken
Indicator set to Off.
24) Zell's limit is "Meteo Barret". Also looks different from his normal
"Meteo Barret" Duel attack.
25) Rinoa doesn't seem to have a limit at all.
26) No FMV at the hill, and no option to jump off. Since Selphie isn't in
the demo, this isn't important at all.
27) The battles against Biggs, Wedge, and Elvoret just play normal battle
music, and don't have any special screen motion when entering battles.
28) You (obviously) can't draw Siren from Elvoret.
29) Selphie doesn't show up to deliver the retreat order, a normal soldier
does.
30) The spider robot is called "X-ATM082". In the game, it's "X-ATM092". What
a silly thing to change.
31) When X-ATM082 starts chasing you, you only get 15 minutes to escape.
32) You're unable to ultimately defeat X-ATM0 in the demo. In the game, you
can. Actually, even if you *are* able to beat him, you probably don't
have the strength/time to do so.
33) In fact, I don't believe the 'avoid X-ATM0' tricks used in the actual
game (i.e. walking instead of running on the hillside, and running back
to the left on the bridge) work. Why? I have no idea.
34) The timer continues during the FMVs at the end. This makes it almost
impossible to complete the demo, given that the "escape time" is much
less, and the afformentioned tricks that allow you to avoid battles with
the spider robot don't seem to exist.
35) There is no option of running into the cafe that the other Squad came
out of. In fact, there is no evidence that there even *are* other
squads there.
36) In the game, Quistis blasts the X-ATM0, in the demo, a soldier does.
Note that I've never finished the demo, so thanks to the many people who
*did*, and told me about this.
37) If you *do* die in the demo (which is quite likely), the Game Over
screen is quite different. Instead of showing a picture of a broken
Gunblade with the words "Game Over" on it, it shows a short story.
Those're all the differences I've found. If you know of any more, feel free
to mail me. (ME! YelseyKing! NOT Soulcleaver!)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks to Soulcleaver (
[email protected]) for the bit about using limit
breaks with near full HP, and for suggesting I submit this FAQ in the first
place.
This mini-FAQ is ©1999-2000 Matt Hobbs.
Final Fantasy 8 is ©1999 Square.
