Square's latest and greatest masterpiece has exploded onto the gaming scene in a big way. The biggest and most highly anticipated RPG of the year is finally here and it doesn't disappoint. Square has created a masterful epic with memorable characters, engaging story, and revolutionary graphics that once again sets a new standard in the genre.

This latest Final Fantasy adventure centers on a military training school and its members. Squall Leonhart is a recent graduate into the elite SeeD mercenary task force, which travels the world seeking to resolve conflicts and keep the peace. His chief rival is the rebellious Seifer Almasy, who has always bested Squall in training missions and contests. The chief love interest this time is the emotionally capricious Rinoa Heartilly, leader of a rebel faction against the totalitarian Galbadia Empire. Added to these three are other characters such as the wacky Zell and the childish Selphie.

There are many levels of plot in this game. The main conflict is the alliance between the Galbadia Empire and the evil Sorceress Edea for the purpose of world conquest.  Other plot strings are of a more character oriented nature: The conflict between Squall and Seifer, the identity of Laguna, the real motive of Edea, and the most important aspect, the developing romance between Rinoa and Squall. The theme of the game's plot is love which serves to bind the disparate plot points into an overlaying theme. Squall starts out as an unapproachable loner who with time and experience becomes a leader and a hero.

Graphics are a central aspect of the game because they are so important to bringing the world to life. Squaresoft is exceptional in creating the most spectacular FMV sequences the PlayStation has ever seen. This time around, characters show facial expressions and move like real people. The dance scene at the beginning is a perfect example of this. While the previous game had good FMV, the people still looked doll-like. This time they are more realistically portrayed. You feel that these are real people acting out their parts rather than video game characters. What helps a lot is the super-deformed look of in-game characters is gone and replaced with realistically proportioned characters. This change allows the seamless transition between FMV to in-game graphics which puts the player in the center of the action and is the most impressive of Square's innovations.  Added to the FMV is the CG-rendered world with screen after screen of beautiful static backgrounds with character movements on top. 

Battle graphics are also high caliber as Square continues its over-the-top Summon spells with huge monsters and a variety of lighting effects and animations.  Every Summon spell is a joy to watch and with the vibration function even more to experience. Sure they may take a long time but its not different from attacking over and over again to deliver the same damage. 

The sound and music only complements the already rich world. Music changes between environments and is always pleasing. Some of it is memorable, such as Faye Wong's "Eyes on Me," and other times it's just a nice background complement. I really like the battle music this time, especially the boss battle music. The Sephiroth Choir is back and, thankfully, you don't have to wait till the end of the game to listen to them. While not the best Final Fantasy soundtrack, it is a strong addition to the rich history of Final Fantasy music.

Gameplay is the biggest innovation and probably the most controversial one.  All characters can attack but in order to do anything else they must be Junctioned to a Guardian Force (GF). This time, the GF is more than just a summon spell. It becomes an intricate part of the character's growth. Not only does equipping a GF give the character use of a powerful spell, but also allows the use of Item, Magic, and Draw commands. GF's also gain experience just like characters. They even have their own item shops. Through experience -- called AP points -- they can develop added attacks and stat-enhancing features, such as giving the character elemental-based attacks, increasing HPs or attack power, and refining magic from items as well as a whole host of lesser abilities. When summoned, the character's HPs become the GF's HPs and these can absorb damage taken while the character is  summoning. There's also a compatibility ratio in that some characters are better able to summon particular GF's. If compatibility is good then it takes less time to summon. Selecting which GF stat to improve allows customization of your characters so that in any one game your human characters can vary in abilities between attack, defense, and magic. 

Another big change is that magic acquiring through experience or buying spells in shops is gone. Instead, there's the Draw command where your character can absorb magic from enemies. Each Draw can yield anywhere from 3 to 10 magics at any one time, making it easy to stock up. Another feature lets you use the GF magic combine ability to take several weaker spells and form the stronger version of the spell. For example, if you get 5 Fires, you can refine them into 1 stronger Fira spell. So, while to some players, this system may seem strange, it's really quite convenient and adds more strategy to battles.

Also gone are weapons and armor. You have the same weapon throughout the game but based on what random items you may find, you can upgrade to a stronger form of your weapon. This means that money is less important than ever before and the focus shifts to following the story rather than being bogged down with collecting money to equip characters. 

Game flow is pretty well-balanced between plot points with lots of dialogue and FMV scenes, dungeon exploring, and various puzzle-solving scenarios. All these elements come together to create a wonderful epic experience with the only downside being that the story will eventually end.

While some people may argue that Square's emphasis on story and FMV turns Final Fantasy VIII into a movie instead of a game, I disagree. Sure, it's more movie-like than any previous incarnation but why is that a bad thing? This series is no longer just a game, it's more of an epic experience. Final Fantasy is not just an RPG, it's a genre all its own which is continually evolving the way game stories are presented. So, while critics may argue that the 'game' portion of the Final Fantasy series is disappearing, I say it's only getting better because Square is inventing a wholly new entertainment art form that will redefine the industry forever.

Not only will fans want to experience the story over and over again but there's lots of GF to find and an addictive card mini-game to master.