1. Lost In Time (And Translation?) - Final Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy VIII is a great game - for the first couple of discs. Once you reach the point in the narrative where Squall and friends discover that they were all at the same orphanage as children and don't remember because they've scrambled their memories using special summoning powers known as "Guardian Forces," it begins to lose its way. Then there's the ending, which is near impossible to make sense of. Basically, though, you learn that Ultimecia - an evil sorceress - has been trying to compress time to become all-powerful. Squall and his companions travel to the future to defeat her, but then Squall is lost in time, and Ultimecia then transfers her powers to another sorceress, who Squall is told to inform to create SeeD and therefore set an infinite time loop in motion and... You have to wonder whether the ending of the game was lost in translation, because no matter how you look at it it's plainly impossible to understand - a succession of explanations that only serve to make what was explained previously all the more confusing and/or convoluted (worst of all, it makes you feel dumb for not "getting it"). It doesn't necessarily take away from Final Fantasy VIII, because it's a wonderful game with stunning moments and some of the best game characters ever, but the ending is a bunch of nonsense, redeemed only by the lovely over-credits scene, and the bit with Squall and Rinoa coming together on the balcony for a kiss (or is he dead?). Like this article? Agree or disagree with these picks? Let us know in the comments below.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
