This item is a great asset to any gamers collection. With great detail and tips, i would recommend it to any FFVII Gamer.

"Okay....now what the heck do I do"? - a common question by those of us who are not "naturals" at games such as this. The graphics are fantastic - clear and detailed and the game play (though a little challenging) is relatively smooth but you are left with questions; as in "How the heck did that happen"? "Now what"? this guide will help you over those spots where you think you are going to be stuck forever. A wee bit technical at times but packed full with good information and tips, this guide will usually dig you out of the hole you have buried yourself into when you are on the play game level that I am.

As a long-time fan of the Final Fantasy series, it was with great joy that I intended to give a copy of Final Fantasy VIII to my niece. Given the intermittent access that she has to the PS2 at home, the strategy guide was a needed piece for the gift, else she completely lose her place between sessions. Imagine my horror when, a week before her birthday, the copy I had was destroyed in a terrible coffee accident...

As guides go it's thorough and detailed; the included bestiary becomes of great use in the later game, when elemental weaknesses can be the key to victory. The maps are solid and clear and the step-by-step nature of the book makes it ideal for session-based play. She was thrilled with the gift, and I was thrilled with the promptness of its arrival.

I found this book to be an improvement on the FF7 book. The directions are easier to follow, and it includes a lot of important information. I would have liked the names of the Cards to be easier to read - dark font on a dark background is too hard to reference for anything - and the beastialityairy was too hard to decipher. But that's a small point when you compare it to the failure to continue with the total coverage in the FF9 book. This book told me what I needed to know about the little things that I missed - the weapons, the GFs, the magazines (not enough room), and locations like the Islands or the Deep Sea Research Center. It was tremendously helpful. Still is.

fast shipping, perfect condition, all around great, happy with my purchase. I know generic comment but I can't think of any other way to describe it

This guide was very very good in getting me through the game the first time I played it.

HOWEVER, when I went back through to collect all the little items that I had missed, I learned quickly how badly the guide leads you to them.

I think instead of giving 2-10 boxes of short comments, I think it needs to list them in order.

Yes I know that those boxes prevent spoilers, however, they don't aid me at all in finding X item on map Q.


Definitely not one of Cassady's best guides, but it helps complete the game to the bare minimum.

This has to be the best strategy guide out there that I have seen for this game. It is detailed on where to go for the side quests and has great strategies for defeating your enemies. A must buy.

im glad i was able to play VIII and it's such an amazing game just like IX is too. like the same with it, the guide could have been better but it's still good

If you are a Final Fantasy VIII fan this is good to have.

This guide has been very helpful. I have enjoyed it very much. I recommend it to any else who uses guides. I also found that is has a lot of valuable infromation to help with the FFVIII game.

This strategy guide is very informative, and concice. The only regreat I have is that they never released the Pocket Station in the U.S. which would have added another demintion to the game play.

Probably the best strategy guide available for "Final Fantasay VIII." Great layouts, lots of pictured maps, and tremendous detailed information. Most other authors failed to explain the complexities of the game mechanics for many RPG's, but the writers/publishers of this particular book had managed to incorporate the difficult topics of the gameplay mechanics (ie) the Guardian growth system, magic system, item conversions, etc) with relative ease.

I highly recommend the guide for any fan of this game, especially from someone who considers himself a beginner for the game

helped me get through a part i was stuck on. if you need help on the game this book is for you.

The product was in excellent condition and the shipping was the fastest I have seen to be from regular postal service. It got here less than a week.

This is a great guide it gives you help without giving away the plot of the game. I found it very helpful and I bet you will to! The book is easy to follow and so are the maps within. I can't imagin that anything could have been left out. I love this guide!

can't be bothered to give a full on reveiew - it does exactly what it should. Secrets, bestiary, character bio's blah blah blah - whther you own the PC or PS1 version, you need this if you wanted to complete it 100%.

This guide has it all and more. Now, I've used a few strategy guides, some official and some not official. This is THE best official strategy guide I've ever used. David Cassidy absolutely makes sure that he doesn't spoil the plot for you while aiding in your adventure through this massive game. I haven't done everything in this guide, but if you're that type of gamer it's all here man. And no worries, this dude does not show you who the final boss is, so it will totally be a surprise. Get this great guide for an even greater game.

I love FFVIII!!! And every time I play Final Fantasy VIII, I use this guide for everything!!! I can get through the entire game and sidequests with this guide. I love all the pictures, maps, and illustrations and at the back of the guide, it shows color maps of every area. I love how they have two different world maps in this guide. One map is in the front of the guide and one is in the back. One map is for the towns and dungeons and the other map is for the draw points which is so helpful, especially when you want to find those really high leveled spells, the best spells in the game on the island closest to heaven/hell. I never play this game without this guide, it's so useful!!!

This guide has a list of all the items, cards, and GF's (Guardian Forces/Summons). In the GF section, it has details about what abilities every GF will learn. In each character's section, it lists all the different weapons each character can use and how to get it.

I love FFVIII!!! And every time I play Final Fantasy VIII, I use this guide for everything!!! I can get through the entire game and sidequests with this guide. I love all the pictures, maps, and illustrations and at the back of the guide, it shows color maps of every area. I love how they have two different world maps in this guide. One map is in the front of the guide and one is in the back. One map is for the towns and dungeons and the other map is for the draw points which is so helpful, especially when you want to find those really high leveled spells, the best spells in the game on the island closest to heaven/hell. I never play this game without this guide, it's so useful!!!

This is definetely the BEST guide i've ever used.And I've used alot of them.
This guide tells you everythng!It ever tells you that you have to have a PocketStation to get a couple of the items.
I seriously recommened this guide to anyone!

I did not actually buy this from amazon. I got it from my brother's friend's cousin. He found it in his freezer wrapped in plastic. Naturally, it was in terrible shape, but nothing a litte tape couldn't fix. The guide itself is pretty good. It tells you everything you need to know, but it is not as detailed as other guides i have bought. There's no "hand-holding" in this guide. Oh, and i wish there was a little more artwork in it, but i guess they couldn't fit it. Overall, an excellent guide.

Exhaustive is probably the word I use to describe this book. Everything, and I mean everything, is in this book. Detailed walk-throughs make sure you don't get lost or left behind. The beastiary is incredible, and the help with the card game is invaluble. A must if you think you missed something the first time around (because, believe me, you did).

Most players suspect that using game guides is cheating. And in some cases, that is undeniably true. But in an RPG as large as Final Fantasy VIII the effect is exactly the opposite. Instead, the guide functions more like a travel guides, making sure you know all the cool places to visit, and providing maps. The remove some of the irritations, help in planning, and improve the overall experience.

It is quite possible to get through FF8 in less that 50 hours with goot strategy and a bit of luck. Some people no doubt do, and think they've really experienced the game. Others get bogged down by a complicated puzzle sequence and miss an important feature and become frustrated when they can't complete the game. This guide is designed to alleviate just these problems, and enhance the entire gaming experience.

If you actually tried to do everything the guide covers playing time could go over 120 hours, making FF8 three times the game you thought it was. The guide also makes an effort to clear up some of the poor (or non-existent) explanations of useful game features. And yes, there are clues and explanations for those of us who aren't capable of reading the minds of our consoles,

So I would recommend the guide to any new owner of FF8. Whether you follow it religiously or just keep it handy as a reference I think you will feel it's well worth the price. It has all the charts and item lists, full details about characters and character building, and all the other paraphernalia that will enhance any enthusiast's experience.

This guide is very careful about telling you just what to do. And that is one of its few problems. It tells you JUST WHAT TO DO. It doesn't give you a little shove in the right direction, it tells you what to do, where to go, and how to do it. I think game guides should hint, not scream. Next problem: some of the things it tells you to do are somewhat impossible. Like get 10 Holy Wars? That's damn near impossible. But, besides that, it's good except that it gives you no hints whatsoever on the final battle (which is hard UNLESS you know what to do. If you have the right strategy, it's simple as pie). The pictures in this are beautiful. It's good quality, hard to destroy. Overall, a good buy.

If your like me and played the FF games in order and are used to the style of the FF7 guide, your in for a world of change. This time the guide is divided into help areas and no longer "tells". This can be annoying at first if your used to the guide for 7, but quickly becomes a vast improvement over the other. It doesn't give away the story and I found it always helped when I needed it. The only thing I don't like about it is that its easy to pass items along the way because the game doesn't inform you that they are there. For example, you have to keep checking the card guide in the back to make sure that you are getting the cards as they become available. Just looking at the walkthrough doesn't always let you know when an important card is within your reach.

I bought this guide and was accused of "cheating" by one of my friends. Actually, I suppose I was, though the first time I played the game I resisted the temptation to simply "play by the book." It was difficult, but I was victorious. Needless to say, the second time I played through, I was a stronger, more powerful character. While them not giving away every secret on every page for just the casual reader, it was frustrating to have to read almost fifty pages ahead to find something out. Additionally, sometimes the lack of information hindered rather than helped. Most of the maps were excellent, though not all of the displays were accurate enough for my taste. Additionally, the binding is rather flimsy and the book, with extensive use, would literally come to shreds. I did not notice any great amount of typos or misspellings in the guide, as one reviewer pointed out. Finally, I will say that one advantage is this guide is more or less compatible with both the PlayStation and PC versions (with the exception of which buttons to push).