The first few chapters of Final Fantasy VIII are strange....

The first few chapters of Final Fantasy VIII are strange. Seifer, the nemesis for our hero, is set up as a bit of a bully but also an idiot. He's failed the upcoming exam twice, and almost no authority figure takes him seriously. Within a few minutes, he becomes a playable character and, though he boats superior abilities, actually comes with none. He's around the same level, and you have to give him a GF and magic and all that.

I know Seifer isn't the main villain of the game, but a similar thing happens in VII with Sephiroth. A few hours into the game, you play as him for a little while, and he has all the magic and armour that will take your party 30 hours to collect. It's both intimidating and awesome foreshadowing. It says "hey, if you keep playing, you'll eventually get this strong." In VIII, you play as Seifer and he's just another guy.

That shows up later on in the game when you actually fight Seifer, and he's just not that intimidating as a villain. But then, who is actually intimidating in this game? The fact is, VIII isn't a story about good vs evil, and no bad guy in the game feels like anything but a small obstacle.