Issue: Blank Screen with Cursor

Alright,

I'll start off saying I use limited internet, so most of my attempts to install this game were from torrented clients found on reddit, but when I installed them, it'd load the game up, give me the ESRB warning, followed by the square enix logo.

Here's where we get to, if OpeningCutScene = 0, then I'll get a controller configuration option, I don't use a controller so I go past that, and nothing happens, blank screen, just cursor, no loading emblem or nothing. It doesn't ever load either, tried waiting it out. If I set it to skip the opening cut scene in my config file, then it foregoes asking me about a controller, and instead, just goes right on to the blank screen. No start screen when it should go to it, no opening movie when it should go to it.
I've reinstalled, I even burned up this month's decent internet to install the game completely from the launcher, still the same issue.

What I've done to fix this problem: Reinstall Deleted Configuration Folder Set Permissions every which way Updated drivers Changed Graphic Settings
It's also worth mentioning that I don't have a Config program, don't know why, it just never installs that function when I reinstalled the game repeatedly. I didn't bother playing during the Beta despite having access due to my 1.0 account, so I don't have the beta client. I've wasted upwards of 14gigs of internet on this game over the course of two month's internet budget, so another reinstall is not an option, not for a while at least. Minor downloads are even limited since it took a lot of this month's updating things again with the new patch, which again, thanks for putting up here.
The outline of my problem would be Black Screen with Cursor, but the only other issues I've found like mine were from 1.0, dealing with the 1.0 client. I'm running windows 8, so it naturally has updated Windows Media Player as well as IE, so nothing can be done there. Adjusted my cookies to accept 'all'. These were issues in 1.0, so it doesn't seem likely that it would work, but figured I'd try it anyway.

I know that even if I get the game functioning properly, the likelihood of getting in on my overpopulated server, and making a character and everything is unlikely, but i'd at least like to be at the unlikely stage, rather than the no-chance stage.

Thanks for your time, I hope a solution can be found.

Oh, and one more thing, the game isn't freezing at this point. It just isn't loading any further. If you try to exit the game, via Alt+F4, or from clicking the X at the top right corner, it brings up a selection box asking if you want to quit. This box creates sound when interacting with it, otherwise you have no sound what so ever, this box can be cancelled and it'll continue not loading anything further, and clicking Yes, will close the game out properly.

Is it correct that your most recent install is via torrent(s), or was it from official source?
Official source has it just under 7gb; unless someone repacked it (?), torrent shouldn't offer you any bonuses.

What you describe is either missing/corrupt data or in other cases would be driver related. If you have tried several GPU drivers and still have the same problem, it could be Windows 8.
What about compatibility mode for Windows 7, or do you have a copy of another Windows version you can install to test on?

Actually, that's something I can try. Since I have the installer and the client already downloaded, I can copy it to another computer and try to run it on Windows 7.

There's a chance it is the files though, as I don't have a config program to run like others seem to, but unfortunately for me, this client is completely downloaded via the launcher, so it isn't the torrent client's issue.

The reason I do have torrent clients saved is becuase I have limited internet for my computer, but my phone does not, so I torrent download it to my phone, and copy the client onto my computer. Since Square's launcher patches with entire files instead of amending the current files, it costs too much data to keep updating, I did eventually break down and get the square exclusive client, but if they patched again anytime soon, I'd be in trouble, without torrents that is. But I'll try to swap to the other computer now, and if that doesn't fix the issue, then I guess I'll look for another torrented client to try. I don't think the torrented clients were the issue, since I had the same trouble with them as I have with the official source. If for some reason it is the client, and the torrented ones continue to be troubling, I'll just check next month and try to reinstall from the original source again.

How about buying a hard copy of the game - do they exist? Or get someone you know to burn you a copy.

Buying a copy seems redundant, considering I paid a small fortune for the original 1.0 collector's edition. It wasn't particularly worth it then. Paying more now to see if it was worth it in the long run seems kind of foolish. That being said, I may very well get a friend to copy their client, and see if it's an incompatibility issue or a download issue.