StarGirl87
Ex-Soldier
It sounds like it's probably not directly related to the scratches. I think 8 has a higher chance of having problems than 7, especially during the FMV scenes. For some reason it's more delicate (maybe more information in the discs). I've taken care of my game and had a moment similar to yours. What made it worse was that it took awhile to get to the point and you couldn't save right before. So I kept having to try new things to see if it would work and it would take awhile. It was also during a very short FMV scene. What worked for me was simply cleaning the disc with some tissue and water.