One of my personal favourites.
Final Fantasy is a legendary franchise, since 1988 to 2010 and onwards, Final Fantasy is a name that even the most casual gamers will have heard of. They were only truely noticed when Final Fantasy VII broke new ground for RPG gaming, such a brilliant game, yet there was just something for me that made Final Fantasy VIII perfect, and you know what, I can't even explain in words what that is.
Squall Leonhart is a young teenage mercenary working for a group known as SEED. Their job is to be trained and to take down the Sorceress whos believed to be attempting to take over the world and ultimately destroying it. Before you believe that this is Final Fantasy VIII in a nutshell, you'll be mistaken, VIII is far deeper and emotional than you can imagine, and only fully playing the game will you uncover the secrets and twist behind FInal Fantasy VIII.
Got you hooked? Good. Now as with all the main Final Fantasy games, they're Turn-based RPGs, but the combat system sometimes differs from game to game. VIII introduces new ways of fighting, one of which is called GF Junctioning. This basically involves a certain summon monster being 'Junctioned' with it's special abilites to a character. It takes some getting used to, especially if you've been a hardcore player of VII and have been so use to the whole 'Materia' equipping. What's also changed is how your "Limit Break" is used. Much like Final Fantasy VI (or III in for North America), "Limit Breaks" occur when your character is dying/low on health, think of it as giving your character a kick up the ass. There is another way of starting a "Limit Break" such as using a item known as 'Aura', but let's not get into what items do what.
Of course, if a story plays well, you need to know about the character's personality right? As many know, Final Fantasy always manages to produce likable characters, some of which you may even relate to. Squall Leonhart is perfect example of a character that you'll grow attached to. In the beginning of the game, he comes across as miserable and ignorant, it's only as you progress further and further that you'll soon begin to like him as his attitude dramaticly changes as he meets new characters and eventually appreciates new things. Squaresoft even cleverly make you love to hate Squall's rival, Seifer Almasy. Each character in Final Fantasy VIII has a likable personality, none of which you could really put down and dislike.
The game is pretty lengthy, and there are a few side quests to do for those willing to put some time and exploration into the game. One of the bonuses that may keep you hooked is the card game that VIII has prepared for you. Unlike VII which only really gave you a chocobo racing mini-game, VIII has a very addictive and easy to learn card game. Collecting rare cards a hobby throughout the game, and you'll often find yourself looking for battles with major NPCs to get their unique cards.
Simply put, if you're expecting to complete all the sub-missions, collect all the cards and find all the GFs in less than 60 hours, you're greatly mistaken.
To me, the game is perfect, to others... well that's for them to decide. Either way, if you're a RPG fan and you've never played Final Fantasy VIII, you don't know what you're missing.