[Spoiler Free]:
It's quite sad, how a game so innovative ended up becoming so underrated.
Keep in mind that word-to-mouth decides most of the gaming Zeitgeist - play the game and form your own opinion.
Final Fantasy 2 was also an easy target for ridicule: it strayed from the formula, but boasted an especially good story compared to RPGs of its time. Final Fantasy II would introduce a characterization of its main characters and returning side characters for the first time, which would later become the biggest part of its formula.
And that's exactly what Final Fantasy VIII does, it innovates too much after its most successful commercial entry: Final Fantasy VII, which sold over 14 million copies worldwide. Players were disappointed with the lack of consistency in the newer entry, and the many freedoms that the developers took to rejuvenate the franchise.
Squall gets a lot of hate for being cold and sullen, but it's mostly overlooked that most of his infamous "Whatever" moments are thought out and not spoken. There are very few times where Squall really comes off as unreasonably rude. Whatsmore, his iconic catchphrase sprouts from a shoddy localization job. Early in the game, he still lends a hand to people preparing concerts at Balamb Garden, even lending an ear to the hot-dog lady. In hindsight, the player is given dialogue choices for most of Squall's feedback to his surrounding - the player decides how likeable he is. While the main cast is not your usual happy-go-lucky and shallow protagonist typical of the JRPG trope, any sensible human would find at least a few of them relatable to some degree.
The Junction system is a little complicated but the game progressively tutorializes the game's in-depth mechanics throughout the first missions. Later in the game, a Refine system allows you to craft a lot of the needed magic with relatively common items. Bosses in Final Fantasy 8 have mechanics way more in-depth than anything ever seen in previous Final Fantasy games, this is made instantly noticeable as soon as you enter the SEED field exam and face the X-ATM092, which can be defeated, but also avoided as it chases you throughout the island's shore.
This game has a Pocket Monster aspect in which a character can collect weakened monsters using the "Card" battle command. These cards can then be used in a mini-game called "Triple Triad", one of the best mini-games in the series. This original card game contains every monster found in the game, serving both as a bestiary as well as a collectible card game. Extra cards can later be exchanged for usable items, doubling as a mechanic for the main game.
Final Fantasy VIII definitely has the best soundtrack of any Final Fantasy game and some of the best graphics on the Playstation, there are some really seamless transitions between the game world and FMV sequences as well, and the whole game has a massive sense of scale and attention to environmental detail. Its opening "Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec" remains the most impressive FMV I've seen in a game so far.
All in all, Final Fantasy VIII remains one of the most complex and feature-heavy games in the series. Unfortunately, made a victim of its predecessor's success and the retro-revisionism of web 1.0 forums and fansites.
It's quite sad, how a game so innovative ended up becoming so underrated.
Keep in mind that word-to-mouth decides most of the gaming Zeitgeist - play the game and form your own opinion.
Final Fantasy 2 was also an easy target for ridicule: it strayed from the formula, but boasted an especially good story compared to RPGs of its time. Final Fantasy II would introduce a characterization of its main characters and returning side characters for the first time, which would later become the biggest part of its formula.
And that's exactly what Final Fantasy VIII does, it innovates too much after its most successful commercial entry: Final Fantasy VII, which sold over 14 million copies worldwide. Players were disappointed with the lack of consistency in the newer entry, and the many freedoms that the developers took to rejuvenate the franchise.
Squall gets a lot of hate for being cold and sullen, but it's mostly overlooked that most of his infamous "Whatever" moments are thought out and not spoken. There are very few times where Squall really comes off as unreasonably rude. Whatsmore, his iconic catchphrase sprouts from a shoddy localization job. Early in the game, he still lends a hand to people preparing concerts at Balamb Garden, even lending an ear to the hot-dog lady. In hindsight, the player is given dialogue choices for most of Squall's feedback to his surrounding - the player decides how likeable he is. While the main cast is not your usual happy-go-lucky and shallow protagonist typical of the JRPG trope, any sensible human would find at least a few of them relatable to some degree.
The Junction system is a little complicated but the game progressively tutorializes the game's in-depth mechanics throughout the first missions. Later in the game, a Refine system allows you to craft a lot of the needed magic with relatively common items. Bosses in Final Fantasy 8 have mechanics way more in-depth than anything ever seen in previous Final Fantasy games, this is made instantly noticeable as soon as you enter the SEED field exam and face the X-ATM092, which can be defeated, but also avoided as it chases you throughout the island's shore.
This game has a Pocket Monster aspect in which a character can collect weakened monsters using the "Card" battle command. These cards can then be used in a mini-game called "Triple Triad", one of the best mini-games in the series. This original card game contains every monster found in the game, serving both as a bestiary as well as a collectible card game. Extra cards can later be exchanged for usable items, doubling as a mechanic for the main game.
Final Fantasy VIII definitely has the best soundtrack of any Final Fantasy game and some of the best graphics on the Playstation, there are some really seamless transitions between the game world and FMV sequences as well, and the whole game has a massive sense of scale and attention to environmental detail. Its opening "Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec" remains the most impressive FMV I've seen in a game so far.
All in all, Final Fantasy VIII remains one of the most complex and feature-heavy games in the series. Unfortunately, made a victim of its predecessor's success and the retro-revisionism of web 1.0 forums and fansites.