While Final Fantasy VIII has a few pitfalls in story and pacing, the overall experience is satisfying and memorable.
The storyline of this FF installment shares a similar theme to almost every other RPG out there: The world is going to end and it's up to you and a band of friends to stop it from happening.
However, the story in this game relies heavily on the personal interactions between the various main characters. There's one plot twist halfway throught the game where you see how everyone is connected and how this moment impacts the entire storyline.
On the surface, the overall storyline and the relationship the main character, Squall, has with everyone else is very compelling. However, the story has several unneccessary over-melodramatic moments that could have been left out.
Like almost all RPGs, FFVIII has its own take on leveling up your characters. Every 1,000 EXP points will level up your character, to a maximum level of 100. These upgraded levels will add small boosts to your stats, such as HP, strength, vitality, etc. However, the real fun and challenge with upgrading your stats comes in the form of Junctioning.
Almost every FF game has had a "summon" command of some sort that allows you to unleash an incredible power or creature on your enemies. That is no different with FFVIII. Guardian Forces, or GFs, are summoned creatures you collect during your adventures. In order for you to trully take advantage of your powers, you must "junction" a GF to a particular character. This allows the abilities of the GF to transfer to your character. Once you start junctioning a few GFs, the options are almost endless. You can perform special abilites such as "Revive," or you can get a particular stat increase in a 20, 40, 60, or even 80 percent increment. In addition, GFs can learn new abilities over time through compiling ability points in battle.
You can also junction magic to your stats. For example, junctioning a FF staple such as Cure to your HP stat will increase your total HP. However, beacuse your spells are essentially inventory items, if you use spells that are junctioned to your stats, those stats will start to decrease. This may be the only negative thing about the junctioning system. It can be a bit frustrating finding spells that maximize your stats only to be forced to use those spells in battle. Another small complaint about the magic/junctioning system is that the game forces you to use a "Draw" system. Essentially, you have to draw spells from monsters and "draw points" scattered throughout the game world. This can be a bit annoying as you spend half of your battles standing back stealing spells from monsters instead of just attacking them from the get-go.
The game's battle system is fast-paced, exciting, and almost never dull (except for those times when you try to maximize your spell inventory by spending minutes on end drawing spells from monsters). Besides the usual Fight, Magic, Summon, and Item command, there are several other abilities you can use in battle such as the afformentioned Draw command. I never found any of the battles too difficult, as long as you're properly prepared. There are two side-bosses in the game that will give you a run for your money if you don't have completely maxed-out characters with their best weapons and spells.
Final Fantasy VIII has a mini-game called Triple Triad. It's a card game using characters and monsters from the game. The game is played on a 3x3 surface. The rules of the game can be difficult at first, but the rewards can be great as you can convert higher level cards into powerful items. The game is pretty much forgettable and not neccessary, however the obtaining higher level cards is definitely worth it.
Overall, FFVIII is a must-have for any RPG fan. If you can stick through some of the games small annoyances, you will be treated to a terrific story with a satisfying ending.