Good gravy... This is the absolute worst game that I have ever played in my entire life. Not that the game was even that bad, but... It never lived up to its own hype. I have played all of the Final Fantasy games... Since I beat the very first game, I have been a loyal follower and a ruthless critic. I cherished IV, and I absolutely LOVE VI, which is indeed the very best one in the entire series in terms of story and music. And Final Fantasy VII blew my mind... The Final Fantasy... In a whole different perspective, with three dimensions on the battlefield. When FFVIII came out, I already had a copy reserved... I held the glowing package in my hands, looked at the back of the cover and drooled over the beautiful graphics, and in my head I could imagine the enchanting score that my ears would soon be treated to. But as my best friend and I put the disk in and beheld Final Fantasy VIII... There was a voice screaming in my head... My mind kept saying something to me over and over again as I walked through Balamb Garden... And then my friend said that very thought: "Jay, this game sucks." Yes, it does. This game is a disgrace to the series. A storyline that is so slow, so pointless that you actually look forward to the battle sequences? There was no Final Fantasy VIII Theme! The battle theme and the boss theme pale in comparison to the vicious relentless music of the FFVII Score. There was not one piece of music that ever persuaded me to continue the journey. The disgustingly weak plot was made tolerable only by the CG movies. The character development was never there. Never did we ever find out why Seifer was such a jerk. ...Or WHY the GFs (Ha, ha) erased the memories of the characters. The lead character, Squall, answered every single question with the word "whatever." Compare that to the strong-willed, heartbroken Cloud from FFVII, and it becomes obvious. Allow me to say one more thing: Final Fantasy VI gripped me. I captivated me with a spell that bound me. I played, played, and played that silly game, with it's cute 16 bit graphics, as if I were possessed. The same goes for VII. I wanted to know what was going to happen next at that moment. I got as far as the mission to Timber in FFVIII, and never gave it a second glance. Only a year later, after exams were done in college, with no car or friends around... Did I pull Final Fantasy VIII out again to give it a second chance. How sad. The only time I ever cried over a video game was when Aeris died in Cloud's arms... But when I first played Final Fantasy VIII, I know that I wanted to just bawl.