I was that 16 year old kid who loathed Final Fantasy VIII (when it was originally released) for every reason that made it unlike Final Fantasy VII.  I still prefer VII in nearly every regard, but recently I purchased VIII to play on my PS3 and PSP.  I've finally gotten around to playing it thanks to this wonderful recession (read: I'm now unemployed) and have put nearly 70 hours into the game in a week and a half.