I'll preface by saying that I'm a huge fan of RPGs and of the Final Fantasy series. Turn-based, action, Japanese or Western oriented RPGs - it makes no difference to me. A good game is a good game and I always try to completely experience a game before rendering judgment. That said, I first purchased Final Fantasy VIII shortly after it was released in 1999. However, for various reasons I never finished the game. Only recently did I decide to pick the game back up and finish what I had started so many years ago.