As anyone who has talked to me for more than five minutes knows, I am a video game fanatic, and Final Fantasy VIII was the one with which I started. The PC version to be precise. Despite the fact that it crashed almost every time I played it, I played it almost religiously. Of course, about 2 years later I finally got the PlayStation version (fairly soon after the purchase of my PS2 ^_^) and finally managed to beat the damn thing.This game follows the basic plot line of all FFs: get the girl and save the world. This one had some new features, though, including the Junciton system, where you could use magic to enhance your characters' stats, as well as the Draw system, where you had a magic inventory instead of magic points (i.e., you could have a certain number of Fire spells, Cure spells, etc.). It also ditched the cartoonishness of previous titles in favor of more realistic looking characters. While a very popular game, it still has its detractors, mostly people who didn't like the Draw or Junction system, found the characters to be too 2-dimensional, or felt the very futuristic, sci-fi-type setting was inappropriate.

The Story
In this game, a nation known as Galbadia threatens global domination, under the rule of the Sorceress Edea. You take on the role of Squall Leonhart, a young member of an elite mercenary force known as SeeD. Along the way, you meet all sorts of new characters, including Rinoa Heartilly, the erstwhile love interest, as you quest to thwart Edea's evil plans. Of course, there's a lot more than meets the eye...

The Characters
Squall Leonhart:The character whose role you take up throughout most of the game. He seems to be very cold and aloof, though this is mostly a front he puts up to keep himself from being hurt emotionally.
Rinoa Heartilly: A free-spirited young woman who is open with her emotions (in other words, the complete opposite of Squall). She is the leader of the Forest Owls, a faction opposing the Galbadian occupation of Timber.
Quistis Trepe: The youngest instructor at Balamb Garden (she's only 18). She is a very intelligent woman, but seems to have trouble coping with frustration. It seems to be her mission in life to bring Squall out of his shell.
Selphie Tilmitt:A bubbly, cheerful girl who transfered from Trabia Garden. She becomes a SeeD at the same time Squall does.
Zell Dincht:A lively, spirited fellow who gets riled up easily. He usually acts on impulse rather than reasoning things out first, which sometimes causes problems. He becomes a SeeD at the same time Squall does.
Irvine Kinneas: A womanizing sharpshooter. He uses his cowboy image to try and win over prospective conquests. An excellent sharpshooter, however, for all that he talks tough, he has trouble coping with pressure.
Seifer Almasy: Arrogant and has trouble taking orders, which has kept him from ever becoming a SeeD. Seifer and Rinoa seem to have a bit of a past together.
Sorceress Edea:Not much is known about this mysterious woman, other than the fact that she inherited a sorceress' powers at a very young age. She has since taken over the Galbadian government.
Laguna Loire:At some points in the game, you end up going back 17 years into the past. Laguna gets all of Squall's junctions when this happens. A Galbadian soldier-turned-journalist, Laguna seems to be quite the goof. He tends to be quite optimistic and cheerful.
Kiros Seagill:Also a former Galbadian soldier, having served with Laguna. He's usually a bit on the sarcastic side.
Ward Zabac: Or as I like to call him, "the big guy." He also served with Laguna.