Final Fantasy VIII is probably the most underrated of all the Final Fantasy games. It had the unfortunate luck of following VII, which was the first title in the series to be created in a 3D style on the Playstation.
While FF8 does have its drawbacks, it's still a better game than FF7 in a lot of ways. The combat system is more interesting, and allows a deeper level of character customization. This is the only game in the series that requires you to draw magic spells from your opponents in order to use them. The graphics are understandably better, being a later installment, but the level of difference between FF7's cartoony, exaggerated characters and FF8's more realistic look is astounding.
Speaking of the characters, there is a much deeper level of complexity to them than found in FF7. Throughout the game, we see into Squall's thoughts. While he's the protagonist, it's obvious right off the bat that he's not the most likeable guy in the world. He doesn't really care about being a hero or doing the right thing like Cloud in FF7. He just wants to be left alone. None of them are as simplistic as Barret, who looks and talks like Mr. T with a gattling gun for an arm and a chip on his shoulder. The level of the story is much more personal. Perhaps too personal for a lot of players' tastes, as it focuses primarily on the relationship between Squall and Rinoa. The world is at stake, but at the same time, there's something much more personal about it.
FF7 will always have its place as a favorite of the Final Fantasy series by many players, but for the reasons stated above, as well as some others that I might not have thought to mention, I feel that FF8 is actually the better game, and is vastly underappreciated by the audience of RPG players.
While FF8 does have its drawbacks, it's still a better game than FF7 in a lot of ways. The combat system is more interesting, and allows a deeper level of character customization. This is the only game in the series that requires you to draw magic spells from your opponents in order to use them. The graphics are understandably better, being a later installment, but the level of difference between FF7's cartoony, exaggerated characters and FF8's more realistic look is astounding.
Speaking of the characters, there is a much deeper level of complexity to them than found in FF7. Throughout the game, we see into Squall's thoughts. While he's the protagonist, it's obvious right off the bat that he's not the most likeable guy in the world. He doesn't really care about being a hero or doing the right thing like Cloud in FF7. He just wants to be left alone. None of them are as simplistic as Barret, who looks and talks like Mr. T with a gattling gun for an arm and a chip on his shoulder. The level of the story is much more personal. Perhaps too personal for a lot of players' tastes, as it focuses primarily on the relationship between Squall and Rinoa. The world is at stake, but at the same time, there's something much more personal about it.
FF7 will always have its place as a favorite of the Final Fantasy series by many players, but for the reasons stated above, as well as some others that I might not have thought to mention, I feel that FF8 is actually the better game, and is vastly underappreciated by the audience of RPG players.