It's hardly a "new" thing to put down FF8. It's just one of those games which ventured too far from the norm. As a result, fans either loved it or hated it.

The magic system wasn't something we were used to. The main character was more emo than ever. The setting wasn't medieval but futuristic. The love story played a much larger part in the game relative to other FFs. The list goes on. Depending on the eye of the beholder, these aspects of this revolutionary game were either pros or cons.

One could say that because FF9 seemed to play much more traditionally in terms of previous experiences with FF that Square themselves considered FF8 to have pushed the boundary for change a little too far. But then again, that just may be reading into it too much.

I heart FF8 myself.