FFVIII by a strong lead for many reasons starting first and foremost with as a game. The battle system of Chrono Crooss is fairly mediocre. It"s serviceable but one of its weaker points and no comparison to FF8 if you know how to play it right. Secondly, FF8 is a masterclass in storytelling compared to CC. Chrono Cross has a lot of great ideas but it's very unfocused and leaves you with the sense that probably about 70% filler. FF8 has very little that can be considered filler. Almost every event advances the main plot. Not only does it have little filler compared to a high filler game like CC, it also has little filler compared to most FF games and RPGs in general. Whatever you think about some of the plot twists, at least almost every plot point in the game is in service of a larger story being told.