FFVIII is fun. It is oddly both over and underrated. Some people think it is the among the best, some think it is among the worst, but to me it is somewhere in the middle. Definitely a fun game, particularly the GF/junction system and Triple Triad. Drawing magic is a bore, but like Jessweeee said there are more efficient ways to do it. I thought the story got pretty ludicrous but FF games aren't really known for their super compelling stories.