I just thought the card game really has nothing to do with the world of FF8; it was just inserted to give players a sidequest-y thing to follow. Just food for thought.

And yes, Triple Triad is SO much better than Tetra Master. The main reason for the difference is Card Modding; FF8 you can, 9 you can't. That, and FF8's game is so much easier to play than FF9's (Until you get into determining those stinkin' Combos that just seem to pop out of nowhere, resulting in you getting your ass kicked.).