Only Fantasy I haven't played...

[Sepho]

Most of those who don't like FF8 name the story and the characters as its main faults.

There are some very shady sections of the plot that, in all fairness, could have been thought up by a pre-schooler. Naming these specific plot devices would spoil the game for you, and they don't bother everyone. In addition, Squall is often written off as lifeless or soulless, though it's in his character to be naturally plastic. Paired with the overall melancholy atmosphere of the game, it's understandable. Squall does go through a fairly profound change throughout the course of the game, but it's so subtle that it's hardly noticed, especially given how boring and basic the dialogue can be.

Lastly, the Junction system is also often cited as a reason for disliking the game. There's a number of reasons for this, and it should be said that one of them is the fact that many players quite simply don't know how to use it. Other than that, the Junction system is often compared to the Materia system (just as FF8 is often compared to FF7) because VIII came out right after VII, and there's quite a bit of change. I personally like the idea of using spells to boost your characters' stats, though this can also be considered a fault because you can't really cast these spells on your enemies without consequently negatively affecting those stats (the more of the junctioned magic you have stocked, they greater the stat increase).

FF8 is most definitely the biggest 'Love It or Hate It' title in the whole series, and you'll just have to play it for yourself in order to form you own opinion. I like it.