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I never completed FF8. I couldn't get into it. The first time around, my brother was playing it at the same time. He was older, so he always got first dibs on it. For a reason beyond my comprehension, whenever he played games and needed info, I was the one he expected to give it to him, so he made me read the strategy guide for him(why he never tried it without the first time, I'll never know). He used to make me monitor his damn energy bar and let him know when he needed an energy tank when he played Megaman. I guess he thought if he looked away from the battle for half a second to check his health, he'd die or something... ANYWAY...

I had to read the strategy guide to find out what was going to happen before it even happened, relay it to him, watch him play, and then when he finally put the damn thing down, it was my turn. By the time I ever got to play any part of the game, it was nothing but repetition. I got to the part where you get Irvine and got sick of it. I gave it a chance again later when I was in highschool. I borrowed it from a friend, but while I was running thru the garden/training area/whatever the heck it is - you fight some sort of plant monsters there, and it's kind of jungle-y - I got attacked by some kind of dinosaur. I sat there fighting the stupid thing for at least an hour. I remembered before when my brother played it, the incredible frustration that fighting the GFs brought him, the incredibly long battles, the pain in the ass it was for him to find the items he needed to upgrade his weapons... I decided I wasn't going to put myself thru that crap and gave up on it again. My brother got to the 3rd or 4th disc, but he got to a point where he couldn't progress much further. Don't ask me where he was in the game; I have no idea. I also seem to remember Squall generally not giving a %%#% or saying much, but that might just be in the beginning. I couldn't relate to him or give a crap about him.

As for 9, 9 was friggin' awesome. It was more difficult than 7 but not as much of a pain in the ass as 8. Best of all, by the time I got around to playing FF9(10th or 11th grade, I believe), my brother had moved out. I had a strategy guide, but I only consulted it when absolutely necessary. It made for a much better gaming experience, even better than 7. FF7 had a good story, but it was much more dark and depressing. FF9 had its own share of depressing moments, but it was usually lined with something to chuckle about. I actually cared about the characters.

Also, FF7 suffered from the same problem that 8 did in terms of me and my brother with the strategy guide and the dibs. I never fully appreciated FF7 until I replayed it years later, after I'd completed FF9. FF9 is my favorite of the series, followed by 7. As far as the rest are concerned, if they were wiped from existence, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

I think Squaresoft's best work lies in the less-popular games and series: Chrono Trigger/Cross, Tobal No.1/Tobal 2(both fighting games ahead of their time), Brave Fencer Musashi(an action RPG that rivals Zelda, with more RPG elements than Zelda), Ehrgeiz(another fighter similar to Tobal, but more "arcade" style, with some unique characters, plus some FF7 cameos), and Seiken Densetsu 3(Sequel to Secret of Mana, never released here).