Final Fantasy VIII was the second FF I played, and I thourougly enjoyed it for what it was. It was a lot different but it was amazing in its own way. And even to this day I find myself faschinated by the risks Square (later Square-Enix) continue to take with the series, always going in new directions and never building of each other. I think that's what I like about this series so much and why it's so interesting watching all the discussions.
Anyway, I remember really connecting with Squall and the story around it, perhaps because I was a shy teenager myself back then. I've always been interested in stories about self-discovery and love. However, what kind of brought down the game was the battle system, which just became tedious after a while. I mean, it's perfectably playable, but there's lots of other games out there that does it better.
Something I've yet to mention about any of the games so far btw is the amazing soundtracks they both contain. Especially the moody piano pieces. Man, they never fail to bring tears to my eyes, and I love playing them myself on the piano. So much raw emotion it's amazing...