A playing card in one hand, fate tipping over in the other, Final Fantasy VIII grabs you through its ambition as much as its mess.

First thing, and it surprises. When the community picks on gut feeling, with no thinking, the game only edges ahead of a handful of titles. That is low, on few votes, so take it with care. And yet the detail tells another story. Its soundtrack stands ahead of 96% of all games, attachment to its characters ahead of 94%, and the one you would take to a desert island ahead of 91%. There is the tension. Memory, music, bond, all of it sits high. But the immediate pull stalls. Fun and feel in the hand land around the middle, on few duels.

In the lineage of the Japanese RPGs of its era, this is a title you cherish for what it left in your memory more than for how it plays. Its draw-and-junction magic system still splits people.

So, who is it for? For you if you want a soundtrack that follows you years later, characters you bond with hard. Much less so if you want an instant, unreserved crush.