"Shut your damn mouth Chicken-Wuss!"
-The writing is at least as complex as FF7 if not moreso, and the periodic tie-ins with Laguna's story is compelling.
-Most characters look and act more mature than traditional RPGs and have distinct personalities and attitudes.
-The scope of the game covers a varied yet cohesive sci-fi setting. The assault on Dollet, time compression, and most of the sequence in space is still awe inspiring to this day.
-The world map is big and full of secrets.
-Possibly my favorite video game soundtrack of all time. You'll be hard pressed to find a better one, even by today's standards. Uematsu's drum beats are engrossing and there are a few tracks near the end of the game that are cinematic in quality.
-Cinematic scenes where you can still control Squall were uncommon at the time this game was released. For instance, running across the Seed littered battlefield with computer animated soldiers fighting in the background just looked amazing.
-Triple Triad is complex and fun and collecting cards is gratifying.
-Some challenging endgame content.
-Edea/Ultimecia is much more creepy than your standard RPG villain.
Bad:
-The rivalry between Squall and Siefer should have been more developed, I didn't understand what Siefer's motives were and why he was always fighting with Squall.
-The world map is locked up in the last disc.
-The draw system can get very tedious.
-There were some very earthshattering connections between Squall and Laguna that were never blatantly explained for the player, so a lot of people missed out on them.
-There are much more romantic overtones and themes in this game that many male gamers tend to find repulsive, and it's really a shame because underneath it's a brilliant story that would have otherwise had people agreeing that this is one of the greatest RPG's ever made.