I'm on my 13hr and I think thats along time for a game and still on the Disc 1(The game has 4CDS!)So I know this is going to be a long one but how long?How long did it take YOU to beat Final Fantasy VIII

well, for me it was 160+ hours but thats with best equip, side quests, etc..
normal playthrough is 50+ hours and, no. its not long at all

80 hours - I spent lots of time to complete all the sidequests, get almost all of the items, get to whole party to lv.100, stock up on good magic, and play waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy too much triple crack.

First time I played it, I think it took me about 70 hours just following the story and doing some exploring. However, second time I played it, I did everything possible including all side quests, exploring all areas, getting all GFs, etc and it took me about 80 hours.

Still my favorite Final Fantasy.

I was so hyped into this game and spent over 80+ hours trying to get everything, and they then went off and killed Odin. WTF?!! Thats just stupid, and he was killed by weak villain (Seifer). That almost made me want to quit the game. I liked Gilgamesh, but it wasn't the same. So I finished it in 87 hours. I just check the game on my PS1. Still have the save. I know some poeple loved this Final Fantasy, but I found it a bit weak. Maybe it just wasn't my cup of tea. I respect those that enjoyed it though. I'm not hating...

Lol, are there any other games in which our pacing is the same? :P

81 Hours exploring and finding everything i could

2nd playthro i used a guide to find the few cards (land side quests i missed

finished in 65 hours (Toke less to do more...i think my battle strategies improved ^_^ )

I remember being so psyched about this game when it came out. I played it religiously for 50-60 hours total. Stupidly, however, I started saving everything onto one save slot, and I got stuck in the fight again Seifer's two henchmen (forget their names). I couldn't leave the fight to level up, and I didn't want to start over from hour 10, which was my only other save file. Also, I got a Dreamcast, making the game a lot easier to put away and forget about.

I eventually finished it about a year later, in about 60 hours, grinding a little, doing a few side quests, exploring a lot.

Honestly, the ending was such a colossally, infuriatingly confusing, cluster-fucked-up disappointment that I haven't picked up another JRPG since...

I'm telling you beforehand, the clock gets stuck at 250 hours.

I can't remember that. It was such a long time ago.

That said, you can expect most JRPGs to clock in at the very least 40 hours, at least the ones from the PSX era and forward. Older ones tend to be a bit shorter (20-30 hours).