Also in Final Fantasy VIII there are many side quests. You can get rare items and even Guardian Forces when you do the following side quests. These side quests can be done on disc 3, some also on disc 4.

¤ Vase Quest ¤
Find all vase pieces in Winhill for a reward.

¤ Shumi Tribe ¤
Find all stones in Shumi Village for a reward

¤ Alien PuPu ¤
Seen a weird UFO? Look here.

¤ Centra Ruins ¤
You can get two GFs at this place.

¤ Cactuar Island ¤
Notice a cactuar on a small island, well here's the guide to defeat it.

¤ Deep Sea Research Center ¤
This research center is worth looking in.

¤ CC Group and Card Queen ¤
Find out how to challenge this elite group of card players and the Queen of Cards.