So what's the best version of Final Fantasy VIII to play?

In my opinion it depends a lot on what you want the experience to be.

If you have a strong nostalgia for those old style ps1 games and want the full experience, play the original, preferably with mods.

If you want a flashy, modernized version that has the same general plot but is greatly expanded upon (for the worse IMO) play the remake version on PC, so you can Mod new outfits or lack of outfits if you wish.