I'm almost finished with my first playthrough, and I gotta say, I love this game.
I'd say it's probably my 3rd favorite FF behind FFVI and FFX, though 10 and 13 are close. May change spots.
A lot of people say the battle system is boring, I don't find it to be boring at all. I get the feeling that the people who hate it set it to one Paradigm and never shift unless they absolutely have to. I'm always thinking about how to maximize my battle strategies, often switching paradigms every few seconds. It's fun! But it may not be for everyone. There's a lot of strategy to it, if you want to get into it, and for me, it's extremely engaging and never gets boring.
Also, the story is good and the music and voice acting and graphics are all top-notch. What more could I ask for in a game?
