I liked FF IX a lot, but I had some problems with it.
The story is good, for the most part, with some strong character-building, but the third act really drags it down for me. The ending eventually redeemed it, but before that it can get pretty painful.
The gameplay, on the other hand, suffers from almost the opposite problem. The combat gets pretty good later on, but for the first half or so it's excruciating. The standard battle speed is far too slow, the inability to control the Trances makes them practically useless, and simple things, such as running away from battle, can sometimes be a huge hassle.
The skill system is actually pretty good. My only complaint is that it makes the equipment itself pretty secondary to the skills.
Overall, it's a decent game, and one which holds up pretty well, but a few choices brought the experience down for me. I'd rank it just below FF VII, and well above every other Final Fantasy I've played.
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