This game beats any other Final Fantasy by a lot. The storyline is amazingly deep, and the characters are all loveable.
The plotline is so deep, the ending (which will not be spoiled) literally brought tears to my face. Zidane is the most well-developed character in any RPG ever, even today. The FMV's are stunning even by today's standards, and the gameplay will last for 20 hours or more.
However, the replay value of this game is rather low; It's very un-exciting to go through the game twice, beacuse, in reality, it's more like a movie then a game.
Now, I know we all have movies we see twice, but none of them have repetitive random encounters, do they? I loved the battle system for about a week. After that point, the Trance-o-Metor (It's this game's limit break) started to get on my nerves, and the countless monsters drove me nuts. If you're not the type that likes storylines, this game is not for you. A reccomendation is to play Final Fantasy 1 right before you play this game. Just trust me on that one.
My final opinion:
The characters are loveable, Zidane and Vivi are adorable, the plot is amazing, the graphics are breathtaking, every part of the game (except the gameplay) grows on you, but the gameplay is lacking.
I would give it a 10.0, but I can't give the gameplay anything over an 8 or I'd be lying, no matter how much I love this game.