Shouldn't be so popular.
But you barely get to play with all the cutscenes. They're every two seconds, and not to mention boring. This would have made a much better movie than a game, seeing as it doesn't qualify as one, in my opinion. All you do is press the x button. Wippee.
So why is it so popular? The graphics. They're pretty well done, except for a few really bad things that you'll think were just pasted on. And sometimes you get so tiny you don't know where you are. Some textures are very gross looking as well.
I got this game from my mom because she heard it was really, really good. But I can't bring myself to play it anymore; it would be an utter waste of my time. If I want to go watch a movie with good graphics, I'll go watch Monster's Inc. I wish this was the 'final' fantasy, because these games are boring.