well the story was a bit half arsed, but decent. I didnt really mind the really girly noes in the game. But what it really makes it stand out for me is the character progression system and battle system. I like how they combined lvling with advancing the dresspheres, and the fast paced, tactical battles where a lot of fun, definitely best incarnation of the ATB system. I play it every now and then just to have fun with the battles, it's got the best gameplay out of any FF i've played (from FF7 and up, exept FF11). I guess a lot of the hate comes from the really girly overtones and the j-pop stuff, but meh.