Ahem....this game was alright. It did things the other games have done, and it either did them a lot better or a lot worse.
Graphics: Nothing special, when you consider other RPGs with better graphics came out the same year as this (in Japan) and looked better(HACKXENOSAGAHACK). Nothing great, nothing terrible. It just didn't blow my mind like other games in the series have. Score: 7
Sound: Sound effects work well, and the music is like(in my opinion) all of the other music in FF games. One or two mind-blowing songs(IE One Winged Angel, Liberi Fatali, Suteki Da Ne) show up, but the rest is standard fare. Voice acting was a mixed bag. Rikku, Lulu, and Auron were perfect, but Tidus came off as a whiner, Yuna put all the wrong emphasis on the wrong words, Wakka sounded stoned and Seymour sounded like a cross between Winnie the Pooh and Michael Jackson. Kimahri just didn't talk. Score: 8
Gameplay: I loved the sphere grid, but the battles themselves were too turn-based for my taste. I liked the lack of overworld map(unlike most people). I loved some of the mini games (Aeon Battles come to mind), but some of them were annoying(Chocobo Racing). Score: 7
Story: While not the most original, many of the recurring themes worked extremely well. Score: 8
Characters: Interesting, or at least most of them were. Character development goes on in droves... but Tidus is a wanker so I can't give it full marks. Score: 9