*ignoring the IX vs. XII debate...*
Though I'm tired of this debate, I feel for the most part its actually been pretty good so I'll add my :twocents:
Music: Though I would agree that the soundtrack doesn't offer the sheer volume of memorable tracks like Uematsu's good soundtracks. I honestly feel the soundtrack is quite good and easily compliments the scenes. Maybe not in an emotional sense like Uematsu but at least in a immersive way. I never found the music to be distracting or boring. In fact most of my negative comments only happen when I stop playing the game and reflect back on it. But I do the same thing with the soundtracks of alot of games. Its truly rare that I remember a game soundtrack so I don't think much about it or let it ruin my gaming experience.
I also disagree with battle themes being intrical, since the few memorable tracks listed were situational tracks like "Battle on the Bridge". Until the Black Mages remixes, I never thought highly of any of the normal boss and battle themes in the series. Only specialty tracks like "Battle on the Bridge", "Man with the Gun", and the cool final boss themes were ever memorable. In fact, "Still More Fighting" is the only normal boss theme in any of the FFs I actually like. XII does have it's share of specialty boss themes that are memorable so for my personal taste it actually suits me.
Love Story: Good riddance, most of them felt tacked on or are horribly done. If you want good romance, I wouldn't look to FF to deliver it to you. I never felt it was a defining feature in the series but rather an annoying cliche I have to stomache through. Course this may have to do with the fact that my favorite FF's either don't have a love story or its just a side story that never overshadows the main plot. If you are going to have a love story in a story that isn't a love story, it should be in the background and not the main focus but this is just my opinion. Oddly enough, I am a hopeless romantic but FFs way of dealing with love always seemed shallow to me...
Random Battles: I like the battle system for the most part. I only miss random battles due to nostalgia sakes but not because I feel it lessens the gaming experience because I need them. The battle system was well done for the most part and though I feel it could be better in certain places (varying animations, more detailed gambit options, better spell visuals, and just greater variety overall) I feel its a wonderful starting platform for something greater. I would love to see the ADB system expanded upon and tinkered with. I think it could truly become something revolutionary. Also I would like to mention that I completely agree with BG-57 on the fact that treasure chests shouldn't be random drops
Plot and Characters: Lord knows I don't want to get into this one. Though I agree that a better expansion on the cast is welcomed, I feel the cast is quite strong and interesting for the most part. Its plot is not as deep as the standards put up by the teams previous works (Tactics and Vagrant Story) but I still feel its enjoyable and new to the main line of the series which never really properly dealt with stories about politics and social classes. It was a welcomed change IMHO.
The major flaw I find in the story is the pacing. I'll agree that the dungeons (or just getting to the dungeons) can get so long and tedious at times that the player begins to forget why they are there to begin with. Its not a big deal as long as your consistent, but if you have a nasty job or school or both; you can't exactly dedicate every free moment with playing. The game really could have used a story journal so you can read up on what has happened and check up on your characters personal situations (a la FFT).
These are just my opinions though...