Wow, this is a first! Finally, I'm the first person in a thread with a strong, valid opinion! (Meaning no offence to anyone else, of course; I'm just a huge windbag and love to go on in depth. Which is what I'm going to do now.)

Alright. First thing I have to start out by saying here is that I loved FFX; when I bought my PS2 in the summer of 2002, X was the first game I rented, and after keeping it for three weeks (thank you Blockbuster FreedomPass!), the first game I bought. It had it irritating moments, but the mix of plot, graphics, music, and CG was the closest thing to playing a movie I'd ever done. I've played the game through 3 times, two files of which are over 100 hours long. (Before you write me off as a no-lifer, you should know that the only other games I own are FFXII-IX, Tony Hawk 3, and GTA Vice City. And I hardly play the two that aren't FF's.) I've gotten all the ultimate weapons, filled the Sphere Grid with all characters, and ah... other stuff that required me to spend lots of time with the game - except beat frikkin Neslug. I know it pretty well because I couldn't bear to put it down.

Now then: If you, like me, fell in love with X, then you might have a hard time with X-2. I know I'm still having trouble getting over some aspects of it, namely the music and the character depiction. Many times, I want to kill Rikku. Oh, and the songstress job class sucks. It's just stupid. I hate it. It is utter crap and should be shot and it's not fair that they gave the only Darkness and Sleep abilities that I know of to Songstress. No one in my game is over 7% in it. It blows.
Also, the plot is not nearly as strong as in X. There are a lot more irritating parts, and if you're planning on having children, I might advise against playing this game; during some of the "popstar" scenes, I could literally feel my sperm count decreasing.

However, some of the raw play aspects of this game are great. The skill-learning and job class system is an excellent conception (although the party of 3 is too small to use it as effectively as it could be), and makes for some really interesting battles. The fighting system is nothing short of exquisite once you get used to it; chaining attacks are a wonderful innovation, and the Chapter/Mission/Sidequest plot system is great as well. The Spira in this world is a much more dynamic one than we saw in the last game. Chests reset with each Chapter, locations respond differently throughout the game, and thw whole feeling is much more fast-paced and alive - very true to the change that has swept the planet.

If you've got a good tolerance for cheesiness, and a healthy security in your own sexual orientation, I'd say you'll probably have a good time with this game. I'm just nearing the end myself, and I'm beginning to like it a whole lot more as I discover the peculiarities and secrets of the world.

It's certainly no FFVII. It isn't really even a FFX. But it's a pretty good game regardless. It's fun, it's one to play, and I assume it's one to beat (though I haven't beaten it). Will I fall in love with it the way I did with X? I doubt it, but who knows? But I'm having a good time playing it through. So I'd say, yes, it's worth the money you will spend on it. Go for it.