Story comes first because the story is intriguing, characters second because those involved with the story (Shuyin and Lenne) are even more intriguing in my opinion.

The graphics are excellent, but I don't depend on them to make a game good.

Gameplay...well, I can tolerate any style of gameplay. Hell, I even tolerated FF8's, which was absolutely maddening to anyone with a short patience span, but again, it was alright.