I thought we could have a solid discussion about the strengths and weaknesses of this game...I was wrong. In fact, this is easily the most idiotic thread I've seen in these forums so far. I'm sorry, but it's the truth.

Arguing about the tail the main character has is childish and pointless. How can you judge a game based on that? It's not even worth mentioning. Final Fantasy 7's characters were nothing but a few blocks of polygons thrown together and rarely do people complain about that 'round here. Heck, most characters looked kind of funny and/or colorful in every game up to and including Final Fantasy 7.

If you want to have my take on Final Fantasy 9, here it is:

Pros
-the art direction is amazing; cutscenes and 2D backgrounds all look fantastic
-good soundtrack overall (with some ups and downs)
-characters that are at the very least creative and strange
-well done English translation (the best Square has done so far)
-plenty of fun if you can get into it (and that's what matters)
-an ability system that takes a different approach from the previous Playstation games and makes a lot of sense

Cons
-a few of the music tracks get on my nerves, especially the default battle theme
-battles could go faster
-rarely can you create your own party (especially in the first half of the game)
-not enough mini games like the ones in FF7