That guy is dumb. This game is incredible. I seriously think it will be huge in the West, as it definitely can stand on its own as a superior rpg for a handheld.
It's not very hard. I would like it to be harder, but it is easier than the nes version from what I have seen so far (about 18 hours into it).
The battle system is great. His dumb complaints are looked upon as fun challenges by anyone who actually enjoys playing FF's and similar games, and who doesn't just rush through trying to beat them as fast as possible.
And to bitch about the writing being poor...give me a break. He sounds like a Japan snob to me. The writing is great. I never played the Japanese original, but from the translated rom I played a few times, I would guess that most of the text is right from the nes version, unchanged. Aside from the stuff they added to the ds version of course.
I just can't wait for this game to come out to the rest of the world- I think people are going to really really like it. Oh, and it does NOT feel dated. It looks amazing (I was very dubious about the graphics but was very pleasantly suprised), the gameplay is pure fun...its just the perfect game. Those who are waiting for the English language version should be pissing themselves with excitement.