I liked FF9. I’m currently on the third disc, and was breezing right through it. It seems to be a really short game imo. But that’s okay. I prefer shorter games.
Anyway, albeit its flaws, I’m enjoying FF9 because it pays respect to the classic FF games, as someone above stated. Although, I’m not fond of the card game, at all — nor the fact that you were forced to play it at one point to advance in the game.