Final Fantasy IX overall is a somewhat mixed bag, but the story and the thought provoking characters elevate the game into the upper echelon of Final Fantasy games.

The combat is easily the weakest part of the game, and the side content is extremely forgettable and possibly the worst of any ff game, excluding 16...

The world is pretty cool, especially as you get later into the game and learn more about the mist and Gaia as a whole.

The main cast is a breath of fresh air compared to the extremely basic and forgettable characters of Final Fantasy 8, and each character has a compelling story arc and surprisingly deep moments of questioning their existence and what their purpose is (except for Quina, who just completely sucks).

Finally, the story starts off fairly basic and takes a while to really get to the good parts, but once it gets there it's honestly one of the best in the series. Don't let the weird character designs and overall childish nature of this game fool you, because the story goes to some pretty deep and surprising places. Also the entire ending sequence is beautiful and extremely well done.

Overall, while I think this game has a fair bit of problems, it nails the story and characters, which is the most important part of any good JRPG in my opinion. I highly recommend it if you're willing to play with cheats or just put up with the mediocre combat system.