As easy as this game is to make fun of, when you cut through all the weirdness, it does have some great parts.  I'll give you a mild spoiler (which should really not be a surprise if you played the original) and say that this has one of the most heart-wrenching moments of a Final Fantasy game.  Probably the most, since it somehow manages to encompass all of the tragedy in the original FFVII in the same fell swoop without seeming tacked-on.  However it's prefaced by a lot of nonsensical jibba-jabba about goddesses and honor and lifestreams and so forth, and is accompanied by an amazingly innappropriate j-pop song.  My brain has somehow come to terms with this, and I will probably be able to enjoy Final Fantasy-like games for many years to come, but it sure as heck isn't for everyone.  I question how long this sort of JRPG can survive, especially when westerners are making mature titles like Mass Effect that manage to keep the drama and don't dilute it with a huge heap of goofinesss.

And here is one final spoiler (not a terrible one but don't read it if you'll finish the game) regarding something I liked:  there is a good portion of the story in which Zak is carrying around an injured/sick Cloud while trying to hide from the military.  They don't explain the timeframe but I felt as though it occurred over weeks or months.  He's basically alone trying to care for this guy who can't even respond when he talks to him, and he eventually just starts to act as if he can talk back, as though he needs the reassurance that he'll pull through.  I just thought it was an interesting scenario, and did a good job of characterizing the uber-upbeat Zak in a way that makes his otherwise juvenile personality a lot more forgivable.