Great game. This is for people who like to immerse themselves in games rather than rush through them - more really for the Zelda fans than the Final Fantasy crowd. Personally, I take my games in smaller bites and thus it takes me a little longer to complete those "weekend games" everyone complains about. I've put in ten hours and I'm not too close to completing it yet (I've had it for a few weeks). I'd say that's worth way more than $9.99 (Circuit City had a one-week sale on the PS2 version - lucky me).
I love the world. It reminds me of a cross between the "Skies of Arcadia" universe, Hyrule, and a Miyazaki anime. Some of the enemies remind me of the creepy ghostly insects in that Final Fantasy movie. The voice acting I've actually found to be quite good overall. The great story is so seamlessly integrated into the gameplay experience that you really feel like you're part of the plot. (I love how the game just pushes you into the story without endless tutorials / exposition)
There are some camera glitches now and again, and the tons of polygons on-screen (the city reminded me of Jak II with all the hovercrafts flying around) sometimes slow down the framerate, but most of the time it's not a problem. The art design and overall "feel" of the game are unique and a lot of work obviously went the animation and textures. During the stealth sequences (which are scary and inventive) I held my breath more than once. The puzzle sections are also very rewarding and ingenious (dealing with all those electrical problems in the factory...)
I knew I really loved the game when I finally made it out into open water and began pointing my camera around the ocean and a giant whale jumped up out of the ocean and slammed back under the waves with a tremendous splash...
The combat, like that in "Prince of Persia", is not overly complicated but feels, for lack of a better phrase, "kick-ass". (I must say, I disagreed with those who hated the POP combat - it just never got old for me)
This is definitely a sleeper "hit" (I also have hopes that it will pick up more $ales but I have no illusions). You just want to see a game successful when it has so much work put into it and ends up working so well. Besides, I want a sequel.
Along with Prince of Persia, this is one of my favorite games of the year.
~s