This game is amazing, endearing, entrancing, and tragically frustrating. You've read the other reviews, and you know what everyone has said. The graphics are charming, your team's AI is absolute trash, there's a ton of grinding, a lot of the sub quests are TEDIOUSLY repetitive, the story is great, and the experience of playing it will stay with you always. Everyone has already said that, and what they've said is correct.
This is a great game. You *SHOULD* play this game. But there are some things that you need to know coming into the experience. This game is an experiential rollercoaster- at times, you'll be sitting in open-mouthed amazement at the sheer awesomeness of what's happening, and at other times you'll be wanting to kick a chihuahua in frustration. Yes, the AI of your team-mates is REALLY that bad. Yes, some of the Boss fights are INCREDIBLY cheap and require a significant amount of grinding. Yes, some features which should be present from the very beginning only unlock later in the story. But to me, it was worth it. The ups and downs, the frustrations and the smiles, it was all worth it. I'm glad that I played this game through to completion, and I *DO* plan to spend some time on the post-clear content. I really wish that they had made some different decisions (the AI could have benefitted a LOT from a FFXII-style gambit system) but none of the problems actually 'break' the game. They lend to a few frustrations, a few expletives, and a few extra hours grinding away, but they don't actually destroy the experience.
Those in their mid to late 30's will chuckle a little when they play this game, because it will remind them of how annoying early RPG titles were. The grinding was TEDIOUS, but you had to do it, because bosses would OWN you if you didn't put the time in. But once they were dead??? Lord, it was SO worth it!!! Or once you got a certain weapon that let you cut through some of those old enemies like butter??? MAN that was a great feeling. You'll feel that with this game. The grind is tedious, but going back and ninja-slicing your way through enemies who previously knocked you flat is a fairly satisfying feeling.
I really can't add much to what the other reviews have said- I can only contribute one more 4-star review to the mass. This game isn't perfect- it's a pretty long way OFF from perfect. But if you're a fan of RPG's, then you should play it. Give it a chance. Let it entrance you. And when you're frustrated, just take a moment to read through the Wizard's Companion, then re-assess whatever it was that was frustrating you. I promise you, something amazing is just *RIGHT* around the corner...