Well gang, I finally beat this game over the long weekend. (Yes, it was a long weekend here.) It was my first Final Fantasy, and I was not disappointed. As Jonny mentions in his review, the whole package is so smooth that I couldn't tell what was new, and what was in the original / an earlier remake. The story and storytelling devices are certainly more interesting than in most RPGs.
This game can get pretty damn brutal in terms of the strategy and timing required...although I certainly beat a few bosses with good-old-fashioned elbow grease, and not tips I later read in FAQs. Slow, toad, and a few other spells are easy to overlook, but near the end of the game I discovered they can really come in handy.
Internet at home is still a ways off, but I hope to finally buy a TV this weekend after I get my paycheck. Now if only I can find a D-terminal cable for my Wii....