It's game play is really weird isn't it? i mean i was actually hoping for them to use the stratagy behind the first one even a little.. though i do realize the technicalities due to only being one player.
the materia thing is still getting me and being unable to change weapons. that sword is weird and for the first couple hours i was playing i was wondering "where is my powerful magic after leveling up the materia?! i want my blizzaga!!!" X3 but i got over that quickly.

the leveling up system is too random for me. i hate that i am playing in an area and i never level up from experience then i go to another mission and i level up three times? what is that?! or i have one materia i have had on my character from the beginning and it never leveled up but i then add something like HP up and that is mastered before the first one even levels up! that is annoying.

i'm currently working on my missions like crazy though. i enjoy sometimes just stirring up the fights constantly in the same area over and over but i still mess up with the combat mode and go to items and for some reason i am using a remedy for no reason instead of attacking TT.TT oops.... i also have trouble sometimes in not noticing how damaged Zack is before it gets into the red warning DX then i tend to just pull out the cure and go.

but i do enjoy the game and it's gameplay. Zack seems like a little kid. i enjoyed the first few cutscenes with him being all immature while killing all of the soldiers X3
i'm glad that for the moment it doesn't feel like and interactive movie. but i get the feel that it's just temporary. i like the older games because they were built on gameplay not graphics.