What a real comeback for the series

I just finished the game, doing all hunts and sidequests as well, and I have to say that I really really loved it! I think it was fantastic overall, and it actually went straight to my top three final fantasy games. And I've played quite a lot, like all the first 10 games + x-2 + xii + a number of spin offs. At first I must confess that I was very skeptical of the gameplay and fighting system, because I suck at action games and mostly prefer turn-based combats. Well, i ended up being not so bad at playing (due to the game probably being not that hard, lol) and enjoyed myself a lot. The story was amazing, the music was excellent and the arrangements of old classics made me tear up very often. But the most amazing aspect of this game are ITS CHARACTERS. Everyone is so well written, with so much depth, with so many emotions to convey... I find this a huge step forward if we compare them to some stereotypical characters of the past. Right now my personal rank is:

1) FF VI 2) FF X 3) FF XVI (yes, this high) 4) Tie between FF IX and IV

I'm so glad I pushed myself to play this game despite my concerns about the gameplay, it's an absolute gem, the references to previous games are top notch, and although there are of course some problems (very few rpg elements, no party, no altered stats) it is overall a very good game and a good final fantasy. . I'm really looking forward to the next entry in the series, this game gave me back the hope that I had kind of lost after FFX.