I think it comes down to whether one can play a game for the story and overlook the gameplay flaws or not. I agree that the gameplay does get slightly dull....too much so in some missions....but that does not negate the fact that the game had an interesting story and some nice characters.
That said, it's one of the top RPGs of this day and age.
Edit:
BTW did you finish a play-through or just put it aside half way?
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