I think final Fantasy 9 is definetely worth a buy.
If you loved the old FF\'s and the fantasy-style ( black and white mages, knights, etc. )
But I think the ability-system ( "magic-system" ) is good enough. You equip yourself with magic stones, wich come with equipment such as shields, swords, armours etc.
It\'s little like the materia-system from FFVII, but still different and maybe not as complex.
Characters; they are loveable. The cute VIVI with his problems, and the walking style... he\'s just so symphatic... Garnet, the princess, is cute; Steiner, the bodyguard Knight, is just hilarious... The characters are deep and you\'ll grow to love them immediately. They\'re one of the best characteristics in a fantasy-game I\'ve ever seen.
Music; well it\'s good, very good. But I think the battle-music doesn\'t compete really with FFVIII. It\'s good but gets annoying. The music overally creates very deep atmosphere, and they suit the game very well.
The graphics are BEAUTIFUL, if considering FFIX is PSone game. The backgrounds are painted really well, and the characters are full of details and such.
Overally, Go buy it immediately if you love old-school Final Fantasy!